Spiritual Growth Gifts of the Spirit

Volume One—Chapter Seven SPIRITUAL GROWTH—GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT

#The Vital Role of Spiritual Growth in Our Mortal Experience

One of our most fundamental gospel doctrines is “spiritual growth,” the process by which a man may progress to become like God. A few concepts lay important groundwork for our discussion of this doctrinal process.

To begin, let us consider a most basic question: just what is “the gospel”? How would you define it? If we were to strip away everything from the gospel but its very essence, what do you think the most precise definition of the gospel should be? Before you answer, let me put a few words in your mouth. I will propose the first six words of the definition, and then you finish it: “The gospel is the plan whereby . . .”

How about this?: The gospel is the plan whereby a man may return to the presence of God following this mortal life and live with him forever.

Virtually every aspect of the gospel encourages and enables man to return to God’s presence. Each and every interaction God has with a mortal man, either through organized religion or on a personal, intimate level, has one central purpose. God yearns to bring that man back to his celestial home. Every ordinance, every passage of scripture, every gospel teaching, every church calling, every church meeting, everything that happens in the temple, every covenant he encourages—each has but one purpose. Each is God’s attempt to see the man safely home. Is this so surprising? Whose gospel is it? What is his obsession? “For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39).

Let us now advance our definition of the gospel to another level. Just what must a man do to return to God? He must strive to become like him. He must deliberately and consciously endeavor to emulate the scriptural examples and align the conduct of his life with the counsels of God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ. Thus is the man able to grow to become like them. Hence, we might expand our definition of the gospel: The gospel is the plan whereby a man may progress to become like God and thereby qualify to return to his presence and live with him forever.

I readily admit to some arbitrariness in these definitions of the gospel. In this chapter we will carefully consider the process of becoming like God. Whenever I use the term God, I am speaking, of course, of both the Father and the Son. They are obviously distinct individuals, and there are differences between them. However, in the context of their attributes and our growing to attain some of those attributes—and thus becoming like them—we cannot distinguish between the two.

While it is likely we do not require a thorough understanding of the doctrine of spiritual growth in order to grow spiritually, it is logical to assume we can grow most effectively when we understand the process, particularly what is required of us.

#Gifts of the Spirit

In your mind’s eye, imagine a very large round whiteboard in front of you. From its center, it extends a hundred feet in all directions. Let us allow this board to represent the characteristics of God: his traits; his abilities; indeed, all his attributes. It represents all those divine qualities that make him God. Let us further suggest that each of his myriad attributes is represented by a single, thin wedge-shaped piece. Each begins at a point in the center and radiates outward. Visualize a pie with hundreds of slices. Each piece of this “pie” represents a separate divine attribute. For example, one piece is his love or grace. Another is his strength in difficult situations. Another is patience and long suffering. Yet another is his perfect empathy for mankind, and so on.

The most fundamental and basic aspects of each attribute lie near the center of the board, and the increasingly advanced elements of each are encountered as we move from the center toward the outer edge.

Each of us may also be represented on this board. We each possess some rudimentary divine attributes. I shall represent you as a small irregular circle at the center of the board. This irregular circle represents your divine attributes. You are still early in the process of obtaining them. You possess some at variable basic levels, and you’ve not yet begun to obtain others. God obviously possesses all divine attributes to perfection. If each mortal were to be represented on our whiteboard, the irregular circle of each would be distinct from all others. Each of us is unique relative to our divine attributes, both qualitatively and quantitatively. All our circles, however, would be small and near the center of the board. Each could be divided into several wedge-shaped segments like pieces of a pie.

Obtaining these divine attributes is, in one way, analogous to acquiring knowledge and skills here on earth. In order to understand a concept or acquire a skill, you must begin with the basics. You then build your understanding or skill, step by step, in an orderly manner from the center outward. You build on what you already possess. Eventually, you come to acquire a more thorough understanding of the concept or a more facile ability. You cannot obtain an advanced, or even an intermediate part, of a characteristic of God until you have acquired the basics. You must first master the fundamental aspects of the attribute.

When you progress to become like God you don’t obtain a divine attribute all at once. Rather, you obtain it a little at a time, from the center outward, in small increments—“line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little” (2 Nephi 28:30). You begin with the basics and progress to the more advanced.

These “little bits” or increments of the attributes of God are “gifts of the Spirit” or “spiritual gifts.” They are the building blocks by which we grow to become like God. The Savior yearns for you to possess his attributes. He wants you to become like him.

