Seeking Greater Light, Knowledge, and Truth

In his opening message in the most recent general conference, President Nelson gave us this invitation: “I invite you to listen for three things during this conference: pure truth, the pure doctrine of Christ, and pure revelation.” Briefly discussing these three things he emphasized that “there really is absolute truth—eternal truth.” He added that “the pure doctrine of Christ is powerful. It changes the life of everyone who understands it and seeks to implement it in his or her life.” And of revelation he said, “Pure revelation for the questions in your heart will make this conference rewarding and unforgettable. If you have not yet sought for the ministering of the Holy Ghost to help you hear what the Lord would have you hear during these two days, I invite you to do so now.”  Surely looking for pure truth, the pure doctrine of Christ, and pure revelation in all of our gospel study is a powerful way to search the word of God and seek to gain light and truth. He ended his remarks with these words: “I invoke a blessing upon all who are seeking greater light, knowledge, and truth.” I believe that we should study not just the messages from this past general conference but also the scriptures in general with an eye searching in particular for these three things. If we are truly seeking then we will have the effect of President Nelson’s blessing upon us.

That blessing reminds me of the words of Abraham as he was in danger in the land of the Chaldeans: “Finding there was greater happiness and peace and rest for me, I sought for the blessings of the fathers, and the right whereunto I should be ordained to administer the same; having been myself a follower of righteousness, desiring also to be one who possessed great knowledge, and to be a greater follower of righteousness, and to possess a greater knowledge” (Abraham 1:2). He earnestly sought knowledge from the Lord, and he was blessed in abundance for that desire as we see in the subsequent revelations he received regarding the heavens and the creation (as recorded in Moses 3-5). As we study the words of the Lord, looking for truth and the doctrine of Christ and revelation, we should similarly earnestly desire to “possess a greater knowledge” and seek the blessings of the fathers to whom was revealed so much. One of the scriptures that President Nelson referenced in this talk was this powerful invitation in the Book of Mormon: “Come unto me, O ye house of Israel, and it shall be made manifest unto you how great things the Father hath laid up for you, from the foundation of the world; and it hath not come unto you, because of unbelief” (Ether 4:14). If we have faith and come unto the Savior He has promised that He will manifest “great things” unto us.

I read Alma 63 in the Book of Mormon this morning, and though it is a relatively short chapter with a focus on some historical events among the Nephites, as I search with a little faith I can still find truth, the doctrine of Christ, and revelation. First, I see pure truth in a single word repeated three times: sacred. Mormon recorded, “Shiblon took possession of those sacred things which had been delivered unto Helaman by Alma…. It became expedient for Shiblon to confer those sacred things, before his death, upon the son of Helaman…. Nevertheless, these things were to be kept sacred, and handed down from one generation to another” (v1,11,13). Implicit in these statements is the assertion that the scriptures, in particular the Nephite records and what we now have as the Book of Mormon, are sacred and of great worth. The care with which the Nephites preserved and added to and taught from their records shows their reverence for the words of their prophets and is a witness of its truth. Second, I see the doctrine of Christ in the description of Shiblon who was himself a type of Christ: “And he was a just man, and he did walk uprightly before God; and he did observe to do good continually, to keep the commandments of the Lord his God” (v2). It is indeed the doctrine of Christ to live this way: walk uprightly, keep the commandments, and to do good as the Savior did. Nephi stated this more directly when he wrote this: “And he said unto the children of men: Follow thou me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?” (2 Nephi 31:10) It is the doctrine of Christ to keep the commandments and seek in every way to follow Him as Shiblon did. Lastly, the revelation for my own life that I feel from this chapter is the need to pass on a love and sense of reverence for the scriptures to my own children. Just as President Nelson was trying to help us feel a greater importance for the words which would we would hear at general conference, so too I need to help my children catch the vision of what the scriptures are. They must be “kept sacred” in their minds and hearts, and that love for God’s words must be “handed down from one generation to another” just as the Nephites physically passed on the plates containing their holy writ. I earnestly hope that they and I can be diligent seekers of “light, knowledge, and truth” and, like Abraham, and never stop desiring “be a greater follower of righteousness, and to possess a greater knowledge” as we search the word of God.