Priesthood: The Power of God On Earth

“Priesthood is the greatest power on earth. Worlds were created by and through the priesthood. To safeguard this sacred power, all priesthood holders act under the direction of those who hold the keys of the priesthood. These keys bring order into our lives and into the organization of the Church. For us, priesthood power is the power and authority delegated by God to act in His name for the salvation of His children. Caring for others is the very essence of priesthood responsibility. It is the power to bless, to heal, and to administer the saving ordinances of the gospel. Righteous priesthood authority is most needed within the walls of our own homes. It must be exercised in great love. This is true of all priesthood holders—deacon, teacher, priest, elder, high priest, patriarch, Seventy, and Apostle.”

James E. Faust, “Power Of The Priesthood”, April 1997 General Conference

“Priesthood is the authority and the power which God has granted to men on earth to act for Him. When priesthood authority is exercised properly, priesthood bearers do what He would do if He were present.

“We have done very well at distributing the authority of the priesthood. We have priesthood authority planted nearly everywhere. We have quorums of elders and high priests worldwide. But distributing the authority of the priesthood has raced, I think, ahead of distributing the power of the priesthood. The priesthood does not have the strength that it should have and will not have until the power of the priesthood is firmly fixed in the families as it should be.”

Boyd K. Packer, “The Power Of Priesthood Authority”, April 2010 General Conference

“The priesthood of God gives light to his children in this dark and troubled world. Through priesthood power we can receive the gift of the Holy Ghost to lead us to truth, testimony, and revelation. This gift is available on an equal basis to men, women, and children. Through the blessings of the priesthood, we can be equipped with ‘the whole armour of God, that [we] may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil’ (see Ephesians 6:11–18). This protection is available to every one of us.

“Through the priesthood many other blessings are also available to all of the sons and daughters of God, making it possible for us to make sacred covenants and receive holy ordinances that enable us to travel that strait and narrow way back to our Father in Heaven (see Matthew 7:13–14).”

Robert D. Hales, “Blessings of the Priesthood”, October 1995 General Conference

“The gift of the priesthood is priceless. It carries with it the authority to act as God’s servants, to administer to the sick, to bless our families, and to bless others as well. Its authority can reach beyond the veil of death, on into the eternities. There is nothing else to compare with it in all this world. Safeguard it, treasure it, live worthy of it.”

Thomas S. Monson, “Priesthood Power”, April 2011 General Conference

“The blessings of the priesthood transcend our ability to comprehend. Faithful Melchizedek Priesthood holders can ‘become … the elect of God.’ They are ‘sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies’ and can ultimately receive ‘all that [the] Father hath.’ This may be hard to comprehend, but it is beautiful, and I testify that it is true.

“The fact that our Heavenly Father would entrust this power and responsibility to man is evidence of His great love for us and a foreshadowing of our potential as sons of God in the hereafter. Nevertheless, too often our actions suggest that we live far beneath this potential.”

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Your Potential, your Privilege”, April 2011 General Conference

“The destiny of the rising generation of priesthood holders is far more than to be ready to bring God’s power down to heal the sick. The preparation is to be ready to go and do whatever the Lord wants done as the world is preparing for His coming. None of us knows exactly what those errands will be. But we know what it will take to be ready, so each of us can prepare… Now, the Lord said Nephi could be trusted because he would ask nothing contrary to God’s will. To have that confidence in Nephi, the Lord had to be sure that Nephi believed in revelation, sought it, and followed it. Long experience following inspiration from God was a part of Nephi’s priesthood preparation. It must be part of yours.”

Henry B. Eyring, “Be Ready”, October 2009 General Conference

“The purpose of priesthood authority is to give, to serve, to lift, to inspire—not to exercise unrighteous control or force. In some cultures, tradition places a man in a role to dominate, control, and regulate all family affairs. That is not the way of the Lord. In some places the wife is almost owned by her husband, as if she were another of his personal possessions. That is a cruel, unproductive, mistaken vision of marriage encouraged by Lucifer that every priesthood holder must reject. It is founded on the false premise that a man is somehow superior to a woman. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The scriptures confirm that Father in Heaven saved His greatest, most splendid, supreme creation, woman, to the end. Only after all else was completed was woman created. Only then was the work pronounced complete and good.”

Richard G. Scott, “Honor The Priesthood And Use It Well”, October 2008 General Conference

“The Lord has made those consequences clear. Rising to the possibilities of the oath and covenant brings the greatest of all the gifts of God: eternal life. That is a purpose of the Melchizedek Priesthood. Through keeping the covenants as we receive the priesthood and renewing them in the temple ceremonies, we are promised by an oath made by our Heavenly Father, Elohim, that we will gain the fullness of His glory and live as He lives. We will have the blessing of being sealed in a family forever with the promise of eternal increase… There is another wonderful blessing that will encourage you as you keep your priesthood covenants. Priesthood service will prepare you for living in eternal families. It will change your feelings about what it means to be a husband or a father or a son or a brother. That change in your heart will come as you feel your faith grow and the promise of eternal life through the Melchizedek Priesthood becomes real to you.”

Henry B. Eyring, “Faith and The Oath And Covenant of the Priesthood”, April 2008 General Conference.

“Now, later in your life you will be a father—a priesthood father. What you have learned in your priesthood service as you helped others away from sadness and toward happiness will give you the power you will need and want. Years of being responsible for the souls of men will prepare you for helping and protecting your family, whom you will love more than you can imagine in your youth. You will know how to lead them with priesthood power to safety.”

Henry B. Eyring, “Man Down!", April 2009 General Conference

“Just as clean wires, properly connected, are required to carry electrical power, so clean hands and pure hearts are required to carry priesthood power. Filth and grime slow or prevent the flow of electrical power. Unclean thoughts and actions interfere with individual priesthood power. When we are humble, clean, and pure of hand, heart, and mind, nothing righteous is impossible. An ancient Oriental saying declares, ‘If a man lives a pure life, nothing can destroy him.”

John H. Groberg, “Priesthood Power”, April 2001 General Conference

Position Statement:

The Priesthood is the authority to act in the name of God on earth. Those who are found worthy to hold the priesthood carry a great responsibility as representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ to do what He would do if He were present. For millennia it has been common practice for God to grant this authority to man as we know authorized sacrifice was performed in the days of Adam. When Christ left this mortal life He left his priesthood authority in the hands of the Apostles until one by one they were banished or murdered. As the priesthood authority left this earth with the Apostles, for 1700 years the world sat in darkness until the year 1829 when the priesthood was again brought back through the Prophet Joseph Smith. We ought to regard the priesthood with high esteem and always seek to have its influence in our lives. As the power of God unto salvation let us seek to always be worthy of its blessings.