King Benjamin’s Temple Sermon—Part 3

It is easy, I think, to feel that Book of Mormon stories about the “mighty change of heart” experienced by King Benjamin’s people (Mosiah 5:2), Alma and his people (Alma 5:12-13), and Alma the Younger (Mosiah 27), do not apply to us, our families or our wards and stakes. It is even harder for many of us, myself included, to equate these experiences with our temple worship.

Painting by Jeremy Winborg*

While I always feel lifted, even changed, in my temple service, too often with the passage of time (often not very much time), I seem to be back to my “old” self—struggling with the same shortcomings.

But when we step back and look at the impact of the gospel in the lives of people we know and love (for it may be easier to judge these things in the lives of others than in ourselves), the fruits of the gospel are evident. This is what I experienced in our decade-later return visit to our Portugal mission field described in my last blog. There was a discernable light and spirit in the countenances pictured below and conversations we had in our visits with beloved fellow laborers in this part of God’s vineyard. In short, there we saw the fruits of spiritual growth.

The impact of the gospel and the temple, to me at least, is also very evident in the lives of our living prophets—especially looking in retrospect upon his passing, the sanctified lives of President and Sister(s) Nelson.

President & Sister Nelson at Rome Temple dedication ©Intellectual Reserve, Inc.

Thus, the temple setting and themes (continuing our list from my previous blog) in King Benjamin’s sermon and the impact it had on his people must have left a deep impression on the minds and hearts of both Joseph Smith as he dictated, and Oliver Cowdery as he transcribed, these chapters from the Book of Mosiah.

• Theme that as we experience the effects of the fall of Adam in our lives (from our own and others’ choices), we learn to distinguish between good and evil (D&C 105:10; 122:5-7) and the essential role of Jesus Christ to heal and redeem us from all such negative effects. “And he shall rise the third day from the dead; and behold, he standeth to judge the world;  . . . For behold, and also his blood atoneth for the sins of those who have fallen by the transgression of Adam, who have died not knowing the will of God concerning them, or who have ignorantly sinned” (Mosiah 3:10-11); Christ “shall go forth amongst men, working mighty miracles, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, causing the lame to walk, the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and curing all manner of diseases. And he shall cast out devils, or the evil spirits which dwell in the hearts of the children of men. And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people” (Mosiah 3:5-7);

  
  

  “The law of Moses availeth nothing except it were through the atonement of his blood” (Mosiah 3:15); “for behold, as in Adam, or by nature, [men] fall, even so the blood of Christ atoneth for their sins” (Mosiah 3:16); “And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent” (Mosiah 3:17); “men drink damnation to their own souls except they humble themselves and become as little children, and believe that salvation was, and is, and is to come, in and through the atoning blood of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent” (Mosiah 3:18);

  
  

  “For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him” (Mosiah 3:19). Then this unprecedented picture of what it looks like to receive Christ's atonement: “O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mosiah 4:2); then “the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come” (Mosiah 4:3);

• Theme of repentance, which is at the heart of the Law of Sacrifice (Moses 4:6-8; 3 Nephi 9:20),[1] referred to above and further taught in the King's sermon, for example, “if that man repenteth not, and remaineth and dieth an enemy to God” (Mosiah 2:38); “none shall be found blameless before God . . . only through repentance and faith on the name of the Lord God Omnipotent” (Mosiah 3:21); “And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you” (Mosiah 4:10); “whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever” (Mosiah 4:18, 22).

  
  

• Theme of man’s apostasy and God’s continuous efforts to restore His gospel through prophets and apostles, such as “Yet the Lord God saw that his people were a stiffnecked people” (Mosiah 3:14); “the Lord . . . hath sent me [the angel] to declare unto thee that thou mayest rejoice; and that thou mayest declare unto thy people, that they may also be filled with joy” (Mosiah 3:4); “the Lord God hath sent his holy prophets among all the children of men, to declare these things to every kindred, nation, and tongue” (Mosiah 3:13); “the time shall come when the knowledge of the Savior shall spread throughout every nation, kindred, tongue, and people” (Mosiah 3:20).

