Lesson 43: “Take upon You My Whole Armor” – Scriptures and Quotes

Lesson 43: “Take upon You My Whole Armor” – Scriptures and Quotes

Reading 1 - When he was President of BYU-Idaho, Elder Bednar said: I suspect that you and I are much more familiar with the nature of the redeeming power of the atonement than we are with the enabling power of the atonement. 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. I think most of us know that when we do things wrong, when we need help to overcome the effects of sin in our lives, the Savior has paid the price and made it possible for us to be made clean through His redeeming power. Most of us clearly understand that the atonement is for sinners. I am not so sure, however, that we know and understand that the atonement is also for saints–for good men and women who are obedient and worthy and conscientious and who are striving to become better and serve more faithfully. I frankly do not think many of us “get it” concerning this enabling and strengthening aspect of the atonement, and I wonder if we mistakenly believe we must make the journey from good to better and become a saint all by ourselves, through sheer grit, willpower, and discipline, and with our obviously limited capacities.

Brothers and sisters, the gospel of the Savior is not simply about avoiding bad in our lives; it is also essentially about doing and becoming good. And the atonement provides help for us to overcome and avoid bad and to do and become good. There is help from the Savior for the entire journey of life–from bad to good to better and to change our very nature. Indeed, this doctrine tastes good.

I am not trying to suggest that the redeeming and enabling powers of the atonement are separate and discrete. Rather, these two dimensions of the atonement are connected and complementary; they both need to be operational during all phases of the journey of life. And it is eternally important for all of us to recognize that both of these essential elements of the journey of life–both putting off the natural man and becoming a saint, both overcoming bad and becoming good–are accomplished through the power of the atonement. Individual willpower, personal determination and motivation, and effective planning and goal setting are necessary but ultimately insufficient to triumphantly complete this mortal journey. Truly, we must come to rely upon “the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah” (2 Nephi 2:8).

Reading 2 – Doctrine and Covenants 76:25-28

Reading 3 – Moses 4:3-4

D&C 29:39

Reading 4 - Brigham Young said: "The volition of the creature is free; this is a law of their existence and the Lord cannot violate his own law; were he to do that, he would cease to be God. He has placed life and death before his children, and it is for them to choose. If they choose life, they receive the blessing of life; if they choose death, they must abide the penalty.

This is a law which has always existed from all eternity, and will continue to exist throughout all the eternities to come. Every intelligent being must have the power of choice, and God brings forth the results of the acts of his creatures to promote his Kingdom and subserve his purposes in the salvation and exaltation of his children." (Discourses of Brigham Young,, 62.)

Reading 5 - Doctrine and Covenants 27:15-18

President Harold B. Lee said:  "We have the four parts of the body that . . . [are] the most vulnerable to the powers of darkness. The loins, typifying virtue, chastity. The heart, typifying our conduct; our feet, our goals or objectives in life; and finally, our head, our thoughts. . . ." (Elder Harold B. Lee, "Feet Shod with the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace," BYU Speeches of the Year, Provo, 9 Nov. 1954, 2)

Reading 6 - President Lee said: "We should have our loins girt about with truth. What is truth? Truth, the Lord said, is knowledge of things as they are, things as they were, and things as they are to come. [Sec. 93:24.] What is going to guide us along the path of proper morals or proper choices? It will be the knowledge of truth. There must be a standard by which we measure our conduct, else how shall we know which is right? And how shall we know which is wrong? How do we know it is wrong to steal? How do we know it is wrong to lie? How do we know it is wrong to kill, unless we have a knowledge of the truth, that written by the finger of God on tables of stone were the divine injunctions, thou shalt not. 'Our loins shall be girt about with truth' the prophet said." (Elder Harold B. Lee, "Feet Shod with the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace," BYU Speeches of the Year, Provo, 9 Nov. 1954, 2)

Reading 7 - President Lee said: "And the heart, what kind of breastplate shall protect our conduct in life? We shall have over our hearts a breastplate of righteousness. Well, having learned truth we have a measure by which we can judge between right and wrong, and so our conduct will always be gauged by that thing which we know to be true. Our breastplate to cover our conduct shall be the breastplate of righteousness." (Elder Harold B. Lee, "Feet Shod with the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace," BYU Speeches of the Year, Provo, 9 Nov. 1954, 2)

Reading 8 - President Lee said: "By what shall we protect our feet, or by what shall we gauge our objectives or our goals in life?. . .'Your feet shall be shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.' [Eph. 6:15.] Interesting? What is the gospel of peace? The whole core and center of the gospel of peace was built around the person of him who was cradled in the manger, of whom on that night the angels sang, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will to men.' Or to put it even more correctly, 'on earth peace to men of good will.' Our feet should he shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace to them of good will. . . .

