Lectures on Faith - Lecture Second - Knowledge of God

1. Week 31
Lectures on Faith
Lecture Second
“Knowledge of God”
Verses 37-56

2. Lectures on Faith Quick General Summary
We have been taught in Lecture 2 in Idaho Falls about the
importance of the Lectures on Faith:
“…I'd like you to value The Lectures on Faith. I'd like you to
study The Lectures on Faith. I'd like you to take a lot more
time with them.”
General Summary of the Seven Lectures:
Lecture First What faith is
Lecture Second The object upon which faith rests - How mankind comes to know about God
Lecture Third Characteristics of God
Lecture Fourth Attributes of God
Lecture Fifth The nature and perfections of the Father and the Son, and the Holy Ghost
Lecture Sixth The willingness to sacrifice all earthly things to gain faith and salvation
Lecture Seventh The effects and fruits of faith, prospective power and eventual perfection

3. Initial Quotes to Provide
CONTEXT to Verses 37-56
“The Knowledge of God”

4. “The Knowledge of God” - CONTEXT
Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 217
"A man is saved no faster than he gets
knowledge, for if does not get knowledge, he will
be brought into captivity by some evil power in
the other world, as evil spirits will have more
knowledge, and consequently more power than
many men who are on the earth. Hence it needs
revelation to assist us, and give us knowledge of
the things of God."
Teachings of the Prophet
Joseph Smith p. 357
"Knowledge saves a man; and
in the world of spirits no man
can be exalted but by
knowledge."
1) Salvation is directly related to knowledge
2) Captivity comes by evil power in the “other world”
3) Evil spirits have more knowledge than Telestial men
4) Knowledge = Power
5) Revelation gives us knowledge
6) In the “world of spirits” men are exhalted by knowledge
Sheol – Glossary of Terms
Hades, the Greek, or Sheol, the Hebrew, these two
significations mean “a world of spirits.” Hades,
Sheol, paradise, and spirits in prison all mean the
same thing. It is a world of spirits.

5. “The Knowledge of God” - CONTEXT
Know/ledge – Glossary of Terms
To have been visited by the Lord. Faith was always
intended to grow into knowledge. Knowledge comes
from contact with Jesus Christ (see Ether 1:14). This is the
knowledge that saves and nothing else (see John 9:18).
The idea that knowledge of Christ — through His
personal appearance to each person — is now
unavailable is an old sectarian notion and is false
(see John 9:8). “Knowing God is Christ’s definition of
Eternal life and salvation. Joseph Smith clarified this does
not mean to learn something about Him. Rather, it is to
meet Him. It is to have Him minister to you, face to face,
as one man speaks to another.” Since this is life Eternal,
to know Him, would it be a simple and plain, but most
precious teaching to urge people to part the veil of
unbelief and behold their Lord? (see John 9:18).
1) Knowledge [in its fullness] is to have been
visited by the Lord – “to meet him”
2) A fullness of knowledge grows through faith
3) Eternal life & salvation is Christ’s definition of
knowledge
4) We must part the veil of unbelief to behold the
Lord

6. “The Knowledge of God” - CONTEXT
Denver Snuffer
July 6, 2010 at 9:33 PM
Almost without exception the Book of Mormon
uses these words in this way:
“Belief” means you understand and accept true
doctrine.
“Unbelief” means you do not understand and have
not accepted true doctrine.
“Faith” means you have been visited by an angel.
“Knowledge” means you have been visited by the
Lord.
The Book of Mormon is trying to teach you true
doctrine, to have you reject false or incomplete
doctrine, to develop faith and to bring you to
receive at last knowledge.
Denver Snuffer
July 7, 2010 at 5:23 PM
If you have correct understanding of Him then you have belief.
Belief does not become “faith” as used in the Book of Mormon
until an angel has ministered to you. Your belief in Christ is belief.
The Holy Ghost is not an angel in the sense used in the Book of
Mormon.
There are different definitions of “faith” and I’m not saying that is
the only definition ever given. In the Lectures on Faith Joseph
Smith gives a different meaning. He defines faith as a principle of
power through action, in which you put your beliefs into action
and thereby acquire power; because Joseph related faith to
having power.
What you are describing would be classified as “belief” in the
Book of Mormon’s typical use of the term. It would also be called
“faith” by Joseph Smith if, as a result of your faith you have
acquired power from the Lord.
An answer I give only responds directly to a question asked. It
does not attempt to cover all other applications, meanings or
uses.

7. Week 31
Lecture Second
“Knowledge of God”
Review
Verses 37-56

8. “The Knowledge of God” THEME
Chronology of the World – Adam to Noah
1) These Fathers: Noah, Lamech (the father of Noah),
Methuselah, Enoch, Jared, Mahalalel, Cainan, Enos, Seth,
and Adam – were all contemporary, and all living at the
same time
2) Those Fathers, mentioned above, were all “preachers
of righteousness”
3) Those Fathers were all acquainted with both Adam
and Noah
4) Knowledge of God came into the world via the
“Fathers”
5) The principle upon which knowledge was preserved is
through the “Fathers”
6) The Fathers taught their posterity a knowledge of God
7) The Fathers taught the world a knowledge of God
8) There is no need of a new revelation to man when
knowledge, in its fullness, is upon the earth

9. “The Knowledge of God” THEME
Malachi 1:12 (RE)
12 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet
before the coming of the great and dreadful
day of the Lord. And he shall seal the heart of
the Fathers to the children and the heart of the
children to their Fathers, lest I come and smite
the earth with a curse.
Malachi 4:6 (LE – KJV)
6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to
the children, and the heart of the children to
their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth
with a curse.
T&C 169: 3
3 I was shown that the spirits that rose were
limited to a direct line back to Adam, requiring
the hearts of the Fathers and the hearts of the
children to be bound together by sealing,
confirmed by covenant and the Holy Spirit of
Promise. This is the reason that Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob have entered into their exaltation
according to the promises, and sit upon
thrones, and are not angels, but are gods….

