For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have. (2 Nephi 28:30)
Knowing God is not binary. Just as you can know a person a little or a lot, knowledge of God accumulates by degrees: “But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” (Proverbs 4:18) To truly know God, it is necessary to come to the perfect day, or the point where you have a habitation with him—a constant and consistent seeing and hearing relationship with him. How do you get to this point?
We acquire a habitation with God by keeping the commandments that we have already received. Those who love God keep his commandments: “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15) Those who love him and keep his commandments will receive a habitation with God: “...If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” (John 14:23) “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.” (John 15:10)
What does it mean to keep God’s commandments? This was the question of a certain man to Jesus. He approached the Lord and asked, “what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus replied, “Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.” The young man considered these to be all the commandments he had to worry about. He said, “All these have I kept from my youth up.” He thought he was keeping God’s commandments since he was keeping all the commandments he knew. Jesus replied, “Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.” This was a new commandment for the young man.
Whenever we have complied with the commandments we have received, we ought to expect God to give us more. Those who are faithful to the commandments and knowledge they have received will receive more commandments and knowledge.
For whomever the Lord Jehovah loves, he instructs, and draws aside his children with whom he is pleased. (Hebrews 12:6, Aramaic Bible)
The young man was not pleased with Jesus’ instruction. “And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.” This was not a specific, once-off instruction to the young man. Jesus continued, “How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!” (Luke 18:18, 2024) This episode shows clearly that not all of God’s commandments required to dwell with God are publicly known. Despite being a faithful adherent to God, this young man had no idea that God expected him to rid himself of his riches to qualify for heaven.
It is possible to be forgiven of your sins without knowing the critical mass of commandments required to dwell with God, but it is not possible to dwell in his presence without them. The Father dwells in inapproachable light (see 1 Timothy 6:16). Light, truth, and glory all refer to the goodness of God, and are interchangeable with knowledge. When we say knowledge, we do not mean facts or figures. Instead, we mean spiritual knowledge. A habitation with God comes through incremental increases in light and truth, or knowledge. The glory a person possesses is a function of the character they possess. God gives us commandments to draw us closer to him, to change our character from a lower state to a higher state.
And behold, I have given you the law and the commandments of my Father, that ye shall believe in me, and that ye shall repent of your sins, and come unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit. (3 Nephi 12:19)
We know God to the extent that we can see and endure his glory. Although the Father dwells in unapproachable light, the Son can appear as he chooses—with no glory (as he did on the road to Emmaus), with all his glory, or anything in between. The glory we can endure is proportional to the glory that we possess.
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2)
Salvation is, in reality, a matter of the acquisition of glory through acquiring and obeying greater light and truth, or greater commandments and knowledge from God.
How are these higher commandments obtained? God provides us with new truth as soon as we are ready to receive it. The way he prepares us for that which we cannot currently bear is by giving us lesser law that we can bear. He cannot give us greater light and truth until we comply with what we already have.
9 And now Alma began to expound these things unto him, saying: It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him.
10 And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full.
11 And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the chains of hell. (Alma 12:9-11)
God will patiently send you experiences to build your capacity for obedience until you are capable of keeping higher commandments. He will send them as fast as you are able to keep them, and you will be able to keep them commensurate with your faithfulness to God under all circumstances. Once we are perfectly obedient to what we have received, God will give us more.
New commandments aren’t always cleanly separated from what we already know. There are three forms of new truth:
New truth in a new area. This is what most of us think of when we think of new truth. This is where you learn something that you had never before considered.
New truth that expands an area you already know something about. This is where you learn a deeper aspect of something you already knew.
New truth that replaces some currently held belief. This is the least considered and hardest to accept. We tend to think that if we have a witness of a truth, or have seen positive fruits from it, there is no possibility that another perspective on the same issue could be more correct. Spiritual law, like natural law, is progressive. In science, a theory’s ability to explain past observations does not guarantee it can explain all future observations. This is just as much the case in spiritual matters. In fact, spiritual truths might be more likely to be superseded by higher truth, given that religions tend to deteriorate. For example, the Lord Jesus not only taught the Pharisees truths higher than the law of Moses, but he also corrected the tradition-inspired incorrect principles taught as the law of Moses. God can reveal truth, and he can reveal higher truth. The Pharisees refused to receive higher truth, and as a result ended up more wicked than if they had never met Jesus.