In our discussion of this important topic, we will consider several questions: How do you qualify yourself to receive these gifts of the Spirit? What exactly is the process of your receiving them, once you qualify? By what mechanism are you judged worthy or unworthy to receive them? Why are they called gifts of the Spirit? How many gifts of the Spirit must you receive in order to qualify for celestial glory? Are these gifts, and the number you attain, the basis of God’s judgment of you? Is it proper that you should seek after gifts of the Spirit, or is it self-serving? What happens if you don’t seek after gifts of the Spirit? Do some people have advantages over others in seeking for gifts of the Spirit? When did the process of your acquiring gifts of the Spirit begin?

#Other Uses of the Term “Gifts”

Before we begin our discussion of gifts of the Spirit, let us address a possible source of confusion. An ambiguity exists in the way we use the word gifts in the Church today. This word is used in such expressions as “healing gifts,” “divine gifts,” “spiritual gifts,” “good gifts,” “unique gifts,” “best gifts,” “prophetic gifts,” and others. We commonly hear of “gifts of the Spirit,” “gifts of God,” or “gifts of heaven.” The exact meaning of the word gifts is unclear without a more thorough explanation.

There are two additional separate meanings for the term gifts, aside from the one I have just described above. It is important to distinguish clearly among all three usages.

Talents. We may observe “gifts” in individuals who demonstrate remarkable abilities. We say of them, “My, isn’t she gifted” or “He certainly has a gift.” What do we mean by these expressions? Exactly what are the gifts being spoken of here? They are talents. But what exactly are talents?

It seems clear that our time in the premortal sphere was spent to good advantage. Over a long period of time, by applying real effort, we earned, incrementally, specific abilities or attributes in unique combination. They helped establish our identity, individuality, and uniqueness. As we moved from premortality to mortality, the veil of forgetfulness was drawn over our minds. That veil has not, however, prevented our abilities from accompanying us into mortality. It produces only an incomplete forgetting of our premortal selves.

Our attributes are manifest here on earth as exciting potential abilities or proclivities. When we discover and re-develop them, they provide tangible evidence we do not start from “nothing” at birth. We are allowed to bring with us most, if not all, our hard-won attributes. They “leak” through the veil and abide in us during our mortal sojourn. We maintain a proclivity for a rapid recall of gifts acquired in the premortal realm. As we identify and strive to “re-acquire” these gifts, we find they return quickly. We experience much joy from their reacquisition and subsequent utilization. These remarkable abilities seem to come “from somewhere else.” Indeed they do! They come from the premortal world. These “gifts” are talents.

It is obvious these gifts are really the same as the gifts of the Spirit we illustrated with the whiteboard analogy. They are increments of the attributes of God. We set them apart as a separate category—as “talents”—since they were acquired in the premortal world and accompany us as we come through the veil. We earned them in premortality the same way we earn spiritual gifts here in mortality.

Some confusion exists surrounding the concept of talents. A gospel student may object to our formulation of the concept of talent. “Wait a moment!” he may say, “I think your explanation of talents is wrong! Have you not noticed that certain abilities, certain talents, tend to run in families? Several members of one family, for example, may seem to have a natural gift for music or art. I don’t think talents come through the veil at all. I think they are included in our mortal genes. I think there are certain favorable neurological connections in the brains—’hardwiring’ characteristics, so to speak— passed along in certain families. I think these favor the expression of a specific talent. I think music talent, for example, is passed along genetically. At the very least, it is the result of a family environment and nurturing that fosters musical ability.”

So what is the answer? Do talents come from the pre-existence, or are they abilities that originate here on earth either from our genes (“nest”) or from our early childhood environment (“nurture”)?

One possible explanation is that talents do come with us through the veil. And family groupings of individuals with certain talents are the result of the Lord’s micromanaging the content or personnel of individual families. Perhaps he is inclined to arrange for individuals with certain premortal proclivities to be grouped in families. Thus, they might help and encourage one another in their quest to develop their talents. Perhaps individuals with certain abilities in common tended to become closely associated with one another in the premortal world, and the Lord blesses them to remain closely associated in families here on earth. I am personally uncomfortable with this idea. I believe it unlikely the Lord is heavily involved in micromanaging the details of family membership on earth. However, we are certainly not given to know the details of that subject.