10. “The Knowledge of God” THEME
T&C – Joseph Smith History 3:3-4
3 He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me and that his name was Nephi,
that God had a work for me to do, and that my name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it
should be both good and evil spoken of among all people. He said there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an
account of the former inhabitants of this continent and the source from whence they sprang. He also said that the fullness of the
everlasting gospel was contained in it as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants; also, that there were two stones in silver bows
— and these stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted what is called the Urim and Thummim — deposited with the plates, and the
possession and use of these stones was what constituted seers in ancient or former times, and that God had prepared them for the
purpose of translating the book.
4 After telling me these things he commenced quoting the prophecies of the Old Testament. He first quoted part of the third chapter of
Malachi [Mal. 1:6 – 8], and he quoted also the fourth or last chapter of the same prophecy [Mal. 1:9 – 11], though with a little variation from
the way it reads in our Bibles. Instead of quoting the first verse as reads in our books, he quoted it thus: For behold, the day cometh that
shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea and all that do wickedly, shall burn as stubble; for they that cometh shall burn them, saith the
Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. And again he quoted the fifth verse thus: Behold, I will reveal unto you the
Priesthood by the hand of Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. He also quoted the next verse
differently: And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to
their fathers; if it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming. In addition to these he quoted the eleventh chapter
of Isaiah [Isaiah 5:3-5], saying that it was about to be fulfilled. He quoted also the third chapter of Acts, twenty-second and twenty-third
verses [Acts 2:3], precisely as they stand in our New Testament. He said that that prophet was Christ, but the day had not yet come when
they who would not hear his voice should be cut off from among the people, but soon would come. He also quoted the second chapter
of Joel from the twenty-eighth to the last verse [Joel 1:12]. He also said that this was not yet fulfilled, but was soon to be. And he further
stated the fullness of the gentiles was soon to come in. He quoted many other passages of scripture and offered many explanations which
cannot be mentioned here.

11. “The Knowledge of God” THEME
Chronology of the World – Noah to Abraham
1) Joseph Smith emphasizes the importance of tracing the
chronology of the world from Adam to Noah – and then
from Noah to Abraham
2) The chronology clearly determines, beyond the power of
controversy, that there was no difficultly in preserving the
knowledge of God in the world from Adam to the present
day
3) There should be no “dubiety” or doubt in the minds of the
students of faith, on this subject of preserving the knowledge
of God through the Fathers
4) The path of preserving the knowledge of the existence of
continues from father to son (at the least through tradition)
5) So great importance is the knowledge of the existence of
God that fathers would surely make it known to their
posterity

12. “The Knowledge of God” THEME
Knowledge of God – Dependent Upon Diligence and Faithfulness
1) Joseph Smith states that it has been clearly shown
that there was a being such as a God came through
the first manifestation made to Father Adam
2) Adam stood in the presence of God
3) Adam conversed with God face to face at the
time of his creation
4) Joseph Smith would like us to observe that after
any portion of the human family are made
acquainted with the existence of God – the extent of
their knowledge of God will depend upon diligence
and faithfulness in seeking after God
5) All, through diligence and faith, will obtain “power
with him” to behold him face to face

13. “The Knowledge of God” THEME
Knowledge of God – Comes from “human testimony” – and “human testimony” only
1) God becomes an “object of faith” through the
testimony of the Fathers
2) The testimony of the Fathers excited inquiry and
“diligent search” to seek after and obtain a knowledge
of the glory of God
3) It was “human testimony, and human testimony
alone” that started the search for God with the
children
4) Children are expected to be reliant upon their
father’s testimony of God to initiate that search for
God in those children
5) The inquiry “frequently” and indeed always ends –
“when rightly pursued” in glorious discoveries and
“Eternal certainty”

14. “The Knowledge of God”
CONCLUSIONS

15. “The Knowledge of
God” - CONCLUSIONS
• Salvation is directly related to knowledge
• Knowledge = Power
• Revelation gives us knowledge
• A fullness of knowledge grows through faith
• The principle upon which knowledge was preserved is through the “Fathers”
• The Fathers taught the world a knowledge of God
• We can understand the importance of “sealing the heart of the Fathers to the children and the heart of
the children to their Fathers”
• There should be no “dubiety” or doubt in the minds of the students of faith, on this subject of preserving
the knowledge of God through the Fathers
• The extent of our knowledge of God will depend upon diligence and faithfulness in seeking after God
• All, through diligence and faith, will obtain “power with him” to behold him face to face

16. NEXT TIME…