The following are excerpts from:
Joseph Fielding Smith, Take Heed to Yourselves! Gospel Discourses of Joseph Fielding Smith (comp. Joseph Fielding Smith, jr.; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1971)
The Absolute Importance of Repentance
Nothing More Important
I know of nothing that is more important or necessary at this time than to cry repentance, even among the Latter-day Saints, and I call upon them as well as upon those who are not members of the Church, to heed these words of our Redeemer. He has stated definitely that no unclean thing can enter his presence. Only those who prove themselves faithful and have washed their garments in his blood through their faith and their repentance—none others shall find the kingdom of God. (p. 12)
The Need of Repentance
What we need in the Church, as well as out of it, is repentance. We need more faith and more determination to serve the Lord. Do not get the impression from what I have said that I feel that we should keep aloof from everybody outside of the Church and not associate with them. I have not said, but I do want us to be consistent Latter-day Saints, and if the people of the world walk in darkness and sin and contrary to the will of the Lord, there is the place for us to draw the line. Why should we not uphold the standards of faith? Why should we not walk in strict accord with the regulations of the Church notwithstanding what the world may think? The Lord has revealed the fulness of his gospel. We have been fully informed regarding all its principles pertaining to salvation. Is it worthwhile for us to maintain our integrity and prove faithful to every trust? Is the pearl of great price—the fulness of the glory, honor and eternal life in the presence of the Father and the Son—worth the sacrifice we may be called upon to make? Are we, as the man spoken of in former times, willing to sell all that we have in order that we may buy this field which will bring to us everlasting joy and exaltation as sons and daughters of God? (pp. 118-19, italics in original)
Those Who May Be Baptized
A few months ago, when I was in one of the mission fields, meeting with a group of missionaries, one of them asked me this question: Shall we baptize men into this Church when they say they believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and they believe that the Lord appeared to him, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is indeed the Church of Christ upon the earth, and yet they have not forsaken of all their sins?
He stated that this question had been discussed among the elders. Some took one view, some another. Some held that if we accepted a man who so expressed himself, that eventually he would repent of all his sins. I said in answer to him: “I shall read to you what the Lord himself has said, and we will see I that will not answer your question.” I am going to read those words here this afternoon:
And again, by way of commandment, to the Church concerning the manner of baptism—All those who humble themselves before God, and desire to be baptized, and come forth with broken hearts and contrite spirits, and witness before the Church that they have truly repented of all their sins, and are willing to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end, and truly manifest by their works that they have received of the Spirit of Christ unto the remission of their sins, shall be received by baptism into his church. (D&C 20:37)
Then I asked if that did not answer the question. The missionaries concluded that it did. But yet this question arose: We keep the man out who has not forsaken all his sins and yet confess that this is the Church of Christ; but think of the great many who are in the Church, the great number who violate the commandments of the Lord, and yet we do nothing about it.
Church Membership Will Not Escape Judgment
I answered: True, unless it is a grievous sin we do not excommunicate people from the Church. We try to teach them their duty. We try to being them to repentance. We try to make them understand the truth. But after they are in the Church, if they will not do these things and will not hearken to our counsels, you may be assured that they are going to be judged according to their works . . . it is our duty as members of this Church, to serve the Lord our God with all our might, with all our minds, with all our strength, and as it is stated in another revelation, with all our hearts. That is our duty—not to serve him half-heartedly, not to accept a portion of the commandments—only, not to receive only those things which appealed to us, and refuse to accept those principles which do not appeal to us. We should be converted in full to the gospel of Jesus Christ. (pp. 123-24, 126, italics in original)
The Need to Study and to know Church Teachings on Eschatology
Our Duty to Search the Scriptures
It is the duty of our sisters, as well as it is of our brethren, to search the scriptures, to become familiar with the things the Lord has revealed. The promises he has made, the covenants he has offered to us, and to walk with understanding and in faith. In the revelation given to John, he saw Satan in all his power, labouring among the children of men in the day in which we live, more determined, more energetic perhaps than ever before in the history of mankind on this earth, and John records he was industrious, energetic, because he knows he has but a short time.
We are living in the days of fulfilment of prophecy. We are living in the days spoken of by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that were to precede his second coming. The signs, many of them, that he enumerated are here, we can see them. Signs in the heaven, signs in the earth, the perplexity, the distress of nations, men’s hearts failing them for fear.
We are living in that day when the Lord said these things would take place here. We have all the evidence that anybody could need to know that the signs of the Lord predicted were to come upon the face of the earth, before his coming, are here. Now I don’t mean to say that every sign has been given; there are other things yet to come, but the distress in the world, the wickedness, and men’s hearts failing them, everyone fearful for fear destruction will overtake them, all off this was told and recorded by prophets of old and our Savior when he stood with his disciples in his ministry before his departure from them.