    "'Train a child in the way he shall go and when he is old he will not depart from it' [Proverbs 22:6], the old adage said. . . . How fortunate are you if in your childhood in the home of your father and mother you were taught the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ, the Son of the living God, the meaning of baptism and what you gain by the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. Fortunate is the child who has been taught to pray and who has been given those steps to take on through life. Feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace!" (Elder Harold B. Lee, "Feet Shod with the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace," BYU Speeches of the Year, Provo, 9 Nov. 1954, 2)

Brother Hoyt W. Brewster said in General Conference: "In the war between good and evil, one must be protected with the 'shield of faith' (D&C 27:17). An example of this shield of faith might be illustrated in the following home memories of Elder L. Tom Perry: 'We were dressed in our home each morning, not only with hats and raincoats and boots to protect us from physical storm, but even more carefully our parents dressed us each day in the armor of God. As we would kneel in family prayer and listen to our father, a bearer of the priesthood, pour out his soul to the Lord for the protection of his family against the fiery darts of the wicked, one more layer was added to our shield of faith. While our shield was being made strong, theirs was always available, for they were available and we knew it.'

    "Thus, this spiritual shield is that protective armament that becomes invincible through prayer, righteous obedience to all of God's commandments, searching and pondering the scriptures, and doing all within one's power to strengthen the power of faith." (CR, Apr 1974, pp140-41.)

Reading 9 - President Lee said: "A helmet of salvation shall guide our thinking all through our days. Well, as we think that through, let me review them again for just a moment, to get the full significance. Truth to safeguard our virtue; righteousness to keep our conduct right; the preparation of the gospel of peace to guide our course and to set our standards and aims in life; salvation, a return back to the presence of the Lord, shall be the inhibiting promise and a motivating objective to guide us on to the victory of life over death. That is what it means. . . ." (Elder Harold B. Lee, "Feet Shod with the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace," BYU Speeches of the Year, Provo, 9 Nov. 1954, 2)

Reading 10 – Regarding the sword of God’s spirit and His word through revelation, Then-Elder Boyd K. Packer said, "…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 the which are contained the Word of God" ("Feet Shod," 7). It should be noted that the sword is the only offensive weapon. The Spirit directs the word for each situation. The Savior himself is the perfect example of how knowledge of the scriptures is like wielding a double-edged broadsword "which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil" (Hel. 3:29). Recall when Jesus was being tempted after his fast. "Jesus deflected each temptation with scripture. 'It is written . . . . it is written again . . . . it is written . . . .'[Matthew 4:4,7,10]. Think on it carefully. When facing perdition himself, the Lord drew upon scriptures for protection" (Elder Packer, Ensign, May 2000, 7).

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” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1988, 44; or Ensign, Nov. 1988, 35).

Doctrine and Covenants 42:22-24

Reading 11 - 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” (First Presidency letter, 14 Nov. 1991).

Reading 13 - 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” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1998, 66–67; or Ensign, May 1998, 49).

President James E. Faust taught: “Honesty is more than not lying. It is truth telling, truth speaking, truth living, and truth loving” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1996, 57; or Ensign, Nov. 1996, 41).

Doctrine and Covenants 51:9

The Securities and Exchange Commission describes Affinity Fraud as follows: Affinity fraud refers to investment scams that prey upon members of identifiable groups, such as religious or ethnic communities, the elderly, or professional groups. The fraudsters who promote affinity scams frequently are - or pretend to be - members of the group. They often enlist respected community or religious leaders from within the group to spread the word about the scheme by convincing those people that a fraudulent investment is legitimate and worthwhile. Many times, those leaders become unwitting victims of the fraudster's ruse.

These scams exploit the trust and friendship that exist in groups of people who have something in common. Because of the tight-knit structure of many groups, it can be difficult for regulators or law enforcement officials to detect an affinity scam. Victims often fail to notify authorities or pursue their legal remedies and instead try to work things out within the group. This is particularly true where the fraudsters have used respected community or religious leaders to convince others to join the investment. (http://www.sec.gov/investor/pubs/affinity.htm)