For those who don’t know, I’m Nathan Shelton, and I’ve been assigned to the Argentina Buenos Aires West Mission. I leave on the 27th, which is in 3 days. Brother Hunsaker has asked me to speak on why there was a need for a Restoration, and why this information is important to our testimonies. To start off, I’d like to share some of the things I read and thought about this last week while studying apostasy and restoration.
Jesus Christ set up his church while he was on the earth. In Ephesians 4 we read that “he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. This organization seems very similar to what we have today in our church. So what happened in between that made it necessary for a Restoration? Put simply, it was the loss of Priesthood authority.
After Christ’s death, it was up to Peter and the rest of the apostles to carry on His church. However, the apostles were largely rejected, and most of them were martyred for their beliefs. With the death of the last apostle, the Priesthood and authority to lead Christ’s church were lost from the earth. Why was that Priesthood authority so important? Well I think that is answered in the same chapter of Ephesians, where Christ explains why he called apostles and prophets, it says: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive. These apostles and prophets had been called by Christ himself, and had authority to receive revelation for the church. Without this authority, people could be deceived, blown back and forth with every wind of doctrine.
Without the Priesthood authority, there was no way of receiving revelation for the church. New religious leaders relied on the wisdom of men, and their own understanding. This led to many truths being lost. In 1 Nephi 13 it talks about this, and also the creation of a new church, one that was not made by God. Verse 26: And after they go forth by the hand of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, from the Jews unto the Gentiles, thou seest the formation of that great and abominable church, which is most abominable above all other churches; for behold, they have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious; and also many covenants of the Lord have they taken away.
With the loss of the priesthood came this loss of the many simple and precious truths of the gospel. A good example would be in 325 AD when the First Council of Nicaea, a meeting between many religious leaders of that time, adopted a new idea of the Godhead, describing the Son as being of one substance with the Father, and that God was incomprehensible, without shape or form. Such a very simple, yet very important truth was lost that day, the very nature of God.
Bit by bit, the full truth of the gospel was lost, until the prophecy from the book of Amos was fulfilled, saying: Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.
However, during this time of Great Apostasy, the Lord was still preparing the way for the Restoration. Things like the Renaissance, Martin Luther posting his 95 Theses, William Tyndale translating the Bible to English, the invention of the printing press, the formation of the United States, and countless other events all came together in a complex web of events that led up to Joseph Smith kneeling in a grove of trees.
So to get back to the question from earlier, why was the Restoration needed? I think we can answer that now. The Priesthood keys necessary to run God’s church and perform ordinances were not on the earth. Parts of the gospel which were plain and precious were lost, and the truth was no longer on the earth. The Restoration restored these truths and brought back the fulness of the gospel. The Priesthood keys were once again on the earth, making it possible to perform the necessary ordinances for salvation, even for the dead. The Restoration was necessary because this is his work and his glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. And as we learn from D&C 3, “The works, and the designs, and the purposes of God cannot be frustrated, neither can they come to naught.”
So now on the second part of that question, why is this knowledge of the Restoration so important to our testimonies? To help answer, I’d like to read a quote by Elder Hales from a talk titled Preparations for the Restoration and the Second Coming. In it he says: “I testify that the work of the Prophet Joseph Smith is the Savior’s work. In the Lord’s service the path is not always easy. It often requires sacrifices, and we will likely experience adversity. But in serving Him, we discover that His hand is truly over us. So it was for Wycliffe, Tyndale, and thousands of others who prepared the way for the Restoration. So it was for the Prophet Joseph Smith and all who helped usher in the restored gospel. So it is and will be for us. The Lord expects us to be as faithful, as devoted, as courageous as those who went before us. They were called to give their lives for the gospel. We are called to live our lives for the same purpose.”
Having a testimony of the Restoration of the gospel is important because of what it can lead us to do. If we truly believe that Christ leads this church, then we will do what he asks of us. If we’re asked to be a primary president, an elders quorum president, a nursery leader, or any other calling, we will do it. If we’re asked to go to the temple, do family history work, or collect fast offerings, we will do it. If we’re asked to serve full-time for two years, we will do it. We do these things because we know it is the Lord who asks it of us, that this is his work and our salvation. When we have a testimony of the Restoration, it will help us to, as Elder Hales put it, “live our lives for the gospel.”
To conclude, I hope that we realize what a great privilege it is to live when we do, in the dispensation of the fulness of times. What a blessing it is to have the fulness of the gospel on the earth, and to have it so easily accessible. How lucky we are to be led by prophets and apostles, so that we don’t have to be tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine, but instead can know to what source we can look for truth. And we have been given a wonderful promise, that this Church, and the truth it holds, shall not be taken from the earth again, but will be here waiting until the Second Coming of our Savior, of which it is our great privilege to help prepare for.
