Monday, December 9, 2019

"Faith" -- "Repent" -- "Sanctify"

This post is a summary of very preliminary findings.  I'm sure I'll be posting more about this as I learn more about it.

I have found a pattern in several different places where the concept of "faith" is connected to "repent" and "sanctification," often with several other temple-related words in the adjacent verses.

Here are a few examples:

19 And no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end.
20 Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day. (3 Nephi 27)

Here is another one:

10 Now, as I said concerning the holy order, or this high priesthood, there were many who were ordained and became high priests of God; and it was on account of their exceeding faith and repentance, and their righteousness before God, they choosing to repent and work righteousness rather than to perish;
11 Therefore they were called after this holy order, and were sanctified, and their garments were washed white through the blood of the Lamb.
12 Now they, after being sanctified by the Holy Ghost, having their garments made white, being pure and spotless before God, could not look upon sin save it were with abhorrence; and there were many, exceedingly great many, who were made pure and entered into the rest of the Lord their God.
13 And now, my brethren, I would that ye should humble yourselves before God, and bring forth fruit meet for repentance, that ye may also enter into that rest. (Alma 13)

And a third example:

6 For the Lord said unto me: They shall not go forth unto the Gentiles until the day that they shall repent of their iniquity, and become clean before the Lord.
7 And in that day that they shall exercise faith in me, saith the Lord, even as the brother of Jared did, that they may become sanctified in me, then will I manifest unto them the things which the brother of Jared saw, even to the unfolding unto them all my revelations, saith Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of the heavens and of the earth, and all things that in them are.  (Ether 4)

These clusters are really interesting to me, and I haven't quite figured out what the common link is between them all, but I have learned to look at the Book of Moses for similar themes when I find patterns like this.  This case is no exception.  As I read Moses 6, I find many of these same phrases in verses 23-68. What follows is a table showing the list of highlighted and bolded words in the passages above which show up in Moses 6.

Faith (v. 23)                                               
Repentance (v. 23, 27, 29, 50, 52, 53, 57)
Sanctified (v. 59, 60)
cleansed in blood (v. 59)
baptism (v. 52, 53, 65)
Holy Ghost (v. 66)
"all things" (v. 63)


More on this as I study more about it, but I wonder if this is yet another example of Book of Mormon authors referencing material from the Brass Plates that was later revealed to Joseph Smith in the Book of Moses.

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