Sisters and brothers, thank you for your faith in Jesus Christ. Thank you for your courage to stand as a witness of His name. Thank you for receiving ordinances and keeping your covenants as you become—and help others to become—true followers of Jesus Christ and enjoy the blessings of the holy temple. You are beautiful; you are loved.
My friends, as a disciple of Jesus Christ, I invite the Holy Ghost to be with us as we discuss the importance of applying the doctrine of Jesus into our lives. Jesus Christ taught eternal truths, extended invitations to act, and promised blessings to those who acted in faith to fulfill His invitations. Using the Lord’s pattern of instruction will help us to apply His doctrine more consistently and intentionally into our lives and allow us to receive access to His Atonement so that we can be endowed with heavenly power. This power helps us overcome challenges, heartaches, and disappointment and allows us to recognize the joys of our mortal journey to eternal life.
President Russell M. Nelson declared, “There has never been a time in the history of the world when knowledge of our Savior is more personally vital and relevant to every human soul. . . . The pure doctrine of Christ is powerful. . . . [and] helps us find and stay on the covenant path. . . . to receive all that God has. Nothing could be worth more than all our Father has!”[1] My friends, we gain a knowledge of Jesus the Christ as we apply His doctrine into our lives.
So, how do we apply Jesus’ doctrine into our lives? First, we must understand the elements of the doctrine of Jesus Christ. The doctrine of Christ is faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.
Developing faith in Jesus Christ and in His Atonement starts with a desire to believe Jesus, followed by putting forth the effort required to know Him. Faith is the principle of action and power. President Nelson taught:
Faith in Jesus Christ is the foundation of all belief and the conduit of divine power. . . . Everything good in life—every potential blessing of eternal significance—begins with faith. . . . Faith in Jesus Christ is the greatest power available to us in this life. All things are possible to them that believe.[2]President Nelson offered key suggestions we can do to develop faith and trust in Jesus Christ. We must study His words and the words of His prophets and apostles. We need to become engaged learners as we immerse ourselves in the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. We must choose to believe. Faith in Jesus Christ is a choice followed by an action that leads to receiving His divine power. We must act in faith. I love President Nelson’s question: “What would you do if you had more faith? Think about it. Write about it. Then receive more faith by doing something that requires more faith.” And finally, President Nelson invited us to “partake of sacred ordinances worthily. Ordinances unlock the power of God for your life. . . . [And then] ask your Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, for help. Faith takes work. Receiving revelation takes work. . . . God knows what will help your faith grow. Ask, and then ask again.”[3]
Applying the doctrine of Jesus Christ in our lives begins with having faith in Him, believing Him, and trusting Him. At age 19, I was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and received the gift of the Holy Ghost. A year later, I was called to serve as a missionary and assigned to labor in the Alabama Birmingham Mission. I loved and enjoyed my mission experience, and it was the hardest thing I had done in my life to that point. As a new member of the Church and serving as a missionary, I did not fully comprehend the doctrine of Jesus Christ nor the history of the Lord’s restored Church. In about the fourth month of my missionary service, we taught a lesson to an individual who seemed to know more about the history of the Church than me. The lesson was not spirit-filled or spirit-led, as this individual made several accusations against the Church and its teachings. At this point in my membership, I had never heard such allegations. Please keep in mind this was before Facebook, Instagram, Google, and Wikipedia.
As my companion and I evaluated our conversation with this individual, I was informed that some of the things he mentioned were true. I had never heard that, in the past, priesthood and temple blessings were denied to Black members. I was shocked at first, later confused, and then I felt betrayed. I had felt I had been lied to by my teachers and leaders when I joined the Church. And thus, for the next two weeks, no significant missionary work was done. I continued to follow the daily schedule of missionary life and was obedient as best I could be to the mission rules. However, because of the resentment I was feeling towards God and my lack of trust for people, I did not recognize the Holy Ghost in my life. Because of these feelings, I did not want to speak to anyone, especially my companion. My companion recognized my frustration and feelings of unhappiness, and at the end of each night, he would say to me, “Elder Johnson, I love you.” He did not try to resolve my concerns, nor did he call the mission president. All he did was tell me that he loved me. And finally, after about two weeks, I started to believe him. His love softened my heart and gave me the courage to search the scriptures for answers that I desperately needed. I had stopped praying and reading the scriptures over these two weeks. I was lost, felt alone, and was confused.
