Study and Believe the Doctrine of Christ

By Elder Carl Maurer

Area Seventy

In the early part of 3 Nephi, the Saviour’s faithful people were looking forward to the coming of Christ. It had been prophesied that the time for His coming was near, yet some struggled to endure faithfully. They began to forget the blessings and promises the Lord had made to them. The power of the devil sought to deceive the hearts of the people, but those who remained faithful knew that the doctrine of Christ was not a foolish or a vain thing.¹

The temptations of the devil are just as real today as we look forward to the Saviour’s return. We cannot forget the signs and wonders in our lives as our prophets, seers and revelators continue to invite us to stay on the covenant path.

In 2018, at the time of his call, President Russell M. Nelson shared:

“As a new Presidency, we want to begin with the end in mind. For this reason, we’re speaking to you today from a temple. The end for which each of us strives is to be endowed with power in a house of the Lord, sealed as families, faithful to covenants made in a temple that qualify us for the greatest gift of God—that of eternal life. The ordinances of the temple and the covenants you make there are key to strengthening your life, your marriage and family, and your ability to resist the attacks of the adversary. Your worship in the temple and your service there for your ancestors will bless you with increased personal revelation and peace and will fortify your commitment to stay on the covenant path”.²

During President Nelson’s ministry he has consistently taught the doctrine of Christ and encouraged us to stay on the covenant path. What can we learn from his messages that can guide us in the difficult and challenging times of this mortal life? He taught, “Overcoming the world is not an event that happens in a day or two. It happens over a lifetime as we repeatedly embrace the doctrine of Christ”.³

The doctrine of Christ is: faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism by immersion, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end.

“We cultivate faith in Jesus Christ by repenting daily and keeping covenants that endow us with power. We stay on the covenant path and are blessed with spiritual strength, personal revelation, increasing faith, and the ministering of angels. Living the doctrine of Christ can produce the most powerful virtuous cycle, creating spiritual momentum in our lives”.⁴

Faith

“Faith in Jesus Christ is the greatest power available to us in this life.”⁵ As our faith grows, we worry less about what others think of us and begin to care far more about what God thinks of us.

Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ increases in five ways, as President Nelson taught:

Study
Choose to believe in Jesus Christ
Act in faith
Partake of sacred ordinances worthily
Ask your Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ, for help.⁶

Repentance

The Saviour asks all of us to repent. President Nelson said, “Whether you are diligently moving along the covenant path, have slipped or stepped from the covenant path, or can’t even see the path from where you are now, I plead with you to repent.

“Experience the strengthening power of daily repentance—of doing and being a little better each day”.⁷

Our choice to repent brings us closer to the Lord and to increased joy.

Baptism—the Sacrament—the Temple

For us as members of the Lord’s Church, the covenants we make at baptism and other occasions are renewed as we partake of the sacrament. Partaking of the sacrament enables us to stay on the covenant path. It invites us to be willing to take upon us the Saviour’s name, to always remember Him and to keep His commandments.⁸

The temple is the house of the Lord. The basis for every temple ordinance and covenant—the heart of the plan of salvation—is the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I invite you to focus on the temple in ways you never have before.⁹

President Nelson explains, “When you and I also enter that path, we have a new way of life. . . . If we let God prevail in our lives, that covenant will lead us closer and closer to Him”.¹⁰

Our 2023 Pacific Area focus encourages us to gather at these two key places where we receive and keep ordinances and covenants: the sacrament, and the temple. How blessed we will be as we invite all to regularly gather at these holy places throughout this year and beyond.

The Holy Ghost

President Nelson’s plea is for us to, “do whatever it takes to increase your spiritual capacity to receive personal revelation”.¹¹ When our lives are focused on always having His spirit to be with us¹² as we participate in the ordinances of the sacrament, we are blessed with additional power to deal with temptations, struggles and weaknesses. Our capacity to feel joy will be increased.¹³

Make your own spiritual foundation firm and able to stand during challenging times by doing those things that allow the Holy Ghost to be with you always. Never underestimate the profound truth that, “the Spirit speaketh . . . of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be.”¹⁴

“It will show unto you all things what ye should do.”¹⁵

We can heed our prophet and apply the doctrine of Christ in our lives daily. I testify that as we do, we will be blessed both temporally and spiritually. The covenant path is the only way back to the presence of the Father and the Son. President Nelson says, “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”.¹⁶

We can live after the manner of the doctrine of Christ by thoughtfully partaking of the sacrament each week. We can ask in faith for the strength we need to change, we can seek to learn about His doctrine and teach it in our families. We can be in the temple as often as our circumstances allow. President Nelson encourages us in these words, “Whether by exhortation or conversation, we need your voice teaching the doctrine of Christ.”¹⁷ As we do so the Holy Ghost will come into our lives and provide strength and help. We will be faithful and not deceived as we prepare for the Saviour’s return. Joy and peace found only in these ways will fill our lives and we will know it is because of the doctrine of Christ.