To go along with my testimony, I’d like to share one last scripture. Whenever the tiniest shadow of a doubt enters my mind concerning my testimony, this scripture always seems to pop into memory. D&C 6, verses 22 and 23:
Verily, verily, I say unto you, if you desire a further witness, cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that you might know concerning the truth of these things. Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God?
I testify, that the Lord has spoken peace to my mind concerning these things.
Testimony
After Christ’s death, it was up to Peter and the rest of the apostles to carry on His church. However, the apostles were largely rejected, and most of them were martyred for their beliefs. With the death of the last apostle, the Priesthood and authority to lead Christ’s church were lost from the earth. Why was that Priesthood authority so important? Well I think that is answered in the same chapter of Ephesians, where Christ explains why he called apostles and prophets, it says: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive. These apostles and prophets had been called by Christ himself, and had authority to receive revelation for the church. Without this authority, people could be deceived, blown back and forth with every wind of doctrine.
Without the Priesthood authority, there was no way of receiving revelation for the church. New religious leaders relied on the wisdom of men, and their own understanding. This led to many truths being lost. In 1 Nephi 13 it talks about this, and also the creation of a new church, one that was not made by God. Verse 26: And after they go forth by the hand of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, from the Jews unto the Gentiles, thou seest the formation of that great and abominable church, which is most abominable above all other churches; for behold, they have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious; and also many covenants of the Lord have they taken away.
With the loss of the priesthood came this loss of the many simple and precious truths of the gospel. A good example would be in 325 AD when the First Council of Nicaea, a meeting between many religious leaders of that time, adopted a new idea of the Godhead, describing the Son as being of one substance with the Father, and that God was incomprehensible, without shape or form. Such a very simple, yet very important truth was lost that day, the very nature of God.
Bit by bit, the full truth of the gospel was lost, until the prophecy from the book of Amos was fulfilled, saying: Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.
However, during this time of Great Apostasy, the Lord was still preparing the way for the Restoration. Things like the Renaissance, Martin Luther posting his 95 Theses, William Tyndale translating the Bible to English, the invention of the printing press, the formation of the United States, and countless other events all came together in a complex web of events that led up to Joseph Smith kneeling in a grove of trees.
So to get back to the question from earlier, why was the Restoration needed? I think we can answer that now. The Priesthood keys necessary to run God’s church and perform ordinances were not on the earth. Parts of the gospel which were plain and precious were lost, and the truth was no longer on the earth. The Restoration restored these truths and brought back the fulness of the gospel. The Priesthood keys were once again on the earth, making it possible to perform the necessary ordinances for salvation, even for the dead. The Restoration was necessary because this is his work and his glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. And as we learn from D&C 3, “The works, and the designs, and the purposes of God cannot be frustrated, neither can they come to naught.”
So now on the second part of that question, why is this knowledge of the Restoration so important to our testimonies? To help answer, I’d like to read a quote by Elder Hales from a talk titled Preparations for the Restoration and the Second Coming. In it he says: “I testify that the work of the Prophet Joseph Smith is the Savior’s work. In the Lord’s service the path is not always easy. It often requires sacrifices, and we will likely experience adversity. But in serving Him, we discover that His hand is truly over us. So it was for Wycliffe, Tyndale, and thousands of others who prepared the way for the Restoration. So it was for the Prophet Joseph Smith and all who helped usher in the restored gospel. So it is and will be for us. The Lord expects us to be as faithful, as devoted, as courageous as those who went before us. They were called to give their lives for the gospel. We are called to live our lives for the same purpose.”
Having a testimony of the Restoration of the gospel is important because of what it can lead us to do. If we truly believe that Christ leads this church, then we will do what he asks of us. If we’re asked to be a primary president, an elders quorum president, a nursery leader, or any other calling, we will do it. If we’re asked to go to the temple, do family history work, or collect fast offerings, we will do it. If we’re asked to serve full-time for two years, we will do it. We do these things because we know it is the Lord who asks it of us, that this is his work and our salvation. When we have a testimony of the Restoration, it will help us to, as Elder Hales put it, “live our lives for the gospel.”
To conclude, I hope that we realize what a great privilege it is to live when we do, in the dispensation of the fulness of times. What a blessing it is to have the fulness of the gospel on the earth, and to have it so easily accessible. How lucky we are to be led by prophets and apostles, so that we don’t have to be tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine, but instead can know to what source we can look for truth. And we have been given a wonderful promise, that this Church, and the truth it holds, shall not be taken from the earth again, but will be here waiting until the Second Coming of our Savior, of which it is our great privilege to help prepare for.
To go along with my testimony, I’d like to share one last scripture. Whenever the tiniest shadow of a doubt enters my mind concerning my testimony, this scripture always seems to pop into memory. D&C 6, verses 22 and 23:
Verily, verily, I say unto you, if you desire a further witness, cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that you might know concerning the truth of these things. Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God?
I testify, that the Lord has spoken peace to my mind concerning these things.
Testimony
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