D&C 30

President Boyd K. Packer
    "It is not expected that you go through life without making mistakes, but you will not make a major mistake without first being warned by the promptings of the Spirit. This promise applies to all members of the Church" ("Council to Youth" General Conference, October 2011).

D&C 27:14

Elder Bruce R. McConkie

“The sacrament is to be administered in a future day, on this earth, when the Lord Jesus is present, and when all the righteous of all ages are present.” (The Millennial Messiah [1982], 587).

“Every faithful person in the whole history of the world, every person who has so lived as to merit eternal life in the kingdom of the Father will be in attendance and will partake, with the Lord, of the sacrament” (The Promised Messiah [1978], 595).

D&C 25 Women of the Church

President Gordon B. Hinckley:

“First let me say to you sisters that you do not hold a second place in our Father’s plan for the eternal happiness and well-being of His children. You are an absolutely essential part of that plan.”

“Without you the plan could not function. Without you the entire program would be frustrated. As I have said before from this pulpit, when the process of creation occurred, Jehovah, the Creator, under instruction from His Father, first divided the light from the darkness and then separated the land from the waters. There followed the creation of plant life, followed by the creation of animal life. Then came the creation of man, and culminating that act of divinity came the crowning act, the creation of woman.”

“Each of you is a daughter of God, endowed with a divine birthright. You need no defense of that position” (Women of the Church, General Conference, Oct 1996).

 

President Ezra Taft Benson:

“You have been born at this time for a sacred and glorious purpose. It is not by chance that you have been reserved to come to earth in this last dispensation of the fulness of times. Your birth at this particular time was foreordained in the eternities.”

“You are to be the royal daughters of the Lord in the last days. You are “youth of the noble birthright” (Hymns, 1985, no. 255)” (To the Young Women of the Church, General Conference, Oct 1996).

 

Spencer W. Kimball:

“Bear in mind, dear sisters, that the eternal blessings which are yours through membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are far, far greater than any other blessings you could possibly receive. No greater recognition can come to you in this world than to be known as a woman of God. No greater status can be conferred upon you than being a daughter of God who experiences true sisterhood, wifehood, and motherhood, or other tasks which influence lives for good” (Ensign, Nov. 1972, p. 102).

D&C 21:1

Seer, Translator, and Prophet
“A seer is one who sees with spiritual eyes. He perceives the meaning of that which seems obscure to [unclear to or hidden from] others; therefore he is an interpreter and clarifier of eternal truth. He foresees the future from the past and the present. This he does by the power of the Lord operating through him directly, or indirectly with the aid of divine instruments such as the Urim and Thummim. In short, he is one who sees, who walks in the Lord’s light with open eyes” (John A. Widtsoe, Evidences and Reconciliations, arr. G. Homer Durham, 3 vols. in 1 [1960], 258).

A translator is someone who (1) converts written or spoken words to another language or (2) gives clearer meaning to an existing translation by improving or correcting it or by restoring lost material (see Guide to the Scriptures, “Translate,” scriptures.lds.org).

A prophet is “a person who has been called by and speaks for God. As a messenger of God, a prophet receives commandments, prophecies, and revelations from God. His responsibility is to make known God’s will and true character to mankind and to show the meaning of his dealings with them. A prophet denounces sin and foretells its consequences. He is a preacher of righteousness. On occasion, prophets may be inspired to foretell the future for the benefit of mankind. His primary responsibility, however, is to bear witness of Christ” (Guide to the Scriptures, “Prophet,” scriptures.lds.org).

D&C 20:38-59 The Priesthood

Elder Dallin H. Oaks
    "I come now to the subject of priesthood authority. I begin with the three principles just discussed: (1) priesthood is the power of God delegated to man to act for the salvation of the human family, (2) priesthood authority is governed by priesthood holders who hold priesthood keys, and (3) since the scriptures state that “all other authorities [and] offices in the church are appendages to this [Melchizedek] priesthood” (D&C 107:5), all that is done under the direction of those priesthood keys is done with priesthood authority."
    "We are not accustomed to speaking of women having the authority of the priesthood in their Church callings, but what other authority can it be? When a woman—young or old—is set apart to preach the gospel as a full-time missionary, she is given priesthood authority to perform a priesthood function. The same is true when a woman is set apart to function as an officer or teacher in a Church organization under the direction of one who holds the keys of the priesthood. Whoever functions in an office or calling received from one who holds priesthood keys exercises priesthood authority in performing her or his assigned duties" ("The Keys and Authority of the Priesthood," General Conference, April 2014)

D&C 20:1 April 6

David A Bednar
“May each of us do and become better through the Savior’s Atonement. Today is April 6. We know by revelation that today is the actual and accurate date of the Savior’s birth. April 6 also is the day on which The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized"

(“Bear up their Burdens with Ease”, General Conference, April 2014).

