The Sacrament: the Promise of the Holy Ghost

President Wilford W. Woodruf taught that “the gift of the Holy Ghost is the greatest gift that can be bestowed upon man. . . . It is this that sustains us through all the persecutions, trials and tribulations that come upon us.”¹

It is this great promise that is given to each person who makes covenants by partaking of the sacrament. We are promised that as we demonstrate our willingness to keep those covenants, we “may always have his Spirit to be with” us.²

Why is this such a great promise? What does the Holy Ghost do for us? As we explore the blessings of the Holy Ghost, we can better understand the significance of the sacrament.

The Holy Ghost is one with God

In my prior post The Nature of God, I wrote briefly about how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are one. I would encourage you to read that post, but I will mention just a few thoughts as they pertain to why the Holy Ghost can be such a significant blessing.

The Savior taught clearly that “the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost are one.”³ But at the same time, we know that they are three separate personages: “The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us.”⁴

That is a challenging concept for us as mortals to understand. We have finite minds, and so to try and even contemplate the power of God is difficult. In speaking of miracles, President Howard W. Hunter once said that as we think about miracles, “we must of necessity recognize the operation of a power transcending our present human understanding.”⁵

So what can we say about the Holy Ghost being one with God? My favorite example was given by the Savior during the final night of his mortal ministry. The apostle John wrote a great deal about the Savior’s final teachings to his disciples, and much of that pertained to the teaching of the unity between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Some of these teachings are as follows:

“If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.”⁶ “[H]e that hath seen me hath seen the Father.”⁷ “[T]he words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.”⁸

As the Savior taught about the unity between the Father and the Son, he also taught about the Holy Ghost, and the Holy Ghost acting in the name of the Son:

“If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.”⁹ “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”¹⁰

How would the Savior come to them? How would he visit them? He makes it clear that he will visit them by sending the Holy Ghost in his name:

“These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.

“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”¹¹

I love this teaching. The Savior visits his followers by sending the Holy Ghost in his name. Although the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are three separate personages, because they are one in power, when we have the Holy Ghost with us, it is effectively as if we also have the Father and the Son with us. Through the Holy Ghost, we have access to the knowledge of God, the wisdom of God, and the power of God.

Jesus Christ is a God of power

President Russell M. Nelson has frequently talked about drawing the power of Jesus Christ into our lives. In one of my favorite conference talks, he talked about the power of Jesus Christ:

“God so loved the world that He sent His Only Begotten Son to help us. And His Son, Jesus Christ, gave His life for us. All so that we could have access to godly power—power sufficient to deal with the burdens, obstacles, and temptations of our day.”¹²

In a prior post I wrote about the Creation, and that Jesus Christ, the Great Jehovah, created the heavens and the earth under the direction of the Father.¹³ As God who holds the power of creation, the Savior’s mortal ministry was filled with power. President Nelson has taught us that through the atonement of Jesus Christ, we can have access to that power.

I have come to believe that the sacrament helps us understand how to access that power, and that the blessing of always having the Holy Ghost with us enables us to access that power.

If Jesus Christ is a God of power, and if he is one with the Holy Ghost, and if he sends the Holy Ghost in his name as a way to visit his disciples, isn’t it reasonable to think that we can draw the power of Jesus Christ into our lives through the companionship of the Holy Ghost?

We have access to the power of Jesus Christ through the Holy Ghost

The scriptures are filled with teachings about the blessings that are offered to us through the atonement of Jesus Christ. And quite often, those blessings are associated with the companionship of the Holy Ghost. Because the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are one, I believe that when we are told of a blessing available to us through the atonement of Jesus Christ, we can receive that blessing through the Holy Ghost.

Sanctification

Sanctification is the “process of becoming free from sin, pure, clean, and holy through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.”¹⁴ We are sanctified “through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ.”¹⁵ Sanctification is available to us through the grace of Jesus Christ.¹⁶ The Savior came to “sanctify the world, and to cleanse it from all unrighteousness.”¹⁷

It is clear that we are sanctified because of the atonement of Jesus Christ. We become pure, holy, and clean by his grace and power. And yet, we are also taught that we are sanctified as we have the Holy Ghost with us: “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.”¹⁸

It has been said that the Holy Ghost is often spoken of as “fire” because it “acts as a cleansing agent to purify [us] and sanctify” us from sin.¹⁹ Elder David A. Bednar has taught that the Holy Ghost is “a sanctifier who cleanses and burns dross and evil out of human souls as though by fire.”²⁰

Because it is a sanctifier, and cleanses us from sin, the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost is a great blessing that carries out perhaps the primary purpose of the atonement of Jesus Christ:

“In the process of coming unto the Savior and spiritual rebirth, receiving the sanctifying power of the Holy Ghost in our lives creates the possibility of an ongoing cleansing of our soul from sin. This joyous blessing is vital because ‘no unclean thing can dwell with God.’

