Bruce R. McConkie quotes have greatly influenced Latter-day Saints. For example, sociologist Armaud Mauss said that McConkie’s teachings “took on almost a scriptural stature,” and Robert Millet suggested that “we as a people will never be the same” because of McConkie’s final talk. This article provides Elder McConkie quotes about topics such as faith, marriage, priesthood, and scripture study.
Table of Contents
- Book of Mormon
- Faith
- Jesus Christ
- Joseph Smith
- Last talk
- Marriage
- Odds and ends
- Poetry
- Priesthood
- Revelation
- Salvation
- Scripture study
- Valiance
Bruce R. McConkie Quotes About the Book of Mormon
Greatest sermons
The most perfect prophecies and the greatest sermons are found in the Book of Mormon.
Who Shall Declare His Generation?
Few have caught the vision
Few men on earth, either in or out of the Church, have caught the vision of what the Book of Mormon is all about.
Millennial Messiah, page 159.
You get in tune
You get in tune with the Spirit of God and get an understanding of the gospel when you center your interest and attention on the Book of Mormon and latter-day revelation. You fall short if you think you are going to be a great biblical scholar and go along with the people in the world.
Address, BYU Religion Faculty, 13 June 1984. As quoted in Sermons & Writings of Bruce R. McConkie, edited by Mark L. McConkie, page 275.
Plainness
The Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripture. It speaks of God, of Christ, and of the gospel. It records the terms and conditions whereby salvation comes. And it does it all with a plainness, clarity, and perfection that far surpasses the Bible.
Bruce R. McConkie, as quoted in Sermons & Writings of Bruce R. McConkie, edited by Mark L. McConkie, page 249.
From heaven or hell
Either the Book of Mormon is true, or it is false; either it came from God, or it was spawned in the infernal realms. It declares plainly that all men must accept it as pure scripture or they will lose their souls. It is not and cannot be simply another treatise on religion; it either came from heaven or from hell. And it is time for all those who seek salvation to find out for themselves whether it is of the Lord or of Lucifer.
What Think Ye of the Book of Mormon?
Bruce R. McConkie Quotes on Faith
They didn’t ask
The Book of Mormon teaches that if the Apostles in Jerusalem had asked the Lord, he would have told them about the Nephites. But they didn’t ask, and they didn’t manifest that faith; and they didn’t get an answer.
All Are Alike Unto God
Finisher of our faith
The plan of salvation originated with the Father; he is the Author and Finisher of our faith in the final sense; he ordained the laws by obedience to which both we and Christ can become like him.
Our Relationship with the Lord
Faith in His name
I know that salvation is in Christ and that only by faith in his name can we hope for the riches of eternity.
The Caravan Moves On
Repentance means that we have faith
Repentance means that we have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, that we forsake our sins, that we come into the church and kingdom of God on earth and receive the Holy Ghost.
Jesus Christ and Him Crucified
Greater degree of faith
And [Jesus] said some harsh things to them, that they were faithless and unbelieving, but he said this with expression, “This kind cometh not out but by fasting and prayer,” which means that a greater degree of faith was required in that instance than in some other.
Jesus Worketh Miracles, Summer Lectures, 1967
To generate faith
The are half a dozen, at least, of these instances in the New Testament, more maybe, where some distinct, peculiar thing is done, and the purpose of it is to generate faith in the heart of someone.
Resurrection of Jesus, Summer Series, 1967
Faith and priesthood
Faith and priesthood go hand in hand. Faith is power and power is priesthood. After we gain faith, we receive the priesthood. Then, through the priesthood, we grow in faith until, having all power, we become like our Lord.
The Doctrine of the Priesthood
Those who have been true and faithful
Those who have been true and faithful in this life will not fall by the wayside in the life to come. If they keep their covenants here and now and depart this life firm and true in the testimony of our blessed Lord, they shall come forth with an inheritance of eternal life.
