The Holy Ghost and the Doctrine of Christ

There are many ways that we might defined the “doctrine of Christ.”  Jacob suggested that it is the same thing as the gospel, and so we might think of it as the whole of the teachings of Christ we find in the gospel (see Jacob 7:6).  In our dispensation the Savior defined it more narrowly, saying, “Behold, this is my doctrine—whosoever repenteth and cometh unto me, the same is my church (Doctrine and Covenants 10:67).  The Resurrected Lord similarly told the Nephites, “And this is my doctrine, and it is the doctrine which the Father hath given unto me; and I bear record of the Father, and the Father beareth record of me, and the Holy Ghost beareth record of the Father and me; and I bear record that the Father commandeth all men, everywhere, to repent and believe in me. And whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved; and they are they who shall inherit the kingdom of God” (3 Nephi 11:32-33).  Faith, repentance, and baptism are clearly at the core of the doctrine of Christ, just as the Prophet Joseph stated the first principles of the gospel are in Article of Faith 4. 

               Given these definitions, I was struck today with how Nephi defined the doctrine of Christ near the end of his writings.  Nephi told us, “For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do.”  He then stated authoritatively, “Behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and there will be no more doctrine given until after he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh” (2 Nephi 32:5-6).  So at the core of the doctrine of Christ for Nephi is to receive the Holy Ghost and learn to do all things that the Holy Ghost shows us to do.  This is of course after we “enter in by the way,” which refers to the same things Jesus spoke of in His descriptions of the doctrine of Christ: faith, repentance, and baptism.  Once we have taken those fundamental steps to enter into a covenant with Him, then the most important thing for us to do, the essence of the doctrine of Christ according to Nephi, is to heed the Holy Ghost in our individual lives.  And this is exactly what he showed us how to do.  We see numerous times in the Book of Mormon how he listened to the promptings of the Holy Ghost to confront the challenges that he was faced with.  When he didn’t know how to get the plates from Laban, he “was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which [he] should do” (1 Nephi 4:6).  The Spirit indeed did show him all things he was to do in order to fulfill this commandment.  Later when he earnestly wanted to see the things that his father had seen, he showed how he was able to “see, and hear, and know of these things, by the power of the Holy Ghost, which is the gift of God unto all those who diligently seek him, as well in times of old as in the time that he should manifest himself unto the children of men” (1 Nephi 10:17).  He was “caught away in the Spirit of the Lord” and able to behold marvelous visions through the power of the Holy Ghost that cover four whole chapters (1 Nephi 11:1). 

When Lehi’s group got to Bountiful on their journey to the promised land, Nephi showed further how he was led by the Holy Ghost.  The Lord commanded him to build a ship, and he learned to do it through revelation.  He wrote, “The Lord did show me from time to time after what manner I should work the timbers of the ship….  I did build it after the manner which the Lord had shown unto me; wherefore, it was not after the manner of men. And I, Nephi, did go into the mount oft, and I did pray oft unto the Lord; wherefore the Lord showed unto me great things” (1 Nephi 18:1-3).  This was exactly as he would later describe: the Lord, undoubtedly through the Holy Ghost, did show him “all things” that he should do.  It was also through the Spirit that he knew how to deal with his obstinate brothers who at first refused to help him with this boat.  As he spoke to them in great power, he summarized, “I am full of the Spirit of God.”  So great was this power of the Spirit in Nephi that he described how Laman and Lemuel would not “lay their hands upon me nor touch me with their fingers, even for the space of many days. Now they durst not do this lest they should wither before me, so powerful was the Spirit of God; and thus it had wrought upon them” (1 Nephi 17:47, 52).  His whole life was one led by the Spirit of the Lord as he sought to live by the doctrine of Christ.  So we too must seek earnestly to hear and heed the promptings of the Holy Ghost which will, if we are faithful, show us all things that we should do.