Melchizedek Priesthood

The Melchizedek Priesthood is named after Melchizedek, one of God's ancient high priests. His position in the priestly hierarchy of God's earthly kingdom was like that of Abraham. "Now consider how great this man was; unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils."¹

      This Priesthood was given to Adam before the world was formed and has remained with man whenever the Lord has revealed His gospel. It was taken from the earth during the Great Apostasy, and was restored to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in May of 1829 from Jesus Christ apostles, Peter, James and John.

      For Mormons, this Priesthood is identified as the Holy Priesthood after the Order of the Son of God.² This priesthood has the power and authority over all the other offices in the Mormon Church. This priesthood holds all the spiritual blessings of the church. Through this authority, this is where Church leaders guide the organization of the church and the preaching of the gospel. The priesthood is through which God communicates with man on the earth today. President Wilford Woodruff a Mormon prophet stated the following: "Without this priesthood, no man has any right to administer in any of the ordinances that are performed in the Mormon temple and neither has any man a right to that priesthood save he be called of God."

      The question is then asked, 'What is the Melchizedek Priesthood for?" It is to administer the ordinances of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The responsibility of holding this priesthood is sacred and held dearly. They are speaking and acting for God. If they abuse this responsibility they will be held accountable to God.

      Without this priesthood, salvation in the kingdom of God would not be available for man. Those that have the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood are able to administer [bless] the sick, give priesthood blessings to family members or others, bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost and ordain other worthy men to offices in the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthood.

      The offices of the Melchizedek Priesthood are Apostle, Seventy, Patriarch, High Priest, and Elder. The President of the High Priesthood is the President of the Church, that being Gordon B. Hinckley [2006].

      When a man receives the Melchizedek Priesthood, he enters with an oath and a covenant. The covenant is that the man on his part agrees to magnify his calling in the priesthood, to keep the commandments of God, to be righteous in all that God has asked, to be faithful and to be virtuous. Those who keep this covenant will be sanctified by the Spirit and receive 'all that [the] Father hath."³ The oath is the solemn testimony of God!

      How does one magnify his calling in the Priesthood? Magnify means to enlarge or increase or to improve upon. So when a man magnifies his calling he is doing what the Lord would have him do, with the help of the Lord. He learns what his duties are in his respective office or calling and then he is diligent in accomplishing the task at hand.

      Without this Priesthood it would not be possible to obtain eternal life, and not just for a man, but for women and children. When a man has received the Melchizedek Priesthood, through his worthiness, he is able to enter the Mormon Temple and be sealed to his family for eternity. The greatest blessings come to those they attend the temple. Celestial marriage is an order of the Priesthood and without it, no man or woman can enter the Celestial Kingdom. It is recorded in Nehemiah 13:25-30, that the elders of Israel who did not marry in the temple were said to "have defiled the priesthood, and the covenant of the priesthood."

¹ "The Holy Bible", Hebrews 7:4

² "The Book of Mormon", Doctrine and Covenants 107:2-4

³ "The Book of Mormon", Doctrine and Covenants 84:33-44

Other interesting sites about Mormonism:

www.lightplanet.com

www.wikipedia.com

www.whymormonism.org

www.mormonolympians.org

www.understandingmormonism.org

www.familiesforever.com

www.meetmormonmissionaries.org

www.blacklds.org

www.mormoncentral.com