The Gospel and The Primary Answers

 Faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. 

The four steps I’ve learned my entirely life as the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I recited it in primary. I taught it as a missionary. It’s been an ingrained thing that often became recitation and less practice. There are other aspects of faith like that. For me it’s the primary answers for any spiritual problems, “pray, read your scriptures, and go to church.” It’s easy for these to become rote and routine that they lose their power. I want it back.

Most of the time when we discuss power in religion we are talking about miracles or acts of God. We’re discussing the power of creation,  Moses splitting the Red Sea, Christ raising the dead, the resurrection, the Apostles casting out devils or healing the lame. The big stuff. I worry that by focusing so much of the power on the big stuff that we can trumpet off the mountaintops that we lose sight of the quieter powers. The power to change people.

Too often in my career I hear how people can’t change. Or how rare it is when they do. I refuse to accept that reality. I really do. Because the entire point of Christianity is not only a redemption from our sins by a perfect being, but the ability to change. The ability to become a better person. That’s what the Gospel and the Primary Answers allows us to do. Let’s break it down by pairing a principle of the gospel with an action of the primary answers.

First faith, which pairs perfectly with prayer. If we are seeking faith in an entity, there is an inherent drive to seek a connection with that entity. When we speak of spiritual things that lends itself to prayer. To a conversation and dialogue with our God.

The second principle is repentance. This one is a bit trickier personally. But when we look at repentance as the process of change then we have a desire to know how to change. Scripture provides with answers of how to change, what to change, and the desired end goal.

Baptism is a covenant. It's a spiritual contract with our Heavenly Father. It's the physical manifestation of that. Every week in church we have the opportunity to partake in the sacrament. A physical means of renewing that contract, that covenant.

All of them together lead to the continuing presence of the Holy Ghost. They're all connected. And they can change your life. 

I need to insert a caveat here. The primary answers one work in the light of the principles of the gospel. They do not carry the same weight or power on their own. I have experienced the rote recitation that can happen without a foundation. At the same point I also know how hard it can be to integrate the principles of the gospel in our lives without the primary answers. 

I have so many flaws. So many challenges. I need this in my life and I’m truly afraid to know where I would be without it. May of my more atheist or agnostic friends probably think that’s crazy or a cop out. That a humanistic approach could provide me with the way to be better. I know for many that’s enough. The ability to be good and change for themselves or others. For me it wasn’t. I truly required a divine intervention. Experiencing what I have, has given the confidence and faith to live my life.

This is the foundation of my life. How I live my life in regards to my career, family, friends, is entirely dependent on that. 

Now I'm not writing this to get on a soapbox and show how holy I am. Nor am I doing this to convert everyone who hears/reads this. I simply wanted to share the basis of my life. Make it clear. Both for others and for myself.