  
  

• Theme of consecration, including the necessity of “impart[ing] of the substance that [his people had] one to another” (Mosiah 4:21). Benjamin’s teachings about how we retain “a remission of [our] sins from day to day” is a great reminder of the importance of the laws of tithing and the fast, and even our assignments as ministering brothers and sisters—all elements of the Law of Consecration: “And now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto you—that is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants” (Mosiah 4:26).

  
  

• Theme of “sealing.” At the conclusion of his sermon, King Benjamin prays that his people would “be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, that Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his, that you may be brought to heaven, that ye may have everlasting salvation and eternal life” (Mosiah 5:15). Sister Thomas compares the profound spiritual rebirth King Benjamin’s people experienced, having “no more disposition to do evil (Mosiah 5:2), with the apostle John’s description of the ultimate promise of the temple: “‘Whosoever is born of God doth not continue in sin; for the Spirit of God remaineth in him; and he cannot continue in sin, because he is born of God, having received that holy Spirit of promise’ (1 John 3:9 JST, emphasis added). This verse suggests that spiritual rebirth at a certain level is associated also with receiving the Holy Spirit of Promise or having one’s calling and election made sure.”[2]

Whether any of those present on this occasion experienced this supernal blessing, we do not know. Clearly, however, as Miller points out, the purpose of King Benjamin’s ministry and sermon, and our endowments and sealings, is to bring us again “to heaven” and to receive “eternal life.”[3]

The Law of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in King Benjamin’s sermon. The foregoing excerpts, indeed, the entirety of Mosiah 2-6, demonstrate that King Benjamin clearly and emphatically taught the ”doctrine of Christ” (2 Nephi 31:2, 21; 32:6; Jacob 7:2,6; 3 Nephi 2:2; D&C 68:25) and administered the “Law of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” This means, as that term is defined in the General Handbook (27.2), that he taught them to (i) exercise faith in Jesus Christ; (ii) repent; (iii) make covenants with God by receiving the ordinances of salvation (and possibly of exaltation); (iv) endure to the end by keeping covenants; and (v) strive to live the two great commandments, to “‘love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind’ and to ‘love thy neighbor as thyself’ (Matthew 22:37, 39).”

King Benjamin does not explicitly mention, in connection with his teachings about the gospel of Jesus Christ, the ordinances of baptism or confirmation, or the importance or relationship of these ordinances to the rituals he presided over during his sermon. This is not surprising. By comparison, in temples today, the words “baptism,” “baptize,” “confirm” and “Holy Ghost” only arise in temple ceremonies in connection with the ordinances of proxy baptisms and confirmations for the dead, which ordinances were not administered until after Christ’s resurrection.

As the keeper of the “plates of Nephi” (Mosiah 1:16) and the presiding high priest, however, Benjamin no doubt during his ministry would have followed Nephi’s example in not only teaching about baptism and confirmation (1 Nephi 10:10; 11:27; 20:1; 31:13; 2 Nephi 9:23-24; 31:6-18; 33:9; Jacob 6:11), but administering, or overseeing the administration, of these ordinances as part of “the judgments, and the statutes, and the commandments of the Lord [he taught his people to keep and his people in fact kept] in all things, according to the law of Moses” (2 Ne. 5:10; see also D&C 84:27). The priests and teachers Nephi (and Benjamin in his day) ordained to the “holy order,” meaning the Melchizedek Priesthood (see Alma 4:20; 13:1, 7, 14), such as Nephi’s younger brothers Jacob and Joseph (2 Nephi 5:26; 6:2), would also have overseen the administration of these ordinances.[4]

As Catherine Thomas explained, when they came to the temple, “Benjamin's people were not spiritually ignorant; they were not hearing about the Lord Jesus Christ for the first time. The record states clearly that they were ‘a diligent people in keeping the commandments of the Lord’ (Mosiah 1:11); it states that there were not any among them, except little children, who had not been taught ‘concerning the . . . prophecies which have been spoken by the holy prophets’ and all that the Lord commanded their fathers to speak” (Mosiah 2:34; see 2:35). Having thus been “taught the gospel,” Thomas concludes, they would have been “previously baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.”[5]

Thus, they came to the temple, Thomas concludes, “with some preparation for and in some anticipation of” something more than baptism. “They came to the temple, in part, to give thanks to God for their King “who had taught them to keep the commandments of God, that they might rejoice and be filled with love towards God and all men” (Mosiah 2:4). These phrases “seem to have a technical meaning in scripture,” Thomas notes. They were used by other Book of Mormon prophets to teach the principle of “being born again” (see Helaman 5:44-45; 3 Nephi 19:13; Moroni 7:48).[6] This blessing, which the people sought and for which King Benjamin had prayed, was granted.

