Dear Mr. O.,

I thought of you again today as I considered with whom I should share the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Lately, I have been feeling almost continuously prompted to share my witness of Jesus Christ. I attempted to share this witness years ago in your English class. (It seemed appropriate, as we were discussing life and philosophy, and what people believe.)

I know that Jesus is The Christ, the Living Son of the Living God (if you want to offer feedback about how I punctuated this sentence, by all means!). I say that I know. A prophet of the Lord Jesus Christ I think said it best, "and by the power of the Holy Ghost, ye may know the truth of all things," (Moroni 10:3-5, The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ).

My Testimony of Jesus

Jesus is the Son of God. I learned this by the power of the Holy Ghost when I was not seventeen years old.

Miracles and Belief (1 Nephi 3:31)

In The Book of Mormon, brothers  Laman and Lemuel are reproved by an angel when they are beating their younger brothers with a rod (see 1 Nephi 3, The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ). The angel then commands them to return to Jerusalem with the promise that their daunting foe, Laban will be delivered into their hands.

The light from the vision has hardly faded before Laman and Lemuel are complaining again! Laban "can command fifty, yea, he can slay fifty, then why not us?" they ask. 

Were visions so commonplace to them that seeing an angel was no big deal? The two doubting brothers do not comprehend God's power! 

Before we're too quick to judge, think about the miracles of the last few hundred years! (Penicillin, space flight, horseless carriages, just to name a few.) How quickly have we forgotten? How quickly do we forget the God who has created us? The smart phone I'm typing this on is a miracle, as is the very existence of life itself. How quickly we forget.

God Knows Me

God brought this knife back to a small boy.

God knows me--knows everything about me and so does His Son Jesus Christ.

In The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, God knew Nephi (He knows all of us. We are His children. He is literally the Eternal Father of our spirits). Nephi's earthly Father, Lehi, has visions and revelations of God the Eternal Father and of His Beloved Son, The Messiah, Jesus Christ (see 1 Nephi, The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ). Inspired by his father's testimony, Nephi sought God. He believed his father's words. He knew Heavenly Father's character. He knew Heavenly Father's attributes. God, our Heavenly Father, knows all of humanity. Each and every soul! He loves us! He cares for us! He seeks us as a tender parent! (See 1 Nephi 8:37.) His deepest desire is our welfare, success, and happiness, now and forever. 

When we pray, God hears us. One of the most profound questions we will ever ask in life is whether we hear Him. Nephi heard Him (for examples see 1 Nephi 2:16-24; 3:1). Nephi remembered Him. Doing so gave Nephi great power--to obtain the Brass Plates, to build a bow and provide food for his family, to escape his brothers time and time again, and to build a ship. Because Nephi heard God, his family was very, very blessed. He saved their lives (more than once--see 1 Nephi 16, 2 Nephi 5). Nephi heard Jehovah, the antemortal Jesus Christ (see John 1:1).

Heavenly Father's Promise To ALL

"If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you." (1 Nephi 15:11, The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ)

Consistencies Among Scriptural Experiences

Lehi's experience of seeing a pillar of fire and receiving communication from God is very consistent, both with the experience of Moses and the Children of Israel, and with the visions of Latter-day Prophet, Joseph Smith. (compare Lehi's experience with other visionary experiences in the scriptures).

Interestingly, some Rabbinical traditions hold that the "window" in the Ark of Noah was, "a stone that shone in darkness;" an interesting similarity to the stones which the Brother of Jared formed from molten rock and which the Book of Mormon indicates Jesus touched and caused to glow.

Wealth: Ye suppose that Ye are Better than They

"And the hand of providence hath smiled upon you most pleasingly, that you have obtained many riches; and because some of you have obtained more abundantly than that of your brethren ye are lifted up in the pride of your hearts, and wear stiff necks and high heads because of the costliness of your apparel, and persecute your brethren because ye suppose that ye are better than they," (Jacob 2:13, Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ).

How People in the Book of Mormon Overcame Challenges Through Faith in Jesus Christ

This morning I've been contemplating how people in The Book of Mormon overcame their challenges through faith in Jesus Christ. There were those who became firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ (Helaman 3:35).

Nephi overcame great challenges, as did his father Lehi. What did Nephi do? Nephi always remembered. He always remembered God. He always remembered that God had directed them! He seems to have had a simple and tremendously powerful faith in God's character and attributes. When all around him were failing, Nephi remembered!!! (See 1 Nephi 16 in The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.) How did he do it? Was it because he was faithful in prayer? I can't help but think that that was part of it. (Those who stayed close to God in Lehi's vision of the tree fell down and worshipped.--1 Nephi 8:30.)