I am convinced that premortal abilities do penetrate the veil and manifest themselves here in the form of talents. How else, then, might we explain the family groupings of certain talents?

Perhaps the manifestation of a certain talent here on earth is the result of both our “software” and our “hardware.” The “software” is the basic “program,” or set of abilities, with which one comes to earth. It is the set of abilities one acquired before birth, but only after eons of real effort in the pre-existence. “Software” consists of those gifts of the spirit acquired incrementally through obedience to eternal law. Here in mortality, the spirit with that particular “software” is clothed with a physical body. The body is the “hardware.” Our physical body contains a brain which is not without hardwiring characteristics all its own. The brain’s hardwiring may well be determined genetically and passed along in families.

Some brains may have characteristics more favorable to the development of specific abilities. Some brains, for example, may be “wired” to accommodate more easily the development of musical ability. Perhaps family groupings of certain talents are largely the result of the neurological connections in the brain or “hardware” passed along genetically in a family. Any given member of that family may or may not manifest that certain talent. His manifesting the talent may depend upon the software he “wrote” or “programmed” in the pre-existence. In other words, talents here on earth are determined by a combination of who we were when we came to earth (our “software”) and the type of body or brain we received here (our “hardware”).

Let us not neglect the added influences of “nurture.” The influence of the family setting encourages the development of certain abilities within a family. If dad is a physician, for example, there may be a child or two that seeks an education in medicine and is motivated to develop all those abilities necessary for that profession. If a parent is musical, the child grows up in a musical environment and thus may thus be inclined toward music.

The implications of this concept extend beyond talents and their expression. Surely the intellectual capacities and characteristics of the corporal brain (“hardware”) interact with the premortal proclivities and abilities (“software”). These will eventually be expressed here on earth by each unique individual. Thus, the level of intelligence or intellectual capacity of an individual may also be determined by a combination of our “software” and our “hardware.”

President Spencer W. Kimball wrote of those innate abilities we bring with us through the veil and of the importance of seeking them out and redeveloping them:

God has endowed us with talents and time, with latent abilities and with opportunities to use and develop them in his service. He therefore expects much of us, his privileged children. . . . The great calamity, as I see it, is when you or I with so much potential grow very little. That is the calamity—when I could be so much and I am so little; when I am satisfied with mediocrity . . . in whatever I am going to do with my life; when I am satisfied with this, oh, that is a sad, sad day because it has an everlasting and eternal influence upon me (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, 149, 173).

On another occasion President Kimball taught:

Let us get our instruments tightly strung and our melodies sweetly sung. Let us not die with our music still in us. Let us rather use this precious mortal probation to move confidently and gloriously upward toward eternal life which God our Father gives to those who keep his commandments (as quoted in Wilma Gardner’s, “Finding Joy in the Savior’s Plan,” Ensign, March 1988, 73).

In addition to discovering and polishing up our premortal aptitudes, we are reminded by revelation through the Prophet Joseph “that every man may improve upon his talent, that every man may gain other talents, yea, even an hundred fold” (D&C 82:18). The Lord charged all of us to “seek . . . earnestly the best gifts, always remembering for what they are given . . . they are given for the benefit of those who love me and keep all my commandments, and him that seeketh so to do; that all may be benefited” (D&C 46:8–9).

Free gifts. The Lord delights to bestow gifts or blessings, requiring little in return, upon individuals in certain situations. This bestowal provides temporary benefits for those individuals, and they do not become permanent characteristics of the recipient.

These may be given in response to prayer, or preemptively for the Lord’s own purposes. He often, for example, imparts special gifts to his authorized servants for the purpose of administering the affairs of his earthly kingdom. These are often given as pure gifts and may not be particularly earned by those to whom they are given, except for their righteousness exercise of their priesthood and their diligence in serving him.

When the Lord answers prayers, his blessings come as free gifts. Examples of these gifts include the working of small or large miracles, the ability to prophesy, the gift to be healed or to heal, a knowledge of God’s will, and other manifestations of the Spirit. The gifts described in section 46 of the Doctrine and Covenants seem to fit largely into this category.

Let us now return to a consideration of spiritual gifts as increments of the attributes of God—building blocks of our spiritual growth.

#The Origin of Gifts of the Spirit

Let me test your spiritual intuition. We have established that these building blocks of spiritual growth are called gifts of the Spirit. The Spirit, of course, is the Holy Ghost. Does this mean they originate with the Holy Ghost?

