Unraveling the Mystery of Godliness - Part 1

“To be godly” or “close to God.” It is possible to pretend to godliness (i.e., have a “form” that mimics it) without actually being close to God. In the truest sense, to be close to God is to be in His presence” (A Glossary of Gospel Terms, Godliness, second edition, p.129, emphasis added)

To be in His presence we must undergo a transformation from the attributes of the natural man to become like Him. Because:

“If a person is meek and humble in heart and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, they must have charity. Because if they don’t have charity, they’re nothing; so they must have charity. Charity is long-suffering and kind; it doesn’t envy or brag; it doesn’t insist on its own way; it isn’t easily angered; it doesn’t keep track of wrongs; it takes no pleasure in evil, but rejoices in the truth; it patiently bears all things, always believes, always hopes, and always endures. So, my dear people, if you don’t have charity, you’re nothing, since charity never fails. Therefore hold firmly to charity, which is the greatest of all. Because everything will pass away; but charity is Christ’s pure love, and it endures forever. Those who are found to possess it on the last day, it will go well with them. So, my dear people, pray earnestly to the Father so you can be filled with this love that He’s freely given to all who are true followers of His Son Jesus Christ, so you can become the sons and daughters of God, so when He appears, we’ll be like Him and we’ll see and comprehend Him, so we can have this hope, so we can be purified, just as He is pure. Amen” (C of C Moroni 7:9, emphasis added).

The purest form of godliness is to be in God’s presence. You cannot be in His presence unless you are purified “as He is pure.” The “process” by which we transform from being a natural man to the image of God is the mystery of godliness. To be godlike we must be “meek and humble.” Repentance and baptism are the precursor to becoming meek and humble.

“. . . The beginning step following repentance is baptism. And baptism comes through faith in order to fulfill the commandments; and fulfilling the commandments brings remission of sins; and the remission of sins brings meekness and a humble heart. And because of meekness and a humble heart comes the presence and gift of the Holy Ghost, and this Comforter fills with hope and perfect love, and this love endures by being diligent in prayer until the end comes, when all the holy ones will live with God . . .” (C of C Moroni 8:5, emphasis added).

In two references from the Covenant of Christ the mystery of godliness has been explained and the process defined. In two passages we’ve unraveled the mystery of godliness. Easy, peasy! All we need to know, right?

Fall break school was out of session, and my daughter texted me to meet them at the Rec center to work with them on basketball skills. Their father offered to pay them $20 for anyone who could make ten free throws in a row. You can imagine what they wanted to do. Their motivation ran counter to my daughter’s objective of teaching basic basketball skills.

When she introduced dribbling drills, they protested saying, “I already know how to dribble.” We gathered them together and explained while they knew what dribbling was, and how to do it; none of them were proficient at it. We talked about how it was necessary to develop “muscle memory” through repetition so they could take their eyes off the ball and see the court and the game. The same is true of the two verses quoted above.

Those raised in a religious Christian tradition are taught to repent and go through some form of baptism, as if the ordinance alone has power to deliver the blessings mentioned above. How effectively we repent and are baptized depends on the traditions we grow up with rather than the outcome following repentance and baptism. Go through the steps, pass “Go,” collect two hundred dollars. Receive your privileges of membership and claim the rights associated with it.

Unfortunately, producing a recommend or priesthood line of authority falls short of the attributes listed above. The measure or “fruits” of engaging in the process must produce personal attributes listed in the prior quotations. If those attributes are absent from our character, one must become self-reflective and more self-aware. All must question why they fall short in the anticipated outcome.

In effect, we know the outward steps of the process but lack sufficient knowledge and obedience to achieve the spiritual “muscle memory.” We must be transformed into seeing the “full court” and entirety of the mortal game we are engaged in. Like my grandchildren, we’re so focused on “dribbling the ball” we lack the vision and understanding necessary to achieve our spiritual transformation.

I suspect we are so focused on the outward ordinance we neglect gaining sufficient understanding of the price paid for the privileges we are offered. Basic knowledge of the Savior and what was required of Him for us to bridge the gap between us is the greatest obstacle to achieving the outcome we seek.

We have been spoon fed precious tidbits of information alluding to our Lord’s suffering. Through Joseph Smith we read:

“And in nothing does man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments. Behold, this is according to the law and the prophets. Wherefore, trouble me no more concerning this matter, but learn that he who does the works of righteousness, shall receive his reward, even peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come. I the Lord have spoken it, and the spirit bears record. Amen” (RE T&C 46:5, emphasis added).

There are only two things that kindle God’s wrath upon us. Only two! Unfortunately, we are perpetual offenders in both and deserving His wrath. We offend Him through our ignorance. Works of righteousness lead our godly transition and empowerment because,

“. . . the rights of the Priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of Heaven and the powers of Heaven cannot be controlled or handled only upon the principles of righteousness . . .” (RE T&C 139:5, emphasis added).    