For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. (Matthew 25:29)
We should not make the same mistake. We must be willing to let go of what we currently view as true, or even sacrosanct, in order to progress with God. We must be willing to accept his instruction, correction, and reproof.
4 Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties.
5 Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let <u>him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not</u> break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities. (Psalm 141:5)
Where does new truth come from? Paul said:
14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:14, 17)
We receive new truth from God’s word, which comes through direct revelation, from messengers of God, and from indirect experience. Direct revelation occurs when God communicates directly with us. His word may come in the form of a vision, a visitation, or a voice. These messages can come in expected settings, like when we are praying or reading the scriptures. They can also come in unexpected settings. You can have visions while sleeping, an angel could visit you while you are at work, or you could hear the voice of God while on errands. When we are observant of the world around us, and spend ample time in reflective meditation, we open the doors for the Lord to teach us new truth. Seemingly normal experiences in nature, at work, or in our homes can trigger an opportunity to learn deep truth.
Messengers from God can be either heavenly or human. If the message they carry is the word of God, it carries the same weight no matter if it is delivered by a man, an angel, the Holy Ghost, or the Lord himself. Some disregard the possibility that God might send them new truth through imperfect humans. These would do well to reread the scriptures, where God’s messengers were commonly the only voice of warning the public received before gross destruction. The existence of human messengers does not imply that all who claim to have a message from God actually do. Every message must be independently evaluated: “...test everything; hold fast what is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21) One part of a sermon can be correct, even if another is not.
Every channel of new truth is counterfeited by the devil. His objective is to keep men as uninstructed as possible. He does this through several means. One way is by convincing men to reject anything that contradicts what they already believe instead of doing as God said, investigating the fruits of the new knowledge. Another way is by convincing them not to seek out higher truth. Another way is to flood the world with truth mixed with error. This manifests in many ways, including cult following of certain religious leaders, who gradually mix in more and more error to what were once reasonably enlightening teachings. The inevitable outcome of such situations is that some residue of what was once an extensive following become sycophants to an obviously false cause, publicly reducing the faith of men in the possibility of true messengers and true religion. The devil ensures that for every true signal, there are many false ones.
With the stakes so high, how do we recognize what is true and what is false? It is not as simple as comparing everything to the scriptures. The scriptures contain God’s word, but our capacity to read them literally and as they were intended is limited by the constant flood of traditions we are exposed to, many of which are false.
The task of discerning truth is difficult. Because the gospel is progressive, we cannot simply have a static list of all of God’s commandments. Though many commandments will be common to many personal lists, God will give each of us individualized instructions suited for our situation. In this fluid situation, a custom, individual mechanism for evaluating truth is required, and that is exactly what God has given us.
God has given each of us a spirit capable of discerning truth from error.
15 For behold, my brethren, it is given unto you to judge, that ye may know good from evil; and the way to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night.
16 For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil... (Moroni 7)
The Lord taught that this discernment is not corporal, but spiritual: “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” (John 7:24) If we seek God, he will teach us the truthfulness of each message: “And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.” (Moroni 10:5) The Holy Ghost is the key arbiter in our search for truth. He will show us everything we should do:
For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do. (2 Nephi 32:5)
God never expects any of us to believe anything we hear from any source without an independent confirmation through that portion of his spirit that resides in us. This is how we detect things that are not true, as well as any additional truth beyond the content of the message in the form delivered. Have you ever attended a sermon where you came away having learned something that the speaker did not mention? If so, you have received ample evidence that, while God uses messengers and experiences to teach his children, he never fully lets go of the reins.
Since specifics depend on the individual’s state and circumstance, guidelines to discern between truth and evil have to be generally defined. Paul said:
...whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. (Philippians 4:8)
Moroni also described the difference in terms of good and evil, clarifying the difference:
12 Wherefore, all things which are good cometh of God; and that which is evil cometh of the devil; for the devil is an enemy unto God, and fighteth against him continually, and inviteth and enticeth to sin, and to do that which is evil continually.
13 But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God.
16 ...every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.
17 But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil... (Moroni 7)
In short, anything that draws you closer to God than you currently are is of God.
