The Men Are Not the Priesthood

In the Priesthood session of general conference last April, President Oaks made this important statement about the priesthood: “The Melchizedek Priesthood is not a status or a label. It is a divine power held in trust to use for the benefit of God’s work for His children. We should always remember that men who hold the priesthood are not ‘the priesthood.’ It is not appropriate to refer to ‘the priesthood and the women.’ We should refer to ‘the holders of the priesthood and the women.’”  This correction was given in the same session as the announcement of the joining of high priests and elders into one quorum, and it seems from my experience that many people did not really catch or perhaps did not understand what Elder Oaks said here.  I still hear often phrases such as, “We’d like to thank the Aaronic Priesthood for passing the Sacrament.”  The men who hold the priesthood in the Church are not the embodiment of the priesthood; they are simply servants seeking to live worthily to exercise the power of God for the blessing of all of God’s children. 

             This principle has been emphasized again in the March 2019 Ensign.  The highlighted article on the cover is about women’s connection with priesthood power.  The author wrote this after quoting the same passage from President Oaks, “By saying, ‘The priesthood will now sing a song,’ or ‘we need priesthood volunteers to go to Young Women camp’ we are doing ourselves and others, no matter how well intended, a disservice by instigating and perpetuating confusion and minimizing God’s power.”  This is not to say, though, that priesthood cannot be used as an adjective to describe various principles or activities related to holders of the priesthood or the blessings that come through the priesthood.  This article, for example, speaks of a “priesthood session,” “priesthood quorums,” “priesthood callings,” “priesthood offices,” priesthood bearers,” “priesthood service” and even “priesthood brethren.”  We simply need to remember that the priesthood is God’s power—it is not personified in individuals but used to give power and authority to the work and service that mortals render on earth.      

              The important principle seems to be that God’s power is His, and all of His children, men and women, are blessed by it.  In the Book of Mormon we read this, “A seer is a revelator and a prophet also; and a gift which is greater can no man have, except he should possess the power of God, which no man can; yet a man may have great power given him from God” (Mosiah 8:16).  In other words, no one possesses the power of God in full, but God does give some power to those on earth to serve in His name.  And both men and women are given the authority of the priesthood to serve and bless God’s children.  Elder Oaks stated, “We are not accustomed to speaking of women having the authority of the priesthood in their Church callings, but what other authority can it be? When a woman—young or old—is set apart to preach the gospel as a full-time missionary, she is given priesthood authority to perform a priesthood function. The same is true when a woman is set apart to function as an officer or teacher in a Church organization under the direction of one who holds the keys of the priesthood.”  Ultimately what is important is that all of us, men and women, who have taken upon us the name of Christ and seek to serve others in His name render that service as He would do it.