Monday, October 23, 2023

Kevin W. Pearson (First Quorum of the Seventy) on the Importance of the Prophet Joseph Smith

In a devotional address given on March 22, 2023, Elder Kevin W. Pearson of the Quorum of the Seventy gave a talk on the Prophet Joseph Smith. During this talk, he discussed a number of important teachings from Joseph:

 

Just think of what we know because of these inspired scriptures and the clarifications to the Bible given through the Prophet Joseph Smith. What would you not know and understand were it not for the prophetic role of Joseph Smith as a prophet, seer, and revelator? Just think for a moment what the Lord did through Joseph Smith! It is a truly marvelous work and a wonder! Here is just a partial list of things we know because of Joseph:

 

·       The true nature of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

·       The relative functions of those three members of the Godhead and their relationship to moral beings.

·       Humankind’s eternal nature, the premortal existence, the purpose of mortality, the postmortal existence, and the eternal destiny of God’s children.

·       The role of the Atonement of Jesus Christ in assuring immortality and the possibility of eternal life.

·       The essential role of the priesthood, priesthood power, keys, and covenants and ordinances.

·       The essential role of temples, eternal marriage, and proxy ordinances.

·       The knowledge that all God’s children who have ever lived can attain the highest heaven hereafter.

·       The relationship of the threefold sources of truth about men and the universe: science, scriptures, and continuing revelation.

·       The correct structure and organization of the Lord’s restored Church.

·       The role of agency, Adam’s fall and human suffering, the identity and work of Satan, and the doctrine of Christ.

 

The list could go on and on! (Kevin W. Pearson, “The Divine Mission of the Prophet -Joseph Smith,” delivered at a devotional, March 22, 2023, in Religious Educator 24, no. 2 [2023]: 8-9)

 

Further Reading:


Joseph Smith Worship? Responding to Criticisms of the Role and Status of the Prophet Joseph Smith in Latter-day Saint Theology