“As members of the Lord’s restored Church, we are blessed both by our initial cleansing from sin associated with baptism and by the potential for an ongoing cleansing from sin made possible through the companionship and power of the Holy Ghost—even the third member of the Godhead.”²¹

The blessing of sanctification is perhaps the clearest example of how one of the blessings offered to us through the atonement of Jesus Christ is carried out by the Holy Ghost. But it is not the only example. The scriptures demonstrate that the Holy Ghost provides us many blessings of the Savior’s atonement.

The Peace of Christ

To his disciples, the Savior offered peace: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”²² This is the peace of Christ. It is not a worldly peace, but His peace.

How do we receive that peace? The Father sends the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, in the name of Jesus Christ.²³ It is Christ’s peace, offered to us because of His atonement. But it comes to us through the Holy Ghost.

As we consider the blessing promised to us in the sacrament of always having the Holy Ghost to be with us, through that companionship we can always have access to the peace of Christ. How desperately is that needed in this world of turmoil!

Comfort and succor

Similar to the peace of Christ, we can draw upon the power of Jesus Christ to receive comfort and succor in our infirmities.

The prophet Alma taught about the mercy of Christ and his power to heal us:

“And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

“And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.”²⁴

By performing the atonement, the Savior gained power to cleanse us from sin. But he also took upon himself our pains and afflictions, he suffered temptations of every kind, and he took upon himself our infirmities. His power and mercy is available to us to “succor” us during the difficult times in our lives.

In my prior posts about the Fall and the Atonement of Jesus Christ, I discussed that because of the Fall, we live in a world filled with pain and sorrow. But Jesus Christ, God himself, provided an infinite and eternal sacrifice so we could overcome all of the adverse consequences of the Fall.

How does he share that power with us? How does he come to us? How does he comfort us? I believe that was made clear during his teachings to his disciples: “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. . . . [T]he Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”²⁵

Although I do not pretend to understand all ways in which Jesus Christ can comfort us in our pains and afflications, it is clear that one way is through the Holy Ghost.

When the prophet Alma sorrowed because of the “afflictions of the humble followers of God,”²⁶ the Book of Mormon then says that “the Spirit of the Lord did not fail him.”²⁷ I find this statement fascinating. Alma received strength and comfort through the Holy Ghost, but as we continue to read, it is evident that he received comfort from the Holy Ghost by receiving additional instructions for what he could do to help the members of the church. In other words, his comfort came not just by having the Holy Ghost with him, but also because the Holy Ghost helped him know what actions to take to improve the situation.

When the Sons of Mosiah left on their mission to the Lamanites, as they were on their way “the Lord did visit them with his Spirit, and said unto them: Be comforted. And they were comforted.”²⁸ They were able to receive comfort in their afflictions because of the atonement of Jesus Christ and his mercy and grace, and that comfort came to them through the influence of the Holy Ghost.

These scriptures demonstrate that at least one way that the Savior comforts and succors us through our trials, pains, sorrows, temptations, and infirmities is through the influence of the Holy Ghost. Therefore, a blessing of always having the Spirit with us is to always have the ability to receive the Savior’s comfort and succor.

Strength through the atonement of Christ

Paul testified, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”²⁹ Elder David A. Bednar has spoken of what he called the “enabling power” of the atonement of Jesus Christ:

“I suspect that many Church members are much more familiar with the nature of the redeeming and cleansing power of the Atonement than they are with the strengthening and enabling power. It is one thing to know that Jesus Christ came to earth to die for us—that is fundamental and foundational to the doctrine of Christ. But we also need to appreciate that the Lord desires, through His Atonement and by the power of the Holy Ghost, to live in us—not only to direct us but also to empower us. . . .

“The gospel of the Savior is not simply about avoiding bad in our lives; it also is essentially about doing and becoming good. And the Atonement provides help for us to overcome and avoid bad and to do and become good. Help from the Savior is available for the entire journey of mortality—from bad to good to better and to change our very nature.”³⁰

As an example of this enabling power, Elder Bedar talked about when Nephi broke the bands that his brothers used to tie him: “I do not think the bands with which Nephi was bound just magically fell from his hands and wrists. Rather, I suspect he was blessed with both persistence and personal strength beyond his natural capacity, that he then ‘in the strength of the Lord’ (Mosiah 9:17) worked and twisted and tugged on the cords, and ultimately and literally was enabled to break the bands.”³¹

There is no question that it is the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ, through his atonement, that we receive this enabling power. But there are a few examples that demonstrate that this power can be provided or conveyed through the Holy Ghost.