Though they are called “gifts of the Spirit,” they do not originate with him. They are actually characteristics of Jesus Christ. Moroni 10:18 teaches, “Every good gift cometh of Christ.” When we are granted an increment of an attribute of Christ, we literally receive a part of his divine abilities.

When we partake of an increment of the Savior’s attributes, we do not diminish his gift in any way. In fact, there is scriptural evidence that when we grow spiritually we actually “glorify” the Father and the Son, or add to their spiritual progress (see John 17:4; 3 Nephi 11:7; D&C 45:3-4).

#The Granting of Gifts of the Spirit

When we receive any blessings from the Spirit of God, what do we call that process? By what process does the Spirit of God communicate anything to man, be it attributes or other blessings? It is through personal revelation. Gifts of the Spirit come in no other way. If you have made any progress in becoming more like God, you necessarily have benefited from personal revelation.

#The Changes Wrought by Gifts of the Spirit

The most important blessings we can receive from the Holy Ghost are increments of Christ’s attributes. Now here is a most-important fact: these gifts, received by personal revelation, produce fundamental changes in us. They change our hearts and minds. They change our way of thinking. They change our priorities, our perspectives. As we receive them, we become different people. We become a little more like God.

Gifts of the Spirit can literally make a celestial person from one who is telestialbound. A telestial individual is one who is consumed with self and either eschews or ignores spiritual matters. He seeks his own for social company and is uncomfortable with those of a more noble disposition. A celestially-inclined person yearns for the eternal presence of the Father and the Son. He longs to be with those who will also inherit the celestial glory. The transition from telestial to celestial is truly dramatic and miraculous but can be accomplished, over time, by the sequential receipt of spiritual gifts. Receiving gifts of the Spirit is quite different from merely learning new facts, concepts, or behaviors. It is a process of fundamental change.

The scriptures use a specific terminology to describe the profound changes that occur in us when we receive gifts of the Spirit. We may be said to have acquired a “testimony” or to have been “converted” (changed). We become what the scriptures call “new creatures” (Mosiah 27:26). We may also be said to be “born again,” “born of the Spirit,” “born of God,” and “quickened in the inner man.” We might also be said to have “experienced a mighty change” or to have “received his image in [our] countenances” or to have “entered into the rest of God.” We may even be called “perfect” or “perfect in Christ.”

#How Do We Qualify for Gifts of the Spirit?

So, gifts of the Spirit come to us by personal revelation. What must we do to qualify to receive them? Elder Dallin Oaks taught that these gifts are neither free, nor cheap. He said, “Spiritual gifts do not come visibly, automatically, and immediately to all who have received the gift of the Holy Ghost” (“Spiritual Gifts,” Ensign, September 1986, 68-72). So, if they are not free, what do they cost? How do we pay? What do we pay? How does one earn these gifts of the Spirit?

They come as a result of our obedience to gospel law. A well-known passage of scripture provides us the formula for earning gifts of the Spirit: “There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated” (D&C 130:20-21). The “blessings” referred to in this passage are increments of the attributes of God. They are gifts of the Spirit. For each gift we receive, there are specific earthly prerequisites or requirements. We must obey certain specific laws or commandments to receive specific gifts.

What is the relationship between the gift we desire to receive and the earthly prerequisites? To help you answer this question, let me draft you onto a hypothetical, ad hoc, policy-making committee. You are a member of the committee charged with the responsibility of deciding which specific acts of obedience are necessary to earn certain specific gifts of the Spirit. The “constitution,” or formative document, of your committee is D&C 130:20-21, quoted in the previous paragraph.

Here is the first item to come before your committee. Charity is that love God has for his children (Ether 12:34). We are commanded to obtain for ourselves this love. Charity is a magnificent gift of the Spirit. It is perhaps one of the most important and most difficult to obtain. When you possess the gift of charity, you love others just as the Savior loves them. You will yearn for their secular and spiritual welfare as much as you yearn for your own. This is charity. Remember, you are a member of the committee in charge of prerequisites. What prerequisites are appropriate for earning this gift of the Spirit according to the principle of D&C 130:20-21? What must each individual do to obtain the gift of charity?

