Church History Lesson 43 (D&C 42; 51; 59; 63; 27; 76; 97; 121; 136; Ephesians 6; 1 Nephi 15)
October 16-22

Were are living in a world where darkness and sorrow are far too prevalent. Hatred and selfishness are everywhere apparent, and few love the truth. It is a perilous time where many are taken captive by the adversary. And it was all prophesied in advance by the Apostle Paul and others.

Spencer W. Kimball said:

“We see our world sinking into depths of corruption. Every sin mentioned by Paul is now rampant in our society.

“Men and women are `lovers of their own selves.’ They boast in their accomplishment. They curse. They blaspheme. Another sin is disobedience of children to parents and parents’ disobedience to law. Many are without the natural affection, which seems to be eroding family life as they seek to satisfy their own selfish wants.

“There are said to be millions of perverts who have relinquished their natural affection and bypassed courtship and normal marriage relationships. This practice is spreading like a prairie fire and changing our world. They are without `natural affection’ for God, for spouses, and even for children. . . .

“Paul speaks of `lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God.’ Does that not describe the wanton sex permissiveness of our day?

“Paul speaks of those who `creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts.’ (2 Tim. 3:6.)

“Immorality seems to now receive the wink of approval of the once honorable people. Debauchery never gave birth to good of any kind, and Paul said: `But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.’ (1 Tim. 5:6.) But now comes a heavenly voice. `Thou shalt not commit adultery; and he that committeth adultery, and repenteth not, shall be cast out.’ (D&C 42:24.)”1

Latter-day Saints are not immune to these “fiery darts of the adversary (D&C 3:8; Ephesians 6:16; 1 Nephi 15:24; D&C 27:17). Our values and standards are assaulted daily with regard to sexual purity, dress and appearance, entertainment and the media, music and dancing, honesty, language, and more.

The purpose of this lesson is to discuss how we might protect ourselves from such things by putting on “the whole armor of God.”

Putting on the Whole Armor of God

The war in heaven pitted Satan and his hosts against those who chose to accept our Father’s plan and His Son as our Savior. Satan sought to take by force our Father’s throne (D&C 76:25-28) and proposed a plan that would subject all of us to his dictates. This would have denied all of us our agency, which God had determined that we should always have and exercise (Moses 4:3).

Satan and his hosts were cast out of heaven for their rebellion (Moses 4:3). But they continue to seek to thwart our Father’s plan here on earth (D&C 76:29; Moses 4:4). We hear the same contention today that we did then—whether mankind should be free to think and act for themselves, or whether all things should be subject to the dictates of a controlling power. We see people refusing to take responsibility for their actions. And we see hatred toward all that is good and decent and faithful toward that God who gave us our liberty.

The Lord has not left us unprotected in this battle against Satan. He has provided us with the whole armor of God to protect us from evil (D&C 27:15–18). That armor includes:

— Truth to gird our loins—symbolic of our strength and courage.
— Righteousness as a breastplate—symbolic of protection against Satan’s fiery darts.
— The gospel of peace to shod our feet—symbolic of our daily walk and conversation.
— Salvation as a helmet—symbolic of our thoughts and motivations.

If any part of this armor is missing we are vulnerable. Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve warned that Satan “seeks to find any chink in the armor of each person. He knows our weaknesses and knows how to exploit them if we allow him to do so. We can defend ourselves against his attacks and deceptions only by understanding the commandments and by fortifying ourselves each day through praying, studying the scriptures, and following the counsel of the Lord’s anointed.”2

There is more to the armor of God—weapons that we can wield it the battle with Satan:

— Faith as a shield—symbolic of protection against evil (similar to the breastplate).
— God’s Spirit and His word through revelation as a sword.

Elder Harold B. Lee explained, “[The] armoured man hold[s] in his hand a shield and in his other hand a sword. . That shield was the shield of faith and the sword was the sword of the spirit which is the Word of God. I can’t think of any more powerful weapons than faith and a knowledge of the scriptures in . . . which are contained the Word of God. One so armoured and one so prepared with those weapons is prepared to go out against the enemy.”3

How then can we insure that we are covered by the “whole armor” of God? The answer has been given hundreds of times in our lifetime. The formula is not complex; it is deceptively simple. But it is certain to provide the needed protection from evil:

— Prayer.
— Studying the scriptures.
— Keeping the Sabbath day holy.
— Going to the temple.
— Honoring the priesthood.

Satan’s efforts to divert us from this course of action are very subtle. He tries to exploit our weaknesses by getting us to compromise in these practices. And when we do, we become more subject to his temptations in such things as chastity, honesty, and language.

Living the Law of Chastity

The Lord has repeatedly commanded that we live the law of chastity:

— Be loyal to our spouses and avoid lustful thoughts and practices (D&C 42:22-24).
— Avoid anything “like unto” adultery: petting, pornography, masturbation (D&C 59:6).
— Those who do these things will lose the Spirit and deny the faith (D&C 63:16).

The First Presidency stated: “The Lord’s law of moral conduct is abstinence outside of lawful marriage and fidelity within marriage. Sexual relations are proper only between husband and wife appropriately expressed within the bonds of marriage. Any other sexual contact, including fornication, adultery, and homosexual and lesbian behavior, is sinful.”4

Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve taught: “Any sexual intimacy outside of the bonds of marriage—I mean any intentional contact with the sacred, private parts of another’s body, with or without clothing—is a sin and is forbidden by God. It is also a transgression to intentionally stimulate these emotions within your own body.”5

There are consequences for violating the law of chastity—spiritual and physical, immediate and long-term. Violation of the law of chastity also affects others.

