Book of Mormon Scripture Journal Reading; Day #3
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October 25, 2017 2:42 PM:
The Testimony of Three Witnesses:
There may have been at least two things that I really pondered about in this passage…
So in the quote down below I found it very miraculous, or at the very least, admirable, that the three witnesses: Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris managed to see that connection between faith and salvation. Basically, that they were able to see and understand that if they were to have faith in the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, they would ultimately be “found spotless” and be saved.
“And we know that if we are faithful in Christ, we shall ride our garments of the blood of all men, and be found spotless before the judgement-seat of Christ…”
I find the important and interesting wording in “found spotless”. They don’t necessarily say they would be saved if they had faith in Christ, they just said they would personally be free from any blemish at the last day. Now, why is this important? Because they saw that connection, like I said. They understood that they would ultimately be saved, if they were to do what they were supposed to do and follow where their faith took them. Obedience is key, people!
This could mean following a prompting because of their faith in Christ, and serving a family. Or even sharing the Gospel with a stranger. Or moving to another state last minute when directed to. Their faith is the stepping stone to being “found spotless” as it is with all of us.
Next, I found the part that said the quote down below, VERY interesting. Even more interesting than World History (and that says a lot). I know with my whole being that God the Father (or, in other words, Heavenly Father), our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are all three separate beings. They are not a Trinity, with one body and mind and thought process as other Christian religions believe them to be. They are three separate Personages with three separate bodies and three separate spirits with three separate minds, enacting one purpose. That purpose is to “…bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” (Moses 1:39)
And the honor be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, which is one God. Amen.
This last part of the Testimony of the Three Witnesses makes that truth SO confusing!! First of all, they say, “…which is one God.”
GRAMMAR LESSON: “is” is a State of Being Verb that refers to a singular object. As per example, you would say, “This is my house.” because there is only one. If there were two, you would use a plural State of Being Verb like: are or were. In this case, you would use the word, “are” and would change “house” to “houses” and “This” to “These”. It would change the whole makeup of things. It’s just not the same with multiple things.
So, when they said, “…is one God.” that really messed me up. They aren’t physically one God, either. And you’ll read it all over the Holy Bible and Book of Mormon, where they say, “one God” (3 Nephi 11:27 or John 17:21-23) which might mess you up even more.
But you see in scriptures like, 2 Nephi 31:21, Matthew 3: 16-17, and the most well-known example from Joseph Smith himself, JSH 1:17 you can see how these scriptures prove that there truly are three separate beings.
Here’s a little paragraph from the Guide to the Scriptures passage of “God, Godhead” (Check it out!!!!)
There are three separate persons in the Godhead: God, the Eternal Father; His Son, Jesus Christ; and the Holy Ghost. We believe in each of Them (A of F 1:1). From latter-day revelation we learn that the Father and the Son have tangible bodies of flesh and bone and that the Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit, without flesh and bone (D&C 130:22–23). These three persons are one in perfect unity and harmony of purpose and doctrine (John 17:21–23; 2 Ne. 31:21; 3 Ne. 11:27, 36).
Notice the word “purpose”. That is often how the Godhead (as a whole) is described. Three Personages with one purpose. And as I said before, that purpose is to “…bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” (Moses 1:39)
They aren’t one person, they’re three separate beings.
You could even think of the example of Jesus praying in Gethsemane (Matthew 26: 39-46)
39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
One cannot pray to themselves. It’s impossible. First of all, think of the purpose of prayer. To communicate, to call upon, to receive counsel, to receive comfort, to gain divine understanding, and so forth are all that come to my mind off the top of my head. You can’t do these things for or to yourself. Jesus had to be praying to someone. He clearly says the word “thou” which means “you” in Biblical times. This was something that wasn’t innate. He was praying to His Father. He was praying to the same God we pray to before we go to bed or once we wake up, or at times of trouble or confusion in our daily lives. He was praying to a separate being.
Until next time!
Love,
Diyana Love💖
As a side note: I believe that Mosiah 15 is definitely one to ponder about. How can Jesus be the Son and the Father? Comment below!
The Darling Exposé 