He must begin by desiring that specific gift. At the center of each of us is an inclination to want to love and be loved by others. Perhaps it is a part of the Spirit of Christ within each of us (Moroni 7:16-17; D&C 93:2). His motives must be selfless, not self serving. He must consciously strive to forget himself and put others first. He must seek to make the life of another better by serving him or her. He must serve even when he may not wish to, when it’s inconvenient, when he doesn’t feel like it, even when it requires sacrifice.

Then what will happen? His efforts and his motivation will be judged. If he is found deserving, the Spirit will begin to reveal to him the gift of charity. The Holy Ghost will begin to impart, again by revelation, increments of the Savior’s attribute of charity. When he begins to receive that gift, his heart changes. He becomes a new person. He begins to actually love others as Christ loves them. It will then become less difficult for him to serve others. Eventually, it will become no chore at all. It will become second nature.

#What Does It Mean to “Know” a Spiritual Fact?

Thus far, we have spoken of receiving spiritual gifts—increments of the attributes of Christ—by the process of personal revelation. We have emphasized the important, fundamental changes wrought in us by those gifts. These spiritual gifts include patience, perseverance, the spiritual strength to endure in spite of hardships, charity, self control, and many others. When we receive increments of these attributes by personal revelation, we experience a profound and basic change of heart. We become more patient, more long suffering, stronger, more charitable, more spiritually disciplined, etc.

But there exists another type of gift of the Spirit. It is spiritual knowledge. We know we can receive, from the Holy Ghost, confirmatory knowledge of spiritual things. Examples include the gift of a testimony of the Book of Mormon, knowledge that God and Christ live and have bodies of flesh and bone, assurance that life goes on forever, that most all of us will live in a kingdom of glory, that the gospel has been restored in this latter day, that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, and that there is only one true and living Church on the face of the earth. This is knowledge of spiritual facts rather than increments of divine attributes. Do you think this spiritual knowledge produces the same changes in us that are produced by receiving divine attributes? Is it valid to consider spiritual knowledge as a separate type of gift of the Spirit? What does it really mean “to know” a spiritual fact? Does revealed spiritual knowledge make us more like God?

There is no difference between receiving a divine attribute and receiving a witness of a spiritual fact. Spiritual knowledge comes to us by personal revelation through the Spirit of God in return for our obedience. Each increment of spiritual knowledge is a divine attribute.

Let me illustrate just how spiritual knowledge is granted by giving the hypothetical committee of which you are a member one more assignment. An individual desires a testimony of the Book of Mormon. Such a testimony is a gift of the Spirit. It can only be given and received by personal revelation and based on the principle of obedience to law. As a committee, how would you apply the formula in D&C 130:20-21 to earning a testimony of the Book of Mormon? What must the individual do in order to earn this prized gift of the Spirit? What are the appropriate earthly prerequisites?

You will likely recommend the following: He must, first of all, have a desire to know the truth about the book. His desire to know the truth must become a yearning. Then he must begin to read the book. He must set for himself a goal for daily reading. He must study diligently, even when he doesn’t feel like studying. He must ponder those passages he has read. He must take them to the Lord in prayer. He must plead with the Lord to reveal the truth to him.

We know from experience with ourselves and others that these are, in fact, the proper prerequisites (Moroni 10:3-5). When an individual’s efforts are judged adequate in applying these prerequisites, he will then begin to receive, through revelation from the Holy Ghost, increments of a testimony of the Book of Mormon. This testimony is much more than intellectual knowledge. It is a basic changing of his heart and mind. It is a divine attribute. He becomes more like God. Not only does he know that the book is true but it is precious and dear to him. He comes to treasure it. He is different because of it.

God also knows all spiritual concepts. When we receive personal revelation of spiritual facts, we don’t just know in our head. Rather, “we know” in our heart. We are fundamentally changed.

One who has been blessed to receive the confirmation of truth through the influence of the Spirit may also be said to have a testimony of that truth. One cannot have a testimony of any eternal truth without personal revelation. Again, a testimony is much more than mental knowledge or acquiescence. A testimony is a gift of the Spirit. It moves an individual a little closer to becoming like God. God does not reveal anything to individuals, including knowledge, without moving them a little closer to him.

#The Roles of the Holy Ghost in Spiritual Growth

We have already concluded that gifts of the Spirit do not originate with the Spirit. Rather, they originate with Christ. They are increments of the Savior’s attributes. But they are referred to as “gifts of the Spirit.” What, then, are the Spirit’s precise roles in the process of our spiritual growth?