The Dead Who Die in the Lord
Spiritual endowment
The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. It is a gift of the Spirit. It comes in full measure only to faithful members of the Church. It is reserved for those whose right it is to have the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. It is the spiritual endowment which sets a man apart as a prophet in fulfillment of the prayer of Moses: “Would God that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them!” (Num. 11:29.)
Be Valiant in the Fight of Faith
Perfect faith
The Prophet Joseph Smith said that if we would come together and strip ourselves of jealousies and have perfect faith, that the veil might as well be rent today as at any time.
“Think on These Things”
Scripture study
May I suggest, based on personal experience, that faith comes and revelations are received as a direct result of scripture study.
Bruce R. McConkie, from “Holy Writ Published Anew,” an address delivered at the Regional Representatives Seminar, April 2, 1982.
Elder McConkie quotes about Jesus Christ
Jehovah
Who is Jehovah? He is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Firstborn of the Father, the Savior and Redeemer.
The Three Pillars of Eternity
He is more
He is my Brother and Friend, but he is more. He is my Lord, my God, and my King, whom I worship in the full majesty of his Godhead and who will continue to be my Savior, my Redeemer, and my God through all the eternities that lie ahead.
The Caravan Moves On
Blood from every poor
In Gethsemane he bowed beneath a load none other could bear. There he sweat great gouts of blood from every pore as he bore the sins of us all on conditions of repentance. (See Luke 22:44.)
Again, on Calvary, during the last three hours of his mortal passion, the sufferings of Gethsemane returned, and he drank to the full the cup which his Heavenly Father had given him.
In the garden and on the cross he paid the ransom and finished his atoning work.
The Seven Christs
Dual nature
We know that the Lord Jesus made flesh his tabernacle, that Mary was his mother and God was his Father, and that he inherited from his mother the power of mortality and from his Father the power of immortality.
It was this dual nature, this mortal yet divine Sonship, that enabled him to work out the infinite and eternal Atonement and to ransom men from the temporal and spiritual deaths brought into the world by the fall of Adam.
“Who Hath Believed Our Report?”
The visions of eternity
The Lord wants all his children to gain light and truth and knowledge from on high. It is his will that we pierce the veil and rend the heavens and see the visions of eternity.
“Thou Shalt Receive Revelation”
The Lord expects far more
The Lord expects far more of us than we sometimes render in response. We are not as other men. We are the saints of God and have the revelations of heaven. Where much is given much is expected. We are to put first in our lives the things of his kingdom.
We are commanded to live in harmony with the Lord’s laws, to keep all his commandments, to sacrifice all things if need be for his name’s sake, to conform to the terms and conditions of the law of consecration.
Obedience, Consecration, and Sacrifice
The center of all things
The atoning sacrifice of the Lord is the center of all things, as far as we are concerned. God our Heavenly Father created us, without which we would have no existence. And Christ the Son has redeemed us, without which there would be neither immortality nor eternal life.
The Testimony of Jesus
The mind of Christ
Let us consider what is involved in becoming like Christ. This will help us to know Him in the full, complete, and accurate sense of experiencing, believing, and knowing as He experiences, believes, and knows.
Paul said that the Saints “have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16). If we have the Lord’s mind, we think what He thinks, say what He says, and do what He would do under the same circumstances.
Bruce R. McConkie, as quoted in Sermons & Writings of Bruce R. McConkie, page 374.
Bruce R. McConkie quotes about Joseph Smith
Even the least Saint may know
Don’t shy away from getting revelation. Joseph Smith said, “God hath not revealed anything to Joseph, but what He will make known unto the Twelve, and even the least Saint may know all things as fast as he is able to bear them” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 149).
Agency or Inspiration—Which?
A measure of discipleship
I suggest that a measure of discipleship, a standard of judgment whereby we can tell how firmly we are anchored in the faith of the Lord, is how sincerely and completely we believe the words that have come from the Prophet Joseph Smith. Obviously incident to this, we have an obligation and a need to treasure up these words, to search out these truths, to learn what they are, and then to make them a living part of us.