This begs the question, how does the doctrine of being “born again” or “born of [God] (Mosiah 5:7; see also Mosiah 27:25; Alma 5:49, 7:14) or the “mighty change” of heart (Mosiah 5:2) or becoming “sons and daughters” of God (Mosiah 5:7) relate not just to the ordinances of baptism, confirmation and the sacrament, but to the ordinances of the temple?

Spiritual rebirth and the temple covenants and new name administered by King Benjamin. In response to the King’s inquiry whether “they believed” and would obey the “words which he had spoken unto them,” the people in essence “with one voice” cried “Yes!” “We are willing to enter into a covenant with our God to do his will, and to be obedient to his commandments in all things that he shall command” (Mosiah 5:2). After this acclamatio, or ritual expression of ascent, the King, confirming that they had “spoken the words” of the covenant required by the ceremony (Mosiah 5:2),[7] gave them a new “name,” the name of Christ.

In the ordinance of baptism, Nephi taught, we witness “unto the Father that [we] are willing to take upon [us] the name of Christ” (2 Nephi 31:13). As we renew our baptismal covenant in the sacrament, we again “witness” that we “are willing to take upon [us] the name of Jesus Christ” (D&C 20:37, 77). “It is significant,” President Dallin H. Oaks taught, “that . . . we do not witness that we take upon us the name of Jesus Christ. We witness that we are willing to do so. (Doctrine and Covenants 20:77 [see also Moroni 4:3].) The fact that we only witness to our willingness suggests that something else must happen before we actually take that sacred name upon us.”

President Oaks explained that our covenant to be willing to take upon us the name of Christ in these ordinances should “be understood as willingness to take upon us the authority of Jesus Christ [in and through the ordinances of the temple]. According to this meaning, by [being baptized and] partaking of the sacrament we witness our willingness to participate in the sacred ordinances of the temple and to receive the highest blessings available through the name and by the authority of the Savior when he chooses to confer them upon us”—meaning, ultimately, eternal life.[8]

What does it mean to take upon us the “authority of the Savior” in the temple? Articles and even whole volumes have been written on this subject.[9] Perhaps President Oaks’s answer is sufficient for present purposes: “Those who exercise faith in the sacred name of Jesus Christ and repent of their sins and enter into his covenant and keep his commandments (see Mosiah 5:8) can lay claim on the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.” What does Christ, through His atonement, make possible? Not just justification—being “pardoned from punishment for sin and declared guiltless”—but sanctification, “the process of becoming free from sin, pure, clean and holy . . . (Moses 6:59–60).”[10] These blessings, to be cleansed from sin and purified (to have no more “disposition” or desire to sin (Mosiah 5:2)) are what the Lord referred to as being “endowed [in and through temple ordinances] with power from on high” (D&C 38:32, 38; 43:16; 105:11).

And now, “because of the [temple] covenant” which they had made, King Benjamin told them, “ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name” (Mosiah 5:7). Miller observes that this element of the ordinance, receiving a new name,[11]

Constitutes an “unmistakable citation of the royal rebirth formula” wherein a new king was told, “Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee” (Psalm 2:7). Thus, “the enthronement of the king was linked to new birth.” By declaring his people to be spiritually begotten as sons and daughters of Christ on the day of Mosiah₂’s enthronement, Benjamin was emphasizing the potential for all of his people to become spiritual kings and queens, or what Peter called “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a peculiar people” (1 Peter 2:9; see also Exodus 19:5– 6; Deuteronomy 14:2).[12]

The Lord would later reveal to the Prophet Joseph Smith that “all those who are begotten through me are partakers of the glory of the same, and are the church of the Firstborn” (D&C 93:22). “The Prophet Joseph taught that ‘being born again comes by the Spirit of God through ordinances,’”[13] including, we should add, temple ordinances. The Lord explained it this way: “In the ordinances [of the greater priesthood], the power of godliness is manifest. And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh” (D&C 84:19). In Mosiah 2-6, we have one of the most powerful descriptions of what it means and looks like to receive “the power of godliness.” The ultimate expression of this power, the Lord declares, is only obtained through the ordinances of his holy house.