How do you invite more light and truth into your life? The first way is through recognizing that whatever you think you have, God has more. Your greatest barrier to progression is an inflated perception of your true state with God. Your perception of God’s glory is significantly less than the truth. This cannot be helped except through increasing your experiences with him: how much of God’s glory you can perceive is limited by how much of his glory you possess. Due to this chronic underestimation of God’s greatness, you almost always believe you are more righteous than you actually are.
The young man who came to the Lord and asked him what good thing he could do to gain eternal life thought that he was more righteous than he was (see Matthew 19). His question indicated that he didn’t think he had eternal life yet (making him a step ahead of most of us who claim we have it without any evidence that such is the case). His response to Jesus’ answer indicates that he didn’t anticipate being so far from it as he was. It turns out that his approach was fundamentally flawed. The man thought that salvation could be attained through a laundry list of commandments received through a man: “what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16) He didn’t understand that eternal life requires a relationship with God—no one has ever been saved without knowing God, let alone without ever having met him. An interactive relationship with God is a requirement. It is not possible for someone else to access God, get a list of “good things,” and pass them onto you. That process places someone else between you and God. The gospel is not a static list. It is a personal, interactive relationship with God. Any list is meant as a teaser to get you to the point where you gain that personal, interactive relationship. It's training wheels. You can't ride to heaven with training wheels.
Despite the failure of this young man to receive new commandments from Jesus, his actions in obtaining more light and truth demonstrate a process that each of us can follow. After asking the Lord what more he could do, the Lord says, “if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.” (Matthew 19:17) The man did not deserve further light and truth. He was not ready for it. The Lord, who already knew the next required step in this man’s progression, was trying to avoid his question. By divine law, he could not give this man a commandment he was not capable of obeying. He dodged the question while also giving the young man a hint to help him on his way. The man had called Jesus good. Jesus replied, “None is good, save the Father.” The Lord—who was the holiest man this or any other person had ever seen—was unwilling to have someone call him good. He was trying to help the man realize that perhaps the man was not as righteous as he thought.
The man tried again. He asked which commandments he should keep. Now, among the commandments he listed, Jesus included “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” This man thought he was already obeying this commandment. The truth was that it consisted of far more than he understood. While he should have replied saying, “Oh Jesus, have mercy on me, a sinner,” he says he has done all of this since his youth. Instead of approaching the Lord to find out how he can grow, he is looking for justification for his present state. He has filled his life with his dead religious works instead of connection to God. Still, instead of walking away, the young man continued questioning God. His persistence was recognized and rewarded by God.
The loving Lord replied to his persistence with total, blunt instruction:
Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. (Matthew 19:21)
Jesus always tries to teach things softly at first, and usually doesn't go past that unless we ask him to. Because we don’t, we miss most of God’s attempts to teach us. Like this man, we ought to persist with God, begging him to be blunt with us in our oblivious ignorance. We ought to plead with God daily to reveal more light and truth to us. He will answer that prayer. He can do this through many ways. He will speak to your mind and your heart. God can send you an angel to teach you, or come to you himself. You may hear an audible voice. You may be led to a particular scripture. You may be prompted to investigate certain books or Bible translations. You may be prompted to look at certain videos or websites online. You may have a gospel conversation with a new acquaintance or an old friend.
We can't progress in ignorance. It is better to know of our faults with God rather than incorrectly believe we are righteous. We tend to think that we believe in God. And yet, our actions betray our unbelief. If we really believed in God, we would act far differently than we do. When Jesus told the apostles of his impending crucifixion, they said:
30 Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God.
31 Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe?
32 Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. (John 16)
The apostles genuinely thought they were converted, but the Lord knew that they would shortly flee from him. The Lord allowed the apostles to believe all sorts of things that were not exactly correct. If they had just asked him, he would have corrected them. What does he know about you or me? What is he willing to tell us if we just ask?
We ought to welcome challenges to our paradigm. If our theology is not yielding the results of the ancients, our theology is flawed. We ought to pray to God and ask him to correct us, and we ought to expect him to send encounters that help us to reject our false traditions. What better thing could we do to obtain a closer relationship with him than ask him directly how to improve it? Are you ready to accept what he says?