I believe that sincere prayer--daily prayer--can keep us close to God. For Latter-day Saints, prayer is a conversation with God. It is worship and our attempt to commune with God. Sometimes it is relegated to meaningless recitation, but at its best, prayer brings us into harmony with God. The purpose of prayer is for the one who is praying to come closer to God--to draw near to him--to become one with Him. When we pray, our souls can draw nearer to God. In the end, nearness to God and learning to seek unity with him are what bring us great joy. Through true prayer, we may know God (See John 17:3 and Joseph Smith History 1:15-20). There is deep and abiding satisfaction in learning to become like God.

Consider, from The Holy Bible and The Book of Mormon, what Jesus Christ has taught us about prayer.

Labor in the Spirit--Alma 17:5, Book of Mormon

Alma 17:5. What does it mean to labor in the spirit?

I think it means that we work hard--that we work hard at understanding what God wants us to do and then doing it.

President Ezra Taft Benson taught that the secret to missionary work is work! That if a missionary works, he will get the spirit.

I think that President Benson learned the virtues of work in his youth. As a boy, he took over his father’s farm as his father was called on a mission! (No surprise that each of the Benson children followed in their father’s footsteps and served missions!)

So, what does it mean to labor in the Spirit? I've been thinking about this a bit. I've also been impressed lately by another statement in this chapter about the sons of Mosiah:

. . . they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God. But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God (Alma 17:2-3).

What struck me here, is that they didn't teach with their own knowledge. They read the scriptures and studied them that they might know the word of God, but to me it seems that they still relied upon God and upon His spirit to give them utterance. As I studied this scripture, I also came across this interesting verse from 2 Nephi 28. 

And they [rival churches] shall contend one with another; and their priests shall contend one with another, and they shall teach with their learning, and deny the Holy Ghost, which giveth utterance (2 Nephi 28:4). 

I realized when I read this, that I am sometimes, and perhaps often, guilty of using my own knowledge, wisdom and pride to teach. The point of reading the scriptures, as I see it, is to get the Holy Ghost in our lives. I need to learn to trust more in that spirit (see Doctrine and Covenants 11:12).

Jesus Christ, Mothers, Marriage and Family: A Foretaste of Eternity

I declare before God and before His holy angels that I know that Jesus is the Christ, the living Son of the Living God. I have perfect faith in the efficacy of his all-encompassing atonement for all human sin and for all human suffering, and I believe in mothers. I believe in women.  Women who sacrifice. Women who care. Women who heal. Women who love. And, I believe in marriage. I believe in the deep, soulful union, body, soul and spirit, of a man and a woman, joined under God in holy wedded matrimony. And, I believe in family--unified family. Family where love prevails, along with kindness. Family where each member is heard. Family where each member is recognized and nurtured and encouraged. Family where parents and children and siblings counsel together and nurture one another in love. And, I declare before God that this is the order of heaven. When we arrive in a perfect heaven, what we will see is family. What we will see is order. What we will see is counsel, and harmony. What we will see will be awesome. These are the things I aspire to. These are the things Jesus teaches me, even and these are the things that I love. I know that God loves us, His children. I know that Jesus Christ is our brother in deed. I know that everything good that we do and that we know is a reflection of the goodness and knowledge that is in them.

Isaiah in the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ

Isaiah in the Book of Mormon:

Abinadi does Isaiah better than the KJV! "Skousen has noted that Abinadi’s quotation of Isaiah 53:7 more consistently uses the past tense than does the KJV. In the KJV translation, the second occurrence of the verb “open” is rendered with present tense “openeth not his mouth” instead of the past tense “opened not his mouth” as it is rendered earlier in the verse. Mosiah 14:7 consistently renders the verbs in the past tense, “opened not his mouth.” The Book of Mormon version renders the underlying Hebrew verbs of Isaiah 53:7 more correctly than does the KJV. Again, this observation can be seen to support the thesis of this essay. Skousen, Analysis of Textual Variants, Part Two, 1321–1322." as noted in <https://knowhy.bookofmormoncentral.org/knowhy/why-did-book-of-mormon-prophets-speak-of-future-events-as-if-they-had-already-happened#footnote5_4qgnam9>, accessed on 9 June 2020. 

https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/hebraisms-and-other-ancient-peculiarities-book-mormon

Never Say Die

Sometimes, I'm really determined. "Never say 'die'," if you will. That's how I feel about school this semester. 

