Can women qualify for the "Renewing of their bodies" promised to the Priesthood in D&C 84:33?


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"For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies."

- D&C 84:33

Faithful priesthood holders are “sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies” (D&C 84:33). To be sanctified is to be made clean through the power of the Holy Ghost and then to have its operative power giving guidance for life’s activities. Such influence has a positive effect upon the body. Renew is defined as something that restores to a good state, rebuilds, repairs, confirms, revives, makes fresh and vigorous, transforms, implants holy affections, etc.[7] It is not necessarily that the body is visibly transformed (though this could be the case at times), but the positive effects of the Spirit support and invigorate physical and mental well-being. In connection with the oath and covenant of the priesthood, the renewal of the body refers to an eternal effect as well as a mortal one. Ultimately, the one who is faithful to the oath and covenant will have the body renewed in celestial glory in the Resurrection (see D&C 88:28–29).

- S. Brent Farley, "The Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood (D&C 84)" in Sperry Symposium Classics: The Doctrine and Covenants, BYU

Motherhood may be exercised as universally and vicariously as Priesthood

- Elder John A. Widtsoe

“The place of woman in the Church is to walk beside the man, not in front of him nor behind him. In the Church there is full equality between man and woman."

"Within those great assurances, however, our roles and assignments differ. These are eternal differences—with women being given many tremendous responsibilities of motherhood and sisterhood and men being given the tremendous responsibilities of fatherhood and the priesthood"

- President Spencer W. Kimball

And motherhood, like priesthood, is a divine call to serve and to nurture others.

- Elder Robert J. Whetten

(There are many other references that show the similarities between the Priesthood for men and Motherhood for women - even for those without children of their own).

With all the similarities between the Priesthood and Motherhood, and since God is "no respecter of persons", does the promise of having one's body "renewed" by fulfilling the duties apply equally as well to women who fulfill the duties of Motherhood?

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When I think of the remarkable things my body has been through and recovered from to bring children into the world, and the nonstop marathon (on very little sleep) that it is to raise them, I think there must be something to this.

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"For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies."

- D&C 84:33

Faithful priesthood holders are “sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies” (D&C 84:33). To be sanctified is to be made clean through the power of the Holy Ghost and then to have its operative power giving guidance for life’s activities. Such influence has a positive effect upon the body. Renew is defined as something that restores to a good state, rebuilds, repairs, confirms, revives, makes fresh and vigorous, transforms, implants holy affections, etc.[7] It is not necessarily that the body is visibly transformed (though this could be the case at times), but the positive effects of the Spirit support and invigorate physical and mental well-being. In connection with the oath and covenant of the priesthood, the renewal of the body refers to an eternal effect as well as a mortal one. Ultimately, the one who is faithful to the oath and covenant will have the body renewed in celestial glory in the Resurrection (see D&C 88:28–29).

- S. Brent Farley, "The Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood (D&C 84)" in Sperry Symposium Classics: The Doctrine and Covenants, BYU

Motherhood may be exercised as universally and vicariously as Priesthood

- Elder John A. Widtsoe

“The place of woman in the Church is to walk beside the man, not in front of him nor behind him. In the Church there is full equality between man and woman."

"Within those great assurances, however, our roles and assignments differ. These are eternal differences—with women being given many tremendous responsibilities of motherhood and sisterhood and men being given the tremendous responsibilities of fatherhood and the priesthood"

- President Spencer W. Kimball

And motherhood, like priesthood, is a divine call to serve and to nurture others.

- Elder Robert J. Whetten

(There are many other references that show the similarities between the Priesthood for men and Motherhood for women - even for those without children of their own).

With all the similarities between the Priesthood and Motherhood, and since God is "no respecter of persons", does the promise of having one's body "renewed" by fulfilling the duties apply equally as well to women who fulfill the duties of Motherhood?

I have long chafed at the equivalence made by many in the Church between motherhood and Priesthood. The counterpart to motherhood is fatherhood, obviously. To equate motherhood with Priesthood seemed to me to denigrate the role of fatherhood as some second-class thing.

What I have been meditating on recently is the idea that perhaps Priesthood is fatherhood. This sort of makes sense to me, and to use a Joseph Smithism, it "tastes good". I don't understand all the implications of this -- for example, what is the significance that the Priesthood is conferred on a man? -- but I think it's something profitable for me to think about for the next few decades.

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Excellent question. I actually read the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood in a different way. In the Oath, it states that "all those that receive my servants receiveth me". That includes all members of the Church.

To receive the fulness of the Melchizedek Priesthood means receiving the ordinances of the temple. A woman who is sealed in the temple shares the Patriarchal Priesthood with her husband. He cannot receive it alone, nor can he magnify it alone. So women can also magnify their responsibilities as mothers, wives, visiting teachers, RS presidents, etc., and receive the full blessings of the priesthood promises.

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Excellent question. I actually read the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood in a different way. In the Oath, it states that "all those that receive my servants receiveth me". That includes all members of the Church.