We have already determined that he imparts or transmits, by personal revelation, the increments of the attributes of Christ to those who diligently strive to qualify for them through obedience. This is an important part of his role as Revelator. He presides over all communication between the spiritual and earthly realms.

There is another important, even more fundamental, role he plays in this process. It is the responsibility of the Holy Ghost to judge us worthy or unworthy to receive a gift of the Spirit. If we are worthy, he then, and only then, transmits the gift to us. For example, if we are striving to receive the gift of a testimony of the Book of Mormon, the Spirit will observe our efforts in reading, studying, pondering, and praying about the book. He will also consider our motivations for doing so. When he judges them to be sufficient, he will nod his approval and begin to grant us, by personal revelation, increments of this blessed gift.

Some students of the gospel may be surprised to learn that the Holy Ghost serves as our judge, yet this is one of his roles. Actually, the Holy Ghost has several

roles in our lives. He is given distinct titles for some of these roles. For example, we may refer to him as the “Justifier,” the “Sanctifier,” or the “Comforter.” What title is he given that reflects his ability to judge an individual’s worthiness and then seal an appropriate blessing upon the individual? In this role he is referred to as the “Holy Spirit of Promise.”

This title signifies that he possesses the sealing power whereby, ordinances and other righteous acts performed on this earth are ratified, validated, and sealed in heaven as well as on earth. They are made valid and binding for eternity. To seal is to ratify, justify, or approve. Thus, an act that is sealed by “the Holy Spirit of Promise” is approved and validated by him and, hence, by the Lord.

The necessity of sealing by the Holy Ghost is emphasized in the following scriptural passage:

All covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows, performances, connections, associations, or expectations, that are not made and entered into and sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise . . . are of no efficacy, virtue, or force in and after the resurrection from the dead; for all contracts that are not made unto this end have an end when men are dead (D&C 132:7).

One aspect of this role of the Holy Ghost has caused me a lot of personal consternation. After I remind you of it, I hope it will cause you some concern as well. He cannot be fooled. D&C 42:17 reminds us that the individual whom we call the Holy Ghost “knoweth all things.” Among other things, he knows your heart. He knows it perfectly. Earthly representatives of the Lord such as bishops, stake presidents, and missionaries possibly may be deceived by an unworthy person, but no one deceives the Holy Ghost. Why should that be a cause for concern? Does there ever exist a disconnect between what we do and what is in our hearts? Do we ever do one thing but think and feel another? Let us explore this for a moment.

First, what would you call this discrepancy? What do you call an individual who does one thing but thinks and feels another? We may say he has a lack of spiritual integrity, or he is a hypocrite. Or, contrariwise, if the person’s behavior always truly represents what he really feels in his heart, then we may say that he has spiritual integrity or that he is without guile. Some have suggested another word. This is a common word, one we usually use in a general way. Some have suggested it should be used here with a specific meaning. The word is “righteous.” When there is a complete compatibility between what a person does (and says) and what that person feels in his heart, he may be referred to as being “righteous,” perfectly righteous.

Let us explore the question of perfect righteousness by looking at the opposite. In all of us, from time to time, there is a difference between what we do and say and what we really feel. In other words, our words and deeds are not motivated by perfectly honest feelings. Our actions may misrepresent our real motives. The most obvious and egregious is the individual whose thoughts and feelings are evil, but who forces himself to act and speak righteously hoping people will think he is righteous. This individual is the dissembler, the liar, the phony.

There are more common ways in which many of us misrepresent our real motives. Do you always do your home teaching or visiting teaching because you just can’t wait to visit those people whom you love and desire so much to be with and help? There are certain obligations in the Church that, when we fail to meet them, cause feelings of guilt. Sometimes I catch myself in my home teaching wondering if I want to complete my visits so that I don’t have to worry about it for another month, and I don’t have to worry about Brother Heinhold’s phone call on the 30th of the month. When you partook of the sacrament last Sunday, were you consumed by spiritual self analysis and the desire to repent? Were you planning which specific commandment you would covenant to obey during the coming week? Perhaps our most significant problems in this area are carelessness, thoughtlessness, and laziness. Rather than contemplating with gratitude the Savior’s sacrifice, during the sacrament service, and committing ourselves to a certain corrective course of action for the coming week, sometimes we are thinking of something else. Sometimes, we’re thinking of nothing at all. We certainly may partake of the sacrament and not receive a remission of our sins and a renewal of our baptismal covenant because it is not ratified by the Holy Spirit of Promise (1 Corinthians 11:27-29). It will not be ratified unless we are truly repentant and partake of the sacrament with the proper spirit and attitude—with righteousness. Is this ever a problem when you consider attending the temple and when you are actually in the temple?