D&C 19 Confession

The Miracle of Forgiveness, President Spencer W. Kimball
(Excerpts taken from chapter 13, pp 177-189)

Lifting Burdens Through Confession

The confession of sin is a necessary element in repentance and therefore in obtaining forgiveness. It is one of the tests of true repentance, for, "By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins behold, he will confess them and forsake them." (D&C 58:43. Italics added.)


Major Sins Confessed to Church Authority
Knowing the hearts of men, and their intents, and their abilities to repent and regenerate themselves, the Lord waits to forgive until the repentance has matured. The transgressor must have a "broken heart and a contrite spirit" and be willing to humble himself and do all that is required. The confession of his major sins to a proper Church authority is one of those requirements made by the Lord.

This procedure of confession assures proper controls and protection for the Church and its people and sets the feet of the transgressor on the path of true repentance. Many offenders in their shame and pride have satisfied their consciences, temporarily at least, with a few silent prayers to the Lord and rationalized that this was sufficient confession of their sins. "But I have confessed my sin to my Heavenly Father," they will insist, "and that is all that is necessary." This is not true where a major sin is involved. Then two sets of forgiveness are required to bring peace to the transgressor one from the proper authorities of the Lord's Church, and one front the Lord himself.

Voluntary Confession Is Best

It follows that the ideal confession is voluntary, not forced. It is induced from within the offender's soul, not sparked by being found out in the sin. Such confession, like the voluntary humility of which Alma spoke (Al. 32:13-16), is a sign of growing repentance. It indicates the sinner's conviction of sin and his desire to abandon the evil practices. The voluntary confession is infinitely more acceptable in the sight of the Lord than is forced admission, lacking humility, wrung from an individual by questioning when guilt is evident. Such forced admission is not evidence of the humble heart which calls forth the Lord's mercy: "... For I, the Lord, forgive sins, and am merciful unto those who confess their sins with humble hearts." (D&C 61:2. Italics added.)

The wicked Cain denied his guilt when first accused. He never did confess his grievous sin, but finally admitted it after he was discovered. Even when he was confronted with his dastardly act he still tried to evade it by saying, "Am I my brother's keeper?"

Peace Through Confession

Confession brings peace. How often have people departed from my office relieved and lighter of heart than for a long time! Their burdens were lighter, having been shared. They were free. The truth had made them free. Having warned of excruciating pain and punishments, the Lord said: "... Confess your sins, lest you suffer these punishments of which I have spoken." (D&C 19:20.) There is substantial psychological strength in confession. Confession is not only the revealing of errors to proper authorities, but the sharing of burdens to lighten them. One lifts at least part of his burden and places it on other shoulders which are able and willing to help carry the load. Then there comes satisfaction in having taken another step in doing all that is possible to rid oneself of the burden of transgression. Those who take the course of honest confession of their sin further the process of repentance, of adjustment in their lives, of reconciliation with God.

D&C 19:6-12

President J. Reuben Clark of the First Presidency gave the following insight concerning “God’s punishment”:

“When the Lord comes to give us our reward … and our punishment, I feel that [the Savior] will give that punishment which is the very least that our transgression will justify. I believe that he will bring into his justice all of the infinite love and blessing and mercy and kindness and understanding which he has. …

“And on the other hand, I believe that when it comes to making the rewards for our good conduct, he will give us the maximum that it is possible to give, having in mind the offense which we have committed” (“As Ye Sow … ,” Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year [May 3, 1955], 7).

President Joseph Fielding Smith explained the meaning of endless torment and eternal punishment:

“We learn from the Doctrine and Covenants that eternal punishment, or everlasting punishment, does not mean that a man condemned will endure this punishment forever. … When a man pays the penalty of his misdeeds and humbly repents, receiving the gospel, he comes out of the prison house and is assigned to some degree of glory according to his worth and merit” (Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols. [1954–1956], 2:160).

Elder James E. Talmage of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles gave additional insights concerning the meaning of eternal punishment:

“‘Eternal punishment’ … does not mean that the individual sufferer or sinner is to be eternally and everlastingly made to endure and suffer. No man will be kept in hell longer than is necessary to bring him to a fitness for something better. When he reaches that stage the prison doors will open and there will be rejoicing among the hosts who welcome him into a better state” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1930, 97; see also Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual, 2nd ed. [Church Educational System manual, 2001], 37).

D&C 19:15-20

Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:

“We will end up either choosing Christ’s manner of living or His manner of suffering! It is either ‘suffer even as I’ (D&C 19:16–17), or overcome ‘even as [He] … overcame (Revelation 3:21)” (“Overcome … Even As I Also Overcame,” Ensign, May 1987, 72).