Ge
neral Conference, ‘The Keys and Authority of the Priesthood,’ April 2014; “Latter-day Saints surely recognize that qualifying for exaltation is not a matter of asserting rights, but a matter of fulfilling responsibilities.” – Dallin H Oaks
Matthew 5:33-37; “Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: 34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: 35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. 36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. 37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.”
If Jesus told us not to take oaths then what responsibility are they talking about here?
Leaders of the Church like to use flowery words that have no meaning or place in the Christian life. The one responsibility we have for sure is to confess Jesus as Lord just as Paul told us in Romans 10:9.
You’ll notice how Mr. Oaks didn’t refer to the Bible even once during his speech. He referred to many past and present leaders of the Church to back up his claim that Mormons are the only authorized reps of the gospel. Shockingly, nary a word about Jesus’ role or God’s word came from this man’s lips.
Our responsibility as far as the priesthood is concerned is to honor the fact that Jesus is the ONLY person that holds the office of the Melchizedek Priesthood. It doesn’t belong to anyone else, nor is it passed down by swearing an oath to a foreign god.
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