Gospel Principles
Unit 7: Perfecting Our Lives
Chapter 31: Honesty
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)
"17 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 76:103-106
"103 These are they who are liars, and sorcerers, and adulterers, and dc/76/103e">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 hisfeet, and shall have perfected his work;"
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; D&C 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 shall steal, he or she shall be delivered up unto the law of the land."
D&C 59:6
"6 Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Thou shalt not dsteal; 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."