Formulas, laws, and blessings.

The Pythagorean Theorem

Formulas are tidy little arrangements of variables where, for example, to get "c" you must insert "a" and "b" no matter the time or place. Regardless of c's feelings concerning a or b, and despite a's concern at b's uncaring attitude toward c after b didn't invite c to the party, etc. Formulas are dependable. As long as you use the right formula in the right situations they will provide you with needed information.

Formulas are extremely helpful in many disciplines of study. But what about the gospel?

The application of the gospel is not one-size-fits-all. Every person is so drastically different and every situation is unique. Many gospel principles are left to the individual for interpretation and application. This is a huge, and somewhat controversial, topic for another day. But the point I am establishing is that the gospel in its application is not formulaic. But blessings are.

“There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated— And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.” D&C 130:20-21

Lets be honest, many of you probably read the first four words of that scripture, skimmed the rest, and skipped to this paragraph. I know I would have. But lets take a look at these verses in a little more detail.

"There is a law" - It doesn't say laws it says law. Singular. But then how are we to reconcile this with the fact that there are many laws in the scriptures. Just look at the ten commandments! There's ten right there and those certainly aren't all of them!

 The key is in the word law. In the modern English language the word law has become synonymous with the word rule or commandment; lists of things we're not supposed to do. But in the scriptures two specific laws are referenced. The Law of Moses and the Higher Law of Christ. These laws are titles for greater and more encompassing sets of commandments. A modern equivalent might be "law of the land" which refers to all of the governing laws of the country and states. So the word law as used in this verse is more akin to saying the "Law of God" or the entire set of rules and commandments established by God.

"irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world" - It's obvious that this "Law of God" was established in heaven long before the world upon which we now live had even begun to come into being. Meaning that all of us, being in attendance at the great Pre-Mortal council, were instructed in this Law and had knowledge of it before our coming to earth.

"upon which all blessings are predicated" - Predicated means "based on" or "derived." So all blessings, let me say that again "all blessings", still didn't get it? "all blessings (think about that for a second), which we can possibly receive are based on/derived from the Law of God. Now, deriving blessings from a set of sub-laws or commandments implies that there is specificity. Individual blessings are tied "irrevocably" to individual sub-laws. There are many facets to this concept. Some blessings are tied to multiple laws and some laws to multiple blessings, but, again, more topics for another time. The point here is to establish that specific blessings are tied to specific commandments.

"And when we obtain any blessing from God it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated." - "ANY blessing" (comprehend that yet?) that we receive comes to us because of our obedience to some part of the Law of God.

Now hold on, some might say, what about those people who blatantly disregard the commandments of God, but instead of being "blessingless" they are born into great riches or acquire fame and fortune? All the while trampling the principles of righteousness? How is this reconciled?

In my own personal opinion there is contained within the Law of God the promised blessing of a perfectly equal testing for all of God's children who accept the Plan of Happiness and come to this mortal life. All mortal men and women on this earth accepted God's Plan and accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. Therefore, each and every one of us are entitled to equal testing in this life. God knows us more perfectly than we know ourselves and He distributes things such as wealth, beauty, and talents in such a manner as to give each of us that perfectly equal test. What some might see as the blessing of wealth, might actually be Gods test of a person's humility.

So,

The blessings we can receive are indeed formulaic though the gospel is not. When we obey a commandment of the Law of God we obtain the blessing which is predicated upon it. For "I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise." (D&C 82:10)
(It is also important to remember that the timing and the manner of fulfilment for these blessings will not always correspond with our personal timetables and desires.)

This is the basis for my study of the commandments and blessings found in the scriptures.

May you all find many blessings in your lives.

Andrew

I'd love to hear thoughts and different opinions. Feel free to comment and share!


(Looking for the full list of Commandments and Blessings of the Doctrine and Covenants? Click here!)