Because I felt my companion’s love, I began to feel God’s love again. I was led by the Spirit to a place in the scriptures that I had never read before. The scripture is in Doctrine and Covenants 6:21-23 and reads as follows:
Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I am the same that came unto mine own, and mine own received me not. I am the light which shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not.Verily, verily, I say unto you, if you desire a further witness, cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that you might know concerning the truth of these things.Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God?[4]You may recall that these words were spoken through revelation to Oliver Cowdery in 1829. At the time, he served as the scribe during the translation of the Book of Mormon. Oliver, like me, may have been questioning his divine appointment. These few words spoken by Jesus Christ reminded me of the day that I had fasted and prayed to know if Jesus Christ was God’s own Son, if His words were found in the Book of Mormon, and if the Lord had called Joseph Smith as His Prophet. Alone in my college dorm room, I received a witness by the Holy Ghost of these sacred truths. I remembered. And as I remembered that experience in my missionary apartment in Alabama, I began again to recognize the Holy Ghost in my life; it had never left me.
Following this experience, I knelt to pray and expressed my gratitude and love to God. In doing so, I felt His love and His gratitude for me. My faith in Jesus was not only restored but deepened. I knew that I had not been betrayed nor had I been lied to, for God cannot lie. From that moment, I have tried to share with friends and family that God lives, Jesus is the living Christ and the Only Begotten Son of a living God, and His Church, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has been restored on earth at this precise time to prepare you and me for the Second Coming of the Messiah. My friends, it is all true! And as we consistently and intentionally apply the doctrine of Jesus Christ in our lives, our faith in Him will deepen and we will recognize and receive His divine power.
Faith in Jesus Christ, coupled with sincere repentance, provides access to His divine power. Repentance is to change. It is a process we experience as we become all that Heavenly Father desires us to become. The process of becoming better and more like God is made possible because of Jesus Christ. His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross at Calvary enables us, if we choose, to experience the divine gift of forgiveness and receive His grace and power—power to overcome temptation, power to forgive others, power to see others as God sees them, and power to see ourselves as God sees us. We are children of a loving Heavenly Father and we possess divine attributes of Deity, especially kindness.
President Nelson taught us the following invaluable lesson:
Too many people consider repentance as punishment—something to be avoided except in the most serious circumstances. But this feeling of being penalized is engendered by Satan. He tries to block us from looking to Jesus Christ, who stands with open arms, hoping and willing to heal, forgive, cleanse, strengthen, purify, and sanctify us. . . . Nothing is more liberating, more ennobling, or more crucial to our individual progression than is a regular, daily focus on repentance. Repentance is not an event; it is a process. It is the key to happiness and peace of mind.[5]President Nelson further declared that “Repentance is powerful because it brings God’s power into our lives.”[6] My friends, if we truly understood the element of repentance, we would run to it. It is wonderful; it is needed; it brings joy. Please do not be afraid to repent, and do not let Satan rob you of the joy and the divine power you can have from Jesus as you choose to repent, to change, and to become.
The elements of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost involve receiving ordinances and making and keeping covenants. Ordinances and covenants are prominent in the doctrine of Christ and allow the power of godliness to be manifest in our lives.[7]
President Nelson taught:
I grieve for those who leave the Church because they feel membership requires too much of them. They have not yet discovered that making and keeping covenants actually makes life easier! Each person who makes covenants in baptismal fonts and in temples—and keeps them—has increased access to the power of Jesus Christ. . . . The reward for keeping covenants with God is heavenly power—power that strengthens us to withstand our trials, temptations, and heartaches better.[8]With permission from my daughter, I would like to share the following. A few years ago, my daughter experienced a faith crisis. Whitney played NCAA Division I basketball and suffered a torn ACL in her freshman year, and just before the start of sophomore year, she ruptured an Achilles tendon. Whitney worked through the rehabilitation process and decided to serve as a full-time missionary. She served faithfully for 18 months and returned home to complete her second full season of playing college basketball. At the end of the season, there was a change in the university’s coaching staff. Fortunately for Whitney, she had graduated with an undergraduate degree and still had two years to play college basketball. Thus, she transferred to another university to receive her master’s degree and to play her last two seasons of college basketball.
As custom in our family, Whitney received a priesthood blessing at the start of the school year. As her father, I extended blessings with specific promises relating to Whitney’s academic and athletic experiences I hoped she would receive in the upcoming school year. Whitney earned a starting position on the team and was having a good season, and the team was excited for the end-of-the year conference tournament. In one of the final two or three games of the season and before the conference tournament, Whitney suffered a knee injury. Immediately after the game, Stephanie and I spoke with Whitney on the phone, offering encouragement. During this phone call, Whitney expressed faith and trust in the Lord and believed the injury was not severe because of the priesthood blessing she had received at the start of the school year. Unfortunately, she had suffered another torn ACL in the other knee.
