Speaking on the power of the word of the Lord during the Church Educational System symposium Jan. 25, Jeffrey Marsh encouraged Church members to study the Doctrine and Covenants.
"This book comes to us without translation," said Brother Marsh, a faculty member at the institute adjacent to the University of Utah. "It came to meet needs. It came specifically for Latter-day Saints."He gave six suggestions that could help Church members better understand and better comprehend the teachings of the Doctrine and Covenants.
"We need to just learn to appreciate the Doctrine and Covenants more," Brother Marsh said. "Just appreciate what it really is, what it really stands for. . . . It is the handbook of the Restoration. . . . It is a voice of warning. It comes from God Almighty, our loving Father."
"We need to treasure this record more than maybe we sometimes do," Brother Marsh said.
"We need to learn how to understand it a little bit better," he said, explaining that the book is made of many different kinds of revelations. This book contains, Brother Marsh explained, revelations from God, specific answers to questions, items of instruction, letters written by the Prophet Joseph Smith, prayers, a preface and appendix dictated by the Lord Jesus Christ, and doctrinal prophecies.
"Learn more about the book," he said. Every revelation is in a historical setting. In addition to the Doctrine and Covenants, read some of the great research that has been done about it.
"Just read the Doctrine and Covenants," Brother Marsh continued, promising the audience that they will have moments of very quiet personal revelation if they will. "Do you realize there are more explanations about what the voice of the spirit is like in the Doctrine and Covenants than any other book of scripture we have," he said.
"This book will prepare us for the Second Coming," Brother Marsh concluded.
