Be Not Drunk With Wine... But Be Filled With The Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18)

Perhaps one of the most distinguishing features of Mormons is their abstinence from wine and other strong drinks. Critics of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints often use the story of Christ turning water into wine in discussions about the health habits of latter Day Saints. The common argument: "Jesus drank wine... so why don't you (or the cases of investigators: I)?" They accuse Latter Day Saints of claiming that their God is a God of change. Yet no really looks hard enough because if they did I sincerely feel that it would make a lot of sense to a lot of people, especially to those who are familiar with the scriptures and the ways of our eternal Father in heaven. To sum it up, there are numerous reasons why members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints don't partake of such things as alcohol, tea (except herbal), and coffee. However, there are two main points I would like to discuss in this post. One, the common reason, Latter Day Saints do it because the Lord has commanded it; and another, not so common reason, because the Lord desires to separate His people from the rest of the world. 

However, before I jump into the two reasons I have submitted for your consideration I wish to outline the heath, formally known as the Word of Wisdom, of the Mormon Church. It can be found in the Doctrine and Covenants in Section 89; in these verses can be found numerous health guidelines. I do not intend to outline all of them but let’s discuss a few.

All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life, not only for man but for the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven, and all wild animals that run or creep on the earth; (verse 14)

Here is discussed the importance of grains. We were all taught as children about the food pyramid. We were all taught that out of everything we ate what we should partake most frequently of included breads and grains. In this verse the Lord has admonished the same thing of his Saints. To make grains a staple part of their diet.

And again, tobacco is not for the body, neither for the belly, and is not good for man, but is an herb for bruises and all sick cattle, to be used with judgment and skill.

About forty years ago or, before everyone learned how bad it was for you, every one smoked except for a minority, that minority consisted in large part of Latter Day Saints. Joseph Smith had received this revelation from the Lord long before things like lung cancer and other problems were known to be caused by partaking of tobacco containing substances. The Lord is all knowing and He desires to protect all of His children, including the Saints, from the harmful things of this world, but spiritual and temporal. This admonishment is evidence of His desire. Science has proved that this suggestion is not unfounded, why should we not heed the words of God? (Verse 8)

That inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you, behold it is not good, neither meet in the sight of your Father… And, again, strong drinks are not for the belly, but for the washing of your bodies… And again, hot drinks are not for the body or belly.”(Verse 5,7,9)

Definitely the most controversial aspect of the latter Day Saint health code, is the admonishment not to drink coffee, tea, or wine. We could spend hours debating back and forth about the positive and negatives aspects of these difference beverages but for Latter Day Saints it really all comes down to the fact that they believe the Lord has commanded it, so they do it.

So let’s discuss that concept, the idea that the Lord has commanded so we do it. A lot of us as individuals like to know why we have to do something. I know I do. But that is not the way of our Father. As I have previously mentioned we are here to be tested. Let us recall the Saviors reminder, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). No one ever said the crosses we would have to carry would be easy. The path that Christ walked was not one of ease and comfort why should it be for us? For a great reward requires a great sacrifice. Now if you will look in your Pearl of Great Price (another book in the scriptural canon of Latter Day Saints) to the Book of Abraham. In this the book the Lord further explains the purpose of such commandments like the Word of Wisdom. “And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them” (Abraham 3:26). The Lord wants to see how we will react when He interacts with us in our lives.

Recall for a moment the story of the ten lepers. Ten lepers came to Christ and desired that He should heal them. In compassion he commanded them, “Go shew yourselves unto the priests.” Luke records “And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed” (Luke 17:14). When the ten formerly leprous men realized what had occurred then went off rejoicing. Only one returned to thank the Master for what He had done. Yet Christ, being all knowing and in tune with His Father would have known that this would occur. Yet he commanded all of them to do such a thing when He, I’m sure, very well knew that only the one would return to express His gratitude. He even asks the one “Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?” (Luke 17:17) I submit to you that the Lord performed this miracle and then blessed the individuals according to the way they reacted. I do not think we can surprise God but I believe we can affirm to kind of people he knows we are. Why would we not want to prove that we are willing to pick up our crosses and follow after Him? Why would not want to called his sheep?

The second reason, the one that is not as common as the first is the idea that God wishes to make His people holy. The word holy in Hebrew is kodesh, the root “kadash” also means to be separated or divided. In making His holy God wishes to separate them. Consider for a moment the laws of Old Testament Judaism. One of the defining characteristic was the fact that they didn’t eat pork, or anything that God revealed to be defiled or unholy. I ask you: does this commandment have any eternal significance? Other than being a commandment of God was the eating of pork going to kill a Jew or damn them to hell? Not at all, the Lord commandment it because he wanted His chosen people to be different. He wanted them to be Holy. The same explanation can be offered for the word of wisdom. The Lord has commandment Latter Day Saints to not drink not because He will damn them to hell if they do or that a glass every once in a while will cause detrimental problems to their health but because he wants to separate his people and make them holy. In the New Testament the Lord commanded “Therefore come out from among them, and be you separate, says the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,” (2 Corinthians 6:17). The Lord has used the Word of Wisdom to separate His Saints just as he used a kosher diet to separate the Jews. Question not the Lord for His ways are just and they will guide you to Eternal life.

