LDS Beliefs

References

* JST= Joseph Smith Translation

** From the Book of Mormon

++ LDS Scripture given through Joseph Smith and other prophets

## (In the Pearl of Great Price)

Being Called of God

We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof. (Article of Faith #5)

++ (Doctrine and Covenants 20:60) Every elder, priest, teacher, or deacon is to be ordained according to the gifts and callings of God unto him; and he is to be ordained by the power of the Holy Ghost, which is in the one who ordains him.

Priesthood

The authority and power that God gives to man to act in all things for the salvation of man.

++ (Doctrine and Covenants 50:26-27)

26 He that is ordained of God and sent forth, the same is appointed to be the greatest, notwithstanding he is the least and the servant of all.

27 Wherefore, he is possessor of all things; for all things are subject unto him, both in heaven and on the earth, the life and the light, the Spirit and the power, sent forth by the will of the Father through Jesus Christ, his Son.

Male members of the Church who hold the priesthood are organized into quorums and are authorized to perform ordinances and certain administrative functions in the Church.

The power (authority) to baptize--

** (3 Nephi 11: 21) And the Lord said unto him: I give unto you power that ye shall baptize this people when I am again ascended into heaven.

The power (authority) to confer the Gift of the Holy Ghost—

** (Moroni 2:2) And he called them by name, saying: Ye shall call on the Father in my name, in mighty prayer; and after ye have done this ye shall have power that to him upon whom ye shall lay your hands, ye shall give the Holy Ghost; and in my name shall ye give it, for thus do mine apostles.

The priesthood revealed by the hand of Elijah—

(Malachi 4: 5) Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:

++ (Doctrine and Covenants 2: 1) 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.

There are, in the Church, two priesthoods

++ (Doctrine and Covenants 107: 1) THERE are, in the church, two priesthoods, namely, the Melchizedek and Aaronic, including the Levitical Priesthood.

(Hebrews 7: 11-12)

11 If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?

12 For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.

Aaronic Priesthood--

The Lord confirmed a priesthood also upon Aaron and his seed.

++ (Doctrine and Covenants 84: 18) And the Lord confirmed a priesthood also upon Aaron and his seed, throughout all their generations, which priesthood also continueth and abideth forever with the priesthood which is after the holiest order of God.

Its offices are bishop, priest, teacher, and deacon.

Anciently, under the law of Moses, there were high priests, priests, and Levites. The Aaronic Priesthood was revealed to Moses because the ancient Israelites rebelled against God. They refused to be sanctified and receive the Melchizedek Priesthood and its ordinances.

++ (Doctrine and Covenants 84: 23-25)

23 Now this Moses plainly taught to the children of Israel in the wilderness, and sought diligently to sanctify his people that they might behold the face of God;

24 But they hardened their hearts and could not endure his presence; therefore, the Lord in his wrath, for his danger was kindled against them, swore that they should not enter into his rest while in the wilderness, which rest is the fulness of his glory.

25 Therefore, he took Moses out of their midst, and the Holy Priesthood also;

The Aaronic Priesthood deals with the temporal and outward ordinances of the law and the gospel.

++ (Doctrine and Covenants 84: 26-27)

26 And the lesser priesthood continued, which priesthood holdeth the key of the ministering of angels and the preparatory gospel;

27 Which gospel is the gospel of repentance and of baptism, and the remission of sins, and the law of carnal commandments, which the Lord in his wrath caused to continue with the house of Aaron among the children of Israel until John, whom God raised up, being filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother’s womb.

++ (Doctrine and Covenants 107: 20)

20 The power and authority of the lesser, or Aaronic Priesthood, is to hold the keys of the ministering of angels, and to administer in outward ordinances, the letter of the gospel, the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, agreeable to the covenants and commandments.

It holds the keys of the ministering of angels, of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism (D&C 13).

The Aaronic Priesthood was restored to the earth in this dispensation on 15 May 1829. John the Baptist conferred it on Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery on the banks of the Susquehanna River, near Harmony, Pennsylvania.

