The Interrelationship Between the Priesthoods
An Explanation for New Priesthood Holders and Recently Endowed Sisters
Marcus H. Martins, Ph.D. - https://drmhmartins.com/martins.html
December 2024
The Prophet Joseph Smith taught the following about the interrelationship between the priesthoods:
"[The]
Melchizedek Priesthood ... holds the highest authority which pertains
to the priesthood, and the keys of the Kingdom of God in all ages of
the world to the latest posterity on the earth ... [It] is the highest
and holiest Priesthood, and ... all other Priesthoods are only parts,
ramifications, powers and blessings belonging to the same, and are
held, controlled, and directed by it.
"All Priesthood is Melchizedek, but there are different portions or degrees of it." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 166, 180)
Perhaps
my 1994 diagram will help visualize that there is only one
priesthood--with "appendices," or "departments," of which only a few
have been revealed to us as of this writing (2024).
In
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, when young men or
recently converted adult men receive the Aaronic Priesthood, they
receive the "entire" Aaronic Priesthood and are immediately "ordained
to an office" (deacon, teacher, or priest) that establishes the
respective "limits" of authority they may exercise in each office.
When
a man receives the Melchizedek Priesthood, he also receives the
"entire" Melchizedek Priesthood--and all other priesthoods (known or
still not revealed) that "belong" to--i.e., are "held, controlled, and
directed by" the Melchizedek Priesthood. Likewise, this man is
immediately ordained to an "office" (usually elder, and later, if
necessary, high priest, patriarch, seventy, or apostle), which
establishes the respective "limits" of authority he may exercise in
each office.
When a woman receives her own endowment, she
receives both priesthoods--the Aaronic and the Melchizedek, but she is
not ordained to an office of these priesthoods in the Church--I repeat,
she is not ordained to an office of the priesthood ... in the Church.
When
a couple enters into the New and Everlasting Covenant of Marriage,
they--as a couple--"enter" the patriarchal order of the priesthood. At
this time, we understand that the offices of this priestly order will
be exercised after the resurrection, in the celestial glory.
When
we consider the interrelationship between the priesthoods, we
understand that the Aaronic Priesthood does not have the authority to
confer the Holy Ghost, heal the sick, etc. But the Melchizedek
Priesthood may exercise functions of the Aaronic Priesthood such as
preaching the gospel, baptizing, blessing and passing the sacrament,
etc.
Using a simple analogy, someone who obtains a driver's license to drive an 18-wheeler truck can also use that same
license to drive a passenger car ... but not vice versa. Both are
drivers, but with different "classes" and "functions", and with
authorization to use different "tools".
As a rough comparison,
if we represent the priesthood as a "hand", the Aaronic Priesthood
would be represented by the fingers, and the Melchizedek by the palm
and the wrist. Together, they form "one single member", having
different but complementary functions. The Aaronic Priesthood provides
the “elementary tools” that the Melchizedek Priesthood will use for
even higher purposes (D&C 107:1-6, 13-14, 18-20).
This priesthood has a single name, which the Church in ancient times stopped using out of respect for the name of the deity. (D&C 107:1-2)
Orders
("parts", "portions", "subdivisions", or "departments") have been
organized throughout the ages to progressively prepare people to
receive the riches and glories of eternity. (D&C 78:18; 133:57-58)
Marcus H. Martins, Ph.D.
Auburn (Seattle), December 2024
Website: https://drmhmartins.com/martins.html
Videos: http://www.youtube.com/DrMHMartins/videos
Marcus
H. Martins is a professor emeritus and former dean of religious
education at Brigham Young University-Hawaii. He wrote the book
"Setting the Record Straight: Blacks and the Mormon Priesthood", and
the manuscript "The Priesthood: Earthly Symbols and Heavenly
Realities". He has spoken at conferences and events in the United
States (where he has lived since 1990), Brazil, China, England, Hong
Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Portugal, Qatar, and
Singapore. Brother Martins joined the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints in 1972 and became the first Latter-day Saint with
Black African ancestry to serve a full-time mission after the 1978
Revelation. He served twice as bishop, seven times as stake high
councilor, three times as temple worker, translator of the Book of
Mormon, and president of the Brazil Sao Paulo North Mission with his
wife, Mirian Abelin Barbosa. The couple has four children and eight
grandchildren.