Doctrine and Covenants 64–66
“The Lord Requireth the Heart and a Willing Mind”
June 16 - June 22
scripture
quotes
We Must Forgive All
<p>The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Romans, said that those who pass judgment on others are “inexcusable.” The moment we judge someone else, he explained, we condemn ourselves, for none is without sin. (Romans 2:1). Refusing to forgive is a grievous sin—one the Savior warned against. Jesus’s own disciples had “sought occasion against [each other] and forgave not one another in their hearts; and for this evil they were afflicted and sorely chastened” (D&C 64:8).</p> <p>Our Savior has spoken so clearly on this subject that there is little room for private interpretation. “I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive,” but then He said, “… of you it is required to forgive all men” (D&C 64:10).</p> <p>May I add a footnote here? When the Lord requires that we forgive all men, that includes forgiving ourselves. Sometimes, of all the people in the world, the one who is the hardest to forgive—as well as perhaps the one who is most in need of our forgiveness—is the person looking back at us in the mirror.</p>
Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "The Merciful Obtain Mercy," April 2012 General Conference.
Forgiveness Is Key
<p>Forgiveness is also a key part of our return to happiness in our Father’s kingdom. At one time or another we may become offended or wronged, and this can become a stumbling block that may take us away from our eternal goal, which is to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father. The Savior taught us the pattern for forgiveness as He taught the Lord’s Prayer. He said, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” Matt. 6:12 We can see from this that to be forgiven, it is conditional upon us to forgive others. This at times can be difficult when the wounds are deep and have been endured for a long time.</p> <p>However, in these latter days the Savior taught this principle even more clearly in these words: “My disciples, in days of old, sought occasion against one another and forgave not one another in their hearts; and for this evil they were afflicted and sorely chastened. Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin. I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men” (D&C 64:8–10). When we follow this counsel, it will help us to overcome even the toughest of trials.</p>
Ned B. Roueché, "“Feed My Sheep”," October 2004 General Conference.
commentaries
Forgiveness
<p>On September 11, 1831, as the Prophet Joseph Smith was preparing to move his family to the John Johnson home in Hiram, Ohio, he received a revelation stating, “I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin” (D&C 64:9). The Lord also told His Prophet, “I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men” (v. 10).</p> <p>The need for forgiveness was not new. At the time of Jesus, rabbis taught, “Three offenses were to be pardoned,” but no more.<a href="#_ftn1" id="_ftnref1" title="" class="see-footnote">[1]</a> Jesus expanded forgiveness to an infinite number, the meaning of “seventy times seven,” for the repentant. For those who failed to repent, Jesus taught that judgment rests with God.</p> <p>To forgive is to excuse from blame an offense or misdeed, whether done by self or others. In the everyday walk of life, we are all wronged at one time or another. Sometimes the wrong is innocent. Other times it is intentional. It is easy to become bitter or angry over a wrong, but the Savior counseled, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). Jesus set the perfect example of forgiveness as he hung on the cross and prayed, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).</p> <p>Elder Boyd K. Packer told a story in the June 2015 <em>Ensign</em> that illustrates the importance of forgiveness:</p> <blockquote> <p>If you suffer from worry, from grief or shame or jealousy or disappointment or envy, from self-recrimination or self-justification, consider this lesson taught to me many years ago by a patriarch. He was as saintly a man as I have ever known. ...</p> <p>He grew up in a little community with a desire to make something of himself. He struggled to get an education.</p> <p>He married his sweetheart, and presently everything was just right. He was well employed, with a bright future. They were deeply in love, and she was expecting their first child.</p> <p>The night the baby was to be born, there were complications. The only doctor was somewhere in the countryside tending to the sick. ...</p> <p>Finally the doctor was located. In the emergency, he acted quickly and soon had things in order. The baby was born and the crisis, it appeared, was over.</p> <p>Some days later, the young mother died from the very infection that the doctor had been treating at another home that night.