Gospel Principles
Unit 7: Perfecting Our Lives
Chapter 31: Honesty
Comments and Resources

'President Spencer W. Kimball taught: "Today is the day to preach honesty and integrity.  Many people have seemingly lost their concept of the God-given law of honesty." ("A Report and a Challenge," Ensign, Nov. 1976, p. 6; also in Conference Report, Oct 1976, p. 7). 

"Honesty is a principle, and we have our moral agency to determine how we will apply this principle. We have the agency to make choices, but ultimately we will be accountable for each choice we make. We may deceive others, but there is One we will never deceive. From the Book of Mormon we learn, The keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name. [2 Nephi 9:41]" --James E. Faust, "Honesty a Moral Compass", Ensign, Nov. 1996, 

During the study of this topic we will learn what the Lord has said about honesty and why it is important.

Resources
Gospel Principles, chapter 31

Scriptures:
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. 

Hebrews 13:18 Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly. 

Alma 27:27 And they were among the people of Nephi, and also numbered among the people who were of the church of God. And they were also distinguished for their zeal towards God, and also towards men; for they were perfectly honest and upright in all things; and they were firm in the faith of Christ, even unto the end. d. 

Alma 41:14 Therefore, my son, see that you are merciful unto your brethren; deal justly, judge righteously, and do good continually; and if ye do all these things then shall ye receive your reward; yea, ye shall have mercy restored unto you again; ye shall have justice restored unto you again; ye shall have a righteous judgment restored unto you again; and ye shall have good rewarded unto you again. 

D&C 8:1-2 
  1 Oliver Cowdery, verily, verily, I say unto you, that assuredly as the Lord liveth, who is your God and your Redeemer, even so surely shall you receive a knowledge of whatsoever things you shall ask in faith, with an honest heart, believing that you shall receive a knowledge concerning the engravings of old records, which are ancient, which contain those parts of my scripture of which has been spoken by the manifestation of my Spirit. 
  2 Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart. 

D&C 11:10-14
  10 Behold, thou hast a gift, or thou shalt have a gift if thou wilt desire of me in faith, with an honest heart, believing in the power of Jesus Christ, or in my power which speaketh unto thee; 
  11 For, behold, it is I that speak; behold, I am the light which shineth in darkness, and by my power I give these words unto thee. 
  12 And now, verily, verily, I say unto thee, put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit. 
  13 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy; 
  14 And then shall ye know, or by this shall you know, all things whatsoever you desire of me, which are pertaining unto things of righteousness, in faith believing in me that you shall receive. 

D&C 51:9 And let every man deal honestly, and be alike among this people, and receive alike, that ye may be one, even as I have commanded you.  

D&C 97:8 Verily I say unto you, all among them who know their hearts are honest, and are broken, and their spirits contrite, and are willing to observe their covenants by sacrifice yea, every sacrifice which I, the Lord, shall command they are accepted of me. 


D&C 98:9-13
  9 Nevertheless, when the wicked rule the people mourn. 
  10 Wherefore, honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil. 
  11 And I give unto you a commandment, that ye shall forsake all evil and cleave unto all good, that ye shall live by every word which proceedeth forth out of the mouth of God. 
  12 For he will give unto the faithful line upon line, precept upon precept; and I will try you and prove you herewith. 
  13 And whoso layeth down his life in my cause, for my name s sake, shall find it again, even life eternal. 

D&C 136:20 Seek ye; and keep all your pledges one with another; and covet not that which is thy brother's. 

3 Nephi 12:37 But let your communication be Yea, yea; Nay, nay; for whatsoever cometh of more than these is evil. 

Articles of Faith  13   We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things. 


Topical Guide: 
               Honesty' 
			   



Concept 1: Introduction

'The thirteenth article of faith says, "We believe in being honest."  The Book of Mormon tells us about a group of people who were "distinguished for their zeal toward God, and also towards men; for they were perfectly honest and upright in all things; and they were firm in the faith of Christ, even unto the end" (Alma 27:27).  Because of their honesty, these people were noted by their fellowmen and by God.  It is important to learn what honesty is, how we are tempted to be dishonest, and how we can overcome this temptation.