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin taught: “One of the most pervasive deceptions in recent years is the notion that immorality is normal and acceptable and has no negative consequences. In truth, immorality is the underlying cause of much suffering and many other problems that are prevalent today, including rampant disease, abortion, broken families, families without fathers, and mothers who themselves are children.”6

We are blessed as we live the law of chastity (D&C 121:45-46). We feel increased peace and joy, love for our spouse and other family members, self-respect, and respect for others. Living the law of chastity is also necessary for us to have the companionship of the Holy Ghost, receive priesthood ordinances, and partake of the sacrament worthily.

Satan continuously tempts people to violate the law of chastity by rationalizing the violation of this law. He also leads us into such sin through our dress and appearance, entertainment and the media, and music and dancing—and most recently, through the Internet.

President Gordon B. Hinckley warned: “You must not fool around with the Internet to find pornographic material. You must not dial a long-distance telephone number to listen to filth. You must not rent videos with pornography of any kind. This salacious stuff simply is not for you. Stay away from pornography as you would avoid a serious disease. It is destructive. It can become habitual, and those who indulge in it get so they cannot leave it alone. It is addictive.”7

The law of chastity includes purity of thought as well as action (D&C 63:16). When our thoughts are unclean, we lose the Spirit and become desensitized to the grossness of sexual sin. On the other hand, when we “garnish our thoughts unceasingly” with “virtue” our self-confidence increases as the Spirit remains with us (D&C 121:45). When this scripture was given, “garnish” meant to infuse—like permeating mashed potatoes with garlic and butter. Thus, virtue should infuse and influence our thoughts unceasingly.

Elder Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve counseled us to evict unworthy thoughts from our minds by putting “something edifying in their place.”8 Examples include praying for strength, singing a favorite hymn or reciting a favorite scripture in our minds, or thinking about our love for family members. Impure thoughts, like birds, may fly over our heads, but we do not need to let them make nests there. We can cast them out.

Being Honest

What does it mean to be honest? Is a “white lie” honest—making sure that what we say is true, but leaving out important information that might reveal the deception? Hardly. We must be dedicated to telling the whole truth. President James E. Faust taught: “Honesty is more than not lying. It is truth telling, truth speaking, truth living, and truth loving.”9

It is important to be honest in all aspects of our lives:

— Do not lie (D&C 42:21).
— Deal honestly with our fellow men (D&C 51:9).
— Be honest of heart, which means in all of our intentions and desires (D&C 97:8).

As with unchastity, when we are dishonest we lose the Spirit. Thus, when we yield to the temptation to lie and deceive, and we therefore lose the Spirit, we become more vulnerable to other temptations.

We must also be honest with the Lord, by keeping the covenants and other promises we have made to Him, fulfilling Church assignments, partaking of the sacrament worthily, and paying tithes and offerings. God knows our every thought and action, and therefore, as Mark Twain once observed, “you cannot pray a lie.”

Being honest with ourselves means avoiding rationalization or excuses for sin. This practice can lead to the departure of the still, small voice of the Spirit which seeks to guide us in our daily choices and actions.

The foundation of all these forms of honesty is established in the home. There we learn the value of honesty and the blessings that come from it. There we also learn the consequences for dishonesty. Our homes should be bastions of truth and the school in which we learn to be honest with God and our fellow men.

Using Language That Reverences God and Is Edifying

The Lord has commanded us to use His name with reverence. (D&C 63:60-62; D&C 136:21). We must avoid taking the Lord’s name in vain, which occurs when we use it disrespectfully in the form of a curse, or lightly when we associate it with things that are coarse or evil.

We are also commanded to avoid other kinds of inappropriate language—language that is vulgar, obscene, crude, or degrading. President Hinckley said: “Don’t swear. Don’t profane. Avoid so-called dirty jokes. Stay away from conversation that is sprinkled with foul and filthy words. You will be happier if you do so, and your example will give strength to others.”10

Those who use such language reveal themselves to be coarse and unintelligent. We degrade ourselves when we use foul language. We also offend others and the Holy Spirit, which will depart from us when we do this. Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve said, “Profanity and vulgarity are sins that separate us from God and cripple our spiritual defenses by causing the Holy Ghost to withdraw from us.”11

Conclusion

Jesus warned that in the last days, even the “elect” might be deceived. The “elect” are those who have received the covenants of God—the Latter-day Saints. We are not immune to the wiles of the adversary nor to his “fiery darts.” Whether subtle or blatant, these assaults can lead us away carefully down to hell if we do not protect ourselves. And God has provided us with the “full armor” of truth, faith, and the gospel of Jesus Christ. These will produce the righteousness necessary for salvation. And all of these protections, fitly framed together, can insure that we will come through the battle with evil unscathed and victorious.

Notes:

1. In Conference Report, April 1971, 7–8.
2. In Conference Report, Oct. 1988, 44; or Ensign, Nov. 1988, 35.
3. “Feet Shod with the Preparation of the Gospel ofPeace,” Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year [9 Nov. 1954], 7.
4. First Presidency letter, 14 Nov. 1991.
5. In Conference Report, Oct. 1994, 51; or Ensign, Nov. 1994, 38.
6. In Conference Report, Oct. 1994, 100; or Ensign, Nov. 1994, 76.
7. In Conference Report, Apr. 1998, 66-67; or Ensign, May 1998, 49.
8. In Conference Report, Oct. 1977, 90; or Ensign, Nov. 1977, 60.
9. In Conference Report, Oct. 1996, 57; or Ensign, Nov. 1996, 41.
10. In Conference Report, Oct. 1987, 59; or Ensign, Nov. 1987, 48.
11. In Conference Report, Apr. 1986, 69; or Ensign, May 1986, 52.