The Next Level

By David A. Edwards

Church Magazines

Want a breakthrough in your gospel study? Try this tip.

Illustration by Emily Jones

In video gaming, you “level up” when you beat one level of a game and move on to the next. This can bring a feeling of accomplishment. So just think of how satisfying it would feel to get to the next level in something much more significant—like your understanding of the gospel.

Here’s one tip to help you “level up” in your gospel study: go a level deeper.

The Power of Simple Symbols

As you read the scriptures and think about spiritual things, one way to go a level deeper is to look for symbols.

Symbols are simple things (images, colors, objects, actions, gestures) that remind us of other, more complex things (ideas, teachings, principles). They help us communicate quickly and learn better.

Gospel symbols have been around since the beginning. The Lord told Adam, “All things have their likeness, and all things are created and made to bear record of me” (Moses 6:63). So, the Lord uses symbols to help us learn about Him and His gospel.

Here’s just one example.

Symbols in the Sacrament

In the sacrament, priesthood holders prepare bread and water. Other priesthood holders break the bread, kneel, and say a prayer. The bread and water are taken to people to eat and drink.

• Kneeling to pray shows humility and reminds us of our covenants with God (see Doctrine and Covenants 88:131).

• The bread reminds us of Jesus Christ’s body. The fact that the bread is broken reminds us of His physical suffering and death. Remembering His body also helps us remember that He was resurrected so that all people will be resurrected.

• The water reminds us of the blood that Jesus Christ shed for us as He suffered for our sins. Remembering His suffering helps us remember that through the grace of Jesus Christ, we can repent and be forgiven of our sins.

• Eating and drinking are how we nourish our bodies. When we eat the bread and drink the water in the sacrament, we are reminded that Jesus Christ is the source of spiritual nourishment.

(For more, see Gospel Topics, “Sacrament,” topics.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.)

See the Symbols

As you study the gospel, you can find symbols that will help you learn. Here are a few ways you can see and understand them a little more easily.

• Look for stories, parables, dreams, and visions. These will often have symbols in them.

• Check to see if symbols are explained in the scriptures. The Savior explained His parable of the sower. Nephi received a vision explaining his father’s dream of the tree of life. You may also find an explanation in the Guide to the Scriptures or Bible Dictionary (scriptures.ChurchofJesusChrist.org).

• Look for images, objects, or actions. If there are images, objects, or actions at the center of something (like bread and water in the sacrament or immersing in water in baptism), think about what those things are, what they do, how they’re used, what they resemble, and so on. That can lead to some further insights.

• Notice when the same things come up in different places. Trees, water, bread, sheep, ships, journeys—there are many things that appear in several different places throughout the scriptures. Take note of them, and you might make more connections.

This is just the beginning. As you go a level deeper, you may start to feel like you’re “leveling up” in your gospel study. Of course, the most important learning will come through the Holy Ghost, who will guide you and testify to you as you spend time and effort on spiritual things.