Discussion

Alma 27:27 "And they were among the people of Nephi, and also numbered among the people who were of the church of God.  And they were also distinguished for their zeal towards God, and also towards God, and also towards men; for they were perfectly honest and upright in all things; and they were firm in all things; and they were firm in the faith of Christ, even unto the end."

What would a society be like where everyone was perfectly honest?'



Concept 2: Honesty Is a Principle of Salvation


'Complete honesty is necessary for our salvation.  An Apostle of the Lord has said: "Honesty is a principle of salvation in the kingdom of God... Just as no man or woman can be saved without baptism, so no one can be saved without honesty" (Mark E. Petersen, in Conference Report, Oct. 1971, p. 63; or Ensign, Dec. 1971 P 72).

God is honest and just in all things (Alma 7:20 "I perceive that it has been made know unto you, by the testimony of his word, that he cannot walk in crooked paths; neither doth he vary from that which he hath said; neither hath he a shadow of tuning from the right to the left, or from that which is right to that which is wrong; therefore, his course is one eternal round.").  We too must be honest in all things to become like him.  The bother of Jared testified, "Yea, Lord, I knowest that thou... art a God of truth and canst not lie" (Ether 3:12).  In contrast, the devil is a liar.  In fact, he is the father of lies (2 Nephi 9:9 "And our spirits must have become like unto him, and we become devils, angels to a devil, to be shut out from the presence of our God, and to remain with the father of lies, in misery, like unto himself; yea, to that being who beguiled our first parents, who transformeth himself nigh unto an angel of light, and stirreth up the children of men unto secret combinations of murder and all manner of secret works of darkness.").  "Those who choose to cheat and lie and deceive and misrepresent become his slaves"  (Mark E. Petersen, in Conference Report Oct. 1971; or Ensign, Dec. 1971, p. 73).

Discussion

Why is honesty a principle of salvation?'



Concept 3: What Is an Honest Person?

'Honest people love truth and justice.  They are honest in their words and actions.  They do not lie, steal, or cheat.

To Lie is Dishonest.
Lying is intentionally deceiving others.  Bearing false witness is one form of lying.  The lord gave this commandment to the children of Israel"  "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour" (Exodus 20:16).  Jesus also taught this when he was on earth (Matthew 19:18 ..."Thou shalt not bear false witness").  There are many other forms of lying.  When we speak untruths, we are guilty of lying.  We can also intentionally deceive others by a gesture or a look, by silence, or by telling only part of the truth.  Whenever we lead people in any way to believe something that is not true, we are not being honest.

The Lord is not pleased with such dishonesty, and we will have to account for our lies.  Satan would have us believe it is all right to lie.  He says, "Yea, lie a little;... there is no harm in this" (2 Nephi 28:8).  Satan encourages us to justify our lies to ourselves.  Honest people will recognize Satan's temptations and will speak the whole truth, even if it seems to be their disadvantage.
	
To Steal Is Dishonest
Jesus taught, "Thou shalt not steal" (Matthew 19:18).  Stealing is taking something that does not belong to us.  When we take what belongs to someone else or to a store or to the community without permission, we are stealing.  Taking merchandise or supplies from an employer is stealing.  Accepting more change or goods than one should is dishonest.  Thanking more than our share of anything is stealing.

To Cheat Is Dishonest
We cheat when we give less than we owe, or when we get something we do not deserve.  Some employees cheat their employers by not working their full time; yet they accept full pay.  Some employers are not fair to their employees; they pay them less than they deserve.  Satan says, "Take advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor" (2 Nephi 28:8).  Taking unfair advantage is a form of dishonesty.  Providing inferior service or merchandise is cheating.

Discussion

How can we be honest?  Are we honest in our dealings with others?'



Concept 4: We Must Not Excuse Our Dishonesty

'People use many excuses for being dishonest.  People lie to protect themselves and to have others think well of them.  Some excuse themselves for stealing, thinking they deserve what they took, intend to return it, or need it more than the owner.  Some cheat to get better grades in school or because "everyone else does it" or to get even.

