Great Truths from the Pearl of Great Price

In delineating the great work that the Prophet Joseph Smith accomplished in his life, John Taylor wrote that he brought forth the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and “many other wise documents and instructions for the benefit of the children of men” (Doctrine and Covenants 135:3).  Some of those wise documents and instructions certainly are the now canonized words of the Pearl of Great Price.  The book did not exist as such when the Prophet Joseph Smith died, but the contents were mostly compiled by Elder Franklin D. Richards in 1851 when he sought to make these incredible scriptural accounts available to the Saints in the British Mission. The book was accepted officially by the Church in October 1880 to stand beside the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon, and the Doctrine and Covenants as an official book of scripture binding upon the Saints.  The name of the book comes from the very short parable of the Savior: “The kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it” (Matt. 13:45-46).  Indeed, the spiritual knowledge we gain from this smallest book of scripture is of immense worth—it is one of the great treasures of the Restoration.

               So here are seven passages from the Pearl of Great Price that have meant a lot to me and constitute powerful pearls of great price in their own right. 

·        “I will not cease to call upon God, I have other things to inquire of him” (Moses 1:18).  This determined statement by Moses has been a great rallying call for myself—we must never give up on praying to the Lord and seeking His blessings and answers. 

·        “Wherefore, thou shalt do all that thou doest in the name of the Son, and thou shalt repent and call upon God in the name of the Son forevermore” (Moses 5:8).  These words that the angel spoke to Adam are a divine reminder to us that everything we do should be with an eye towards the Son of God and that we must never stop repenting and calling on God. 

·        “And thou hast taken Zion to thine own bosom, from all thy creations, from all eternity to all eternity; and naught but peace, justice, and truth is the habitation of thy throne; and mercy shall go before thy face and have no end; how is it thou canst weep?” Though God is full of peace, justice, and truth and though He has countless creations and is from eternity to all eternity, He still weeps for His children.  What a powerful vision of who God has empathy and love for us!

·        “Desiring also to be one who possessed great knowledge, and to be a greater follower of righteousness, and to possess a greater knowledge, and to be a father of many nations, a prince of peace, and desiring to receive instructions, and to keep the commandments of God, I became a rightful heir, a High Priest, holding the right belonging to the fathers” (Abraham 1:2).  I love this expression of Abraham’s desire to learn and more fully follow the Lord, and it is an inspiration to me to more earnestly seek knowledge and righteousness from the Lord.

·        “And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them” (Abraham 3:25).  What a simple and yet profound statement about our purpose here on earth and the need we have to do all things that the Lord commands us. 

·        “And whoso treasureth up my word, shall not be deceived, for the Son of Man shall come” (JSM 1:37).  In this day of deception, this verse reminds us that we can overcome and be ready for the coming of the Lord by treasuring up the word of God.

·        “For I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it; at least I knew that by so doing I would offend God, and come under condemnation” (JSH 1:25).  I love his testimony of the things that he saw and heard.  His faithfulness to the light God gave him invites us to similarly be faithful to our testimonies of the gospel no matter how much the world mocks us. 

  
These and so many other powerful passages of scripture in the Pearl of Great Price are priceless treasures that remind us how incredibly blessed we are with the words of the Lord in this last dispensation through the Restoration of the gospel