I want to stress that the common thread I found in my readings is that the Holy Ghost is a gift from God and must be received. Consider the words of Alma (Chap 34) on this point:
- 37 And now, my beloved brethren, I desire that ye should remember these things, and that ye should work out your salvation with fear before God, and that ye should no more deny the coming of Christ;
- 38 That ye contend no more against the Holy Ghost, but that ye receive it, and take upon you the name of Christ; that ye humble yourselves even to the dust, and worship God, in whatsoever place ye may be in, in spirit and in truth; and that ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you.
Knowledge
First, a warning from 2 Nephi 28:
- 26 Yea, wo be unto him that hearkeneth unto the precepts of men, and denieth the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost!
- 27 Yea, wo be unto him that saith: We have received, and we need no more!
- 28 And in fine, wo unto all those who tremble, and are angry because of the truth of God! For behold, he that is built upon the rock receiveth it with gladness; and he that is built upon a sandy foundation trembleth lest he shall fall.
- 29 Wo be unto him that shall say: We have received the word of God, and we need no more of the word of God, for we have enough!
Clearly, if we ever find ourselves in the position of thinking we have enough of the word of God, or do not feel inclined to learn any more, then we should count ourselves warned. As Nephi goes on to explain, we learn “line upon line”, always building on what was learned before.
- 30 For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.
In another chapter, Nephi teaches somewhat of the workings of the Holy Spirit and describes how we gain knowledge (“wisdom”). Notice that he takes great care to point out that God is no respecter of persons and that has always operated like this and will continue to do so forever. We cannot mistake his intent here: This is how the gospel works. We can, and must, figure this out for ourselves. Here are the verses from 1 Nephi 10:
- 17 And it came to pass after I, Nephi, having heard all the words of my father, concerning the things which he saw in a vision•, and also the things which he spake by the power of the Holy Ghost, which power he received by faith on the Son of God—and the Son of God was the Messiah who should come—I, Nephi, was desirous• also that I might see, and hear, and know of these things, by the power of the Holy• Ghost, which is the gift of God unto all• those who diligently seek him, as well in times of old• as in the time that he should manifest himself unto the children of men.
- 18 For he is the same yesterday, to-day, and forever; and the way is prepared for all men from the foundation of the world, if it so be that they repent and come unto him.
- 19 For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course• of the Lord is one eternal round.
Remission of Sins
Nephi, ever a great teacher, tells us the connection between baptism, the Holy Ghost, and the remission of our sins in 2 Nephi 32:
- 17 Wherefore, do the things which I have told you I have seen that your Lord and your Redeemer should do; for, for this cause have they been shown unto me, that ye might know the gate by which ye should enter. For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism• by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost.
- 18 And then are ye in this strait• and narrow path• which leads to eternal life; yea, ye have entered in by the gate; ye have done according to the commandments of the Father and the Son; and ye have received the Holy Ghost, which witnesses of the Father• and the Son, unto the fulfilling of the promise which he hath made, that if ye entered in by the way ye should receive.
So, if we have received a remission of our sins, we may know that we have received the Holy Ghost. How would we tell if we had received a remission of our sins, then? Consider the experience of the people of King Benjamin recorded in Mosiah 4:3:
- 3 And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come, according to the words which king Benjamin had spoken unto them.
- 25 And the first fruits of repentance is baptism•; and baptism cometh by faith unto the fulfilling the commandments; and the fulfilling the commandments bringeth remission• of sins;
- 26 And the remission of sins bringeth meekness, and lowliness of heart; and because of meekness and lowliness of heart cometh the visitation of the Holy Ghost, which Comforter filleth• with hope and perfect love•, which love endureth by diligence unto prayer, until the end shall come, when all the saints shall dwell with God.
The Love of God
In the above scripture, that Mormon says that the Comforter will fill us with “perfect love”. King Benjamin gives instruction on how to receive this love and how to keep it. (Again, in Mosiah 4) :
- 11 And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted• of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness•, and his goodness• and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel.
- 12 And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain• a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true.
Some parting thoughts
Who shall have the Holy Ghost? Nephi says:
- And blessed• are they who shall seek to bring forth my Zion at that day, for they shall have the gift and the power• of the Holy Ghost; and if they endure• unto the end they shall be lifted• up at the last day, and shall be saved in the everlasting kingdom of the Lamb; and whoso shall publish• peace, yea, tidings of great joy, how beautiful upon the mountains shall they be.
Referring back to Moroni 8, Mormon tells his son that the Love of God “endureth by diligence unto prayer”. (There’s diligence again). Contrast this to the admonition in a little tract I got at a another church recently- it said I could simply read a short prayer and be assured of salvation. How dangerous to teach that we can but recite a prayer and be saved. Such a belief would insure that the spirit could not work within us- we would be lulled to think that we could "pray" just once and be assured that "all is well". The falseness of this doctrine should be obvious to all of us, and I look closer to home and I see false doctrines like this creeping into my own family. I teach my children to "say prayers" instead of "calling on the Lord". I teach them that there are certain times that we pray instead of the commandment that we should "pray often" and "without ceasing". None of this is deliberate or malicious, it's just the way things tend to get taught. It is easier to "say a prayer". It is easier to set a schedule for praying. If we take the spirit out of it, it all seems a lot simpler. And thus I am lulled away into thinking all is well in Zion. On the contrary, I must be diligent to keep myself and my home as sanctuaries for the Holy Ghost.
May we all be diligent in seeking and retaining the gift of the Holy Ghost!