The Spirit of the Lord in Our Hearts

John recorded these words of the Savior, “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23). Orson Hyde once used this to suggest that “it is our privilege to have the father [and] son dwelling in our hearts.” The Prophet Joseph corrected him in what is now scripture, “The appearing of the Father and the Son, in that verse, is a personal appearance; and the idea that the Father and the Son dwell in a man’s heart is an old sectarian notion, and is false” (Doctrine and Covenants 130:3). He further explained that this was the “other Comforter” which the righteous could one day receive: “Now what is this other Comforter? It is no more nor less than the Lord Jesus Christ himself, and this is the sum and substance of the whole matter, that when any man obtains this last Comforter he will have the personage of Jesus Christ to attend him or appear unto him from time to time, and even he will manifest the Father unto him, and they will take up their abode with him.” So the first Comforter is to have the 3^rd member of the Godhead, the Holy Ghost, to be with us and dwell in us; the Second Comforter is to have Jesus Christ come to us personally.

               Given the Prophet Joseph’s statement about the Father and the Son not dwelling in us, I have wondered at the language of Amulek to the Zoramites: “And this I know, because the Lord hath said he dwelleth not in unholy temples, but in the hearts of the righteous doth he dwell” (Alma 34:36). Does that contradict the Prophet’s declaration about the Father and the Son?  Looking at the previous verse as well, I do not think it does. Here is the statement with slightly more context: “Therefore, the Spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the devil hath all power over you; and this is the final state of the wicked. And this I know, because the Lord hath said he dwelleth not in unholy temples, but in the hearts of the righteous doth he dwell.” The key is that the antecedent of “he” in the phrase “the Lord hath said he dwelleth not in unholy temples” is not the Lord; rather, I believe it is “the Spirit of the Lord” he was previously speaking of. So we could clarify his statement this way: “The Lord hath said [the Spirit of the Lord] dwelleth not in unholy temples, but in the hearts of the righteous doth [the Spirit of the Lord] dwell.” This then is in perfect agreement with the declaration of the Doctrine and Covenants. And this is consistent with what Amulek then said just two verses later: “That ye contend no more against the Holy Ghost, but that ye receive it, and take upon you the name of Christ.” The Holy Ghost is what we strive to receive in our hearts. To do so we must repent and purify ourselves, for “the Spirit of the Lord doth not dwell in unholy temples” (Helaman 4:24). Ultimately receiving the Spirit of the Lord, the first Comforter, prepares us and purifies us so that one day we can indeed receive the second Comforter to dwell not in our hearts but with us personally. This will happen as we gain “eternal life, even the glory of the celestial kingdom” to dwell with Him and the Father forever (Doctrine and Covenants 88:4). That is the supernal blessing for all those who truly love Him and keep His words.