“Honor the Priesthood Keys Restored
through Joseph Smith”
As taught by Keri LaPray on June 8,
2014
“May I now
say—very plainly and very emphatically—that we have the holy priesthood and
that the keys of the kingdom of God are here. They are found only in The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
From the Life of Joseph Fielding Smith
President Joseph
Fielding Smith declared: “I have a
perfect knowledge of the divine mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith. There is no doubt in my mind
that the Lord raised him up and gave him revelation, commandment, opened the
heavens to him, and called upon him to stand at the head of this glorious
dispensation.” President Smith coupled this “perfect knowledge” with a
respectful reverence for the priesthood keys restored through the Prophet
Joseph. He always honored and supported those who held the keys, and he
counseled all Church members to have that same respect. He said, “Every man who is properly chosen to preside
in any capacity in the Church should be honored in his calling.”
These keys unlock
the door to the power of God.
With
a set of keys, you can do a lot of things that you wouldn’t otherwise be able
to do—enter buildings, drive cars, and open trunks, among other things. Keys,
basically, mean authority and access.
The
same is true of priesthood keys. They control access to the blessings and
ordinances of the priesthood. These keys are mentioned frequently in the
Church, but we may not always understand them, so here are a few facts about
priesthood keys.
What are priesthood keys?
Priesthood
keys are the right to preside over and direct the Church within a jurisdiction.
Keys usually apply to a geographic area, like a ward, stake, or mission. They
also usually include authority over specific ordinances and activities (for
instance, baptism,
the sacrament,
missionary work, and
temple work).
Where do priesthood keys come from?
All
priesthood keys ultimately come from Heavenly Father through His Son, Jesus Christ. Joseph Smith taught, “The keys [of the
priesthood] have to be brought from heaven whenever the Gospel is sent” (Teachings
of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 104). The keys necessary
for governing the Church in the latter days were restored to Joseph Smith by
heavenly beings—for instance, John the Baptist, Peter, James, John, Moses,
Elias, and Elijah (see Joseph
Smith—History 1:72; D&C 27:12;
D&C
110:11–12). These keys have been passed on to his successors.
What do priesthood keys do? Why are they necessary?
Ordinances
such as baptism and the sacrament help us to return to Heavenly Father in the
celestial kingdom. Through the keys of the priesthood, the Church administers
these ordinances and provides an organization to carry on the work of the Lord
in an orderly manner—“Mine house is a house of order, saith the Lord God, and
not a house of confusion” (D&C 132:8).
So,
for instance, although the Church has many worthy priesthood holders, they need
authorization from someone holding keys before performing most ordinances. For
example, if Aaronic Priesthood holders hear about a homebound ward member who
would like to receive the sacrament at home, they cannot simply go and
administer the sacrament to that member because they believe it’s the right
thing to do. They must be authorized by the bishop, who holds the keys over the
Aaronic Priesthood. And a father who holds the priesthood cannot simply baptize
his 8-year-old daughter or ordain his 12-year-old son to the Aaronic Priesthood
without first being authorized by the bishop to do so.
Who has priesthood keys?
Members of the
First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles hold all the keys necessary
for governing the Church. Only the President of the Church has the right to
exercise all of those keys. He delegates these keys to others who preside in
the Church—temple presidents, mission presidents, stake presidents, district
presidents, bishops, branch presidents, and quorum presidents, including
deacons and teachers quorum presidents.
What is the difference between holding keys and having a
calling?
Having a calling means having
responsibilities; holding keys means presiding over and directing the work of
the priesthood. For instance, a ward Young Men president works under the
direction of the bishop, who holds keys over the ward, but the Young Men
president’s responsibilities do not include presiding over the priesthood, so
he does not receive keys. The keys to direct the work of the Aaronic Priesthood
in the ward belong to the bishop, the teacher’s quorum president, and the
deacon’s quorum president.
