Jesus

went to the temple during the feast of the Tabernacles. The temple was lit by four very large candelabra and their light could be seen for a great distance. Here, he rescued the woman about to be stoned for adultery and then  proclaimed to those who watched the event, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

Darkness, in a spiritual sense, frequently refers to sin or to confusion about truth. Just as in life, the darkness can hide evil or distort what is real, in the spiritual world, it can distort truth and make it difficult to see or understand truth. However, God created both day and night, and He does not expect us to live our lives in darkness. He wants us to live out our lives in the light, and that light comes from the Savior.

Jesus Christ came to earth to fulfill prophecy and to fulfill a promise He made to us before we were born; He promised to come and redeem us from our sins. Prior to this, He taught the gospel, helping those who listened see beyond the Law of Moses to the new higher laws of love.

He taught His followers to follow His example and to live a law that would bring them closer to God. Those who did no more than to watch Him would be enlightened as to the kind of Being God Himself was and the kind of person each of us should strive to be. In the aforementioned incident involving the woman who was to be stoned, He responded to questions designed to trap Him concerning the woman’s fate under the law. Rather than telling the men the law was not right, as they hoped, He simply said that the first stone should be thrown by the person in the group who had no sin. Of course, only Jesus Himself met that criteria, but when the men faded away, He too refused to judge her. He only instructed her to abandon her sin.

In His brief ministry, He healed the sick, treated with respect those who were treated by the world as nothing, refused to turn away children when He was tired, and gave up everything to devote His life to teaching the gospel. When His mission came to a close, He took on Himself the sins of the world and then voluntarily allowed Himself to be killed. He overcame that death and rose again.

Today, even though He isn’t with us on earth, we can still be guided by His light. His light is one of love, and staying in its path will keep us safe. In the Book of Mormon, there is a vision given to a prophet who saw a path that led to a beautiful tree. The tree was filled with magnificent, sweet fruit. A mist of darkness overcame the path, making it difficult for those on the path to know how to reach the tree. However, alongside the path was an iron rod. The tree and its fruit, representing God’s love, could be safely obtained only by holding onto the iron rod, which represented God’s word. Those who let go, who wandered off to explore side paths, lost the opportunity to receive the rewards.

One way we can stay on the path and protect our grasp on the iron rod is by learning to recognize and obey the Light of Christ, and when we receive it, the Gift of the Holy Ghost. Through the Light of Christ, which is available to all of us, we can learn to recognize the truth when it is presented to us. Often, as a great truth is imparted, something deep inside of us stirs, leaving us with a warm safe feeling. This is the Light of Christ, testifying to us of this truth. Through this truth some of the great questions of the ages can be answered: Who Am I? Why am I here on Earth? Where am I going when I die? When every religion teaches something different, how can I know which one is teaching what the Savior Himself taught?

There are some who try to convince people they must not ask God these great questions, must not turn to Him in prayer for advice. However, Jesus Himself prayed, and James, believed to be the Savior’s own half-brother, taught, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.” (James 1:5-6, King James translation of the Bible.)

The reason some give for advising people against praying to know the truth is often that the person praying will not know who is answering the prayer. However, Mormons believe that God never makes a promise He can’t keep, and that He promised, as we read in the James 1:5, that God has promised to give us the wisdom we ask for. Is it possible God could answer our prayers in a way that leaves no doubt as to who is communicating with us? “For with God nothing shall be impossible. (Luke 1:37.) Mormons believe in a God who can do anything He says He will do. They know that as they continue to pray and to develop their relationship with God, that He will help them learn to recognize how He communicates with them, and improve their ability to recognize answers to prayer.

As Mormons—and all who have faith in God and in Jesus Christ—improve the quality of their prayers and their ability to receive answers, the light within them grows, so that no matter how dark the day or the situation of life, they are surrounded by peace, joy, and truth. This is why Jesus is called the light of the world: His light is the only source of the joy God has promised can be ours.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are sometimes called Mormons, teaches that after the death of the Savior and His apostles, priesthood authority to administer God’s church was withdrawn from the earth. 3276People disagreed over what the scriptures meant and over what Jesus had taught, and as a result, thousands of Christian churches teaching conflicting doctrine began to appear across the earth. Although Christianity continued to be taught and its core doctrine, that of the Savior’s divinity, spread, each church had its own version of Christianity. Many of the doctrines were critical to salvation, and so, as the last days before the second coming of Christ approached, it was important that the truth be completely restored.

