The Pure Doctrine of Christ
In his opening message in general conference President Nelson said this: “The pure doctrine of Christ is powerful. It changes the life of everyone who understands it and seeks to implement it in his or her life. The doctrine of Christ helps us find and stay on the covenant path. Staying on that narrow but well-defined path will ultimately qualify us to receive all that God has. Nothing could be worth more than all our Father has!” So what is the “doctrine of Christ” exactly? The Savior gave this description when He was among the Nephites: “Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, I will declare unto you my doctrine. 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. And whoso believeth not in me, and is not baptized, shall be damned. Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and I bear record of it from the Father; and whoso believeth in me believeth in the Father also; and unto him will the Father bear record of me, for he will visit him with fire and with the Holy Ghost” (3 Nephi 11:31-35). At the center of His doctrine is that the Father commands all men to repent, believe in Christ, and be baptized. The doctrine of Christ includes the truth that the Holy Ghost will bear record of the Father and the Son and that whoever believes in Christ will be visited “with fire and with the Holy Ghost.” And so His doctrine is really the first four principles and ordinances of the gospel as described in the 4th article of faith. Living with faith, continually repenting, making covenants with God, and being filled with the Holy Ghost will “qualify us to receive all that God has.”
Nephi also taught concerning the
doctrine of Christ in 2 Nephi 31. He said, “I must speak concerning the
doctrine of Christ; wherefore, I shall speak unto you plainly, according to the
plainness of my prophesying” (v2). He then taught about the baptism of the Lamb
of God and “how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized, yea, even
by water!” (v5) He described how the Savior was obedient to the commandments
and received the Holy Ghost, and he gave us this invitation of the Father: “Repent
ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my Beloved Son” (v11). To those
who are baptized will “the Father give the Holy Ghost” and then “he that
endureth to the end, the same shall be saved” (v12, 15). Nephi then summed it
up this way: “Do the things which I have told you I have seen that your Lord
and your Redeemer should do…. For the gate by which ye should enter is
repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by
fire and by the Holy Ghost” (v17). Following the Savior, repenting, receiving
baptism by water and by fire with the Holy Ghost are the foundational points of
His doctrine. This is the way to eternal life and receiving all our Father has:
“And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other
way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God.
And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without
end” (v21).
So this is the way of living that “changes the
life of everyone who understands it and seeks to implement it in his or her
life.” We seek to believe in Jesus Christ in all our actions, meaning that we
trust Him enough to keep His commandments, daily study His word, and
continually pray to the Father in His name. We seek each day to repent of our
sins and to improve through the power of His atonement which enables Him to forgive
us again and again. We hold fast to our covenants of baptism to remember Him and
stand as a witness for Him and be obedient. And we seek to hear and heed the
voice of the Holy Ghost which will guide us each day in the specific
circumstances of our lives. This is the way of life prescribed by the doctrine
of Christ—exercising faith, repenting, keeping covenants, and receiving the Holy
Ghost—and as we learn to live like this every day and “press forward, feasting
upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father:
Ye shall have eternal life” (v20).
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