President Henry B. Eyring on finding strengths instead of faults in others

President Henry B. Eyring (born May 31, 1933) served in the Presiding Bishopric from 1985-1992, as a Seventy from 1992-1995, then was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles. He has served in the First Presidency since 2007.

"It has always been hard to recognize in fallible human beings the authorized servants of God. Paul must have seemed an ordinary man to many. Joseph Smith’s cheerful disposition was seen by some as not fitting their expectations for a prophet of God.

"Satan will always work on the Saints of God to undermine their faith in priesthood keys. One way he does it is to point out the humanity of those who hold them. He can in that way weaken our testimony and so cut us loose from the line of keys by which the Lord ties us to Him and can take us and our families home to Him and to our Heavenly Father....

"The warning for us is plain. If we look for human frailty in humans, we will always find it. When we focus on finding the frailties of those who hold priesthood keys, we run risks for ourselves. When we speak or write to others of such frailties, we put them at risk.

"We live in a world where finding fault in others seems to be the favorite blood sport. It has long been the basis of political campaign strategy. It is the theme of much television programming across the world. It sells newspapers. Whenever we meet anyone, our first, almost unconscious reaction may be to look for imperfections.

"To keep ourselves grounded in the Lord’s Church, we can and must train our eyes to recognize the power of the Lord in the service of those He has called. We must be worthy of the companionship of the Holy Ghost. And we need to pray for the Holy Ghost to help us know that men who lead us hold this power. For me, such prayers are most often answered when I am fully engaged in the Lord’s service myself."

- Henry B. Eyring, "Faith and Keys," General Conference, October 2004
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Can imperfect people still be instruments in the hands of God? Do "fallible human beings" have callings to serve, even in significant leadership roles? The answer is most certainly yes. But as President Eyring points out, the Adversary uses this fact to undermine our faith in the Lord's Church and its leadership as we sometimes see "the humanity" of those who hold priesthood keys.

The critical skill we must develop is the ability to distinguish between the person and the position. God has only imperfect men and women to work with and through in this life; we all fall short in some way. But in spite of that, He is able to use whatever efforts we offer Him to bring to pass much good. In spite of the mud-slinging tendency of the world, we must never forget that a perfect God may still work His perfect plan using imperfect people.

So it's critical for us to learn to look for the signs of God's power being manifest, regardless of who currently and temporarily holds the keys to direct the work. It is our responsibility to be worthy of the Holy Ghost, who will help us to see God's hand in the actions of others.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2017)

Elder Dallin H. Oaks on priesthood authority for men and women

Elder Dallin H. Oaks (b. August 12, 1932) served as president of BYU from 1971-1980.  He was then appointed as a justice of the Utah Supreme Court, and resigned when he was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 1984.

"While addressing a women's conference, Relief Society general president Linda K. Burton said, 'We hope to instill within each of us a greater desire to better understand the priesthood' (BYU Women’s Conference, May 3, 2013). That need applies to all of us...

"President Joseph F. Smith described the priesthood as 'the power of God delegated to man by which man can act in the earth for the salvation of the human family' (Gospel Doctrine p. 139). Other leaders have taught us that the priesthood 'is the consummate power on this earth. It is the power by which the earth was created' (Boyd K. Packer, “Priesthood Power in the Home,” worldwide leadership training meeting, Feb. 2012)....

"We are not accustomed to speaking of women having the authority of the priesthood in their Church callings, but what other authority can it be? When a woman—young or old—is set apart to preach the gospel as a full-time missionary, she is given priesthood authority to perform a priesthood function. The same is true when a woman is set apart to function as an officer or teacher in a Church organization under the direction of one who holds the keys of the priesthood. Whoever functions in an office or calling received from one who holds priesthood keys exercises priesthood authority in performing her or his assigned duties.

"Whoever exercises priesthood authority should forget about their rights and concentrate on their responsibilities. That is a principle needed in society at large. The famous Russian writer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn is quoted as saying, 'It is time... to defend not so much human rights as human obligations' (“A World Split Apart,” commencement address, Harvard University, June 8, 1978). Latter-day Saints surely recognize that qualifying for exaltation is not a matter of asserting rights but a matter of fulfilling responsibilities."

- Dallin H. Oaks, "The Keys and Authority of the Priesthood," Ensign, May 2014, pp. 49-52
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This was a very interesting talk by Elder Oaks, as he considered the authority and keys of the priesthood as they relate to all members of the Church. We should all have that "greater desire to better understand the priesthood" described by Sister Burton, and this excerpt gives some excellent material to ponder.

While we often discuss the priesthood as being the power delegated to man to act for the salvation of others, we don't understand the ways in which that "man" is perhaps used in a generic sense and not in a gender-specific way. Elder Oaks helps us understand what it means to act with priesthood authority:

This is a wonderful description of how priesthood authority blesses us all as we function in that authority in our Church service.

The additional key point Elder Oaks shares is the distinction between rights and responsibilities. Sometimes we get so caught up in wanting to clarify and claim our rights, that we forget the obligation and blessing of just focusing on our responsibilities.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2017)

Gary E. Stevenson on the importance of priesthood keys

Elder Gary E. Stevenson (b. 1955) was called as a Seventy in 2008, then as Presiding Bishop in 2012. He was called as a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in October 2015..

"My heart is filled with overwhelming gratitude for the restoration of priesthood authority and priesthood keys. Without this restoration, we would be locked out from the vehicle necessary to transport us on our journey home to loving heavenly parents. The performance of every ordinance of salvation comprising our covenant pathway back to the presence of our Father in Heaven requires appropriate governance through priesthood keys....

"The priesthood, or priesthood authority, has been defined as 'the power and authority of God' (Handbook 2: Administering the Church (2010), page 8.) and “the consummate power on this earth' (Boyd K. Packer, 'Priesthood Power in the Home.' worldwide leadership training meeting, Feb. 2012; see also James E. Faust, 'Power of the Priesthood,' Ensign, May 1997, 41–43). Priesthood keys are defined for our understanding as well: 'Priesthood keys are the authority God has given to priesthood leaders to direct, control, and govern the use of His priesthood on earth' (Handbook 2, 2.1.1). Priesthood keys control the exercise of priesthood authority. Ordinances that create a record in the Church require keys and cannot be done without authorization. Elder Dallin H. Oaks taught that 'ultimately, all keys of the priesthood are held by the Lord Jesus Christ, whose priesthood it is. He is the one who determines what keys are delegated to mortals and how those keys will be used' (Dallin H. Oaks, 'The Keys and Authority of the Priesthood,' Ensign, May 2014, 50)."

- Gary E. Stevenson, "Where Are the Keys and Authority of the Priesthood?," General Conference, April 2016, Saturday morning session
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This talk, given in the first general session of conference, was a good review of basic priesthood concepts. It might have been a talk shared in a priesthood session, but I think it was wonderful to have it shared with the general membership. I think the concept of priesthood keys continues to not be well understood in the Church; discussions like this one will be helpful.

This is a key concept: "Every ordinance of salvation" is governed and directed by priesthood keys. In other words, no priesthood holder can perform such ordinances on his own, unless authorized and directed by one who holds appropriate keys to direct the performance of those ordinances. This helps maintain order, ensures that proper records are kept, and demonstrates that authority is delegated and not "owned." Great principles!