June- Article of Faith #5

 We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.

When researching the phrase "Called of God" I found many different ways of describing it and I thought those all gave a different understanding to this idea; anointed/sanctified (Ex 40:13), charged (Num. 27:23), Ordained (Jer 1:5, D&C 20:60), appointed (Luke 10), sent (Acts 9:17) given authority (2 Cor. 10:8), commanded (1:Ne 2:2) and chosen (Luke 6:13)

I like that those who have the authority of the priesthood are called of God.  This is shown in John 15:16, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. "

There are a lot of examples of the authority of the priesthood in the scriptures but one that I really like is 3 Ne 12:1 which says, " And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words unto Nephi, and to those who had been called, (now the number of them who had been called, and received power and authority to baptize, was twelve) and behold, he stretched forth his hand unto the multitude, and cried unto them, saying: Blessed are ye if ye shall give heed unto the words of these twelve whom I have chosen from among you to minister unto you, and to be your servants; and unto them I have given power that they may baptize you with water; and after that ye are baptized with water, behold, I will baptize you with fire and with the Holy Ghost; therefore blessed are ye if ye shall believe in me and be baptized, after that ye have seen me and know that I am."  I like this scripture because it shows that the authority of the priesthood is from Jesus Christ and that he has given the power to worthy men to act in his name. 

Recently in the church there has been some sub-groups who have questioned the priesthood and who the authority is given to.  I have never questioned the priesthood, how it is set up or what they are called to do but it was interesting to read talks, given by church leaders, about the priesthood and it's sacred roll. 

I especially liked a talk given by Sister Linda K. Burton (RS General President)  titles Priesthood Power- Available to All and Elder Dallin H Oaks' talk The Keys and Authority of the Priesthood. 

Some quotes from Sister Burton's Talk:

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained the priesthood this way: “Priesthood is the means whereby the Lord acts through men to save souls. … A priesthood holder is expected to exercise this sacred authority in accordance with God’s holy mind, will, and purposes. Nothing about the priesthood is self-centered. The priesthood always is used to serve, to bless, and to strengthen other people.”

Elder Oaks cautions us, however, in our references to the priesthood: “While we sometimes refer to priesthood holders as ‘the priesthood,’ we must never forget that the priesthood is not owned by or embodied in those who hold it. It is held in a sacred trust to be used for the benefit of men, women, and children alike." 

In reference to authority, she quoted: “Jesus Christ holds all the keys of the priesthood pertaining to His Church. He has conferred upon each of His Apostles all the keys that pertain to the kingdom of God on earth. The senior living Apostle, the President of the Church, is the only person on earth authorized to exercise all priesthood keys (see D&C 107:91–92). … [He then] delegates priesthood keys to other priesthood leaders so they can preside in their areas of responsibility. … Auxiliary presidents and their counselors do not receive keys. They receive delegated authority to function in their callings.”

Some Quotes from Elder Oaks' Talk:

President Joseph F. Smith described the priesthood as “the power of God delegated to man by which man can act in the earth for the salvation of the human family.

I come now to the subject of priesthood authority. I begin with the three principles just discussed: (1) priesthood is the power of God delegated to man to act for the salvation of the human family, (2) priesthood authority is governed by priesthood holders who hold priesthood keys, and (3) since the scriptures state that “all other authorities [and] offices in the church are appendages to this [Melchizedek] priesthood” (D&C 107:5), all that is done under the direction of those priesthood keys is done with priesthood authority.

I am grateful for the priesthood in my life.  I am grateful that I grew up with a father who honored and used his priesthood in his home and that now I am married to a wonderful man who holds and uses the priesthood in our home.  I am grateful for the many blessings I get through the priesthood, specifically the sacrament and the temple.