The Pattern of Gospel Living

The Pattern of Gospel Living

Who
What
When
Where
Why
How

These questions are very important as they pertain to our living and implementing gospel principles and ordinances in our lives. Yet sometimes the order in which we prioritize them is not the most effective, nor is it the most beneficial to our happiness in living the gospel.

If you could prioritize these in the order that makes the most sense for living a righteous life, what would it be?

Here are my thoughts:

Why
• The Why is our part, our agency and the condition of our hearts. 99% of the gospel plan in mortality is complete. It’s just that 1% of our own will that makes all the difference in the world. If our Why isn’t based upon faith in Jesus Christ, hope in the blessings to come and charity/pure love for the Savior, His gospel and complete submission to His will then the Why becomes our condemnation. The Why is the most critical because it determines the rest of what we do and the blessings/consequences of our actions. We may be very regimented in our scripture study, our church attendance or our paying of tithes, but if our hearts are mired in ritual, steeped in pride, fearful of failure or concerned with the outward appearance of our actions then our obedience is as “sounding brass and tinkling cymbal.” If our actions and obedience are based on faith in, love for and deep devotion to our Savior and His glory then we have found the mark. And with that love for Jesus Christ comes an almost immediate and overwhelming love for all God’s children, for without our brothers and sisters joining us in the true happiness that is the purpose of Father’s plan we are as “lone [men] in the wilderness.” Which leads me directly to the next point.

Who
• The Who is two-fold: The first and most critical Who is Jesus Christ, the center of the gospel and the “author and finisher of our faith” (Moro. 6:4). The second encompasses every last one of Father’s children, whether dead, alive or yet to come to the earth. We are all an eternal family, and the whole reason for families, the church organization and gospel ordinances is to bind our hearts together and seal them up as one in the eternal worlds to come. Happiness is not possible in the silo of our own lives. Our sojourn on Earth requires that we open our lives and our hearts to everyone around us. As we strive to become more like Jesus Christ—our Why—then the Who becomes ever more essential; for as we become like Him, our countenances shine with His light and we too become saviors on mount Zion. That is where we find our eternal happiness – in becoming like Jesus together by sharing our lives, testimony and gladness with those of our past, present and future.

What
• What we do relates to the doctrines, principles, ordinances and covenants of the restored gospel. They are key in revealing to us the nature of God and are essential parts of the path to becoming like Jesus Christ. They are meant to keep us straight and true on our journey to becoming like the Savior and provide protection from the fiery darts of the adversary. The What is somewhat interchangeable with the How, depending upon what gospel topic is in application. Often as members of the Church we concern ourselves so deeply in the doing of the What that we forget the Why and the Who. The worst thing that we can do is lose sight of the Why and the Who in the doing of the Whats of the gospel and miss the mark completely. If the What isn’t driving our becoming through showing us the life and example of our Savior then it has become as dead to us, nothing more than a code of ethics and laws that cannot of themselves save us from ourselves. And in many cases, the Whats become a tangle of frustration and a block of stumbling to us when they become the focus.

How
• The How is directly related to the manner in which gospel ordinances are performed and covenants are made. Priesthood is an essential part of the How. Proper authority to administer the saving ordinances is foundational to their efficacy. The How is part of why the restoration of the gospel and the Lord’s Church was essential in the latter days, providing again the authority to act in God’s name and to bind in heaven that which is bound on earth. The How is sometimes interchangeable with the What, especially as it relates to ordinances. Certain principles and doctrines stand alone without accompanying ordinances, in the which case the What takes precedence. Suffice it to say that the How and What are absolutely essential to the Why and Who, but they do not nor cannot supersede them, and of themselves are incomplete in providing the means to eternal exaltation. If it were otherwise, the Pharisees and scribes would be as viable of candidates for exaltation as Enoch, Moses or Paul.

Where
• The Where most often relates to the proper location for performing holy ordinances and for the congregating of the Saints for instruction and the unifying of faith. The Lord’s house (temples) and His houses of worship (chapels, seminaries, institutes and other dedicated buildings) are sacred places in which some of the most edifying worship and instruction can take place. The mysteries of the kingdom are often revealed to the Lord’s prophets in the temple. Our joining together to partake of the sacrament in dedicated buildings is a blessing and privilege and is essential to our salvation and becoming like the Savior. Yet as history has shown, the Where does not supersede the previous components of the gospel in importance as the Lord’s purposes have been and will yet be accomplished in the most insignificant and lowly of places. Just remember that the manger, the garden, the cross and the tomb were not the miracles. The Man was.

When
• The When holds last place on this list because, though still important, it pales in comparison to the rest. Agency, law and the Lord’s tender mercies ensure that all men will receive perfect judgment, and with that perfect opportunity to prove where their loyalties lie. However, this statement does not diminish the importance of the scriptures when they state that “now is the time for men to prepare to meet God” and that the day of our salvation is today. The more we are able to do now the better. But the When will not overshadow the condition of the heart, nor Jesus Christ, the “keeper of the gate['s]” ability to judge in complete righteousness, “for he employeth no servant there.” (2 Ne. 9:41, both quotations)