Joseph Smith: A Revealer of Christ
Prophetic successors
The way men feel about [Joseph Smith] and his prophetic successors divides true believers from those who serve another master.
The Caravan Moves On
You would have believed
If you believe the words of Joseph Smith, you would have believed what Jesus and the ancients said.
If you reject Joseph Smith and his message, you would have rejected Peter and Paul and their message.
If you accept the prophets whom the Lord sends in your day, you also accept that Lord who sent them.
“Who Hath Believed Our Report?”
A man who saw God
Here is a man who saw God and entertained angels.
Joseph Smith—The Mighty Prophet of the Restoration
There was Joseph Smith
When the Lord needed an Enoch to build Zion, a city of holiness, Enoch was there. When he needed a Moses to stand as the great lawgiver in Israel, Moses was there. When the time arrived for the promised Messiah to give his life a ransom for many, the Great Deliverer was there. And thanks be to God, when the hour arrived to usher in the dispensation of the fulness of times, there was Joseph Smith, the mighty prophet of latter-days.
Once or Twice in a Thousand Years
Quotes from Bruce R. McConkie’s last talk
They are now mine
In speaking of these wondrous things I shall use my own words, though you may think they are the words of scripture, words spoken by other Apostles and prophets.
True it is they were first proclaimed by others, but they are now mine, for the Holy Spirit of God has borne witness to me that they are true, and it is now as though the Lord had revealed them to me in the first instance. I have thereby heard his voice and know his word.
The Purifying Power of Gethsemane
Least understood
Now, the atonement of Christ is the most basic and fundamental doctrine of the gospel, and it is the least understood of all our revealed truths.
Many of us have a superficial knowledge and rely upon the Lord and his goodness to see us through the trials and perils of life.
But if we are to have faith like Enoch and Elijah we must believe what they believed, know what they knew, and live as they lived.
The Purifying Power of Gethsemane
I shall not know any better then
I am one of his witnesses, and in a coming day I shall feel the nail marks in his hands and in his feet and shall wet his feet with my tears.
But I shall not know any better then than I know now that he is God’s Almighty Son, that he is our Savior and Redeemer, and that salvation comes in and through his atoning blood and in no other way.
The Purifying Power of Gethsemane
Bruce R. McConkie quotes on marriage
The most important single thing
I believe that the most important single thing that any Latter-day Saint ever does in this world is to marry the right person, in the right place, by the right authority
Agency or Inspiration—Which?
To worship the Lord
To worship the Lord is to be married in the temple, to have children, to teach them the gospel, and to bring them up in light and truth.
How to Worship
Miscellaneous Elder McConkie quotes
The meek
As the meek among men make their calling and election sure, so those who worship the God of this world sink ever lower and lower into the depths of depravity and despair.
The Coming Tests and Trials and Glory
To prepare a people
The Lord has laid upon us the responsibility to lay the foundation for that which is to be. We have been commissioned to prepare a people for the second coming of the Son of Man.
Come: Let Israel Build Zion
Being born again
Being born again is a gradual thing, except in a few isolated instances that are so miraculous they get written up in the scriptures. As far as the generality of the members of the Church are concerned, we are born again by degrees, and we are born again to added light and added knowledge and added desires for righteousness as we keep the commandments.
Jesus Christ and Him Crucified
Poems by Elder McConkie
Psalm of the Restoration
Glory and honor unto the Lord our God. Let heaven and earth acclaim his name, for he hath wrought wondrous works in all the earth. Sing unto him, for he sendeth his holy angel and restoreth his pure word. He calleth truth from the earth and raineth righteousness from heaven. Blessed be his great and holy name. He restoreth the kingdom to Israel; he gathereth his elect out of all nations; he inviteth the Gentiles to join with his people. All glory to the Lord our King, for he cometh to reign gloriously among his Saints. He cometh with fire, and the wicked are as stubble. He cometh with loving kindness, and his redeemed inherit the earth. Glory and honor unto the Lord our God. Sing unto him for his wondrous works. Blessed be his great and holy name. All glory to the Lord our King.