I want to read you another scripture from the Doctrine and Covenants on this same point:
And now, behold, if Zion do these things she shall prosper, and spread herself and become very glorious, very great, and very terrible. (D&C 97:18)
Do what things? Just keep the commandments of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
And the nations of the earth shall honor her, and shall say: Surely Zion is the city of our God, and surely Zion cannot fall, neither be moved out of her place, for God is there, and the hand of the Lord is there;
And he hath sworn by the power of his might to be her salvation and her high tower.
Therefore, verily, thus saith the Lord, let Zion rejoice, for this is Zion—THE PURE IN HEART; therefore, let Zion rejoice, while all the wicked shall mourn. (D&C 97:19-21)
Now there is a great blessing and promise the Lord makes to the members of the Church, protection, guidance, to give unto them his laws and direct them in righteousness and truth, and they will be called Zion, which is the pure in heart. I cannot stop the reading of this at this point because the Lord says something more, what he ads to what I have read is the part that troubles me and I want to do my part, as far as I can, to keep our people in the paths of righteousness and truth that they may be the pure in heart and have the protecting care of our Father in heaven and his Son Jesus Christ. (pp. 251-52)
On “Intelligence”:
Intelligence
Since I have been speaking of intelligence, perhaps it would be well to give President Smith’s definition of intelligence—no, it is the Lord’s definition, as I shall presently show. President Smith once said:
Christ inherited his intelligence from his Father. There is a difference between knowledge and pure intelligence. Satan possesses knowledge, far more than we have, but he has not intelligence or he would render obedience to the principles of truth and right. I know men who have knowledge who understand the principles of the gospel as well as you do who are brilliant, but who lack the essential qualification of pure intelligence. They will not accept and render obedience thereto. Pure intelligence comprises not only knowledge, but also the power to properly apply that knowledge (Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, p. 58).
It has been a regret to me that our Mutual Improvement Associations, and practically all members of the Church, have quoted the expression: “The glory of God is intelligence,” as though this was the complete thought, and we have lost sight of the rest of the expression. What the Lord said was this: “The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth.” Then he adds: “Light and truth forsake that evil one.” A man with pure intelligence will not follow in paths of evil. Oftentimes men turn their knowledge to the committing of evil, but this could not be if they were possessed of intelligence, for then they would walk in light and truth and forsake that evil one. (pp. 92-93)
Intelligence and Knowledge
There is a vast difference between intelligence and knowledge. Men may have a great fund of knowledge and have no intelligence. We have men of that kind in the world, very well educated, with a wonderful knowledge, but lacking absolutely in the intelligence to use that knowledge; as you will see as I further read. “Light and truth (which is the same as intelligence, the Lord declares here), forsake that evil one.” Light and truth; the intelligent man, the man who is possessed with intelligence or light and truth, forsakes the evil one.
Every spirit of man was innocent in the beginning, and God having redeemed man from the fall, men became again, in their infant state, innocent before God.
And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the traditions of their fathers.
But I have commanded you to bring up your children in light and truth. (D&C 93:38-40)
We ought to be the most thankful people in the world, to think that the Lord has opened the heavens and made known to us such wonderful things as these that I have been reading to you. I wonder if we have appreciated them. I wonder if we have understood them. I wonder if we have thought that a man may reach the exaltations without the guidance of the Spirit of God. If any man has that idea, he should repent. We cannot reach the exaltations unless we are guided by the Spirit which possesses the truth of the eternal God. The Holy Ghost is given unto us for the very purpose of bringing us to a knowledge of truth. The Lord said it would quicken our understandings; it would show us things to come. He would partake of the things of the Father and reveal them unto us. And the man who is not in possession of the Spirit of truth, the guidance of the Holy Ghost, can never understand and comprehend the things of the kingdom of God. And hence he is barred, no matter what his knowledge me be, from receiving the fulness. (pp. 194-95)
Solomon, due to his grievous sins at the end of his life, was lost
Solomon Did Not Remain True
Now, unfortunately, Solomon did not remain true. He served the Lord and had wisdom. But the time came when he fell into transgression and was led astray by the wives he had taken contrary to the commandments of the Lord. Therefore he lost his standing before the Lord. (p. 320)
Joseph Fielding Smith admitted to his fallibility
How Long is a Generation
The question is how long is a generation? I don’t know, and I am not concerned about it. (p. 21, emphasis added)
On the Difference between “Immortality” and “Eternal Life”
All Will Receive the Resurrection
All will receive the resurrection of the dead. Their spirits and bodies will be united again, never to die. Is not that eternal life? No, not in the words of our Father in heaven. It is true that all of the people upon the earth, all who have been on the face of the earth, all who will yet be, will get a resurrection. Their bodies and spirits will be united again after they have sojourned here upon the earth, and they will come forth from the grave never to die again. We all that immortality; the right to live forever. But the Lord has put his own interpretation upon eternal life. Eternal life is not only immortality, the right to live forever, but eternal life is to have the same kind of life that our Father in heaven has and to be crowned with the same blessings and glories and privileges that he possesses. In other words, that we might become on the other side of the veil sons and daughters of God, or as Paul states it, members of his household; members of the family of God. (p. 346)