How can I help others understand the doctrine of Christ?

The “doctrine of Christ” is that all men everywhere must have faith in Jesus Christ, repent of their sins, be baptized, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. The doctrine of Christ is the only way to be saved in the kingdom of God. It is the foundation of the Church and the central message of its missionaries.

Prepare yourself spiritually

As you study the doctrine of Christ in 2 Nephi 31 and elsewhere in the scriptures, what thoughts or impressions come to you? How has His doctrine guided and blessed your life?

Why do the youth need to learn about the doctrine of Christ? How can this understanding better prepare them to share this central message of the Restoration with others?

As you prepare, prayerfully study these scriptures and resources. What do you feel inspired to share with the youth?

2 Nephi 25:26 (We teach of Christ)

2 Nephi 31 (Nephi describes the doctrine of Christ)

3 Nephi 11:32–41; 27:13–21 (Christ declares His doctrine)

Articles of Faith 1:4 (The first principles and ordinances of the gospel)

“The Gospel of Jesus Christ,” Preach My Gospel (2004), 60–67

Brian K. Ashton, “The Doctrine of Christ,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2016, 106–9

D. Todd Christofferson, “The Doctrine of Christ,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2012, 86–89

Teaching in the Savior’s way

The Savior used the scriptures to teach and testify about His mission. He taught people to think about the scriptures for themselves and use them to find answers to their questions. How can you use the scriptures to help the youth understand the doctrine of Christ?

Make connections

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During the first few minutes of every class, help the youth make connections between things they are learning in various settings (such as personal study, seminary, other Church classes, or experiences with their friends). How can you help them see the relevance of the gospel in daily living? The ideas below might help you:

• Invite the youth to share an experience they had recently that reminded them of something they have been learning in their Church classes.

• Write on the board, “What is the doctrine of Christ?” Give each class member a copy of the paragraph at the beginning of this lesson and ask them to read it, looking for an answer to the question on the board. Invite them to share their answers with the class. Invite half of the class to read 3 Nephi 11:39–41, and invite the other half to read “Your Purpose” on page 1 of Preach My Gospel. According to these sources, why is it important that the youth understand the doctrine of Christ?

Learn together

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Each of the activities below can help the youth learn about the doctrine of Christ so that they will be better prepared to share it with others. Following the guidance of the Spirit, select one or more that will work for your class:

• As a class, review what the doctrine of Christ is, as taught in Brother Brian K. Ashton’s talk “The Doctrine of Christ.” Divide class members into small groups, and invite each group to create a picture or diagram that portrays how faith, repentance, baptism and the sacrament, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end work together to help us progress toward perfection. What suggestions does Brother Ashton give about how we can “apply the doctrine of Christ more fully in our lives”? What other ideas can the youth suggest?

• Invite class members to work together in pairs, and assign each pair one or more of the following elements of the doctrine of Christ: faith, repentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. Invite each pair to read 2 Nephi 31 and find verses they could use to teach about the elements they were assigned. What other scriptures could they use? Ask each pair to teach the rest of the class, using what they found in the scriptures.

• Assign each class member to read one of the following sections of chapter 3 of Preach My Gospel: “Faith in Jesus Christ,” “Repentance,” “Baptism, Our First Covenant,” “The Gift of the Holy Ghost,” and “Endure to the End.” Ask them to teach the rest of the class what they learn, using a scripture and an example or personal experience.

• Ask each class member to read 2 Nephi 31 and look for what Nephi taught about the doctrine of Christ (faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end). Divide the class into “companionships” of two or three, and give them time to plan ways they could teach the doctrine of Christ to someone who has not heard it before. Invite each companionship to practice teaching another companionship.

Ask the youth to share what they learned today. Do they know how to help others understand the doctrine of Christ? What feelings or impressions do they have about the responsibility to share this doctrine with others? Do they have any additional questions?

Teaching tip

“If we want to influence learners for good, we should not merely love to teach; we should love each person we teach“ (Teaching, No Greater Call [1999], 31).

Invite to act

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Ask the youth what they feel inspired to do because of what they learned today. Encourage them to act on these feelings. Consider ways you can follow up.