I have a lot of things going against me: family obligations, financial challenges, family health and wellness challenges--a number of things. Sometimes, I think I should drop out of school, that this would be easier and make more sense. Sometimes, I've even decided that's what I should do. Then, after I sleep on it, I can't. I need to stay. I can't seem to quit!

Provocation

In The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, reference is made to "the days of provocation in the wilderness." I sometimes had wondered what this meant. Last semester in PathwayConnect, an article we read enlightened me significantly on this question (see "The Provocation in the Wilderness and the Rejection of Grace," M. Catherine Thomas).

God swore in his wrath that the Israelites would not enter into the promised land. What was the nature of their offense? After witnessing the plagues sent upon Pharoah, The Passover and slaying of the Egyptians' firstborn, being delivered from Egypt and from the Egyptian armies, passing through the Red Sea on dry ground, and being fed in the wilderness with manna and quail, the children of Israel still did not comprehend the nature of God! After so many benevolent acts of saving, these delivered captives did not comprehend. The straw that broke the camels back was their unbelief at Massah and Meribah.

Words of Jesus

Recently, I was deeply impressed by these words of Jesus:

16 ¶ Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to ^afast. Verily I say unto you, They ^bhave their reward.

(--sincerity. We should do things with God in mind, not men!)

17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;

18 That thou appear not unto men to ^afast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall ^breward thee openly.

19 ¶ Lay not up for yourselves ^atreasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves ^bbreak through and steal:

20 But lay up for yourselves ^atreasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor ^bsteal:

21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine ^aeye be ^bsingle, thy whole body shall be full of ^clight.

23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that ^adarkness!

24 ¶ ^aNo man can ^bserve two ^cmasters: for either he will ^dhate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and ^emammon. (Either we are serving God, or we are serving the god of this world.)

25 ^aTherefore I say unto you, Take no ^bthought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? ^aConsider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, ^ashall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little ^bfaith?

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father ^aknoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 ^aBut ^bseek ye first the ^ckingdom of God, and his ^drighteousness; and all these ^ethings shall be ^fadded unto you.

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take ^athought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

(From Matthew 6, The Holy Bible)

To My Children: Letter 1, Jesus Christ, The Center of Heavenly Father's Plan

 Dear Children,

Jesus is the Christ. He is the Living Son of the Living God. He created all things from the beginning.

Jesus is the Son of our Heavenly Father. We lived with them in heaven before we were born on earth. 

Heavenly Father wanted us to become like Him. He has a body of flesh and bones like we do. (Doctrine and Covenants of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 130:22). And, He has knowledge. But in that state with Him, we did not yet have physical bodies! Our spirit bodies gave us the opportunity to choose. Our mortal bodies would give us an even greater opportunity to choose. By obtaining a mortal body, we could become like our Father and Mother in Heaven! We would choose what we would become!

In the Father's plan, all of His children were to come to earth. A veil of forgetfulness gives us the full opportunity to exercise our agency--our freedom to choose. We come to this earth not knowing anything! This was the state of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. They were the first two people whom God placed on the earth. They are our first parents and the ancestors of the entire human race!

One of Heavenly Father's sons opposed the plan. He did not believe in Jesus Christ, the central figure in God's plan. Jesus would come to redeem the world from sin (willful violation of God's law) and death (the natural consequence of choosing to become mortal). Adam and Eve willingly chose mortality. This they did so that all of us could also receive bodies and come to earth.

Satan, or Lucifer, fought against God's plan! There was a war in heaven. It was a war of words. Lucifer and his followers fought for their plan--that all would come to earth and all would be saved. We would have no choices! We fought for freedom because we knew that only through choices would we find knowledge and become more like our Heavenly Parents. When all had made their choice and chosen whom he or she would follow, Lucifer and his followers were cast down to the earth. You and I fought valiantly. We overcame Lucifer, the dragon, by the word of our testimonies of Jesus Christ! 

To help us decide what we want and whom we want to follow, Heavenly Father allows Satan and his followers to tempt us on earth. We do not see them, typically, but they are here, striving to lead us astray! Every person who is capable of knowing right and wrong is sometimes if not often tempted by Satan and his followers. 

How is it that we have The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ?

How is it that we have The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ? 

1. God commanded a prophet named Nephi to make a record.

2. Nephi obeyed! He obeyed God's voice!

3. Other subsequent prophets obeyed God's voice! They learned to hear Him and obey! These prophets obediently kept and compiled their records (Mormon is one of these ancient prophets; he testified of Jesus!).