Did the Nephites have the “fulness of the gospel”? To the “very popular argument” that says, “‘Look, you say the Book of Mormon contains the fullness of the gospel, but it doesn’t contain any of the temple ordinances in it, does it?’” Brother Nibley gave the following thoughtful response:

Ordinances are not the fullness of the gospel. Going to the temple is like entering into a laboratory to confirm what you have already learned in the classroom and from the text. The fullness of the gospel is the understanding of what the plan is all about—the knowledge necessary to salvation. You know the whys and wherefores; for the fullness of the gospel you go to Nephi, to Alma, to Moroni. Then you will enter into the lab, but not in total ignorance. The ordinances are mere forms. They do not exalt us; they merely prepare us to be ready in case we ever become eligible.[14]

In other words, the temple, to use Nibley’s analogy, is like a laboratory to “confirm,” or show us how, through making and keeping temple covenants, to apply the gospel in our selves, our homes, our wards and in our communities. The temple experience of King Benjam’s people shows us what this process looks like. Understanding the ancient temple patterns associated with their experience adds to our appreciation of President Nelson’s powerful temple teaching that the Lord gave “Adam and Eve, Noah and his wife, Abraham and Sarah, Lehi and Sariah, and all other devoted disciples of Jesus Christ—since the world was created [which would include King Benjamin and his people]. . . the same covenants with God. They have received the same ordinances that we as members of the Lord’s restored Church today have [received and] made: those covenants that we receive at baptism and in the temple.”[15]

*https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/imgs/4ab9ea0f781a6c3649f807bb2963b8b976e4c5c2/full/%21500%2C/0/default.

[1] See Fluckiger, chapter 7, “The Spiritual Treasure of Sacrifice or Daily Repentance.”

[2] Thomas, “Benjamin and the Mysteries of God,” in King Benjamin’s Speech: “That Ye May Learn Wisdom”. See also Fluckiger, 283-87 (chapter 19: “The Temple’s Ultimate Promise and Spiritual Treasure: Beholding the Faces of the Father and the Son”—What Does It Mean to Have Our “Calling and Election Made Sure” or to Receive the “More Sure Word of Prophecy”?).

[3] Miller, “King Benjamin’s Sermon as a Type of Temple Endowment,” 21. Miller also points out that “Hebrew seals from before the Babylonian exile . . . contain a formulaic inscription reading ‘belonging to,’ followed by the owner’s name.” Similarly, on the Day of Atonement the high priest wore a gold head plate on which was engraved (as on a seal) the name of the Lord denoting in Hebrew that he “belonged to the Lord.” Benjamin’s desire was that his people, who were “created of the dust of the earth” (Mosiah 2:25), “like the ancient seals made from ‘a blob of clay,’. . . could be stamped with ‘the name of Christ’ (Mosiah 5:8) to ‘seal [them] his’ (v. 15).” [4] Doctrines of the Gospel Teacher Manual: Religion 430 and 431, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Salt Lake City, Utah (1987, 2000), “Chapter 15: The Covenant of Baptism”, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/doctrines-of-the-gospel/chapter-15?lang=eng (“all gospel dispensations in the history of mankind have practiced the first four principles and ordinances of the gospel”). This, of course, would include the ordinance of confirmation, a Melchizedek Priesthood ordinance. [5] Thomas, “Benjamin and the Mysteries of God,” in King Benjamin’s Speech Made Simple, 206.