To receive the fulness of the Melchizedek Priesthood means receiving the ordinances of the temple. A woman who is sealed in the temple shares the Patriarchal Priesthood with her husband. He cannot receive it alone, nor can he magnify it alone. So women can also magnify their responsibilities as mothers, wives, visiting teachers, RS presidents, etc., and receive the full blessings of the priesthood promises.

I agree. I think the further we progress in the gospel, we realize that this gospel is one of "sharing" even though "sharing" is not the right word. Maybe, as Jesus put it, 'being one' are the right words. My feeling is that we will be more 'one' than we will be individuals in the next life and as we work towards that end we will look back at this existence of separate assignments and stewardships and think that was kind of odd, to have them separated that way. But, the separation is necessary for testing purposes, for this probationary existence. I think we will find that God is not God without His female counterpart and the power of God is not the power of God without His female counterpart. If the priesthood represents the power of God, then, by that thought process it also represents the power of His female counterpart.

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"For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies."

- D&C 84:33

Faithful priesthood holders are “sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies” (D&C 84:33). To be sanctified is to be made clean through the power of the Holy Ghost and then to have its operative power giving guidance for life’s activities. Such influence has a positive effect upon the body. Renew is defined as something that restores to a good state, rebuilds, repairs, confirms, revives, makes fresh and vigorous, transforms, implants holy affections, etc.[7] It is not necessarily that the body is visibly transformed (though this could be the case at times), but the positive effects of the Spirit support and invigorate physical and mental well-being. In connection with the oath and covenant of the priesthood, the renewal of the body refers to an eternal effect as well as a mortal one. Ultimately, the one who is faithful to the oath and covenant will have the body renewed in celestial glory in the Resurrection (see D&C 88:28–29).

- S. Brent Farley, "The Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood (D&C 84)" in Sperry Symposium Classics: The Doctrine and Covenants, BYU

Motherhood may be exercised as universally and vicariously as Priesthood

- Elder John A. Widtsoe

“The place of woman in the Church is to walk beside the man, not in front of him nor behind him. In the Church there is full equality between man and woman."

"Within those great assurances, however, our roles and assignments differ. These are eternal differences—with women being given many tremendous responsibilities of motherhood and sisterhood and men being given the tremendous responsibilities of fatherhood and the priesthood"

- President Spencer W. Kimball

And motherhood, like priesthood, is a divine call to serve and to nurture others.

- Elder Robert J. Whetten

(There are many other references that show the similarities between the Priesthood for men and Motherhood for women - even for those without children of their own).

With all the similarities between the Priesthood and Motherhood, and since God is "no respecter of persons", does the promise of having one's body "renewed" by fulfilling the duties apply equally as well to women who fulfill the duties of Motherhood?

If you read carefully, youll find that that sanctification and renewal comes from the Holy Ghost... and I can't find anywhere that says women can't have the Holy Ghost be with them.

In the case of men, to keep the holy ghost with them they have to keep their priesthood covenants. For women, they have to keep the covenants they have made.

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To summarize:

1. The first veil is given to an entire sex.

2. Then the same thing is done with the second veil, only it's given to the other sex.

3. Men and women are only equals if men honorably hold the Priesthood. So the church has it right when it states that Priesthood is the compliment/counterpart to Motherhood, and the world is dead wrong when it asserts that fatherhood is the appropriate compliment.

4. 2nd wave feminism is an inadequate lens for understanding the things of God.

This is an interesting thought too when looking at Eve's role in the Garden of Eden, eating the fruit first.

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Obolus - I'd be very interested to hear your take on how D&C 84:33 relates to the different roles / veils / sovereignty, and if there are common or gender specific duties that are linked to the promise of a renewal of the body.

When looking at the scriptures that pertain to Priesthood authority, it's a good rule of thumb to basically assume that righteous women will automatically receive most of the eternal blessings that Priesthood holders are promised so long as they humble themselves before God and submit to his program. The sanctification of the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies is no exception.

Compare 84:33 to 132:64

"And again, verily, verily, I say unto you, if any man have a wife, who holds the keys of this power, and he teaches unto her the law of my priesthood, as pertaining to these things, then shall she believe and administer unto him, or she shall be destroyed, saith the Lord your God; for I will destroy her; for I will magnify my name upon all those who receive and abide in my law."

The Lord's name becomes important in this context. See 130:10-11.

The reason women automatically receive most of those blessings is because a righteous woman guards and sanctifies the first veil her whole life. Who does she allow to enter that gate? Only her husband, and ideally a worthy Priesthood holder who can answer her travail with ordinances that are authorized by God.

Are righteous women required to be married to enter the Celestial Kingdom? No. Their stewardship over the veil qualifies them, and their blessings cannot be withheld.

If you take a step back from the scriptures and consider gender, you will realize that God commands men left and right as pertaining to the Priesthood. He is continually aiming them away from the world and towards the 2nd veil (often to his own frustration). When the Lord addresses women, it is often regarding the 1st veil (See: Eve, Sarah, Leah, Rachel, Hannah, Mary, Elizabeth, et al). Because that's where their authority resides.

