Of Reading and Home Teaching

Elder D. Todd Christofferson chose some fundamental stuff for his first General Conference talk as a member of the Twelve. His message drew upon an experience he had with a man who wanted to teach Elder Christofferson how to be saved–how to be born again.

This is perhaps very interesting to me because of recent things I have read on other blogs about these very issues/ideas. About a week ago I was first introduced, via this blog, to something called The Four Spiritual Laws. Not that the laws themselves were new to me, but I’d never heard these principles called that before. These laws sum up why we need Jesus. We need Jesus to be born again. My purpose here will be to examine the four laws in light of Elder Christofferson’s talk and LDS scripture.

The Four Spiritual Laws are (briefly, if you want a more detailed description see here):

1. God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life.

• From Elder Christofferson’s talk: “I bear witness of the reality and love of God, our Heavenly Father.”
• “O how great the goodness of our God . . . O how great the plan of our God!” (2 Nephi 9:10, 13).
• What’s interesting about this first law is that it sounds so familiar to me–it is something that as a missionary I would tell people upon first meeting them. This was pretty well the first principle of the first discussion (the old discussions, now replaced by Preach My Gospel). I certainly have no problem with believing this. Alma called this plan of God’s “the plan of redemption,” “the plan of salvation,” and “the plan of happiness” (Alma 12:33; 42:5, 8).

2. Man is sinful and separated from God. Therefore, he cannot know and experience God’s plan for his life.

• From Elder Christofferson’s talk: “let us not justify ourselves in a casual effort. Let us not be content to retain some disposition to do evil. Let us worthily partake of the sacrament each week and continue to draw upon the Holy Spirit to root out the last vestiges of impurity within us.”
• “O how foolish, and how vain, and how evil, and devilish, and how quick to do iniquity, and how slow to do good, are the children of men; yea, how quick to hearken unto the words of the evil one, and to set their hearts upon the vain things of the world! Yea, how quick to be lifted up in pride; yea, how quick to boast, and do all manner of that which is iniquity; and how slow are they to remember the Lord their God, and to give ear unto his counsels, yea, how slow to walk in wisdom’s paths!” (Helaman 12:4, 5).
• I don’t need to look any further than my own heart to figure out if this is true. Temptation can be so powerful, and once given into, there is nothing I can do myself that will bring me out of the depths of sorrow and despair that comes from iniquity (see Moroni 10:22). Is there any part of God’s plan that can be comprehended or understood without the grace of Christ? No.

3. Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for man’s sin. Through him you can know and experience God’s love and plan for your life.

• From Elder Christofferson’s talk: “it is faith in Christ as the Atoning One, the Redeemer, who can cleanse from sin and make holy.”
• “And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent” (Mosiah 3:17).
• Through some incomprehensible and wonderful thing, Jesus Christ provided the way to God and his love. That is absolutely my faith.

4. We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God’s love and plan for our lives.

• From Elder Christofferson’s talk: “It is spiritual rebirth through Jesus Christ that is the context of my witness of Him.”
• Aaron, a Nephite missionary, taught a king that “since man had fallen he could not merit anything of himself; but the sufferings and death of Christ atone for their sins” (Alma 22:14). The king asked how he could receive forgiveness and Aaron told him, “If thou desirest this thing, if thou wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest” (Alma 22:16).
• Jesus has provided his grace for us, but unless we ask, unless we seek, unless we knock, we will not receive, find, nor have the gate of God’s love opened unto us.

Elder Christofferson included in his closing remarks these words from Doctrine and Covenants section 20:

And we know that justification through the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is just and true; And we know also, that sanctification through the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is just and true, to all those who love and serve God with all their mights, minds, and strength (vv 30, 31).

I look forward to learning more from this man who has been called by God to be a special witness of the name of Jesus Christ in all the world.

I caught the first half, roughly, and then was filled in a little on the other part of this session.

Elder Oaks: “What do we mean when we say that we know that the Gospel is true?” “Scientific methods will not yield spiritual knowledge.” And thus began a theme that continued with Elder Hales and Elder Lund, to some extent–that of opening our hearts to receive inspiration from the Spirit.

One brief note about Elder Hales. His testimony was inspiring. His voice is weakening some, but the fervor in his presentation was clear, and his subject matter (the Intercessory Prayer, among others) profound. He is one on whom the apostolic mantle is clear.

Elder Christofferson. That didn’t surprise me.

I noted a common theme this session, that of family and teaching/protecting children. Maybe that’s just what I’m bringing to Conference this time around, but there certainly seemed to be a lot of focus on teaching children and creating an atmosphere in the home in which children can learn to live the Gospel.

Just a few thoughts on some particulars from the talks.

1) Elder Wirthlin and his talk to those who feel lost or like they don’t fit within the Church, there was one line that rang out with major emphasis in my mind: “If only we had more compassion for those who are different from us!” I think he then went on to say that many of the problems in the world would be solved if we could do this very simple thing. Now it’s time for me to consider how I may treat some that I think are different from me.

2) Elder Nelson’s counsel, taken from D&C 121, about correcting our children. “Give correction quietly, privately, and lovingly.” Not publicly. Correction should never be used as a means of embarrassing or ridiculing others. This counsel is so simple and practical, and yet what an amazing difference it would make if it were followed. There’s nothing quite as uncomfortable as witnessing the correction of a child in public.

Now, just as an aside, one of my coworkers was opening a Mt. Dew before Conference started and while doing so she said, “I’ve got to drink this now in case this is the day they outlaw it.”