4. Joseph Smith obediently did what God asked! God showed Joseph where the ancient record was. In time, God entrusted that record to Joseph who then learned to translate, depending on God's power alone!

5. Joseph's friend, Martin Harris sacrificed his money and means. Oliver Cowdery and many other friends willingly sacrificed to help Joseph have the means to translate and do God's work.

6. Voila! The Book of Mormon was published in 1830! This book testifies of Jesus Christ.

Dear Mr. Olson

 I am going to start writing hypothetical letters to my high school English teacher, Mr. Olson. 

Dear Mr. Olson,

Do you remember years ago (1997) when we read and discussed some of The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ together? I remember one thing that you remarked as we read and discussed the first book in the volume, 1 Nephi. It seemed far-fetched to you Laman and Lemuel saw and angel but still almost immediately doubted the power of God and what they were about. 

I admit that it seems strange. Nephi and his three older brothers are sent on a difficult journey on what, to some may have seemed and impossible quest: to obtain a precious book of scripture from a powerful military leader in Jerusalem. 

Let's start out with this. Laman and Lemuel did not think they had a problem. They, like the people at Jerusalem, did not think that the way they were living was wrong. However, God had sent prophets among the people to warn them of the other end of the stick they were holding--to put it down immediately. God knows the end from the beginning. However, even many years later, Laman and Lemuel argued that the people of Jerusalem were a righteous people. 

My conclusion, after long years of study, is that Laman and Lemuel were not interested in knowing who God was! They seemed more interested in the finer things of life.

 Hundreds of years before Jesus' mortal birth, a prophet in The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, testified of Jesus Christ, The Messiah, "who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit," (2 Nephi 2:8, The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ). 

Jesus Christ will come again. He will rule as King of kings and reign as Lord of lords. Let us prepare.

 In these times of uncertainty and rampant rumor, this counsel from Dallin H. Oaks becomes increasingly important.

We live in a time of greatly expanded and disseminated information. But not all of this information is true. We need to be cautious as we seek truth and choose sources for that search. We should not consider secular prominence or authority as qualified sources of truth. We should be cautious about relying on information or advice offered by entertainment stars, prominent athletes, or anonymous internet sources. Expertise in one field should not be taken as expertise on truth in other subjects.

We should also be cautious about the motivation of the one who provides information. That is why the scriptures warn us against priestcraft (see 2 Nephi 26:29). If the source is anonymous or unknown, the information may also be suspect.

Our personal decisions should be based on information from sources that are qualified on the subject and free from selfish motivations. (From 

<https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2018/10/truth-and-the-plan?lang=eng>, accessed on 20 August 2020.)

"He becometh a great benefit to his fellow beings."

The statement above about seers comes from a discussion between a king and an emissary in Mosiah 8 of The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. The king wants to have an ancient record translated. The emissary cannot read it, but he knows someone who can: a seer.

A seer can see things both past, present, and future. And thus, "he becometh a great benefit to his fellow beings." This phrase strikes me. A seer is a great benefit to his fellow beings. A seer can see things both past, present, and future. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there are fifteen men whom we sustain as prophets, seers, and revelators. In the words of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, "It is no trivial matter for this Church to declare to the world prophecy, seership, and revelation, but we do declare it." that we are the Lord's Church and that living prophets stand at its head! By sustaining fifteen men as prophets, seers, and revelators, we are saying that we believe that they can see things that we, as mere mortals, cannot see. We are acknowledging that they, as special witnesses of Jesus Christ in all the world, know things that we do not know. This is a very humbling proposition.

An interesting article discussing “Gazelem”. https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/gazelem-jaredite

The Lamb of God

In The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, Jesus is often referred to as "The Lamb of God."

In The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, Jesus is often referred to as "The Lamb of God." Today, I've been pondering what this name means.

In the beginning, before the earth was formed and before mankind was placed on the face thereof, Jesus Christ was chosen. God, our Ethernal Father--our Father--knew that we all would sin. And yet, He loved us! (see John 3:16) 

His purpose is for us to return to Him, clean and pure. In and through the atonement of Christ the Lord, our return to God is possible! Simply put, Jesus is the Lamb without blemish, the pure and spotless sacrifice offered by God for us--in our behalf. The Law of Moses and the Law of Sacrifice instituted from the beginning looked forward to the offering of Jesus Christ--His blood, shed in the Garden of Gethsemane, and His body offered on the cross of Golgotha. 

