How Can We Become One?

My Come Follow Me studies for this week took me to Doctrine and Covenants 37-40 in a lesson titled “If Ye Are Not One Ye Are Not Mine.” The lesson was introduced by the following information.

To the early Saints, the Church was more than a place to hear some preaching on Sunday. The revelations used words like cause, kingdom, Zion, and, quite often, work. That may have been part of what attracted people to the restored Church. As much as they loved the doctrine, many also wanted something holy they could dedicate their lives to. Even so, obeying the Lord’s 1830 command to gather in Ohio was not easy. For many, it meant leaving comfortable homes for an unfamiliar frontier (see “Voices of the Restoration: Gathering to Ohio”). Today we can see clearly what those Saints could see only with the eye of faith: the Lord had great blessings waiting for them in Ohio.

The need to gather to Ohio has long since passed, but Saints today still unite around the same cause: to “bring forth Zion” (Doctrine and Covenants 39:13). Like those early Saints, we are invited to forsake “the cares of the world” (Doctrine and Covenants 40:2) and trust the Lord’s promise: “You shall receive … a blessing so great as you never have known” (Doctrine and Covenants 39:10). See also Saints, 1:109-11.

The scripture block for this week contained numerous principles including the following ones: (1) God gathers us to bless us (Doctrine and Covenants 37-38), (2) “Hear my voice and follow me” (Doctrine and Covenants 38:22), (3) If I am prepared, I don’t need to be afraid (Doctrine and Covenants 38:30), (4) God wants us to “be one” (Doctrine and Covenants 38:24-27), and (5) Heavenly Father wants to give me the riches of eternity (Doctrine and Covenants 38:39; 39-40).

This essay will discuss principle #4: God wants us to “be one” (Doctrine and Covenants 38:24-27). We will first look at the scripture block.

24 And let every man esteem his brother as himself, and practice virtue and holiness before me.

25 And again I say unto you, let every man esteem his brother as himself.

26 For what man among you having twelve sons, and is no respecter of them, and they serve him obediently, and he saith unto the one: Be thou clothed in robes and sit thou here; and to the other: Be thou clothed in rags and sit thou there—and looketh upon his sons and saith I am just?

27 Behold, this I have given unto you as a parable, and it is even as I am. I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine. (Emphasis added.)

The Saints who gathered in Ohio came from a variety of circumstances, just as members of the Church of Jesus Christ do today. There are members of the Church who are billionaires and millionaires, and there are members of the Church who do not have housing or know where their next meal is coming from. The Lord is aware of our individual circumstances, but He also commands His people to “be one” (verse 27). This means that we need to be united in order to be God’s people. The following scripture verse comes to my mind when I consider the need for unity:

18 And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them (Moses 7:18).

How can we accomplish this kind of unity? Why do we need to be united in order to be God’s people? In his October 2021 General Conference address titled “The Peace of Christ Abolishes Enmity” (Liahona, Nov. 2021, 83-85),  Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said the following: 

The [Covid-19] pandemic is also a spiritual stress test for the Savior’s Church and its members. The results are likewise mixed. Our lives have been blessed by ministering in a “higher and holier way,” the Come, Follow Me curriculum, and home-centered, Church-supported gospel learning. Many have provided compassionate help and comfort during these difficult times and continue to do so.

Yet, in some instances, the spiritual stress test has shown tendencies toward contention and divisiveness. This suggests that we have work to do to change our hearts and to become unified as the Savior’s true disciples. This is not a new challenge, but it is a critical one.

When the Savior visited the Nephites, He taught, “There shall be no disputations among you…. He that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.” Then we contend with each other in anger, Satan laughs and the God of heaven weeps. Satan laughs and God weeps for at least two reasons. First, contention weakens our collective witness to the world of Jesus Christ and the redemption that comes through His “merits, … mercy, and grace.” … Second, contention is spiritually unhealthy for us as individuals. We are robbed of peace, joy, and rest, and our ability to feel the Spirit is compromised….

Even former enemies can become united in their discipleship of the Savior. In 2006, I attended the dedication of the Helsinki Finland Temple to honor my father and grandparents, who had been early converts to the Church in Finland. At the time, the temple district would encompass Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, and Russia.

At the dedication, I learned something surprising. The first day of general operation had been set aside for Russian members to perform temple ordinances. It is difficult to explain just how astonishing this was. Russia and Finland had fought many wars over the centuries. My father distrusted and disliked not only Russia but all Russians. He had expressed such feelings passionately, and his feelings were typical of Finnish enmity toward Russia. He had memorized epic poems that chronicled 19^th-century warfare between Finns and Russians. His experiences during World War II, when Finland and Russia were again antagonists, did nothing to change his opinions.

A year before the dedication of the Helsinki Finland Temple, the temple committee, consisting exclusively of Finnish members, met to discuss plans for the dedication. During the meeting, someone observed that Russian Saints would be traveling several days to attend the dedication and might hope to receive their temple blessings before returning home. The committee chairman, Brother Sven Eklund, suggested that the Finns could wait a little longer, that Russians could be the first members to perform temple ordinances in the temple. All committee members agreed. Faithful Latter-day Saint Finns delayed their temple blessings to accommodate Russian Saints.

The Area President who was present at that temple committee meeting, Elder Dennis B. Neuenschwander, later wrote: “I have never been prouder of the Finns than I was at this moment. Finland’s difficult history with its eastern neighbor … and their excitement of finally having [a temple] constructed on their own soil were put aside. Permitting the Russians to enter the temple first [was] a statement of love and sacrifice.”

When I reported this kindness to my father, his heart melted and he wept, a very rare occurrence for that stoic Finn. From that time until his death three years later, he never expressed another negative sentiment about Russia. Inspired by the example of his fellow Finns, my father chose to place his discipleship of Jesus Christ above all other considerations. The Finns were no less Finnish; the Russians were no less Russian; neither group abandoned their culture, history, or experiences to banish enmity. They did not need to. Instead, they chose to make their discipleship of Jesus Christ their primary consideration.

If they can do it, so can we. We can bring our heritage, culture, and experiences to the Church of Jesus Christ. Samuel did not shy away from his heritage as a Lamanite, nor did Mormon shy away from his as a Nephite. But each put his discipleship of the Savior first.

If we are not one, we are not His. My invitation is to be valiant in putting our love of God and discipleship of the Savior above all other considerations. Let us uphold the covenant inherent in our discipleship – the covenant to be one.