One of the themes in the Book of Mormon is that when the Nephites were faithful, they were strengthened by the Lord to overcome their enemies. But when they turned to sin, they were no longer provided such protection. In the book of Helaman, we read that they became weak because the Spirit of the Lord had withdrawn from them:

“And because of their iniquity the church had begun to dwindle; and they began to disbelieve in the spirit of prophecy and in the spirit of revelation; and the judgments of God did stare them in the face.

“And they saw that they had become weak, like unto their brethren, the Lamanites, and that the Spirit of the Lord did no more preserve them; yea, it had withdrawn from them because the Spirit of the Lord doth not dwell in unholy temples—

“Therefore the Lord did cease to preserve them by his miraculous and matchless power, for they had fallen into a state of unbelief and awful wickedness; and they saw that the Lamanites were exceedingly more numerous than they, and except they should cleave unto the Lord their God they must unavoidably perish.”³²

Did that strength come to them through the Holy Ghost? Had they become weak because the Spirit of the Lord had withdrawn from them? Said another way, was it the Holy Ghost that had strengthened them?

In a similar example, near the end of the Nephite civilization, Mormon explained that the strength of the Lord was no longer with his people:

“And it came to pass that when they had fled we did pursue them with our armies, and did meet them again, and did beat them; nevertheless the strength of the Lord was not with us; yea, we were left to ourselves, that the Spirit of the Lord did not abide in us; therefore we had become weak like unto our brethren.”³³

This passage indicates that the Nephites had received the strength of the Lord through the Holy Ghost. This makes sense. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are one. So it is reasonable to think that the power that is available to us because of the atonement of Christ can be provided to us through the Holy Ghost.

Paul also mentioned that we can be strengthened by the Holy Ghost: “Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.”³⁴

It seems clear to me that the power of Jesus Christ is available to us because of His atonement, and we can access that power through the Holy Ghost. Therefore, a significant blessing offered to us through the sacrament, and the promise that we can always have His Spirit to be with us, is that we can always have access to the power of Jesus Christ through the Holy Ghost.

Revelation and Inspiration

Joseph Smith taught that “[n]o man can receive the Holy Ghost without receiving revelations. The Holy Ghost is a revelator.”³⁵ This aspect of the mission of the Holy Ghost is perhaps the most well-known, so I will only address it briefly.

In his first general conference as the President of the Church, President Russell M. Nelson taught us about revelation through the Holy Ghost:

“Imagine the miracle of it! Whatever our Church calling, we can pray to our Heavenly Father and receive guidance and direction, be warned about dangers and distractions, and be enabled to accomplish things we simply could not do on our own. If we will truly receive the Holy Ghost and learn to discern and understand His promptings, we will be guided in matters large and small.”³⁶

Because the Holy Ghost is one with the Father and the Son, when we receive revelation through the Holy Ghost, we are receiving the knowledge and wisdom of God. Therefore, by always having the Spirit with us, we always have access to that knowledge.

Testimony of truth

The Holy Ghost inspires us with knowledge from God, but we also receive a testimony of truth. The Savior taught that “the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”³⁷ Moroni taught that the way to receive a testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon was through the power of the Holy Ghost:

“And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.”³⁸

We live in a world where it is becoming increasingly more difficult to determine what is true. The constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, as promised to us in the sacrament, can be a tremendous blessing to help us discern truth.

Direction to act

The Holy Ghost inspires us with knowledge, but through the Holy Ghost we also receive direction and guidance. In other words, we are instructed how to act.

After Peter taught about Jesus Christ, it is recorded that the people “were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?”³⁹

Similarly, after Aaron taught King Lamoni’s father, the King said, “What shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which thou hast spoken? Yea, what shall I do that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day?”⁴⁰

These two examples give us great insight into what the Holy Ghost can do for us. When we talk about the Holy Ghost testifying of truth, we often think about kneeling to pray and receiving an answer. But in these examples, these people listened to prophets, and rather than exclaiming “it’s true,” they said “what shall I do?” This shows us that the Holy Ghost will often prompt us to act. A testimony of the truth does nothing for us if we are unwilling to act upon that truth. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is and always has been the first principle of the gospel. And the current information age doesn’t change that. The Holy Ghost is a still, small voice,⁴¹ and so the encouragement to act allows us to continue to exercise faith while respecting our agency.

The blessing of always having the Spirit with us allows us to always have that direction and guidance.

The great promise of the Holy Ghost

These are just a few examples of the tremendous blessings that can come to us through the Holy Ghost. As a member of the Godhead, as one with the Father and the Son, it is through the Holy Ghost that we have access to the knowledge of God, the wisdom of God, the foreknowledge of God, and the power of Jesus Christ.

