Sunday, February 12, 2012

Parable of the Talents (Churches)

Matthew 25:29 "from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath."

The parable of the talents has some clear applications, but I wanted to take this true and clear principle and apply it in a different context.  I feel like the parable of the talents can be applied to the different degrees of light and truth that we find amongst the different churches and religions.  The one that had the most talents (5) had the most required of him ("where much is given much is required"), this is likened unto a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  He has been given all the talents (doctrines, covenants, and tokens) necessary for exaltation.  One can easily extrapolate from this parable that if the servant who received five talents had squandered them, the master would have taken them from him and his condemnation would have been even worse than the one that hid his one talent.  Next, the man with two talents is likened unto a good honest man of a non-LDS Christian religion that sees great worth in the truths (talents) he has received.  However, instead of being complacent with the two talents and saying "I have enough, I don't need more truth", he applied what the Lord had given him and discovered more.  This man realized that having accepted the Lord and believing the Bible to be the word of God (the most common two talents people in non-LDS Christian churches possess) was just the beginning.  Too often good people of other faiths take offense because we offer them more to add upon the truths they already have, but that is in direct defiance of the principle taught in the parable of the talents.  The Lord gives us something because he intends us to multiple it! The Lord didn't give us the Bible to shut up the heavens! He didn't send his Son so that we didn't need anymore commandments! He gave us those as a starting block (two talents) so that we would multiply them and realize how much more He has in store for us.  Unfortunately, the servant with one talent is the prime example of someone not recognizing what the Lord wants them to do with what he has given them.  These type of men are found all over the world. Priestcrafts fall most often in this category.  They don't want to lose that one talent they have, they don't want to have to abandon their ministry that is making them a living just to accept the further lights and truths the restoration provides.  Sadly, from them will be taken even the one thing they have (their congregation).  Remember though that this servant was not destined to hide his one talent.  Just as Sydney Rigdon brought an entire congregation with him into the Church, so any preacher with his one talent could decide that further truth is more important than being afraid to lose his one possession.

3 comments:

  1. Another insightul blog. I would add one other aspect to your discussion. Those who doubled their 5 talents (the long time faithful members of the church) and those who doubled their two talents (the converts, possibly very recent) received exactly- word for word- the same reward. Thanks again for sharing the interesting application.

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  2. Interesting, new application (for me)of the Parable of the Talents. And a nice addendum from my Sweetheart. I enjoy reading your blog very much. TMTA

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  3. Thanks Mom, yeah I really liked Dad's "addendum" (if that's a word ;-) ) I think it goes hand in hand

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