This is the fifth of six posts answering a set of questions recommended by President Russell M. Nelson. So far, I have written about what the Book of Mormon is, what it affirms, what it refutes, and what it fulfills. Today, I will write about what it clarifies. As I wrote yesterday, the Book of... Continue Reading →
Why Did Ammon Consider Himself Unworthy to Baptize?
One of my daughters asked me last week if Ammon had authority to baptize. Ammon was the leader of a search party sent by King Mosiah to find a group of people who had established a colony among their enemies many years earlier. When he found them, they were in bondage, forced to pay a... Continue Reading →
What Are the “Vessels of the Lord?”
Part of the law which Moses received on Mount Sinai was a detailed description of the tabernacle which the children of Israel were to build and in which they were to worship. In addition to the large objects—two altars, the laver, tables for the candlestick and the shewbread, the ark of the covenant—there were numerous... Continue Reading →
What Is an Elder?
When Moses saw the burning bush on Mount Horeb, God commanded him to return to Egypt and lead his people out of slavery. Moses was somewhat concerned about fulfilling this assignment alone. But God explained that he wouldn't be alone: Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The Lord God... Continue Reading →
What Does It Mean to Be Ordained?
We generally think of order as a good thing and its opposite—disarray, mismanagement, or chaos—as a bad thing. Most of us work hard to organize our lives and to fulfill our responsibilities in an orderly way. Furthermore, when we participate in an organization, we want to see evidence that things have been thought through, that... Continue Reading →
Who Was Melchizedek?
After Abraham and Lot settled in the land of Canaan, Lot fought in a battle and was taken prisoner. Abraham and 318 of his servants rescued him from his captors (Genesis 14:1-16). Upon their return, they were met by the king of Sodom (Bera) and the king of Salem (Melchizedek). The author of Genesis tells... Continue Reading →
What Is a High Priest?
After leading the children of Israel out of slavery, Moses consecrated his brother Aaron and Aaron's sons to serve as priests. They were given special clothing to wear, but Aaron's clothing was distinct from the others. He wore a vest or apron called the ephod (אֵפוֹד). He wore a breastplate which contained the Urim and... Continue Reading →
What Is the Priesthood?
The Oxford English Dictionary defines priesthood simply as "the office or position of a priest." This is the everyday meaning of the word. When Mormon tells us that Alma gave up his position as chief judge and "confined himself wholly to the high priesthood of the holy order of God" (Alma 4:20), he is simply... Continue Reading →
What Is a Priest?
The Bible Dictionary explains that a priest is a mediator between his people and God. The priest fulfills this role by: Performing religious ceremonies (ordinances) Preaching the gospel Receiving revelation on behalf of the people, and Blessing the people in the name of the Lord At the beginning of the Book of Mormon, religious observance... Continue Reading →
What Is a “Preparatory Redemption?”
In the middle of Alma's remarks to the people of Ammonihah, he uses a phrase which appears no where else in the scriptures: "a preparatory redemption." What did he mean by that? In order to understand this phrase, we will need to examine the entire passage (Alma 13:1-3), one verse at a time: And again,... Continue Reading →