Man’s Eternal Gods
The Father’s name is Elohim; Jehovah is his Son. Above all Gods they stand supreme, And rule the universe. Jehovah is the Holy One, By whom redemption comes; His gospel is the word of life; He is our living Lord. The Holy Spirit witness bears; Our soul the message hears— That Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, Are man’s Eternal Gods.
Unto Them Ye Must Turn
“We be Abraham’s children, the Jews said to Jove; We shall follow our Father, inherit his trove. But from Jesus our Lord, came the stinging rebuke: Ye are children of him, whom ye list to obey; Were ye Abraham’s seed, ye would walk in his path, And escape the strong chains of the father of wrath. “We have Moses the seer, and the prophets of old; All their words we shall treasure as silver and gold. But from Jesus our Lord, came the sobering voice: If to Moses ye turn, then give heed to his word; Only then can ye hope for rewards of great worth, For he spake of my coming and labors on earth. “We have Peter and Paul, in their steps let us trod; So religionists say, as they worship their God. But speaks He who is Lord of the living and dead: In the hands of those prophets, those teachers and seers, Who abide in your day have I given the keys; Unto them ye must turn, the Eternal to please.”
Upon Judea’s Plains
I stood upon Judea’s plains, And heard celestial sounds and strains; I heard an angel, free from sin, Announce the birth of David’s kin. On shepherds watching sheep by night, There came a shining, glorious light, As holy choirs from heaven’s dome Saw God’s own Son make clay his home. And voices sweet sang this reprise: “To God on high, let praise arise; And peace, good will to men on earth; This is the day of Jesus’ birth.” To me there came this witness sure: “He is God’s Son, supreme and pure; To earth he came, my soul to save From sin and death and from the grave.”
In an Upper Room
We sat at meat, our souls in pain, For wicked men our Lord had slain: We’d seen him on the cross of doom; His body lay in Joseph’s tomb. Then by our board, he stood once more: He lives, he lives—now as afore! He ate, then drank; we saw, then felt, As at his feet in awe we knelt. A calm command to Thomas came: “Feel thou my hands, they are the same As when I hung upon the tree, And suffered death for me and thee.” To me he said, in solemn tones: “My body feel; ’tis flesh and bones.” My soul cried out: “Bow ’neath his rod; Acclaim him Savior, Lord, and God!”
I Believe in Christ
I believe in Christ, he is my king; With all my heart to him I’ll sing; I’ll raise my voice in praise and joy, In grand amens my tongue employ. I believe in Christ, he is God’s Son; On earth to dwell his soul did come; He healed the sick, the dead he raised, Good works were his, his name be praised. I believe in Christ, O blessed name, As Mary’s Son he came to reign ’Mid mortal men, his earthly kin, To save them from the woes of sin. I believe in Christ, who marked the path, Who did gain all his Father hath, Who said to men: “Come, follow me, That ye, my friends, with God may be.” I believe in Christ—my Lord, my God— My feet he plants on gospel sod; I’ll worship him with all my might; He is the source of truth and light. I believe in Christ, he ransoms me; From Satan’s grasp he sets me free, And I shall live with joy and love In his eternal courts above. I believe in Christ, he stands supreme; From him I’ll gain my fondest dream; And while I strive through grief and pain, His voice is heard: “Ye shall obtain.” I believe in Christ; so come what may, With him I’ll stand in that great day When on this earth he comes again, To rule among the sons of men.
Elder McConkie quotes on priesthood
Forget everything that I have said
People write me letters and say, “You said such and such, and how is it now that we do such and such?” And all I can say to that is that it is time disbelieving people repented and got in line and believed in a living, modern prophet. Forget everything that I have said, or what President Brigham Young or President George Q. Cannon or whomsoever has said in days past that is contrary to the present revelation. We spoke with a limited understanding and without the light and knowledge that now has come into the world.