Through this tremendous gift, we can be sanctified, we can have the peace of Christ and receive His comfort and succor in our trials and infirmities, we can be strengthened by the “enabling” power that is in Jesus Christ, we can receive revelation and inspiration, a testimony of truth, and direction to act. Is there any greater gift? Is there any greater blessing? It is through the promise of the sacrament that we can have constant access to these blessings.

As I have discussed these blessings, some may wonder why it matters. What does it matter whether we receive these blessings through the Holy Ghost, or from the Savior? That will be discussed in later posts, but the simple answer is that the presence of the Holy Ghost in our life is conditional. In order to be entitled to receive the blessing of the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, we must satisfy the conditions that the Savior has established. Those conditions are taught succintly in the covenants we make when we take the sacrament.

So, how can we be sanctified? How can we receive the peace of Christ? How can we receive his comfort and succor during our trials and infirmities? How can we be strengthened by the atonement of Jesus Christ? How can we receive revelation, inspiration, a testimony of truth, and direction to act? We can receive these blessings as we understand the covenants we make when we partake of the sacrament and as we seek to live those covenants day by day, hour by hour, and minute by minute.

References

1. Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Wilford Woodruff, “The Holy Ghost and Personal Revelation,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2011, 49, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/teachings-wilford-woodruff/chapter-5?lang=eng&id=p11#p11. ↩︎
2. Doctrine and Covenants 20:77. ↩︎
3. 3 Nephi 11:27. ↩︎
4. Doctrine and Covenants 130:22. ↩︎
5. President Howard W. Hunter, “The God That Doest Wonders,” Ensign, May 1989, 16 (quoting James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ, 3d ed., 1916, p. 149), https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1989/05/the-god-that-doest-wonders?lang=eng&id=p17#p17. ↩︎
6. John 14:7. ↩︎
7. John 14:9. ↩︎
8. John 14:10. ↩︎
9. John 14:15-18. ↩︎
10. John 14:23. ↩︎
11. John 14:25-27. ↩︎
12. President Russell M. Nelson, “Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives,” Ensign, May 2017, 39, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2017/05/saturday-morning-session/drawing-the-power-of-jesus-christ-into-our-lives?lang=eng&id=p4#p4. ↩︎
13. Topics and Questions, “Creation,” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/creation?lang=eng&id=p1#p1. ↩︎
14. Guide to the Scriptures, “Sanctification,” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/gs/sanctification?lang=eng&id=p1#p1. ↩︎
15. Hebrews 10:10. ↩︎
16. Doctrine and Covenants 20:31. ↩︎
17. Doctrine and Covenants 76:41. ↩︎
18. 3 Nephi 27:20. ↩︎
19. Bible Dictionary, “Holy Ghost,” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bd/holy-ghost?lang=eng&id=p1#p1. ↩︎
20. Elder David A. Bednar, “Always Retain a Remission of Your Sins,” Ensign, May 2016, 59, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2016/05/saturday-afternoon-session/always-retain-a-remission-of-your-sins?lang=eng&id=p8#p8. ↩︎
21. Bednar, “Always Retain a Remission of Your Sins,” 61. ↩︎
22. John 14:27. ↩︎
23. John 14:26. ↩︎
24. Alma 7:11-12. ↩︎
25. John 14:18, 26. ↩︎
26. Alma 4:15. ↩︎
27. Alma 4:15. ↩︎
28. Alma 17:10. ↩︎
29. Philippians 4:13. ↩︎
30. Elder David A. Bednar, “The Atonement and the Journey of Mortality,” Ensign, April 2012, 42, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2012/04/the-atonement-and-the-journey-of-mortality?lang=eng&id=p10#p10. ↩︎
31. Bednar, “The Atonement and the Journey of Mortality,” 43-44. ↩︎
32. Helaman 4:23-25. ↩︎
33. Mormon 2:26. ↩︎
34. Ephesians 3:13-16. ↩︎
35. Teachings of the Presidents: Joseph Smith, “Prayer and Personal Revelation,” 132, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/teachings-joseph-smith/chapter-10?lang=eng&id=p26#p26. ↩︎
36. Russell M. Nelson, “Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives,” Ensign, May 2018, 94, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2018/05/sunday-morning-session/revelation-for-the-church-revelation-for-our-lives?lang=eng&id=p20#p20. ↩︎
37. John 14:26. ↩︎
38. Moroni 10:4-5. ↩︎
39. Acts 2:37. ↩︎
40. Alma 22:15. ↩︎
41. 1 Kings 19:11-12. ↩︎