Revelation 7:14

John 1:36

Nephi's numerous references to "the Lamb of God."

"Forty-four references to 'the Lamb' appear in Nephi's vision in 1 Nephi 11-14 alone," (https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/node/243, accessed on 27 June 2020).

I know that my Redeemer lives!

I know that my Redeemer lives! He is all that the Book of Mormon testifies that He is! He was bruised for our iniquities and, He knows our pain! (what makes Jesus Christ so important?) Jesus is the Only Begotten of the Father in the flesh. He came to Earth to take upon Him the sins, shortcomings, and frailties of all humankind. He is the King Immanuel--God with us. I know that He will come again, and at this very moment, this sphere is being prepared! To Joseph Smith Jesus said, "I, God, knowing the calamities which should come upon the children of men called upon my servant Joseph Smith, Jr., and gave him commandments . . . that faith might increase in the earth,"

calamity (is this a single event? Is this, or could this be the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet? {referenced by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland in the talk about the sister missionaries who got spat upon.} What is the abomination of desolation? Is it not the natural consequences of sin setting in or taking their disastrous effect? Obedience to God's commandments assures us of Divine Favor--through righteousness, we are naturally qualified for protection. I could site many examples. He that is tithed shall not be burned at the last day. That is significant doctrine! If I am willing to put my money where my mouth is, figuratively speaking, I am assured of preservation, because where a man's treasure is, there will his heart be also. I know that Jesus is laboring to preserve scattered Israel in our time! The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ is very bold and very clear on that point.

Questions from My "Daughter"

I wrote the following letter for an assignment a BYU-Pathway Worldwide PathwayConnect course I am taking.

Dear Jane,

I am so very, very glad, and grateful, that you have come to me! You may not know until you are a parent how much it means that you have come to me with your questions and concerns. If I understand your concerns, your question, in essence, is why does God give us commandments? Is that right? Do God’s commandments take away our agency? If He loves us so much, why do we have to be baptized to return to Him? If God gave us agency--freedom of choice--why does He then ask us not to do certain things? To answer your questions, let’s go to the scriptures. Providentially, the prophets of The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ have answered these questions. Heavenly Father knew you were going to ask. That is why He gave you this book!

In His instructions to His followers in the Americas, our resurrected Lord said: 

the Father commandeth all men, everywhere, to repent and believe in me. And whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved; and they are they who shall inherit the kingdom of God. And whoso believeth not in me, and is not baptized, shall be damned (3 Nephi 11:32-34).

Jesus is love personified. He teaches us here in humility. This is not a threat, but rather, a very direct statement. If you follow Him and receive baptism, you will be saved. If you do not follow and you are not baptized, you will be halted in your progress (this is the definition of “damned”). When He was suffering the agony of His atonement and eternity weighed upon Him, Isaiah says:

when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied; by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. . . . he hath poured out his soul unto death; and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bore the sins of many, and made intercession for the transgressors (Mosiah 14:10-12, The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ). 

Later, about this scripture the prophet Abinadi explained:

And who shall be his seed? Behold I say unto you, that whosoever has heard the words of the prophets, yea, all the holy prophets who have prophesied concerning the coming of the Lord—I say unto you, that all those who have hearkened unto their words, and believed that the Lord would redeem his people, and have looked forward to that day for a remission of their sins, I say unto you, that these are his seed, or they are the heirs of the kingdom of God. For these are they whose sins he has borne; these are they for whom he has died, to redeem them from their transgressions. And now, are they not his seed?

Because God’s laws are immutable, only the righteous will be saved. 

Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah (2 Nephi 2:8, The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ).

This is why we preach repentance. In his final sermon to a group of inhabitants in the Americas, righteous King Benjamin declared:

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, The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ).

There is no other way. Jesus really is the only way (see also 2 Nephi 9:41; 2 Nephi 25:20; 2 Nephi 31:21; Acts 4:12).

God loves us. He loves us deeply, and because He loves us deeply, He gives commandments. He knows it is only in and through the commandments—in and through Christ—that we may become like Him. This is the sublime opportunity He gave us when He awarded us our agency in the our life before life on earth (see Moses 4:3; The Pearl of Great Price of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints).

