“There Is No Gift Greater than the Gift of Salvation”
Doctrine and Covenants 6:13
13 If thou wilt do good, yea, and hold out faithful to the end, thou shalt be saved in the kingdom of God, which is the greatest of all the gifts of God; for there is no gift greater than the gift of salvation.
President Joseph Fielding Smith said:
“In one of the early revelations to the Prophet Joseph Smith the Lord said: ‘If thou wilt do good, yea, and hold out faithful to the end, thou shalt be saved in the kingdom of God, which is the greatest of all the gifts of God; for there is no gift greater than the gift of salvation’ (D&C 6:13).
“Now salvation, which is the greatest blessing any man can receive, comes by obedience to the laws of the gospel; and the gospel is administered by the power of the priesthood; and so the priesthood is given to us to bless ourselves and our Father’s other children.
“It is by the power and authority of the priesthood that the gospel is preached, and what greater blessing can come into the life of anyone than to receive the gospel?
“It is by the power of the priesthood that men are baptized for the remission of sins, and that they receive the sanctifying power of the Holy Ghost in their lives.
“We receive the Melchizedek Priesthood by covenant. We promise to magnify our callings and to live ‘by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God’ [Matthew 4:4]. The Lord promises us that if we will do these things, we shall gain exaltation in the highest heaven of the celestial world.
“Marriage for time and for all eternity is an ‘order of the priesthood,’ in which the participating parties are promised kingdoms and thrones if they are true and faithful to their obligations.
“Brethren who hold the holy priesthood are authorized to administer to the sick in the household of faith, so that the faithful Saints may be restored to health and vigor if they are not ‘appointed unto death.’
“And so it goes through all the realm of Church service. The blessings of the Lord are offered to the Saints and to the world through the ministrations of those who hold His holy priesthood, who represent Him, who are in fact His servants and agents and are willing to serve Him and keep His commandments.
“Now my plea to all the brethren of the priesthood is that they use the authority which they have received to bless first themselves and then their fellowmen—acting always in harmony with the established order of the Church.”
(“Blessings of the Priesthood,” Ensign, Dec. 1971, 98.)