Our desire for repentance and righteousness is built upon our knowledge of the Savior’s suffering and our role inflicting it upon Him. To Joseph Smith and by extension, us, the Lord said:

“Wherefore, I command you to repent and keep the commandments which you have received by the hand of my servant Joseph Smith Jr. in my name; and it is by my almighty power that you have received them. Therefore, I command you to repent, repent lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and by my anger, and your sufferings be sore — how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not. For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent. But if they would not repent, they must suffer even as I, which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit, and would that I might not drink the bitter cup and shrink. Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men. Wherefore, I command you again to repent lest I humble you by my almighty power, and that you confess your sins, lest you suffer these punishments of which I have spoken, of which in the smallest, yea, even in the least degree you have tasted at the time I withdrew my spirit” (RE T&C 1, Joseph Smith History, Part 17:5, emphasis add).

The consequences for sin are real. The justice of God requires payment for every sin committed. The Savior was without sin but willingly submitted to pay the price for our sins and deliverance from death and hell. We cannot comprehend the gravity of consequences of our sins and transgressions. The bitterness, soreness, and exquisite nature of the suffering required to pay the price for our sins. We, because of Divine Justice,[1] are required to suffer a small portion of what justice demands through remorse of conscience. Unfortunately, or possibly fortunately if it leads to repentance, that remorse may be dulled and delayed until we are exposed to the cumulative effect. In those instances, it may drive us to our knees[2] and plead with the Savior for our deliverance and relief. [3] Our ignorance of Christ and His suffering is our greatest obstacle to obtaining the promised blessings of the Atonement mentioned in Moroni 7.

In my opinion, the greatest revelatory account and understanding of Christ’s suffering in Gethsemane was given to Denver Snuffer Jr., February 26, 2005. It is the most detailed explanation of the Savior’s experience. Through it we learn how He suffered for the sinner and innocent victims of the perpetrators left to wrestle with the injustice of consequences for their undeserved afflictions. The great revelation is we all sin, and all are victims; it is essential, mandatory to obtain charity for one another. No one suffered more than Jesus and was less deserving of the extraordinary, incomprehensible afflictions He willing suffered for us. We are all sinners and victims of the sins of others. As we seek deliverance and relief from our Lord’s Atonement, God requires we extend forgiveness to those inflicting suffering on us. Like the charity or love of God Christ offers us, we must desire and offer deliverance for offenders who afflict us; if we are to obtain the same for ourselves. In this manner we become our own judges, receiving the same degree of mercy we willingly offer to those guilty and deserving punishment for sins against us. [4]

Having witnessed multiple, paired waves of suffering by the Savior, first for the sinner and then for the victim; Denver inquired of the Lord as to why there were two waves. The Lord offered the following explanation in this excerpt:

“After long inquiring into the things which he had seen, the Lord, who is patient and merciful and willing to instruct those who call upon Him, again appeared to the man on the 20th of December, 2007. He made known unto him that the waves of torment suffered by the Lord came in pairs which mirrored each other. The first of each wave poured upon the Lord those feelings, regrets, recriminations, and pains felt by those who injured their fellow man. Then followed a second wave, which mirrored the first, but imposed the pains suffered by the victims of the acts committed by those in the first wave. Instead of the pains of those who inflict hurt or harm, it was now the anger, bitterness, and resentments felt by those who suffered these wrongs.

From each wave of suffering, whether as the one afflicting or as the victim of those wrongs, the Lord would overcome the evil feelings associated with these wrongs, and find His heart again filled with peace. This was why, in the vision of the suffering of the Lord, it was in the second waves that there appeared oftentimes to be injuries to His body.

The greater difficulty in these paired waves of torment was always overcoming the suffering of the victim. With these waves the Lord learned to overcome the victims’ resentments, to forgive, and to heal both body and spirit. This was more difficult than overcoming the struggles arising from the one who committed the evil. This is because the one doing evil knows he has done wrong and feels a natural regret when he sees himself aright. The victim, however, always feels it is their right to hold resentment, to judge their persecutor, and to withhold peace and love for their fellow men. The Lord was required to overcome both so that He could succor both.

In the pairing of the waves, the first torment was of the mind and spirit, and the second was torment of mind, spirit, and body.

The Lord experienced all the horror and regret wicked men feel for their crimes when they finally see the truth. He experienced the suffering of their victims whose righteous anger and natural resentment and disappointment must also be shed, and forgiveness given, in order for them to find peace. He overcame them all. He descended below them all. He comprehends it all. And He knows how to bring peace to them all. He knows how to love others whether they are the one who has given offense or the one who is a victim of the offense.

In the final wave, the most brutal, most evil, most heinous sins men inflict upon one another were felt by Him as a victim of the worst men can do. He knew how it felt to wrongly suffer death. He knew what it was like to be a mother holding a child in her arms as they are both killed by those who delight in their suffering. He knew how it was for ambitious men to rid themselves of a rival by conspiracy and murder. He knew what it was to have virtue robbed from the innocent. He knew betrayal, treachery, and abuse in all its worst degrading horror. There was no cruelty, no offense, no evil that mankind has suffered or will suffer that was not put upon Him.