These excuses and many more are given as reasons for dishonesty.  To the Lord, there are no acceptable reasons.  President Kimball taught that when we excuse ourselves, we cheat ourselves and the Spirit of God ceases to be with us.  We become more and more unrighteous.  (See Faith Precedes the Miracle, p. 234).

Discussion

What happens to us spiritually when we excuse our dishonesty?'




Concept 5: We Can Be Completely  Honest

'To become completely honest, we must look carefully at our lives.  If there are ways in which we are being even the least bit dishonest, we should repent of them immediately.  

When we are completely honest, we cannot be corrupted.  We are true to every trust, duty, agreement, or covenant, even if it cost us money, friends or our lives.  Then we can face the Lord, ourselves and others without shame.  President Joseph F. Smith counseled, "Let every man's live be so that his character will bear the closest inspection, and that it may be seen as an open book, so that we will have nothing to shrink from or be ashamed of" (Gospel Doctrine, p.252)

Discussion

What does it mean to be completely honest?  What must we do to be completely honest?

Additional Scriptures 

D&C 50:17 (speak only by the spirit of truth)
Verily I say unto you, he that is ordained of me and sent forth to preach the word of truth by the Comforter, in the Spirit of truth, doth he preach it by the Spirit of truth or some other way? 

2 Nephi 9:34; D&C 76:103-106 (destination of liars)
2 Nephi 9:34
 34 Wo unto the liar, for he shall be thrust down to hell. 

D&C 76:103-110
 103 These are they who are liars, and sorcerers, and adulterers, and whoremongers, and whosoever loves and makes a lie. 
 104 These are they who suffer the wrath of God on earth. 
 105 These are they who suffer the vengeance of eternal fire. 
 106 These are they who are cast down to hell and suffer the wrath of Almighty God, until the fulness of times, when Christ shall have subdued all enemies under his feet, and shall have perfected his work; 
 107 When he shall deliver up the kingdom, and present it unto the Father, spotless, saying: I have overcome and have trodden the wine-press alone, even the wine-press of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God. 
 108 Then shall he be crowned with the crown of his glory, to sit on the throne of his power to reign forever and ever. 
 109 But behold, and lo, we saw the glory and the inhabitants of the telestial world, that they were as innumerable as the stars in the firmament of heaven, or as the sand upon the seashore;   110 And heard the voice of the Lord saying: These all shall bow the knee, and every tongue shall confess to him who sits upon the throne forever and ever; 


D&C 42:27 (commandment not to speak evil of neighbors)
27 Thou shalt not speak evil of thy neighbor, nor do him any harm. 

Exodus 20:15-16 (commandment not to steal or bear false witness)
  15 Thou shalt not steal. 
  16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. 

D&C 42:20, 84-85; 59:6 (forbidden to steal)
D&C 42:20, 84-85
 20 Thou shalt not steal; and he that stealeth and will not repent shall be cast out. 
      "  "  "
 84 And if a man or woman shall rob, he or she shall be delivered up unto the law of the land.  85 And if he or she shallsteal, he or she shall be delivered up unto the law of the land.

D&C 59:6  Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Thou shalt not steal; neither commit adultery, nor kill, nor do anything like unto it. 

D&C 3:2 (God is honest)
2 For God doth not walk in crooked paths, neither doth he turn to the right hand nor to the left, neither doth he vary from that which he hath said, therefore his paths are straight, and his course is one eternal round. 

D&C 10:25-28 (Satan deceives)
 25 Yea, he saith unto them: Deceive and lie in wait to catch, that ye may destroy; behold, this is no harm. And thus he flattereth them, and telleth them that it is no sin to lie that they may catch a man in a lie, that they may destroy him. 
 26 And thus he flattereth them, and leadeth them along until he draggeth their souls down to hell; and thus he causeth them to catch themselves in their own snare. 
 27 And thus he goeth up and down, to and fro in the earth, seeking to destroy the souls of men. 
 28 Verily, verily, I say unto you, wo be unto him that lieth to deceive because he supposeth that another lieth to deceive, for such are not exempt from the justice of God.'



-----------------
Moroni 10:4-5
"4. And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. 
5. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."

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