Everything we do in the Church, and probably everything we do on earth, likely has eternal consequences. In the last analysis, all of the commandments or all the things we are asked to do for the Lord are spiritual in their nature (D&C 29:34-35). They may seem temporal, but they are not. For example, going to meetings, saying “amen” after prayers, paying tithes and other contributions (2 Corinthians 9:7), singing hymns, praying, partaking of the sacrament, teaching a class, home or visiting teaching, going to the temple, participating in ordinances—all may produce spiritual benefit or spiritual growth in us. However, this occurs only if they are participated in with the proper motives and attitudes. Each instance of our keeping a commandment, each occasion of true repentance, and each private victory over self, may all accrue to our spiritual growth.

Since the Spirit is able to perfectly discern the hearts of men, he is able to certify the validity of all ordinances and acts of obedience . . . or choose not to ratify them. He will not ratify an ordinance or an act performed with improper motives. If we act with proper motives and for the right reasons, our actions will be ratified and given a stamp of approval by the Holy Ghost, the “Holy Spirit of promise.” In this capacity, he searches the heart. He may ratify an action when an individual is sincere and properly motivated. He may also withhold his ratification if an individual does the wrong thing or even “the right thing for the wrong reason.” At times, we may even fool ourselves, but there is absolutely no chance we ever can fool the Holy Ghost. It is not possible to lie to him and thereby gain an undeserved blessing. He is the giver or dispenser of the gifts of the Spirit. All spiritual growth comes through his incremental spiritual bestowals.

Speaking of the Lord, the prophet Alma wrote: “I know that he granteth unto men according to their desire” (Alma 29:4). A thoughtful consideration of this verse teaches that a man’s “desires” are not what he may say he wants or even what he thinks he wants. They represent what he truly is in his heart.

Ultimately, it is the Spirit’s prerogative to seal a person up unto eternal life. This is known as being “sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise” or receiving “the more sure word of prophecy” (D&C 88:3-4; 124:124; 131:5; 132:18-26; Ephesians 1:13). Thus, we learn that the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, in addition to the Second Comforter (Christ), can seal a man up to eternal life or pronounce his “calling and election sure.” The Holy Spirit of Promise validates this blessing. He seals it upon the person. Referring to the Holy Spirit of Promise, the Lord says, “This Comforter is the promise which I give unto

you of eternal life, even the glory of the Celestial Kingdom” (D&C 88:4).

#Why Are They “Gifts” of the Spirit?

The term gift implies that we receive something gratuitously and unconditionally, without our having to earn it or even deserve it. Usually a gift is received without any effort on our part. Yet we have discussed the fact that gifts of the Spirit do not come free or even cheap. We must strive diligently to obey the Lord’s commands. If we are then judged worthy, we are granted these gifts. Are they really gifts then? Don’t we have to earn them? And don’t we really deserve them? Can you think of any reason why they should be referred to as gifts of the Spirit?

They are gifts because the relatively paltry effort we must exert to earn them stands in bold relief to the magnificent blessings or gifts we receive in return. The disparity between our effort to obey and the blessing given in return is obvious. The law of justice would forbid and prevent the Savior from giving them had he not experienced his atoning suffering and death. It is only because of his atoning sacrifice that he is even allowed to mercifully bless us with gifts of the Spirit. These gifts are available only by virtue of the Lord’s atonement, through his mercy and grace.

Our spiritual growth began long before this mortal world was created. It began long before the Savior’s atoning sacrifice in Gethsemane and at Calvary. We therefore see a manifestation of the eternal nature of the Lord’s atonement. It is only by virtue of the Lord’s atoning sacrifice that we can be forgiven of our sins and then be granted gifts of the Spirit. By virtue of the Lord’s covenant to atone for the sins of the world, the blessings of his atonement were available even prior to the actual event in Gethsemane and at Golgotha.

See a more comprehensive discussion of the Holy Ghost and his various roles and titles in volume 2, chapter 5, The Holy Ghost.

See a further discussion of the phenomenon of being sealed up to eternal life in

volume 2, chapter 16, Calling and Election Made Sure.