</p> <p>John’s world was shattered. Everything was not right now; everything was all wrong. He had lost his wife. He had no way to tend both the baby and his work.</p> <p>As the weeks wore on, his grief festered. “That doctor should not be allowed to practice,” he would say. “He brought that infection to my wife. If he had been careful, she would be alive today.”</p> <p>He thought of little else, and in his bitterness, he became threatening. ...</p> <p>One night a knock came at his door. A little girl said simply, “Daddy wants you to come over. He wants to talk to you.”</p> <p>“Daddy” was the stake president. ...</p> <p>This spiritual shepherd had been watching his flock and had something to say to him.</p> <p>The counsel from that wise servant was simply, “John, leave it alone. Nothing you do about it will bring her back. Anything you do will make it worse. John, leave it alone.” ...</p> <p>He struggled in agony to get hold of himself. And finally, he determined that whatever else the issues were, he should be obedient.</p> <p>Obedience is powerful spiritual medicine. It comes close to being a cure-all.</p> <p>He determined to follow the counsel of that wise spiritual leader. He would leave it alone.</p> <p>Then he told me, “... It was not until I was an old man that I could finally see a poor country doctor—overworked, underpaid, run ragged from patient to patient, with little medicine, no hospital, few instruments, struggling to save lives, and succeeding for the most part.</p> <p>He had come in a moment of crisis, when two lives hung in the balance, and had acted without delay.</p> <p>“I was an old man,” he repeated, “before I finally understood! I would have ruined my life,” he said, “and the lives of others.”</p> <p>Many times he had thanked the Lord on his knees for a wise spiritual leader who counseled simply, “John, leave it alone.”<a href="#_ftn2" id="_ftnref2" title="" class="see-footnote">[2]</a></p> </blockquote> <div class="footnotes"> <p class="footnote"><a href="#_ftnref1" id="_ftn1" title="" class="footnote-label">[1]</a> J. R. Dummelow, ed., <em>A Commentary of the Holy Bible</em> (NY: MacMillan Company, 1964), 687.</p> <p class="footnote"><a href="#_ftnref2" id="_ftn2" title="" class="footnote-label">[2]</a> Boyd K. Packer, “Leave It Alone, John,” <em>Ensign</em>, June 2015.</p> </div>
Insights and Stories of the Doctrine and Covenants by Susan Easton Black
Commentary on D&C 64:6–11
<p>The disciples of Jesus Christ in all ages have struggled to forgive each other and have sometimes hindered the work through their weaknesses. We do not know exactly which disciples “in days of old” the Lord is referring to here, but the New Testament records several incidents in which the Lord’s disciples argued among themselves. In the Gospel of Mark, the Savior settled a dispute among his disciples who argued over “who should be the greatest” (Mark 9:33–34). His disciples engaged in subversion over ordinances, covenants, and missionary assignments (Acts 15:24, 39). Paul wrote that he “withstood [Peter] to the face” over the issue of circumcision (Galatian 2:11).</p> <p>In our dispensation, the disciples have had disputes, and the Lord requires us to forgive. In this revelation, it is likely that the Lord is asking Joseph and the other Church leaders to forgive each other in relation to the difficulties surrounding their trip to Missouri. Joseph had a sharp disagreement with Bishop Edward Partridge (see commentary for D&C 58:13–18) while they were in Independence, and bad feelings lingered among several of the missionaries involved in the journey. The Lord urges them to forgive each other and continue with their work.</p> <p>Joseph Smith at times struggled to forgive others who had wronged him. In December 1835 he was involved in an altercation with his youngest brother, William. Joseph criticized a debating society William had organized. Enraged, William physically assaulted Joseph, injuring him badly. Over the next two weeks the brothers sought to reconcile but kept bringing up hurt feelings and making the situation worse. Finally, on New Year’s Day, Joseph Smith Sr. called a family meeting to help the two brothers reconcile. Joseph Smith Jr. later wrote in his journal that as Father Smith spoke, “the spirit of God rested down upon us in mighty power, and our hearts were melted. . . . Br. William made an humble confession and asked my forgiveness for the abuse he had offered me and wherein I had been out of the way I asked his forgiveness, and the spirit of confession and forgiveness was mutual among us all.”<a id="_ftnref1" title="" href="#_ftn1">[1]</a></p> <div class="footnotes"> <p class="footnote"><a id="_ftn1" class="footnote-label" title="" href="#_ftnref1">[1]</a> JS Journal, 1835–1836, p. 96, JSP.</p> </div>
Doctrine and Covenants Minute by Casey Paul Griffiths
