The Light of Christ VS The Holy Ghost

The Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit and a member of the Godhead. Elder Joseph Fielding Smith taught that “the Holy Ghost should not be confused with the Spirit [the Light of Christ] which fills the immensity of space and which is everywhere present. This other Spirit is impersonal and has no size, nor dimensions; it proceeds forth from the presence of the Father and the Son and is in all things. We should speak of the Holy Ghost as a personage as ‘he’ and this other Spirit as ‘it,’ although when we speak of the power or gift of the Holy Ghost we may properly say ‘it.’” ¹Brent Bulloch, instructor at the Tempe Institute of Religion adjacent to Arizona State University.

The more I learn about the Light of Christ, the more I understand where the writers of the Nicean creed got their definition of God. The commonly accepted description of God, more accurately hits the definition of the Light of Christ.

Drink

The Scripture that is in my mind right now is found in John 7. The Savior is giving a sermon in the temple either during or after one of the Jewish feasts. He makes a reference to the Holy Ghost that I find thrilling.

" In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man ^athirst, let him come unto me, and ^bdrink.

He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

(But this spake he of the ^aSpirit, which they that believe on him should receive: ^bfor the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) "

I understand thirst, I have felt it. Prolonged thirst can cause the malfunction of key organs and eventually death. Im thinking about being spiritually dehydrated, and how I go about quenching such a thirst. Can I 'read' the scriptures without drinking of this water spoken of? I think so. The image in my mind is that of a 2 year old trying to work the drinking fountain at church.. The water is just going everywhere but in his mouth-his shirt, his eyes, his nose. I need to truely absorb, internalize, drink deeply of the Holy Ghost.

Today is such a a beautiful fall day. Evidence for Heavenly Father's love for us is easily found in days like today.

Since my study yesterday morning, my mind has been occupied by a question. The questions needs to be proceeded by reading Ether 3. As I read this chapter again I tried to let my mind expand a little further than it has before in trying to understand by the spirit the significance of all that happened to the brother of Jared. I found the story thrilling, and it really made an impact on me throughout the day, and into today.

The specific question that came to my mind after reading the chapter was this: How would my view of the world, my actions, and my desires change if I were to experience what was experience by the Brother of Jared?

Allow yourself to open your mind to imagining kneeling before the living Lord Jesus Christ. How would that feel? Then Imagine having your spirit filled with intelligence concerning all things, as was the Brother of Jared's.

Such a cool thought.

How differently would I feel walking into work today after that?

How differently would I feel coming home to my wife after that experience?

How different would it feel to be sitting in a class at school with that memory in the back of my mind?

"And when the Lord had said these words, he showed unto the brother of Jared all the inhabitants of the earth which had been, and also all that would be; and he witheld them not from his sight, even unto the ends of the earth." Ether 3:35

How would I view people I see each day having seen them through the Lord's eyes in vision?

Unity of the Faith (Eph 4:13)

Consequence of the Great Apostasy, we live in a most interesting condition today where "the Christian believers" are in many ways as varied in their doctrine as one religion is from another. We are scattered throughout what we call "sects" of Christianity. Each Sect or denomination of necessity establishes what it considers to be foundational principals or doctrines.

Since Martin Luther took hammer and nail to the Cathedral Door in 1517, "naming" of churches really started to rise. Before the reformation if you were a part of Christianity, you were by default a part of the Apostate Roman Catholic Church. I think it is important to realize that before any of this happened, and even before Christ came to earth during the Meridian Dispensation, whenever the Lord has had a Prophet and believers on the earth, His church has been here. Perhaps the church didn't have a "name" like we would expect today. But the truth has been here. The "church" or "organization" has changed forms over time based on size and time period, but its function has always been the same... to facilitate the teaching of the truth about the existence and purpose of man in his relationship to God, and to administer the ordinances required for Salvation.

Today a doctrine I am studying is that of the nature of God the Father and His Only Begotten Son. Many Christians are confused by the scriptures mention of the Father and the Son's "oneness." And through the ages where prophetic revelation and direction were nowhere to be found, corrupt creeds were catalyst to a now widely accepted interpretation of such verses, which is that God the Father and Jesus Christ are corporally and spiritually one being.

If one pursuing the truth had nothing more than todays bible as a resource for determining God's nature and that of His Son, maybe it would be difficult. It would not however be impossible. In fact, if this learner had not been exposed to the worlds generally accepted false definition of the "trinity" maybe finding the correct definition would be easy? What do you think? Please comment..

Here is a great passage that articulates clearly the sound doctrine of The Holy Trinity.

[God] in these last days [has] spoken unto us by His Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds....[who is] the express image of his person...[and] when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on High. Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a son. (Hebrews 1:2-5)

When the light rested upon me I saw two personages whose brightness and glory defy all description... (Joseph Smith History 1:17 emphasis added)

Starting A New Blog

One of the things I miss about being a missionary was the set time every week to e-mail my family. I loved regularly enjoying that outlet for an expression of my spiritual feelings, insights, and questions. The Church encourages using the internet as a medium for sharing the gospel, and expressing belief. Wanting to please my wife who thinks its a little out of place to bear my testimony as a Facebook status update, I am going to express my thoughts and ideas here in this blog. :)

Today my thought comes from The Epistle of Paul to Titus.

From what little information we have about Titus, we know that we was most likely a converted by Paul, and attended some of his missionary journeys. Titus was the one who delivered both of Paul's epistles to the Corinthians. At the time of Paul's writing to Titus, Titus is located in Crete.

Paul gives instructions varied by demographic:

To the aged men: be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.

To the aged women: in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. Teach the young women.

To the young women: be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children.

Titus (or substitute your own name): In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity.

I love the instruction that is given to Titus because how is he (or any of us) supposed to teach these principles if he does not live his life with great attention to the details of his example? Paul went on a little further in this area... "[Using] sound speech, that cannot be condemed; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you."

I feel so enthused by Paul's attention to detail as it applies to the character of a leader and of the saints in general. Read this refreshing passage which is found at the end of Titus 2...

"[Look] for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." (Titus 2:13-14 emphasis added)