Denver spoke on RIGHTEOUSNESS Sunday, Nov. 20 at 6 pm MST. It was broadcast live on YouTube:
Here is the link to the recorded broadcast
From the glossary on Scriptures.info:
Righteousness is conformity to the Divine Law.1 God measures differently than does man. Being “righteous before God” may not mean the same thing one thinks “righteousness” means. Man wants outward signs, symbols, dress, grooming, and conformity. God looks at the intent of the heart. 2 Righteousness comes by obedience. Obedience requires action. Without conforming conduct to the Lord’s commandments, it is impossible to enter the kingdom of heaven. 3
1 “The Power of Words: 50 Words — Words that Lift, Inspire, Motivate, Elevate, and Transform Us,” Aug. 24, 2009, video,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQCLr0J9wuM.
2 “Alma 13:10,” June 11, 2010, blog post. https://denversnuffer.com/2010/06/alma-1310/
3 “3 Nephi 12:20,” Oct. 11, 2010, blog post https://denversnuffer.com/2010/10/3-nephi-12-20/
Repent and Work Righteousness
Alma 13: 10 – “Now, as I said concerning the holy order, or this high priesthood, there were many who were ordained and became high priests of God; and it was on account of their exceeding faith and repentance, and their righteousness before God, they choosing to repent and work righteousness rather than to perish;”
These called persons are, despite everything, “righteous before God.” God measures differently than do we. Being “righteous before God” may not mean the same thing we think “righteous” means. We want outward signs, symbols, dress, grooming and conformity. God looks at the intent of the heart.
Interestingly, they “choose to repent and work righteousness rather than to perish.” What do you suppose that means? First, they “repent,” then they “work righteousness.” Because of this, they do not “perish.” So, do these things all go together? Can a person “repent” but then not “work righteousness?” Does a person have to “repent” and “work righteousness” in order to not “perish?”
3 Nephi 12: 20 – “Therefore, come unto me and be ye saved; for verily I say unto you, that except ye shall keep my commandments, which I have commanded you at this time, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
Righteousness Comes by Obedience
Righteousness comes by obedience. Obedience requires action. Without conforming conduct to the Lord’s commandments, it is impossible to enter into the kingdom of heaven.
D&C 121: 45-46: “Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven. The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever.”
Isaiah 11:3-4 – “And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth,” Notice that in this context the “rod” is not merely a person but it is also the word of God.” Continuing: “and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.”
It is Righteousness to Believe
“It is so hard to be believing. This world is so acidic, and this environment is so toxic. It’s very hard to believe. I think that’s one of the reasons why Christ’s account said it is a greater righteousness to believe than it is to know and to say.” (End of Lecture 1 on 9-10-13 in Boise Idaho)
“Thirdly, an actual knowledge that the course of life which he is pursuing is according to his will. For without an acquaintance with these three important facts, the faith of every rational being must be imperfect and unproductive; but with this understanding it can become perfect and fruitful, abounding in righteousness, unto the praise and glory of God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Lectures on Faith – Lecture 3, verse 5)
“The Book of Mormon was abridged by a man who lived in an environment filled with sex and violence. He was untouched by it. He was a man of righteousness. Why is it that he could preserve himself in such an abhorrent environment? Because he was filled with light and truth. He educated himself and had learned the things that are true. When you minister to someone who is suffering, their sins ought not to shock you. They should cause compassion to well up in you. People struggle with some very difficult, very challenging things. You need to try and overcome that by the light within you. The glory of God is intelligence. Be intelligent.” (Lecture 3 – Logan, Utah 9-29-13)
Virtues are meaningless apart from righteousness. You must have both otherwise you cannot even begin to repent.
Virtue can be Offended by Righteousness
“Virtue can be offended by righteousness. Virtue would never kill, okay? It just never would. But it is righteous in the case of Nephi—at the command of God—to slay Laban. Virtue would never do any number of things, say any number of things, or behave in any number of ways in which John the Baptist behaved. You generation of vipers! (Luke 3:5 RE). Look, we translate that as if what we’re reading is some nicely phrased King James-ian version of an insult. If you were trying to put it into modern English— This is John the Baptist, a righteous man with whom the kingdom of God existed, essentially in the language of their day saying, “You sons of bitches!”
“Because in our vernacular, by saying “Sons of bitches,” what you’re saying is, Your mother is a female dog, and therefore, you are a dog; and since you’re a dog, you are a cur, and you are unworthy. This is guttural language. We read, You generations of vipers, and we say, Oh isn’t that a nice way to parse out that John’s thinks he’s talking to the bad guys. And yet, we look sometimes at righteousness, and we say it can never be so, because it is not virtuous. Because we overlay virtue atop righteousness, and it does not work, and never has worked that way. Righteousness controls, and virtue surrenders. And virtue yields every time to righteousness. Else Abraham could never have been commanded to slay his son, because that was not virtuous. (https://denversnuffer.com/2019/02/55-abraham-part-2/ – second to last paragraph)