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This is an interesting thought too when looking at Eve's role in the Garden of Eden, eating the fruit first.

The first veil pertains to the first tree, and the second to the Tree of Life.

Eve's role in partaking of the fruit first is vital beyond all description.

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...Are righteous women required to be married to enter the Celestial Kingdom? No. Their stewardship over the veil qualifies them, and their blessings cannot be withheld.

Are you talking about entering the Celestial Kingdom w/o being married vs. reaching exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom by having been sealed to a husband in an eternal marriage, or are you saying a righteous woman can attain exaltation as well without being married?
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or are you saying a righteous woman can attain exaltation as well without being married?

No, she can just enter the kingdom. She still has to marry in the temple (physically or by proxy) to attain exaltation. Hence the length of Christ's millennial reign.

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  • 8 years later...

Moses 5 & 6 teaches us that our Heavenly Father showed and is showing us, by example, what is expected of us, and that the Holy Eternal Melchizedek Priesthood* (all priesthood is Melchizedek) is shared because one is not without the other; quite literally, yin陰 and yang陽, creating the whole. 

*The Patriarchal Order, which has only two offices, Patriarch (like a Temple President or a father), and Matriarch (like the Temple Matron or a mother). Jesus Christ established the temporary Apostolic Order in His church organization for missionary purposes, to act as fathers to the fatherless. 

Also, there are shared responsibilities for parents (primarily the mother) to bring children into the world via water, blood, & spirit (those elements are physically there during childbirth; there is the quickening, an issue of blood, and the water breaks) & physically to feed them. They unitedly teach them the gospel. Fathers administer the saving ordinances, via water, blood, and Spirit.

Our Heavenly Father likewise teaches us, showing us by example again, those things we must do in the Temple to keep our families with us in the eternities.

Edited by Frank Torelli
Grammar
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On 7/5/2011 at 1:33 PM, Shoot_The_Moon said:

"For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies."

A blessing worded and read a certain way in the scriptures takes nothing away from other blessings worded and administered in other ways in other venues, for example patriarchal blessings and  the temple.

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On 7/5/2011 at 1:33 PM, Shoot_The_Moon said:

 

"For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies."

 

 

- D&C 84:33

 

Faithful priesthood holders are “sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies” (D&C 84:33). To be sanctified is to be made clean through the power of the Holy Ghost and then to have its operative power giving guidance for life’s activities. Such influence has a positive effect upon the body. Renew is defined as something that restores to a good state, rebuilds, repairs, confirms, revives, makes fresh and vigorous, transforms, implants holy affections, etc.[7] It is not necessarily that the body is visibly transformed (though this could be the case at times), but the positive effects of the Spirit support and invigorate physical and mental well-being. In connection with the oath and covenant of the priesthood, the renewal of the body refers to an eternal effect as well as a mortal one. Ultimately, the one who is faithful to the oath and covenant will have the body renewed in celestial glory in the Resurrection (see D&C 88:28–29).

 

- S. Brent Farley, "The Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood (D&C 84)" in Sperry Symposium Classics: The Doctrine and Covenants, BYU

 

Motherhood may be exercised as universally and vicariously as Priesthood

 

- Elder John A. Widtsoe

 

“The place of woman in the Church is to walk beside the man, not in front of him nor behind him. In the Church there is full equality between man and woman."

"Within those great assurances, however, our roles and assignments differ. These are eternal differences—with women being given many tremendous responsibilities of motherhood and sisterhood and men being given the tremendous responsibilities of fatherhood and the priesthood"

 

- President Spencer W. Kimball

 

And motherhood, like priesthood, is a divine call to serve and to nurture others.

 

- Elder Robert J. Whetten

(There are many other references that show the similarities between the Priesthood for men and Motherhood for women - even for those without children of their own).

With all the similarities between the Priesthood and Motherhood, and since God is "no respecter of persons", does the promise of having one's body "renewed" by fulfilling the duties apply equally as well to women who fulfill the duties of Motherhood?

The answer is no. Women are doomed to have to deal with cellulite, crows feet and stretch marks until the day of regeneration..

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On 7/6/2011 at 9:16 AM, rameumptom said:

Excellent question. I actually read the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood in a different way. In the Oath, it states that "all those that receive my servants receiveth me". That includes all members of the Church.

To receive the fulness of the Melchizedek Priesthood means receiving the ordinances of the temple. A woman who is sealed in the temple shares the Patriarchal Priesthood with her husband. He cannot receive it alone, nor can he magnify it alone. So women can also magnify their responsibilities as mothers, wives, visiting teachers, RS presidents, etc., and receive the full blessings of the priesthood promises.

I would be more liberal and say that anyone that receives the ordinances of the Priesthood - which of course do include the ordinances of the Temple and a few others.

 

The Traveler

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