More Than Anything Else

John Taylor made this assertion about the Prophet Joseph Smith: “Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it” (Doctrine and Covenants 135:3). After that he listed out several things Joseph did to merit such a claim, including bringing for the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants, gathering thousands of Latter-day Saints, and sending the restored gospel to the four quarters of the earth. Despite the countless times I have pondered this verse of scripture over the years, it wasn’t until today that I really thought about the fact that the most important thing that Joseph did for the salvation of the world is not directly mentioned. As we look back 180 years later, I am confident that President Nelson would say that Joseph’s most important contribution to the salvation of humanity was the building of temples and the restoration of temple ordinances. For example, speaking of keys given to the Prophet Joseph in the Kirtland Temple, President Nelson said, “Priesthood keys give us the authority to extend all of the blessings promised to Abraham to every covenant-keeping man and woman. Temple work makes these exquisite blessings available to all of God’s children, regardless of where or when they lived or now live…. The sealing power is supernal evidence of how much God loves all of His children everywhere and wants each of them to choose to return home to Him. Priesthood keys restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith make it possible for every covenant-keeping man and woman to enjoy incredible personal spiritual privileges.” What Joseph did to restore the blessings of the temple enabled us to bring salvation to all the world through the ordinances done there.

               The Prophet Joseph made this well-known statement about temples: “What was the object of gathering the … people of God in any age of the world? … The main object was to build unto the Lord a house whereby He could reveal unto His people the ordinances of His house and the glories of His kingdom, and teach the people the way of salvation; for there are certain ordinances and principles that, when they are taught and practiced, must be done in a place or house built for that purpose.” He also declared about three months before his death in a discussion about how to allocate the Church’s scarce resources: “We need the temple more than anything else.” That certainly matches the teachings of President Nelson who urged us to give focus to the temple more with this statement: “Understanding the spiritual privileges made possible in the temple is vital to each of us today. My dear brothers and sisters, here is my promise. Nothing will help you more to hold fast to the iron rod than worshipping in the temple as regularly as your circumstances permit. Nothing will protect you more as you encounter the world’s mists of darkness. Nothing will bolster your testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Atonement or help you understand God’s magnificent plan more. Nothing will soothe your spirit more during times of pain. Nothing will open the heavens more. Nothing! The temple is the gateway to the greatest blessings God has in store for each of us, for the temple is the only place on earth where we may receive all of the blessings promised to Abraham.” I don’t know how he could be clearer: we need the temple more than anything else, just as the Prophet Joseph declared. And these words from the prayer over the first temple dedication should remind us of our purpose in worshipping in His house: “That thy glory may rest down upon thy people, and upon this thy house, which we now dedicate to thee, that it may be sanctified and consecrated to be holy, and that thy holy presence may be continually in this house; And that all people who shall enter upon the threshold of the Lord’s house may feel thy power, and feel constrained to acknowledge that thou hast sanctified it, and that it is thy house, a place of thy holiness.” We need the power and holiness we find through Jesus Christ in His house to help us rise above the world and ultimately “be clothed with salvation” and “mingle our voices with those bright, shining seraphs around [His] throne with acclamations of praise, singing Hosanna to God and the Lamb!” (Doctrine and Covenants 109:12-13, 79-80)