Letter 7-27-09

Dear Family,

Well this last week there were no hang-ups with the baptism. Michael Blakeley was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We confirmed him yesterday. He will be a great addition to the Eastland Branch, which has been starving for priesthood holders. The cool thing was that his wife Melody was there to support him both on Sunday and on Saturday. I don’t think she was ever against the church, we just always went over and because Michael loves talking, I believe that she got the impression that we were there for him and not for her and always managed to dodge us. I believe that now that the spotlight in a sense is off Michael that she will follow his example and want to talk with the missionaries. Good things lie in store for this area.

So I had a weird question that was on my mind that almost disturbed me. Maybe scared is a better word, but you get the point. I remembered that everyone who enters into a degree of glory will have their sins forgiven. God is a loving God and will save as many of his creations as possible. Even those who enter into the Telestial Kingdom will have their sins forgiven eventually, after they suffer the penalty of their sins in spirit prison and later accept Jesus as their savior. With that said, I was reading through the Oath and Covenant of the priesthood in D&C 84 and I came across the scripture that said that those who break this oath shall not have forgiveness of their sins in this life or in the next. Whoa. If it says in one revelation that upon entering into a degree of glory your sins are forgiven and in this one that if you break the oath and covenant you will not receive forgiveness in this life, does that mean that those who break the oath and covenant will become sons of perdition? I didn’t find a definite answer, so I planned on asking it in email, but on Saturday we had to go fill up the font and that took a while, so we had a lot of extra time alone at the church. Well, I decided to dive into the church library to find an answer and I got it from a guy who I have decided is the smartest man in the history of the church. Joseph Fielding Smith. Doctrines of Salvation. If you haven’t read those three volumes, I’d highly suggest it. I plan on it when I get home. He talks about every point of doctrine, whether deep or shallow and simplifies it, making it very easy to understand. He talked a lot about the oath and the covenant and spent a considerable amount of time on my specific question. I felt like he was talking right to me. He said very clearly, with emphasis marked, that that scripture that stumped me does NOT mean we will become sons of perdition. It means that if we break the oath and covenant and don’t repent in this life, then we will not be able to regain that priesthood and gain a fullness of exaltation, but for everything else, we will be forgiven. That made perfect sense to me, so I thought I’d share.

But anyways, I am signing off for this week. Interesting things will happen this week in a few different matters, so make sure you stay tuned next week. Peace out All!!!


Elder Adam R Droge
The DrogeMiester