It was in preparation for this eternally significant moment that a fourteen-year-old boy named Joseph Smith found himself becoming very interested in religion. The area in which he lived was in the midst of a religious fervor. There were revivals and many people were deciding which church to join. Joseph’s family participated in this movement, and Joseph wanted to choose a church as well. However, his visits to various churches and revivals left him confused. No one could explain to him how to know which of the conflicting teachings he heard in the various churches was right. He knew they couldn’t be right. God is not a God of confusion. If a doctrinal teaching was essential to salvation, it could only have one answer.

He began reading the Bible, looking for his own answers. There, he found James 1:5, believed to have been written by the brother of Jesus Christ. He read:

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. (James 1:5)

As Joseph thought about this verse, he realized this was the best solution to his problem. Men gave him conflicting information, but God knew what was true. He trusted this counsel and set off for the woods to pray, the first time he would pray aloud. His prayer was answered, just as promised, but in a way he could not have anticipated. This prayer was the moment chosen by God to take the first step toward the restoration. Like many Biblical prophets, a young boy was given a powerful spiritual experience to prepare him for events to come. God and Jesus Christ appeared to him. God introduced the Savior, who then instructed him not to join any of the churches, because the complete gospel was not yet on the earth.

It would be a number of years before the restoration began, as Joseph Smith grew up and matured. He was then tutored by an angel named Moroni, who taught Joseph the important initial principles of the gospel and also helped him develop the maturity to cope with the challenges ahead.

The restored gospel is the gospel of Jesus Christ, as He taught it when He lived on the earth. He is the head of the restored church and guides it from day to day. The Mormons have a prophet who leads the church on earth, but the prophet himself is lead by the Savior, and can’t do anything of himself. He can’t invent doctrine or put truth to a vote. He is not permitted to “keep up with the times” by altering doctrine to make the church more popular with society. Only the Savior decides what is truth and He directs the church leadership accordingly.

There are many articles appearing in the press advising the church to make changes to its doctrine in order to become more acceptable to a changing world. However, this suggests that we must counsel God, instead of taking our counsel from God.

Russell M. Nelson, an apostle of the Lord in modern times, taught:

Another unchanging principle is that of divine or moral law. Transgression of moral law brings retribution; obedience to it brings blessings “immutable and unchangeable” (D&C 104:2). Blessings are always predicated upon obedience to law. 39 So the Church teaches us to embrace the right and to renounce the wrong—that we might have joy. 40

The Savior and His servants 41 do not speak words of complacency but teach what people need to know. Through the ages, history attests that contemporary critics have pressed Church leaders to modify a decree of the Lord. 42 But such is eternal law, and it cannot be altered. Not even for His Beloved Son could God change the law that required the Atonement. Divine doctrines cannot be squeezed into compact molds to make them fit fashionable patterns of the day. Nor can they be fully expressed on a bumper sticker (Russell M. Nelson, “Constancy amid Change,” Ensign, Nov 1993, 33).

It is reassuring to those who have found the source of truth to know that truth is unchanging. In a world where everything changes by the moment, a few things will never change. We can always depend on God’s truth. Practices might change, but principles of truth do not.

The Savior is the head of the restored gospel. Any person is given the ability to do as Joseph Smith did and turn to God for counsel on which church to join. This is not an opportunity reserved for future prophets, but something every person can do. People who meet with Mormon missionaries are taught that before baptism, they must ask God if this is the true church, so they will know for themselves, rather than relying on the testimony of men. Those who honestly do this are able to develop an unshakable testimony because they received their knowledge personally from God and Jesus Christ.

While most people will not receive a personal visit from God, since they aren’t being prepared to restore the gospel, they will receive a sure knowledge of truth in their hearts. When Jesus Christ was on the earth, He taught that prayer was an essential part of the spiritual life. It is equally essential today, and because God promised us wisdom if we ask for it, as recorded by James in the New Testament, He will give us that answer in a way we can recognize as His, if we are patient and come to Him with complete faith.