“There is this interesting statement
by the Lord found in D&C 10:67-68: “Behold, this is my doctrine
- whosoever repenteth and cometh unto me, the same is my church.
Whosoever declareth more or less than this, the same is not of me,
but is against me; therefore he is not of my church.”
The
statement requires us to
1.
Repent, and then
2.
Come unto Christ.
Repentance
is a lifelong process. As we get further light and knowledge
we have to incorporate it into our lives and change behavior.
Over a lifetime, this should be dynamic, not static.
The
more difficult explanation is to “Come unto Him.” It is my
view that this includes fully receiving Him into your life as did the
brother of Jared, Nephi, Enos, Enoch, Abraham, Moses, Joseph Smith,
Daniel, Isaiah, Jacob, Mormon, Moroni, Alma the Younger, Paul, and so
many others who have testified of Him. That is a
subject so great that the entire body of scriptures exist to help us
accomplish it.
Significant,
too, is that whatever is “more or less” than this is not “of my
church” according to the Lord. So we have to take great care
to not overstate or understate this doctrine of His. Adding
endless requirements by the commandments of men is “against Him.”
Similarly, any failure to declare the essential nature of coming to
Him is also “against Him.” I think the first verse
of D&C 93 is a formula for coming to Him. That
formula declares that, when it is followed, you will see His face and
know that He is." (DS 3-3-10)
So
... Is there any other way or possibility for an individual to be of
His church without first repenting, coming unto Him, receiving
redemption from Him, conversing with Him face to face, and knowing
Him? According to the words of Christ, do you consider yourself to be
of His Church? Do you qualify ? Why or why not? If not, are you willing to fully
receive Him into your life and meet the requirements He has set to
become of His Church?
John & Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteWe are admonished many times in the scriptures to "come unto Christ".
I was always unsure what was involved in doing so. Finally, I asked the Lord several years ago how does He want us to "come unto Him"?
The answer I received was that I should carefully study, ponder, and pray over 2 Nephi 31-32:6, the doctrine of Christ. Nephi lays out the entire process of coming to Christ from first having belief, then faith, to what it means to enter the strait and narrow path, all the way to meeting Jesus face to face in the flesh.
I attended Denver Snuffer's 10th lecture in Mesa, AZ, on 9/9/14, the culminating lecture of his assigned 10 lecture series (which in his words was one continuous lecture assigned to him by Christ). I nearly leaped out of my chair when he started speaking about the doctrine of Christ. At that moment I knew, nothing doubting, that Denver Snuffer, Jr. is a prophet who speaks the word of the Lord. He said exactly what the Lord told me a couple of years prior to that time.
D&C 10:67-68: “Behold, this is my doctrine - whosoever repenteth and cometh unto me, the same is my church. Whosoever declareth more or less than this, the same is not of me, but is against me; therefore he is not of my church.”
"This is my doctrine"...the doctrine of Christ. Anyone who declareth more or less than this...is not of me...is against me...is not of my church.
James Russell Uhl