All Are Alike Unto God
Power in the priesthood
If you want to get real technical, the power that you do something by is the power of faith, and the priesthood is the authority. But the fact of the matter is that those who hold priesthood have faith and so the scriptures taught that it becomes proper to talk about there being power in the priesthood. Well, people just do not have the priesthood without the faith that precedes it. But technically, and certainly, faith is the power and priesthood is authority. And yet we come to use the two as synonymous.
Jesus Worketh Miracles, Summer Lectures, 1967
Doctrine of the priesthood
The doctrine of the priesthood is known only by personal revelation. It comes, line upon line and precept upon precept, by the power of the Holy Ghost to those who love and serve God with all their heart, might, mind, and strength. (See D&C 98:12.)
The Doctrine of the Priesthood
We represent Him
We can stand in the place and stead of the Lord Jesus Christ in administering salvation to the children of men.
He preached the gospel; so can we. He spoke by the power of the Holy Ghost; so can we. He served as a missionary; so can we. He went about doing good; so can we. He performed the ordinances of salvation; so can we. He kept the commandments; so can we. He wrought miracles; such also is our privilege if we are true and faithful in all things.
We are his agents; we represent him; we are expected to do and say what he would do and say if he personally were ministering among men at this time.
The Ten Blessings of the Priesthood
We seek His face
He is our Friend, our Lawgiver, our King, and our Lord. We seek his face and desire to dwell in his presence. We are his people, the sheep of his fold.
Come, Know the Lord Jesus
Administering to the sick
We administer to the sick and sometimes we do a good job, and sometimes we do not. Sometimes we pray over the sick. We put our hands on somebody’s head and we say, “Father, wilt thou bless this person because he has faith?” Well you cannot be too critical of that; because if that is the best that you can do, that is the best you can do. As I administer to somebody, and I say, “Father, bless this person,” and probably it is my fault that I say it for not being in tune as much as I ought to be. Because, if I were fully in tune and had the spirit of inspiration, I would do what Peter did. I would stand in the place of Christ and act as though I were Christ, because I am his agent and have his authority. And I would say, “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee.” I would act as though I were Christ to the point that I would then say, “In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” I would certify whose authority I was using, but I would actually be an agent and stand in his place. So the best administrations are those where somebody says, “I rebuke the disease,” “I command the organs of your body to function,” “I say unto you, in Christ’s name, rise up.”
Jesus Worketh Miracles, Summer Lectures, 1967
Our Father’s business
Our work as bearers of the priesthood of God is unique. There is much that we can do which none others can. To use Jesus’ manner of expression, we are engaged in our Father’s business. . . . We are in the business of saving souls.
Bruce R. McConkie. As quoted in Sermons & Writings of Bruce R. McConkie, edited by Mark L. McConkie, page 241.
Bruce R. McConkie quotes about revelation
There are laws
There are laws that enable a spirit-being to speak to a spirit within a person. And that is when we get revelation.
Light of Christ, Summer Lectures, 1967
Spirit of revelation
It is our obligation to go to work on our problems and then counsel with the Lord and get the ratifying seal of the Holy Spirit on the conclusions that we’ve reached; and that ratifying seal is the spirit of revelation.
Agency or Inspiration—Which?
Parables
When you get right down to it, the only want to understand what a parable says is to get a revelation, unless you already know the doctrine. You just out and out have to get revelation.
Jesus Speaketh In Parables, Summer Series, 1967
The rock of personal revelation
If we build our house of salvation on the rock of personal revelation, if we build it on the revealed reality that Jesus is the Lord, if we build it on him who is the Eternal Rock—it will stand forever.
“Upon This Rock”
Revelations come in many ways
Revelations come in many ways, but they are always manifest by the power of the Holy Ghost.
