The Holy Ghost (Lesson 7)

With their partaking of the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve had transgressed the commandment given to the by Father in Heaven.  As a consequence, He had no choice but to exact the punishment He told them would come through their disobedience.  God had specified that “in the day that thou eatest [the fruit] thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:17).  As a consequence of their disobedience, Father drove Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden.  When He did so, their removed from His presence caused them to die spiritually.

Even with this separation, Adam and Eve still had ways to continue their connection with Heavenly Father.  In the book of Moses, we learn that they “called upon the name of the Lord, and they heard the voice of the Lord from the way toward the Garden of Eden, speaking unto them … And he gave unto them commandments, that they should worship the Lord their God, and should offer the firstlings of their flocks, for an offering unto the Lord. And Adam was obedient unto the commandments of the Lord” (Moses 5:4-5, emphasis added).  “Obedience is powerful spiritual medicine,” declared then Elder Boyd K. Packer. “It comes close to being a cure-all” (Ensign, Nov. 1987, 18).  I believe Adam may have felt this was another opportunity for him to show Heavenly Father he could be obedient to His commandments.  He had faltered in the Garden of Eden (thankfully for us; but he had faltered nevertheless).  When God commanded him to worship Him and to sacrifice the firstlings of his flock as a way of so doing, Adam unhesitatingly and immediately moved forward to accomplish these commandments without question.

President Thomas S. Monson taught: “There is no need for you ... to sail uncharted seas or to travel unmarked roads in search of truth.  A loving Heavenly Father has plotted [your] course and provided an unfailing guide—even obedience. A knowledge of truth and the answers to [your] greatest questions come ... as [you] are obedient to the commandments of God” (Ensign, May 2013, 89, emphasis in original).  Jesus declared to His disciples: “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Keep is an action verb suggesting steadfast faithfulness to His commandments.  Said Elder Richard G. Scott: “One who is obedient to His commandments is trusted of the Lord. That individual has access to His inspiration to know what to do and, as needed, the divine power to do it” (Ensign, May 2012, 47).

This is where the Holy Ghost comes into the picture.  The scriptures teach that Adam had been fulfilling Father’s commandment to worship and sacrifice for “many days” (Moses 5:6).  How many days is many?  It’s an interesting question to contemplate.  The definition of many suggests a large number.  I don’t happen to think this was a matter of a couple of weeks.  I believe Father wanted to make sure Adam and Eve were going to make this commandment a solid part of their lives and to keep it consistently.  In this case, many could mean months (possibly a year or two).  Whatever the case, after this time had elapsed and Adam and Eve had shown their commitment to these commandments, “an angel of the Lord appeared unto Adam, saying: Why dost thou offer sacrifices unto the Lord?”  Adam’s reply, “I know not, save the Lord commanded me” (Moses 5:7).

Adam had shown his commitment and remained obedient to God’s commandment even without knowing the reason for it.  Sometimes, God asks such a commitment from us and may withhold His reasons for a time, but if we remain faithful and true to Him, He will bless us when the time is right.  “And then the angel spake, saying: This thing is a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father, which is full of grace and truth.  Wherefore, thou shalt do all that thou doest in the name of the Son, and thou shalt repent and call upon God in the name of the Son forevermore” (Moses 5:8-9).  There is the knowledge of “why,” now comes the bestowal of the blessing: “And in that day the Holy Ghost fell upon Adam, which beareth record of the Father and the Son” (Moses 5:9, emphasis added).

Our Father in Heaven has not left us without the aid of a member of the Godhead as we sojourn on this fallen world.  The main difference between the Father and the Son is that they are personages with bodies of “flesh and bones” while the Holy Ghost is “a personage of Spirit” (D&C 130:22).  Being a person of spirit, the Holy Ghost can only be in one place at one time, but his influence can be felt everywhere.  A way to understand this concept is to think of the sun.  It is an object of substance and can only occupy its place as the center of our solar system.  At the same time, however, the influence of the sun blesses us each day with light and heat.  As the third member of the Godhead, it is the privilege of the Holy Ghost to be the testator for the Father and the Son.

When the Holy Ghost testifies of truth to us, he speaks in a voice, as President Packer described, that “is felt rather than heard. It is a spiritual voice that comes into the mind as a thought put into your heart” (Ensign, May 2000, 8, emphasis in original).  The prophet Elijah was taught that the Spirit does not sound like “strong wind” or “an earthquake” or “a fire,” but speaks in “a still, small voice” (1 Kings 19:11-12)   Because of this, as President James E. Faust warned, “the adversary tries to smother this voice with a multitude of loud, persistent, persuasive, and appealing voices” ("Voice of the Spirit" Mormon Messages 2010).  One of Satan’s great tools at this time is distraction.  If we become spiritually distracted, we will not be able to hear the Holy Ghost when he speaks to us.  Elder Marvin J. Ashton cautioned, “Perhaps as much as anything in this day and age of mass media, instantaneous worldwide communications, and modern conveniences that seem to help us pack more into each day than would have been considered possible just a few decades ago, we need to focus and direct our attention to the things that really matter. And simply, what really matters is … an understanding of who we are and what we’re doing here” (Ensign, Nov. 1992, 23).

To help us in this quest, Father in Heaven grants us the companionship of the Holy Ghost, to guide us, to direct us and to lead us toward “the truth of all things” if we allow him (Moroni 10:5).  Nephi taught that when “a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth [the message] unto the hearts of the children of men” (2 Nephi 33:1, emphasis added).  Elder David A. Bednar expounded, “Please notice how the power of the Spirit carries the message unto but not necessarily into the heart. … Ultimately, … the content of a message and the witness of the Holy Ghost penetrate into the heart only if a receiver allows them to enter” (Ensign, Sept. 2007, 61, emphasis added).  Father will not force us to receive the direction the Holy Ghost offers.  He will not take our agency from us; we have to open our hearts and let the spiritual message fill us.  If we attune ourselves to listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost, our spiritual ears will hear that quiet voice saying, “This is the way, walk ye in it” (Isaiah 30:21).

President Ezra Taft Benson testified, “God our Father, Jesus, our Elder Brother and our Redeemer, and the Holy Ghost, the Testator, are perfect. They know us best and love us most and will not leave one thing undone for our eternal welfare” (Ensign, May 1988, 5).  May we so live to remain within their influence and be blessed by their watchcare.