Sanctify Yourselves

One of the themes of Doctrine and Covenants 88 is the need for us to become sanctified. The revelation begins with the statement that the alms of the prayers of this group of saints “are recorded in the book of the names of the sanctified” (v2). The Lord highlighted how the earth would be sanctified itself so that those of His children who are sanctified could inherit it and that “they who are not sanctified through the law which I have given unto you, even the law of Christ, must inherit another kingdom” (v20-21). So to inherit the celestial kingdom we must be “perfected and sanctified” by the law of Christ (v34). But if we choose to break the law and “abide in sin” we “cannot be sanctified by law” and will remain unclean (v35). So the Lord commanded us in this revelation to become sanctified so we can inherit His kingdom and ultimately see His face: “Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will” (v68). He repeated this injunction again just a few verses later: “And I give unto you, who are the first laborers in this last kingdom, a commandment that you assemble yourselves together, and organize yourselves, and prepare yourselves, and sanctify yourselves; yea, purify your hearts, and cleanse your hands and your feet before me, that I may make you clean” (v74). To receive His glory, to dwell on a celestial earth, to return to Him and see the Lord, we must become sanctified and clean before Him.

               So how do we then become sanctified? Perhaps the instructions in verses 118-126 of this revelation give us keys to becoming clean and holy before Him. We must first “seek learning, even by study and also by faith” to know the things that we should do (v118). The house of God is also key to being sanctified, and we must organize ourselves in prayer, fasting, faith, and learning through His house as we participate in worship and ordinances there (v119-120). To become pure we need to follow this injunction: “Cease from all your light speeches, from all laughter, from all your lustful desires, from all your pride and light-mindedness, and from all your wicked doings” (v121). Our thoughts must be focused on Him and we are to strip ourselves of pride and light-mindedness and wickedness and the distractions of the world that lead us away from Him. Similarly He commanded: “Cease to be covetous…. Cease to be idle; cease to be unclean; cease to find fault one with another; cease to sleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated.” To sanctify ourselves we need to avoid idleness and fault-finding and coveting others’ possessions. Most importantly, we are to seek to be filled with love: “See that ye love one another… learn to impart one to another as the gospel requires…. And above all things, clothe yourselves with the bond of charity, as with a mantle, which is the bond of perfectness and peace” (v123-125). Surely all of these instructions from the Lord in this sections are designed to help us to rid ourselves of sin and become sanctified before Him. That is the only way we can be prepared to have have Him “unveil his face” unto us and receive His promise “of eternal life, even the glory of the celestial kingdom” (v4).