“Thou Shalt Receive Revelation”
Experience for ourselves
We can read about visions and revelations in the records of the past, we can study the inspired writings of people who had the fullness of the gospel in their day, but we cannot comprehend what is involved until we see and hear and experience for ourselves.
The Lord’s People Receive Revelation
God stands revealed
God stands revealed or he remains forever unknown, and the things of God are and can be known only by and through the Spirit of God.
The Lord’s People Receive Revelation
Entitled to revelation
Now I say that we are entitled to revelation. I say that every member of the Church, independent and irrespective of any position that he may hold, is entitled to get revelation from the Holy Ghost; he is entitled to entertain angels; he is entitled to view the visions of eternity; and if we would like to go the full measure, he is entitled to see God the same way that any prophet in literal and actual reality has seen the face of Deity.
How to Get Personal Revelation
Much praying and pondering
Time and again, after much praying and pondering about a given point, new and added concepts have burst upon me, showing deep and hidden truths that I had never before known. It can be so with all of us if we will read, ponder, and pray about the holy word.
Come Hear the Voice of the Lord
Elder McConkie quotes about salvation
As God is
Those who are saved become as God is and live as he lives (Rom. 8:13-18; Rev. 21:7; 3 Ne. 28:10; D&C 84:31-38; 132:18-20)
What Think Ye of Salvation by Grace?
Chart a course
As members of the Church, if we chart a course leading to eternal life . . . and degree by degree are going in that direction; and if we chart a course of being perfect, and, step by step and phase b phase, and perfecting our souls by overcoming the world, then it is absolutely guaranteed—there is no question about it—we shall gain eternal life.
Jesus Christ and Him Crucified
A personal witness
If I am going to be saved in the kingdom of God, I have to receive personal revelation. I have to do more than just know about God or religion as it has been revealed to and taught by someone else. I have to receive a personal witness.
Bruce R. McConkie. As quoted in Sermons & Writings of Bruce R. McConkie, edited by Mark L. McConkie, page 377.
In Christ
Salvation is in Christ and in none other.
Joseph Smith: A Revealer of Christ
Worked out their salvation
We have the same appetites and passions that all of the saints and righteous people had in the dispensations that have gone before. They were no different than we are. They overcame the flesh. They gained the knowledge of God. They understood about Christ and salvation. They had the revelations of the Holy Spirit to their souls certifying of the divine sonship and of the prophetic ministry of whatever prophets ministered among them. And as a consequence they worked out their salvation.
Jesus Christ and Him Crucified
No faster than they gain knowledge
We say that men are saved no faster than they gain knowledge (D&C 130:18-19), and we mean knowledge of God and the principles and doctrines which he has revealed.
October 1959 General Conference address.
A process
Becoming perfect in Christ is a process. We begin to keep the commandments today, and we keep more them tomorrow, and we go from grace to grace, up the steps up the ladder, and we thus improve and perfect our souls.
Jesus Christ and Him Crucified
Bruce R. McConkie quotes on scripture study
Treasure up gospel truths
Search the scriptures. Treasure up gospel truths. Enjoy the words of eternal life in this life, and hope for immortal glory in the life to come. Read, ponder, and pray about all that the prophets have written. Such is the course which the Lord invites men to pursue where his holy word is concerned.
Once or Twice in a Thousand Years
To study the gospel
To worship the Lord is to study the gospel, to treasure up light and truth, to ponder in our hearts the things of his kingdom, and to make them part of our lives.
How to Worship
Regular, systematic study
The Lord is not viewing us any differently from the way he viewed ancient Israel. Our whole hearts and souls and our continual meditation should be centered on the gospel and the things of the Lord, so that we can work out our salvation and fulfill our missions. By regular, systematic study of the standard works we can go a long way toward keeping in a course that will please the Lord and further our own eternal progression.
Conference Report, October 1959. As quoted in Sermons & Writings of Bruce R. McConkie, edited by Mark L. McConkie.