It is possible that I have helped some of you understand further this concept. Before ending I would like to share one last thing with you, that is, the blessings of doing what the Lord asks. If you will return to section 89 the Lord outlines blessings for sticking to this health code of sorts. He says that if one follows these guidelines they “shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones; and shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures; and shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint. And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them” (verses 18-21). I testify that even though we cannot understand the ways of God we can be blessed by following all the things that He commands us to do. Our Savior said “f ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you” (John 15:19). Be not of the world my dear readers, glorify him in all that you do. May He bless you until you read again. 

"Ye Are A Chosen Generation, A Royal Priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9)

I think the best place to start in a discussion of the priesthood is at the beginning. That is, the Old Testament. The word for priesthood in Hebrew is “cahona” and comes from the root “cahan” which means “is divine’ (Brown-Driver-Briggs English-Hebrew Lexicon). With the realization that the origin of the very word is connected with divinity let us dive into a closer analysis of the priesthood of the Old and New Testaments in order to more fully understand the nature and roll of the priesthood in the LDS Church.

As mentioned in a previous post the functions of priests in this time was to act as mediators between the people and God. By virtue of their office they were able to draw closer to God, while the people, as a result of their sins, could not pass beyond a certain point. The priests of the Old Testament mainly exercised their office at the altar by offering sacrifices and incense. In Numbers 18:5 the Lord instructs Aaron and his sons “And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar; that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel.” Yet their other duties included; teaching the people of the law by communicating to them the will of God and blessing them in the name of the Lord.

It is important to note that the priests did not (nor does they today by LDS standards) take their office upon themselves. Rather they were and are chosen of God.  Earlier in the book of Numbers a man by the name of Korah along with 250 rebels try to seek priestly offices for themselves. In section 16 Aaron declares: “the Lord will shew who are his, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near unto him: even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him” (Numbers 16:5). In a sense the priest belonged to God and was Holy to him. If you would like to learn more about the priests of the Old Testament please let me know and I will gladly dedicate a post completely to that.

An important aspect of the priests and priesthood in the Old Testament is the practice of the laying on of hands from the time of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the laying on of hands was used in ceremonies which carried with it a specific meaning. An illustration is found in Genesis 48. After telling Joseph about the promise of blessing God had given him (Genesis 48:4), Jacob said that Joseph's sons would become his sons, just as Reuben and Simeon were his sons (Genesis 48:5). As far as Jacob was concerned, together with God' s approval these two sons of Joseph  were now legal  sons of Jacob and heirs of the blessings God had promised him. All this would   become more specific with the ceremony of the laying on of hands on these two individuals - Manasseh and Ephraim (Gen. 48:13-16) Notice that Jacob deliberately crossed his hands during the ceremony  so that Ephraim,  the younger brother received the  greater blessing, and Manasseh the older brother, received a lesser blessing.  The laying on of hands here illustrates a special ceremony within the context of a divine purpose.

So we’ve discussed the function of priests, priesthood and the practice of laying on of hands in the Old Testament. What about the New Testament?  With the advent of Christ, the priesthood of the Old Testament was elevated to the height it had never before possessed. It also became the cornerstone of the Christian religion so much so that we might almost define true Christianity as the religion of a divinely revealed priesthood. Christianity is indeed priestly and the priesthood is of its essence:. So when Christ died on the cross and atoned for all of us, thus opening the way for men to find their way back to God, the Old Priesthood (not the Priesthood itself but the Priesthood in its Old Testament form was done away with).

If we’ll remember the purpose of a priest in Old Testament times was to act as a mediator between man and God. Christ was the ultimate mediator through the shedding of his blood. Indeed Christ proclaimed “No man cometh unto the Father but by me” (John 14:6). Yes Christ became our ultimate mediator, our advocate with the Father, yet that was not the end of the priesthood. In John 20:21 Christ admonishes His disciples “as my Father hath sent me even so send I you” Previous to His death Christ had ordained the priesthood upon his apostles when he said “ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name he may give it you” (John 15:16). This verse brings back two familiar ideas of the priesthood and priests. First, that they must be chosen by God, and second that they act as mediators of sorts with the ability to act in Christ’s stead, essentially they were to do what Christ would have done if He were upon the Earth.