## (Joseph Smith-History 1: 68-73)

68 We still continued the work of translation, when, in the ensuing month (May, 1829), we on a certain day went into the woods to pray and inquire of the Lord respecting baptism for the remission of sins, that we found mentioned in the translation of the plates. While we were thus employed, praying and calling upon the Lord, a messenger from heaven descended in a cloud of light, and having laid his hands upon us, he ordained us, saying:

69 Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah, I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; and this shall never be taken again from the earth until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness.

70 He said this Aaronic Priesthood had not the power of laying on hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, but that this should be conferred on us hereafter; and he commanded us to go and be baptized, and gave us directions that I should baptize Oliver Cowdery, and that afterwards he should baptize me.

71 Accordingly we went and were baptized. I baptized him first, and afterwards he baptized me—after which I laid my hands upon his head and ordained him to the Aaronic Priesthood, and afterwards he laid his hands on me and ordained me to the same Priesthood—for so we were commanded.

72 The messenger who visited us on this occasion and conferred this Priesthood upon us, said that his name was John, the same that is called John the Baptist in the New Testament, and that he acted under the direction of Peter, James and John, who held the keys of the Priesthood of Melchizedek, which Priesthood, he said, would in due time be conferred on us, and that I should be called the first Elder of the Church, and he (Oliver Cowdery) the second. It was on the fifteenth day of May, 1829, that we were ordained under the hand of this messenger, and baptized.

73 Immediately on our coming up out of the water after we had been baptized, we experienced great and glorious blessings from our Heavenly Father. No sooner had I baptized Oliver Cowdery, than the Holy Ghost fell upon him, and he stood up and prophesied many things which should shortly come to pass. And again, so soon as I had been baptized by him, I also had the spirit of prophecy, when, standing up, I prophesied concerning the rise of this Church, and many other things connected with the Church, and this generation of the children of men. We were filled with the Holy Ghost, and rejoiced in the God of our salvation.

The Melchizedek Priesthood--

This greater priesthood administereth the gospel.

++ (Doctrine and Covenants 84: 19) And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God.

++ (Doctrine and Covenants 107: 8) The Melchizedek Priesthood holds the right of presidency, and has power and authority over all the offices in the church in all ages of the world, to administer in spiritual things.

The first priesthood is the Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God.

++ (Doctrine and Covenants 107: 2-4)

2 Why the first is called the Melchizedek Priesthood is because Melchizedek was such a great high priest.

3 Before his day it was called the Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God.

4 But out of respect or reverence to the name of the Supreme Being, to avoid the too frequent repetition of his name, they, the church, in ancient days, called that priesthood after Melchizedek, or the Melchizedek Priesthood.

The Higher Priesthood was given to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery by the hands of Peter, James and John.

++ (Doctrine and Covenants 27: 12) And also with Peter, and James, and John, whom I have sent unto you, by whom I have ordained you and confirmed you to be apostles, and especial witnesses of my name, and bear the keys of your ministry and of the same things which I revealed unto them.

The rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven.

++ (Doctrine and Covenants 121: 36) That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness.
No power or influence can or ought to be maintained except by virtue of the priesthood

++ (Doctrine and Covenants 121:41) No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;

Every faithful, worthy male member of the Church may receive the priesthood.

Quoted from an official declaration June 8, 1978 by The First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints http://scriptures.lds.org/od/2

“He has heard our prayers, and by revelation has confirmed that the long-promised day has come when every faithful, worthy man in the Church may receive the holy priesthood, with power to exercise its divine authority, and enjoy with his loved ones every blessing that flows there from, including the blessings of the temple. Accordingly, all worthy male members of the Church may be ordained to the priesthood without regard for race or color. Priesthood lead ers are instructed to follow the policy of carefully interviewing all candidates for ordination to either the Aaronic or the Melchizedek Priesthood to insure that they meet the established standards for worthiness.”

Women and the Priesthood

References: mormon.org | Articles of Faith | lds.org | scriptures.lds.org