Frustration ensued and questions of faith started to be expressed. “How can Heavenly Father do this to me? I have been trying to keep all His commandments, including honoring the Sabbath day. And Dad, you blessed me that I would be okay physically. Why did the Lord do this to me?” With love and prayers and seeking guidance from the Lord, all we could say was, “Whitney, we love you. God loves you. And no matter what has happened to you, please keep your covenants.” Whitney reluctantly agreed to accept our invitation, but she was confused, frustrated, and upset.
Whitney was determined to play her last year of college basketball and to receive her master’s degree. She worked extremely hard at rehab in the off-season with a great athletic trainer. Whitney returned for her last year to play college basketball and did not miss a game, and her athletic ability was so strong, it seemed as if she had never torn two ACLs or had a ruptured Achilles tendon. She started every game, enjoyed the season, and received her master’s degree, and yet she was still confused and frustrated. Whitney accepted employment in a city where she knew there would not be many Church members. Again, we as her parents knew of Whitney’s frustrations and lovingly expressed our love for her and asked, “No matter what you do, will you please continue to keep your covenants?” This time, there was no commitment made.
As Whitney settled into her new area, Stephanie and I made phone calls to assess how things were going and to get a sense of how to help Whitney spiritually. Finally, and after a few months, it was decided that Stephanie and I needed to go and spend the weekend with our daughter. Whitney invited us to attend Church with her. It was fast Sunday and as testimonies were being shared, Whitney walked up to the podium and shared a beautiful testimony of Jesus Christ and of His love for her. Yes, we were surprised, grateful, and tearful. What had happened? we wondered. Following the worship service and while having dinner at Whitney’s apartment, we asked what had happened. Whitney shared the following:
When I arrived in this city, I was determined not to go to church. I was done with church, and I was done with God. However, after learning that my roommate was the Relief Society president, I decided going to church would be easier than getting on a list where people would feel forced to visit me and try to convince me to go back. I didn’t want to draw attention to myself—I figured I could be “inactive in the gospel” while being present at church, and no one would be the wiser. So, I went to church.
One particular Sunday, I walked in late, stayed to the end of the worship service, and came home. Nothing happened that Sunday that was special, but unbeknownst to me, a member of the stake presidency had noticed me. He was at church that day, seated on the stand, and saw me walk in. He later told me that the Lord told him at that moment that He, the Lord, had a work for me to do. This counselor was overwhelmed by these feelings and shared these feelings with other members of the stake presidency. They counseled together and felt impressed to extend a call for me to serve as an early morning seminary teacher.
A few weeks later, and before I knew about the proposed calling, I learned that a dear friend of mine was getting sealed in the temple. I hadn’t attended the temple in a long time, and I didn’t want to get my temple recommend renewed, but I did want to be there for my friend. I decided to go through the process, despite my continued frustration and confusion.
It just so happened that my temple recommend interview was with the member of the stake presidency who had noticed me that one Sunday. Before he went through the temple recommend questions to assess my testimony and worthiness, he encouraged me to answer the questions as if I was speaking to the Savior Himself. This got to me, and I knew I could not lie. I told him directly that I was good with all the temple recommend questions, that I had kept my covenants, except questions one and two—I could not answer these two questions.
The first two questions of the temple recommend interview are “Do you have faith in and a testimony of God, the Eternal Father; His Son, Jesus Christ; and the Holy Ghost?” and “Do you have a testimony of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and of His role as your Savior and Redeemer?”
The stake presidency member spoke to me with love. He saw a faith and a testimony in me that I didn’t even know that I had; he saw the string of hope I was unknowingly clinging to—the one that kept me going to church, even though I had no logical answer for why I continued to do so.
Despite my struggles, I was called to serve as an early morning seminary teacher. The Lord knew of my struggles, so why would He want me to teach young people at 6:00 a.m. every morning? It was unfair and not right. The counselor in the stake presidency felt of my frustrations and returned to counsel with the other members of the stake presidency. Collectively, they felt inspired to still issue the call for me to serve as a seminary teacher. Reluctantly, I accepted this assignment. The first week of class was a disaster; I felt unqualified, like an imposter. After crying in my room, feeling like a failure, the following thought came to my mind: “If I am going to teach these young people about God and to have faith in Jesus Christ, then I must determine where my faith is.”
My daughter then shared how as she immersed herself in the scriptures and began to pray daily and to live her covenants more fully even without knowing why, feelings of God’s love for her returned and her love for God renewed.