The Gospels
Become a student of the Gospels; fall in love with the Lord; see Him in His birth situation, and in His growing up, and in the days of His ministry; sit with Him in the privacy of a home in Bethany; go with Him when He worked the many miracles.
As quoted in Sermons & Writings of Bruce R. McConkie, edited by Mark L. McConkie.
Gain revelation
It is the study of the scriptures that enables men to gain revelations for themselves.
Bruce R. McConkie. As quoted in Sermons & Writings of Bruce R. McConkie, edited by Mark L. McConkie, page 255.
Go to the source
Treasure up the Lord’s word. Go to the source. The words are sacred.
The Bible, a Sealed Book
Elder McConkie quotes about valiance
Born again by degrees
We are born again by degrees, and we are born again to added light and added knowledge and added desires for righteousness as we keep the commandments. . . .
We begin to keep the commandments today, and we keep more of them tomorrow, and we go from grace to grace, up the steps of the ladder, and we thus improve and perfect our souls.
Jesus Christ and Him Crucified
Celestial law
It is written: “He who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory.” (D&C 88:22.) The law of sacrifice is a celestial law; so also is the law of consecration. Thus to gain that celestial reward which we so devoutly desire, we must be able to live these two laws.
Obedience, Consecration, and Sacrifice
Valiant in the testimony of Jesus
To be valiant in the testimony of Jesus is to “come unto Christ, and be perfected in him”; it is to deny ourselves “of all ungodliness,” and “love God” with all our “might, mind and strength.” (Moro. 10:32.)
To be valiant in the testimony of Jesus is to believe in Christ and his gospel with unshakable conviction. It is to know of the verity and divinity of the Lord’s work on earth.
But this is not all. It is more than believing and knowing. We must be doers of the word and not hearers only.
Be Valiant in the Fight of Faith
The things of righteousness
If we are pondering in our hearts the things of righteousness, we shall become righteous. If virtue garnishes our thoughts unceasingly, our confidence shall wax strong in the presence of God and he in turn will rain down righteousness upon us. Truly as Jacob said, “… to be carnally-minded is death, and to be spiritually-minded is life eternal.” (2 Ne. 9:39.)
“Think on These Things”
Whatever the past has been
Let this then be our covenant—whatever the past has been—let this then be our covenant, that we will walk in all the ordinances of the Lord blameless.
“I Know That My Redeemer Lives”
Following in the steps
True and perfect worship consists in following in the steps of the Son of God; it consists in keeping the commandments and obeying the will of the Father to that degree that we advance from grace to grace until we are glorified in Christ as he is in his Father. It is far more than prayer and sermon and song. It is living and doing and obeying. It is emulating the life of the great Exemplar.
How to Worship
Not enough to have a testimony
It is not enough to have a testimony. You want to know what happens to people who have a testimony, who do not work at it? Read it in the visions of the degrees of glory (Doctrine and Covenants 76); it is talking about the terrestrial kingdom. And it says that those who are not valiant in the testimony of Jesus obtain not the crown over the kingdom of God. That means members of the Church who are lukewarm . . . .
There are lots of people in the Church who know this work is true who do not do very much about it . . . . And hence they are lukewarm, they are not valiant.
Be Ye Converted, as quoted in Bruce R. McConkie: Highlights From His Life & Teachings by Dennis B. Horne.
Further reading
- The Many Legacies of Bruce R. McConkie
- Elder McConkie and Eugene England
- President Nelson Quotes From Every General Conference
- Dallin H. Quotes from Every General Conference
- Latter-day Saint Quotes About Faith
- Neal A. Maxwell Talks
Elder McConkie quotes resources
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2 replies on “Bruce R. McConkie Quotes”
Thank for this compilation of BRM teachings, which I enjoyed reading.
These were wonderful! The above quote under “Faith,” where it talked about “This kind cometh not out but by prayer and fasting,” etc., made me want to read more on what Elder McConkie said.