The Heartwood of the Sacrament: Eye Single, Keys Restored, and the Armor of God in D&C 27

A beautiful finish on a piece of furniture means nothing if the wood underneath is rotted. You can apply a perfect coat of lacquer to cracked timber and it will still fail because the beauty has to come from the core for the piece to hold.

D&C 27 is about the core of things including the sacrament and the keys of the priesthood and the armor of God. Each section of the chapter strips away the external and points to what is essential.

Meaning of Eye Single to the Glory of God in the Sacrament

The Lord says something surprising about the sacrament. It mattereth not what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink when you partake of it because the material of the bread and water is not the point. What matters is that it is done with an eye single to the glory of God.

For, behold, I say unto you, that it mattereth not what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink when ye partake of the sacrament, if it so be that ye do it with an eye single to my glory.

D&C 27:2

The phrase eye single to my glory has stayed with me. It means the heart is focused on the Savior and nothing else with the bread and water serving as symbols while the intention behind them carries the power.

I think about this every week when the tray passes. Am I thinking about the Atonement or about what comes after the meeting? The Lord says the material does not matter but the focus does.

Significance of the Keys of Elijah in D&C 27

The chapter expands beyond the sacrament. The Lord lists a series of figures who hold keys of the priesthood including Moroni, Elias, John the Baptist, Elijah, and Peter, James, and John. The patriarchs Joseph, Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham are there along with Adam.

This list is not random. Each figure represents a specific authority that has been restored in the dispensation of the fullness of times. The keys are not new but are ancient authorities being gathered together in one.

Elijah is mentioned specifically with the keys of turning the hearts of the fathers to the children. That phrase carries the whole purpose of the Restoration involving the healing of the generational divide and the sealing of families for eternity.

I think about this when I look at my own family. The keys mean that the work I do in the temple connects me to generations I never met and generations that will come after me. The keys are a bridge across time.

How to Use the Armor of God in Daily Life

The chapter closes with the armor of God and the Lord telling us to put on the whole armor. Gird your loins with truth and put on the breastplate of righteousness. Shod your feet with the gospel of peace and take the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit.

Each piece covers something specific like the belt of truth holding everything together and the breastplate protecting the heart. The shoes give stable footing while the shield stops the fiery darts. The helmet protects the mind and the sword is the word of God.

I think of the armor less as a suit of metal and more as a tool chest where each tool is for a specific job. Truth squares the work. Righteousness planes the rough edges. Faith clamps everything in place while the glue sets. You need all the tools or the project will fail.

The sword of the Spirit is the only offensive weapon in the list. The word of God cuts through deception and establishes what is true. I have found that the scriptures work differently when I approach them as a weapon instead of a textbook.

I have started a practice of mentally checking each piece of the armor before I walk out the door in the morning going through the belt of truth and breastplate of righteousness and shoes of the gospel and shield of faith and helmet of salvation and sword of the Spirit. It takes about thirty seconds but it changes the way I move through the day.

Why Does the Material of the Sacrament Not Matter

The chapter connects the sacrament to the broader work of the Restoration. The same Lord who said the bread and water are symbols is the same Lord who restored the keys through Elijah and the patriarchs. The focus shifts from what you consume to who you are becoming. The armor is how you protect that becoming and the sacrament is how you renew it and the keys are what make it possible.

This connects to a reflection about common consent and the four-legged workbench in D&C 26. That section was about balancing the parts of a spiritual life while this section covers the protection and authority that make the balance possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

If the material of the sacrament does not matter why do we use bread and water?

The materials are symbols that point to Christ's body and blood. The efficacy depends on the heart and the authority but the symbols provide a consistent way to remember the Atonement.

What is a key in the LDS sense?

A key is divine authority to direct the priesthood for a specific purpose. The keys of the turning of hearts allow families to be sealed for eternity. Without the keys the work would not be binding.

How do I use the armor of God for specific struggles?

Identify which piece of armor matches the struggle. Doubt calls for the helmet of salvation while temptation calls for the shield of faith and confusion calls for the sword of the Spirit.

What does it mean to be agreed as touching all things?

It does not mean total uniformity on every detail. It means a unified commitment to the core mission of the gospel. Common consent allows the Church to move forward as one body.

Closing

A finish on rotted wood is wasted effort because the core has to be sound first. D&C 27 teaches that the core of discipleship is a single eye focused on God with keys that connect us across time and armor that protects us through the battle.

The material does not matter. The heartwood does.

— D.