Satan will tell you, “I am no devil, for there is none,” (2 Nephi 28:22). He is a master deceiver. His servants and those who are without God in the world will tell you that the commandments are foolishness. This simply is not true. Satan and the world will say, “if you always keep the commandments, then you have no choices!” This is a blatant and boldface lie. Obedience to God’s laws is a choice. The Restored Church of Jesus Christ is different from the world by design. Satan is very good at making sin look appealing. Dig beyond the surface of sin and you find all of the consequences! Smoking leads to bad health, addiction, and a number of other negative physical and spiritual consequences. Drinking alcohol exposes you to a litany of ills, liabilities and risks—not the least of which is alcoholism. Drugs are a similar story as is the use of sexual passions outside of marriage. The truth is, you can always make choices. What Satan leaves out are the consequences(see 2 Nephi 2:17-19). From the beginning, his song has been, “have what you want now and you shall have no consequences.” This is simply and thoroughly false.  

Do we have to go through certain steps in order to return to God? Yes. The truth is, if taken deep into our souls, the commandments change us. Obedience is not hoop-jumping. It is practice! Repentance is not hoop-jumping. It is practice. Christ’s gospel is the way. Following Christ is the way. If we follow, we become more like Him. This is the beautiful truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Would it be more loving if God simply let everyone come back to Him? No. If we have not repented of our sins, we will not want to live with Him! The fact is, if we don’t follow Jesus, we are filthy! Moroni talks about this in Mormon 9:3-4 in The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. 

Do ye suppose that [after death] ye shall dwell with [Jesus Christ] under a consciousness of your guilt? Do ye suppose that ye could be happy to dwell with that holy Being, when your souls are racked with a consciousness of guilt that ye have ever abused his laws? Behold, I say unto you that ye would be more miserable to dwell with a holy and just God, under a consciousness of your filthiness before him, than ye would to dwell with the damned souls in hell. 

Think about it this way. If you were smoking and drinking, doing drugs, or breaking the law of chastity, would you feel comfortable in the Holy Temple, the House of the Lord? No. This is why we have the Holy Temple—so that on earth we may qualify for and literally prepare to enter into God’s presence. 

God’s commandments, especially those mentioned in the interview for your temple recommendation, prepare you to enter His presence and feel worthy. They are the way! After our resurrection, all of us will be brought back into the presence of Jesus Christ (at least temporarily) to be judged of Him. To the His Nephite disciples He Said:

And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father, to stand before me, to be judged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil—And for this cause have I been lifted up; therefore, according to the power of the Father I will draw all men unto me, that they may be judged according to their works. And it shall come to pass, that whoso repenteth and is baptized in my name shall be filled; and if he endureth to the end, behold, him will I hold guiltless before my Father at that day when I shall stand to judge the world. (3 Nephi 27: 14-15, The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ). 

In his July 2011 BYU Devotional talk Brother Brad Wilcox taught that after Jesus Christ offers His grace to us—that power of deliverance which He was granted through His immeasurable atonement and suffering,  “what is left to be determined by our obedience is what kind of body we plan on being resurrected with [telestial, terrestrial, or Celestial—see 1 Corinthians 15:40-41, The Holy Bible] and how comfortable we plan to be in God’s presence and how long we plan to stay there”. By the choices we make, we decide what we become, by believing in or not believing in and following Jesus Christ. If we believe and sincerely repent, we will be comfortable in God’s presence. What a blessing! God always loves us! Always. That is His nature. Through our faith in Christ and our humble repentance, we demonstrate how much we love Him! (And I do love Him! I want to obey Him with all my heart!) Obedience to His laws and ordinances brings us back into His presence. Jesus Christ is the way. He showed us the way! If we become pure through Him and learn to love as He loves, when we see Him, we shall be like Him! (See Moroni 7:48.)

We choose to obey or not obey and by doing so, we choose our desired eternal rewards. Satan advertises, “get thrills now,” and leaves out the eternal consequences you will pay later. Satan says, as an obedient member of the Church, “you cannot sin. Restricted by the commandments, no earthly pleasure is yours!” This is not true! What is true is that we cannot sin and still get a good reward! It simply doesn’t work like that! “Wickedness never was happiness,” (see Alma 41:10)! When we make a choice, we get both ends of the stick—our choice, and the consequence. Satan’s lie is get what you want now, for this life. There is no afterlife. He is a liar from the beginning (see Doctrine and Covenants of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 93:25). 

O, daughter. I know that God loves us. Because He loves us, He gives us commandments not a few. If we follow His commandments with faith in Jesus Christ, we will be blessed—eternally. The commandment of the Father is to repent and believe in His Son. If we do this, we will be blessed. Of this I testify.