He knew what it is like for men to satisfy their ambition by clothing their hypocrisy in religious garb. He also felt what it was like to be the victim of religious oppression by those who pretend to practice virtue while oppressing others. He knew the hearts of those who would kill Him. Before confronting their condemnation of Him in the flesh, He suffered their torment of mind when they recognized He was the Lord, and then found peace for what they would do by rejecting Him. In this extremity there was madness itself as He mirrored the evil which would destroy Him, and learned how to come to peace with the Father after killing the Son of God, and to love all those involved without restraint and without pretense even before they did these terrible deeds. His suffering, therefore, encompassed all that has happened, all that did happen, and all that would happen in the future.

As a result of what the Lord suffered, there is no condition — physical, spiritual, or mental — that He does not fully understand. He knows how to teach, comfort, succor, and direct any who come to Him seeking forgiveness and peace. This is why the prophet wrote: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. [Isa. 19:2] And again: Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. [Isa. 19:2] He obtained this knowledge by the things He suffered. He suffered that we might avoid sin by being obedient to His commandments. None of us need harm another, if we will follow Him. He knows fully the consequences of sin. He teaches His followers how to avoid sin” (RE T&C 161:17-24, emphasis added).

This is not the full account of the Savior’s Atonement but enough to entice you to read the full account. Fair warning, the effect it had on me was to promptly forgive anyone who offended or persecuted me. It quickly becomes apparent that no matter how undeserving I may or may not have been at the hands of someone else, there is no justification for me to withhold forgiveness if I hope to obtain it from our Lord.

If, after reading the full account you lack meekness and humility, you are in a dark and seemingly hopeless state. Seemingly, because there is no condition in which there is no hope. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel that is not a train. Only the loving arms of our Heavenly Father, seeking to reclaim His children learning to live separate from Him so they may return to be with Him and be like Him.

[1] “Now repentance couldn’t come to people unless punishment as eternal as the life of man’s soul, was imposed opposite to the plan of happiness, also as eternal as the life of man’s soul, in balance. Now how could a person repent unless they committed sin? How could they commit sin if there wasn’t any law? How could there be a law unless there was a punishment? Now a punishment was affixed and a just law was established, which brought remorse of conscience to mankind . . .” (C of C Alma 19:5, emphasis added).

[2] “Then I fell to the ground, and I couldn’t open my mouth or use my limbs for three days and nights. And the angel said more things to me, which were heard by my companions, but I didn’t hear them. Because when I heard the words: End your efforts to destroy the congregation, unless you want to be destroyed! I was struck with such great fear and amazement thinking I might be destroyed, that I collapsed and didn’t hear anything else. But I was tortured with eternal torment — my soul suffered to the greatest extent and was tortured by guilt over all my sins. I remembered every sin and all my iniquities, and they tormented me with the pains of hell. Indeed, I could see my rebellion against God and that I hadn’t kept His holy commandments. And I had effectively murdered many of His children by leading them away to destruction — to be clear, my iniquities had been so overwhelming that the very thought of coming into the presence of God tortured my soul with inexpressible horror. I thought to myself: I wish I could vanish and cease all existence, both spirit and body, so I could avoid being brought to stand in the presence of God to be judged for my actions. And now I was tortured with the pains of a damned soul for three days and nights” (C of C Alma 17: 3, emphasis added).

[3] “And as I was tortured like this, while I was pained by the memory of my many sins, I also remembered hearing my father prophesy to the people about the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the world’s sins. Now as my mind took ahold of this thought, I cried out within my heart: O Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me — I bitterly regret my life and I feel doomed to everlasting death. Now when I prayed this, I was released from my pains; indeed, I was no longer tormented by the memory of my sins. But then, I felt such joy, and I saw such light! My soul was filled with joy as great as had been my pains. Indeed, I tell you, my son, nothing is as intense and bitter as were my pains.

But my son, on the other hand, from my experience there’s nothing as intense and sweet as was my joy. And then I thought I saw — just like our forefather Lehi saw — God sitting on His throne, surrounded by numberless rings of angels engaged in singing and praising Him. And my soul longed to be there. Then I recovered and my limbs got their strength back, and I stood on my feet and declared to the people that I had been born of God. And from then on I’ve worked nonstop to bring souls to repentance, to bring them to taste the great joy I tasted, so they can also be born of God and be filled with the Holy Ghost” (C of C Alma 17:4-5, emphasis added).

[4] “And now, is the meaning of the word restoration to take a thing in a natural state and place it in an unnatural state, or to place it in a state opposite to its nature? No, my son, this isn’t the case. The meaning of the word restoration is to bring back evil for evil, or carnal for carnal, or devilish for devilish, good for that which is good, righteous for that which is righteous, just for that which is just, merciful for that which is merciful. Therefore my son, see that you’re merciful to your fellow human beings. Act justly, judge righteously, and do good continually. If you do all these things, then you’ll receive your reward. You’ll have mercy restored to you; you’ll have justice restored to you; you’ll have a righteous judgment restored to you; and you’ll have good rewarded to you. Because what you send out will return to you and be restored. Therefore the word restoration more fully condemns those who sin and doesn’t justify them at all” (C of C Alma 19:11, emphasis added).

Scott Roderick

10/22/25

Unraveling the Mystery of Godliness.pdf

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