Though Whitney still does not understand all things, I believe that she has come to a powerful understanding that God lives and Jesus is the Christ. As her parents, we believe Whitney recognizes that through all the trials she has suffered—with two torn ACLs and a ruptured Achilles tendon, mental and emotional challenges, and in not having all her college aspirations fulfilled—the Lord did not abandon her. These challenges offered an opportunity for Whitney to be refined, transformed, as she becomes all that Heavenly Father wants her to become and to know her Redeemer and Savior. Again, my friends, “There has never been a time in the history of the world when knowledge of our Savior is more personally vital and relevant to every human soul.”[9]
So how was this refinement, this transformation, achieved for Whitney? I believe it was because Whitney kept her covenants amid all the discouragement, disappointments, and unfulfilled dreams. Whitney is endowed with His divine power, which, in the beginning, she did not recognize she had. This power helped her overcome the temptation to flee and to give up on what she felt deep in her heart was true. “Those who live the higher laws of Jesus Christ have access to His higher power . . . through their covenantal relationship with God.”[10] God lives, He loves His children, and all that He does for you and for me is for our benefit and for our good.[11]
Those of you who may be going through unparalleled trials, those of you who feel you are in the depths of misery and despair, I know it sounds trivial and possibly even cruel for me to say, “All that God does for you and for me is for our benefit.” Similar to my daughter, you may be questioning your faith. “How in the world can this be for my benefit? How does this show God loves me?” To that I say, I love you. Whatever string of hope you are holding on to, whatever excuse keeps you close to your covenants, I plead with you, as a loving parent, a friend, and a disciple of Christ, hold on. Keep your covenants and in time, you will, like Whitney and like me, recognize His divine grace, power, and love.
So how do we apply the doctrine of Jesus Christ in our lives to recognize His divine grace, power, and love? May I offer three suggestions?
First, we must be engaged learners. We must study the words of Christ written in holy scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon, and from the words of His living prophets and apostles. President Nelson shared that “the truths of the Book of Mormon have the power to heal, comfort, restore, succor, strengthen, console, and cheer our souls. . . . As you prayerfully study the Book of Mormon every day, you will make better decisions—every day.” He promised that as we study the Book of Mormon “the windows of heaven will open, and you will receive answers to your own questions and direction for your own life.”[12]
Second, we must receive ordinances and make and keep covenants. Ordinances and covenants connect us to Christ so that He can be connected to us. As we receive ordinances and make and keep covenants, Jesus Christ “lifts us above the pull of this fallen world by blessing us with greater charity, humility, generosity, kindness, self-discipline, peace, and rest.”[13]
Lastly, and like Jesus Christ, we must minister to the one. The essence of ministering is to understand, embrace, and follow the two great commandments. Ministering is an important way we keep the commandments to love God with all our heart, might, mind, and strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves. As we minister to the one, we are helping others become true followers of Jesus Christ and enjoy the blessings of the holy temple. Ministering to others includes remembering people’s names and becoming acquainted with them, loving them without judging them, and watching over them and strengthening their faith “one by one”[14] as Jesus did.
So, how do we apply the doctrine of Jesus Christ into our lives? We become engaged learners, receive ordinances as we make and keep covenants, and minister to the one. As we consistently and intentionally apply Jesus Christ’s doctrine into our lives, I promise that you will have the strength to overcome temptations, you will find hope even amid challenges and disappointments, you will not be discouraged, and you will feel the love of God in your life and know you are never alone. I leave with you my love and my witness that God lives, Jesus is the Christ, and this is His Church, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] Russell M. Nelson, “Pure Truth, Pure Doctrine, and Pure Revelation,” Liahona, Nov. 2021.
[2] Russell M. Nelson, “Christ Is Risen; Faith in Him Will Move Mountains,” Liahona, May 2021.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Doctrine and Covenants 6:21–23.
[5] Russell M. Nelson, “We Can Do Better and Be Better,” Ensign, May 2019, emphasis added.
[6] Russell M. Nelson, “Ministering and Repenting,” April 2019 General Conference Leadership Meeting.
[7] See Doctrine and Covenants 84:19–22.
[8] Russell M. Nelson, “Overcome the World and Find Rest,” Liahona, Nov. 2022.
[9] Russell M. Nelson, “Pure Truth, Pure Doctrine, and Pure Revelation,” Liahona, Nov. 2021.
[10] Russell M. Nelson, “Overcome the World and Find Rest,” Liahona, Nov. 2022.
[11] See 2 Nephi 26:24 and Moroni 7:12–13.
[12] Russell M. Nelson, “The Book of Mormon: What Would Your Life Be Like without It?” Ensign, Nov. 2018.
[13] Russell M. Nelson, “Overcome the World and Find Rest,” Liahona, Nov. 2022.
[14] See 3 Nephi 11:15 and 3 Nephi 17:21.