Eternal Truths Don’t Change

In this mini episode, Candice and Clare talk about eternal truths, the ones that don’t change even when the world does. Inspired by a missionary email from Elder Miller, they share a simple children’s toy metaphor that beautifully illustrates how God’s truths always fit, no matter the time or culture. With quotes from Elder L. Tom Perry and President Russell M. Nelson, they explore how to anchor your faith in what is constant: the gospel of Jesus Christ.

clickable links below

Elder Tom Perry Quote

John 14:6

Pres. Nelson talk

Transcript

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This podcast episode may contain brief quotes from external sources, used in a positive and respectful manner for discussion, education, and commentary. These references fall under fair use as they are not used for commercial gain, do not replace the original works, and are presented with proper context and attribution.

The views and opinions expressed in this episode are our own and those of our guests. They do not necessarily reflect the official doctrine, beliefs, or positions of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Transcript

Clare: Welcome to Sisters: Latter-day Voices. I’m Clare.

Candice: And I’m Candice. For today’s mini episode, we’re going to talk about how eternal truths don’t change.

Clare: So, we have a niece and a nephew on missions right now, and I’m sharing a little missionary thought from our nephew. But—side note—did you read Hayley’s last email?

Candice: Yes!

Clare: Did you watch her little video?

Candice: It’s so good! It’s so funny. She’s really funny. She made this little infomercial, and I asked her if it’s okay—if she says it’s okay, I’m going to share it on our Instagram because it’s this little missionary infomercial and it’s so good.

Clare: Yeah, it’s cute. Anyway, I love the thoughts from missionaries. They’re just so happy and positive. And Rhys had a really good thought in one of his emails. I asked if I could share it, and he said yes.

So this is wisdom from Elder Miller, currently serving in Ohio. He shared a metaphor about gospel truths and related it to a common children’s toy.

When I describe this toy, I think most people will recognize it. It’s that baby toy—a tub with a lid that has different shaped holes in it: a square, a circle, a heart, etc. Inside are matching shaped blocks that fit into the holes.

To use the toy, you dump out the blocks, put the lid back on, and the baby or toddler tries to fit each block into the correct hole. Through trial and error, they learn that the circle block only fits into the circle hole. A child might try to fit a star-shaped block into a heart-shaped hole, but no matter how hard they try to jam it in, it won’t work. The star fits only in the star-shaped hole, and the heart fits only in the heart-shaped hole. You get it, right?

Clare: Also—side note—I remember when my oldest was playing with this toy. She was sitting there banging the blocks on the lid, and then finally she just took the lid off and threw the blocks in! I was like, “Oh, she’s a genius!” [laughs] And then I realized, no, it’s fine. Anyway, we can take that out if we want, but I just thought that was funny.

So, we’re pretty familiar with this toy, right? But he likened it to how we view truth today.

It’s common to hear someone say “my truth,” as if truth changes from person to person—like, “Oh well, my truth is this.” But the thing about truth is that it’s unchanging. Just like scientific truths don’t change, eternal gospel truths don’t change either.

We believe God deals with His people the same throughout time. He doesn’t change His rules or commandments to fit whatever people think is best in that era.

So Reece said, quote:

“It struck me that this is how the gospel and our worldview are. The gospel is eternal truth. It is not just for those living in 2025, nor was it just for those of the year 1830, 3600 BC, or 4000 BC. The gospel is for all. And while our understanding of parts changes according to what we seek and can currently comprehend, the reality is that the only reliable and unchanging truths we can find are those of an unchanging God.
 If our worldview is set to the little circle, the gospel won’t fit. If we get set in that tight of an understanding and vision, we will never be able to comprehend or accept the full gospel of Jesus Christ. It is backwards to learn the world first and then apply the gospel. We must learn the gospel first and then see what truly fits in the frame of the everlasting end.”

End quote from Reece.

You aren’t forced to get in line with these truths—we all have agency—but whether you choose to believe them or not, they’re true. The commandments are as relevant today as they were hundreds or thousands of years ago.

I also found a really good talk from Elder L. Tom Perry. He talked about when he was fighting in World War II, and the First Presidency sent out little booklets of gospel truths for the men to take with them—so they could read and be uplifted while they were fighting.

He said that even greater than the physical war is the war against sin—the war we’re fighting with Satan.

He talked about how there are some commandments most people agree with, like not committing adultery, not murdering, or not lying. But a lot of the other commandments, people aren’t really as committed to or on board with.

And something I liked that he said was:

“Surely there could not be any doctrine more strongly expressed in the scriptures than the Lord’s unchanging commandments and their connection to our happiness and well-being as individuals, as families, and as a society. There are moral absolutes. Disobedience to the Lord’s commandments will always deprive us of His blessings.
 These things do not change. In a world where the moral compass of society is faltering, the restored gospel of Jesus Christ never wavers—nor should its stakes and wards, its families, or its individual members. We must not pick and choose which commandments we think are important to keep but acknowledge all of God’s commandments. We must stand firm and steadfast, having perfect confidence in the Lord’s consistency and perfect trust in His promises.”

End quote.

I think that’s a really important message today.

Clare: Especially because society is always changing. A lot of people just go with what society says or what’s happening in the moment, but they’re not sticking to what’s an eternal truth.

And I remember during COVID, President Nelson gave a really short talk called “Pure Truth, Pure Doctrine, and Pure Revelation.” He reiterated that there really are absolute and eternal truths that do not change. If it’s from God, it’s the truth.

Candice: Yeah.

Clare: We’re reminded in John 14:6 — “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” He is the truth that doesn’t change.

Candice: I think there are certain movements trying to change things—like, “Oh, we need to get on board, we need to change with the world.” But we don’t. We need to stay consistent and follow God because He’s the one who doesn’t change. We’re the ones who need to change to accept that—not the other way around.

Clare: And I also like what Rhys said—that our understanding might be low, and that’s the problem. It’s not His understanding; it’s ours.

Candice: Yeah. And everybody has their agency. If you don’t want to follow those commandments, you don’t have to—you have your agency. But there are always blessings connected to obedience. When we follow the commandments and live gospel truths, we receive direct blessings. We’re missing out when we choose not to.

Anyway, I wanted to end with Reece’s closing from his email—because missionaries are just so positive. He said:

“I invite you all to rejoice in what truths are eternal. After all, think celestial, and continue seeking them!! I promise you will find no greater joy and peace than you will in greater truth. Christ lives and leads today. Rejoice!”

So with that missionary message, we hope you know God loves you.

Clare: Shout-out—if you know any missionaries, you should definitely get on their email lists because they are so uplifting and positive. They’re a highlight of the week. I love reading them.

Candice: Yeah, me too. They’re the best.

Clare: Okay.

Candice: All right. Bye!