There are numerous branches of Christianity that believe the priesthood ended with the death of Christ and the tearing of the veil. However, after Christ’s resurrection and ascension into heaven many of the Apostles (Paul, Timothy, etc..) laid their hands upon the heads of new believers and conferred the Holy Ghost upon them. This is the priesthood. In Acts 8 the Apostles go to Samaria when they hear that the people have received the word of God but have not yet received the Holy Ghost. Verse 17 says “then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.” Just as Christ acted as a mediator to confer the Holy Ghost on his Apostles from the Father, the Apostles act as a mediator of sorts for the new members of the Church to receive the Holy Ghost as well. Another example of the exercising of the priesthood used as mediation between man and God is seen in Acts 19 when Paul passes through Ephesus and runs into a group of people that have only been baptized with “John’s baptism” (Acts 19:3) and Paul asks them “Unto what end were ye baptized?” (Acts 19:2) and the record goes on “And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.”(Acts 19:6). The bottom line is to show that the laying on hands and the priesthood was continued from Old Testament times to New Testament times and continues beyond that into modern times.

Much like the apostles going forth, baptizing and conferring the Holy Spirit upon new members with the laying on of hands, the practice also exists in the pages of the Book of Mormon and in the LDS Church today. In the Book of Alma, the prophet Alma while preaching to the people (much as the apostles of Christ did after his ascension into heaven) Alma came upon the city of Zarahemla and “ordained priests and elders by laying on his hand according to the order of God, to preside and watch over the Church” (Alam 6:1). Another example takes us to 3 Nephi where Christ makes his visit to the American continent after He is crucified and resurrected. The scriptures record “And it came to pass that when Jesus had made an end of these sayings, he touched with his hand the disciples whom he had chosen (chosen by God), one by one, even until he had touched all, and spoke unto them as he touched them” (3 Nephi 18:36) The chapter goes on to say “the disciples bare record that he gave them power to give the Holy Ghost” (3 Nephi 18:37).

So the priesthood and the practice of laying on of hands was present in the Old Testament, New Testament and the Book of Mormon. But perhaps the white elephant in the room is the functions of priests and the priesthood in the LDS church today. First of all, within the Church there are two kinds or levels of Priesthood. The Aaronic Priesthood, it is the “lesser” of the two priesthood and contains the offices of deacon, teacher, priest, and bishop. It is known by other names as the Levitical Priesthood, the Preparatory Priesthood, the Lesser Priesthood, the Second Priesthood, and the Priesthood of Aaron. The other branch of the Priesthood is the Melchizedeck Priesthood it is the “higher” of the two priesthood and contains the offices of Elder, High Priest, Patriarch, Seventy, Apostle, and Prophet. The greatest reference for the duty of priesthood holders (remember they must be called of God, ordained to the office by one who is in authority [or who has also been called of God through the laying on of hands], and live worthy of their office.) can be found in D&C 20, often nicknamed the foundation of the Church because it outlines its structure and the function of all the difference offices. The duties of priesthood holders are as follows:

Apostles (an elder)-verse38 

• To baptize (38)
• To ordain other elders priests, teachers, and deacons (39)
• To administer bread and wine (we use water)- the emblems of the flesh and blood of Christ-
• Confirm those who are baptized into the Church, by the laying on hands for the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost (41)
• To teach, to expound, exhort, baptize, and watch over the Church
• To take the lead of all meetings

Elders

• Conduct the meetings as they are led by the Holy Ghost, according to the commandments and revelations of God (45)

Priests 

• To preach, teach, expound, exhort, and baptize, and administer the sacrament (46)
• Visit the house of each member, and exhort them to pray vocally and in secret and attend to all family duties (47)

•  May also ordain other priests, teachers and deacons (48)
•  Take the lead of meetings when there is no elder present (49)
• In these duties assist the Elder if the occasion requires (52)

Teachers and Deacons 

• To watch over the Church always and be with and strengthen them (53)
• See that there is no iniquity in the Church, neither hardness with each other, neither lying, back biting, nor evil speaking. (54)
• See that the Church meet together often, and all that all the members do their duty (55)
•  Take the lead of meetings in the absence of the elder or priest (56)
• And is to be assisted always in all his duties in the church, by the deacons if occasion requires (57)
• DO NOT have authority to baptize, administer the sacrament, or lay on hands (58)
• Both Teachers and Deacons are to warn, expound, exhort, and teach, and invite all to come unto Christ.

So there you have, a list of duties (roughly) that each office of the priesthood performs. If you are interested in a post on the complete organization of the Church just let me know and I will gladly get one up for you. It has been a pleasure my dear readers sharing this information with you. Latter Day Saints take very seriously the reminder from Peter “Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). To wield the power of God, to act in His name, to use such a responsibility to bless others and edify the Church, that is true meaning of being a Priesthood holder of God. May God bless you all, man and women alike, until you read again.

(I strongly encourage anyone who is interested in learning more to search "the priesthood" on lds.org or ask any question you would like in a comment, I promise to do my best to answer it).