[6] Ibid. 207. [7] Miller notes that “an initial reading of the text might give the impression that this lengthy, unified response from the gathered assembly was delivered spontaneously and extemporaneously. However, as others have noted, it appears that these words may have been formulated in advance and repeated by the assembly. If so, King Benjamin probably prepared the wording of the covenant and distributed it when he ‘sent among’ his people to find out ‘if they believed his words’ (v. 1), since he affirmed, ‘ye have spoken the words that I desired’ (v. 6).” Miller, “King Benjamin’s Sermon as a Type of Temple Endowment,” 17. See Nibley, Approaching the Book of Mormon, 300. [8] Dallin H. Oaks, “Taking upon Us the Name of Jesus Christ,” Ensign, May1985, 81, as quoted in Fluckiger, 143. [9] Another way in which we take upon us the “name” or “authority” of Jesus Christ in the temple is in the clothing portion of the initiatory ordinances of the endowment. The Church Handbook (27.2) states that the garment of the holy priesthood “is a sacred symbol of Jesus Christ.” Thus, as we put on the garment each day, we literally “put . . . on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 13:14; Galatians 3:27) in a sacred, symbolic sense. President Russell M. Nelson taught: “Your [temple] garment is symbolic of the veil [of the temple]; the veil is symbolic of the Lord Jesus Christ [see Hebrews 10:19–20]. So when you put on your garment, you may feel that you are truly putting upon yourself the very sacred symbol of the Lord Jesus Christ—His life, His ministry, and His mission, which was to atone for every daughter and son of God.” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Russell M. Nelson, “Chapter 13: The Holy Temple—the House of the Lord,” quoted from “Enter into Thy Closet” (address given at the seminar for new mission leaders, June 26, 2022, unpublished), https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/teachings-of-presidents-of-the-church-russell-m-nelson/13-the-holy-temple?lang=eng#p_zFpyl. See also John Hilton III, “Your First Temple Visit: A Practical Guide,” https://johnhiltoniii.com/preparing-for-your-temple-endowment/ (time marker 5:39-7:50).

Sister J. Anette Dennis explained in General Conference, “when Adam and Eve partook of the fruit and had to leave the Garden of Eden, they were given coats of skins as a covering for them. It is likely that an animal was sacrificed to make those coats of skins—symbolic of the Savior’s own sacrifice for us. Kaphar is the basic Hebrew word for atonement, and one of its meanings is ‘to cover.’ Our temple garment reminds us that the Savior and the blessings of His Atonement cover us throughout our lives. As we put on the garment of the holy priesthood each day, that beautiful symbol becomes a part of us.” The garment of the holy priesthood, she added, not only reminds us of the Savior, but wearing it willingly and correctly as we covenant to do in the temple “becomes [our] symbol to [the Savior]” about how we feel about the covenants we have made with Him and the treasures He offers us through the ordinances of His holy house. “It is my own personal sign to God, not a sign to others.” Hence, the Handbook directive to wear the garment “beneath the outer clothing.” (“Put Ye On the Lord Jesus Christ,” Ensign, May 2024”.) In other words, as explained in our temple recommend interview, wearing the garment “is an outward expression of your inner commitment to follow” Jesus Christ. See Scott Taylor, “Emphasizing covenants, First Presidency updates temple recommend interview questions, shares statement on the wearing of the temple garment,” Church News, April 14, 2024, https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders/2024/04/14/first-presidency-letter-garmet-of-the-holy-priesthood-temple-recommend-statement/. [10] Guide to the Scriptures, as quoted in Fluckiger, 115-16 nn.11 & 12. [11] Regarding the new name ceremony in today’s LDS endowment, see generally Fluckiger, “Chapter 11 The Spiritual Treasure of Being Given and Called by Sacred Names.” [12] Miller, “King Benjamin’s Sermon as a Type of Temple Endowment,” 17, quoting Matthew L. Bowen, “Onomastic Wordplay on Joseph and Benjamin and Gezera Shawa in the Book of Mormon,” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 18 (2016), 265, https://journal.interpreterfoundation.org/onomastic-wordplay-on-joseph-and-benjamin-and-gezera-shawa-in-the-book-of-mormon/. See also Matthew L. Bowen, “Becoming Sons and Daughters at God’s Right Hand: King Benjamin’s Rhetorical Wordplay on His Own Name,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 21, no. 2 (2012): 6–7, https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1502&context=jbms.  [13] Thomas, “Benjamin and the Mysteries of God,” in King Benjamin's Speech: “That Ye May Learn Wisdom.” [14] Hugh Nibley, Temple and Cosmos, The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, vol. 12 (Salt Lake City and Provo, UT: Deseret Book and FARMS, 1992), accessed online at http://mi.byu.edu/.

https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/sites/default/files/archive-files/pdf/book-mormon-central-staff/2017-05-05/knowhy_309.pdf, as quoted in Scripture Central, “What does the Book of Mormon teach about the temple?” [15] Nelson, “Come, Follow Me.”