11.07.2015 Views

2014-05-00-ensign-eng

2014-05-00-ensign-eng

2014-05-00-ensign-eng

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS
  • No tags were found...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

ights and powers will be conferred.For example, a person who holdsthe priesthood is not able to conferhis office or authority on anotherunless authorized by one who holdsthe keys. Without that authorization,the ordination would be invalid. Thisexplains why a priesthood holder—regardless of office—cannot ordaina member of his family or administerthe sacrament in his own home withoutauthorization from the one whoholds the appropriate keys.With the exception of the sacredwork that sisters do in the templeunder the keys held by the templepresident, which I will describe hereafter,only one who holds a priesthoodoffice can officiate in a priesthoodordinance. And all authorized priesthoodordinances are recorded on therecords of the Church.Ultimately, all keys of the priesthoodare held by the Lord JesusChrist, whose priesthood it is. He isthe one who determines what keys50are delegated to mortals and howthose keys will be used. We are accustomedto thinking that all keys of thepriesthood were conferred on JosephSmith in the Kirtland Temple, but thescripture states that all that was conferredthere were “the keys of this dispensation”(D&C 110:16). At generalconference many years ago, PresidentSpencer W. Kimball reminded us thatthere are other priesthood keys thathave not been given to man on theearth, including the keys of creationand resurrection. 6The divine nature of the limitationsput upon the exercise of priesthoodkeys explains an essential contrastbetween decisions on matters ofChurch administration and decisionsaffecting the priesthood. The FirstPresidency and the Council of theFirst Presidency and Quorum of theTwelve, who preside over the Church,are empowered to make manydecisions affecting Church policiesand procedures—matters such asthe location of Church buildings andthe ages for missionary service. Buteven though these presiding authoritieshold and exercise all of the keysdelegated to men in this dispensation,they are not free to alter the divinelydecreed pattern that only men willhold offices in the priesthood.IV.I come now to the subject of priesthoodauthority. I begin with the threeprinciples just discussed: (1) priesthoodis the power of God delegatedto man to act for the salvation ofthe human family, (2) priesthoodauthority is governed by priesthoodholders who hold priesthood keys,and (3) since the scriptures state that“all other authorities [and] offices inthe church are appendages to this[Melchizedek] priesthood” (D&C107:5), all that is done under the directionof those priesthood keys is donewith priesthood authority.How does this apply to women?In an address to the Relief Society,President Joseph Fielding Smith,then President of the Quorum of theTwelve Apostles, said this: “Whilethe sisters have not been given thePriesthood, it has not been conferredupon them, that does not mean thatthe Lord has not given unto themauthority. . . . A person may haveauthority given to him, or a sister toher, to do certain things in the Churchthat are binding and absolutely necessaryfor our salvation, such as thework that our sisters do in the Houseof the Lord. They have authority givenunto them to do some great and wonderfulthings, sacred unto the Lord,and binding just as thoroughly as arethe blessings that are given by themen who hold the Priesthood.” 7In that notable address, PresidentSmith said again and again that

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!