No matter where you are at in your personal journey, I invite you to recommit yourself to learning, believing, living, teaching, and sharing Christ’s doctrine in the following ways:

• Learning Christ’s doctrine as taught by the Savior in the scriptures.
• Learning Christ’s doctrine as taught by other prophets in the scriptures.
• Learning by personal revelation.
• Believing that the Book of Mormon was restored for you and your soul.
• Believe the Book of Mormon and put away “unbelief.”
• Understanding the “new and everlasting covenant”, “baptism in the name of the Son”, salvation, and exaltation.
• Understand where salvation and eternal life really come from.
• Understanding what Joseph Smith was really commanded to restore.
• Teaching and sharing Christ’s doctrine to others.

To help you on your personal journey and your recommitment to the doctrine of Christ, I have put together a significant revision of The Doctrine of Christ Study Guide. to help you. The purpose of this post is to explain how a significant revision to The Doctrine of Christ Study Guide (version 3.0) can help support you even more than ever in your personal journey. But before I do that, allow me to share the reasons why I needed to do so.

According to The Plainness of Truth

At the end of the life of Nephi he did many great things to benefit all of mankind in the latter and last days. One of those things includes teaching the one and only correct doctrine of Christ (2 Nephi 31-32). This is such a plain and precious teaching that both the Father and the Son separately testify of it’s truthfulness:

“And also, the voice of the Son came unto me, saying: He that is baptized in my name, to him will the Father give the Holy Ghost, like unto me; wherefore, follow me, and do the things which ye have seen me do… But, behold, my beloved brethren, thus came the voice of the Son unto me, saying: After ye have repented of your sins, and witnessed unto the Father that ye are willing to keep my commandments, by the baptism of water, and have received the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost, and can speak with a new tongue, yea, even with the tongue of angels, and after this should deny me, it would have been better for you that ye had not known me.”

2 Nephi 31:12,14

“And I heard a voice from the Father, saying: Yea, the words of my Beloved are true and faithful. He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.”

2 Nephi 31:15

Nephi’s own confirming witness is shared throughout the last few chapters of 2 Nephi. However, his humble witness in chapter 33 is truly powerful. I am not Nephi and I would never compare myself and my experiences to him and his experiences. Not only me, but you as well should never compare. Your personal experiences with the Lord are your own and they in no way are ever to be compared to anyone else’s.

However, as I read through chapter 33 again the other day, I cannot help but feel what Nephi feels, believe what Nephi believes, and hope what Nephi hopes. With that in mind, allow me to add my witness to his:

1 And now I, Nephi, cannot write all the things which were taught among my people; neither am I mighty in writing, like unto speaking; for when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men. [I too feel way more confident speaking than writing. My effort to teach Christ’s doctrine in The Doctrine of Christ Study Guide has always been more of a journal writing experience for me. I am not an author by trade and I write what the Lord reveals to me in unique ways. It was never meant to be an “easy-read” but rather something that is read, studied, pondered, and prayed about for a true witness that your soul can never deny.]

2 But behold, there are many that harden their hearts against the Holy Spirit, that it hath no place in them; wherefore, they cast many things away which are written and esteem them as things of naught. [From the beginning, I set out to help people discover the doctrine of Christ in scripture. This way, there was not a personal argument over my own words. I have had reactions of many sorts. Yet, I was always baffled and curious why someone would attack me for quoting the scriptures.]

3 But I, Nephi, have written what I have written, and I esteem it as of great worth, and especially unto my people. For I pray continually for them by day, and mine eyes water my pillow by night, because of them; and I cry unto my God in faith, and I know that he will hear my cry. [I do believe the study guide is of great worth especially my own people (members of my same religious denomination). My heart cries unto the Lord that they too might awaken from a deep sleep. I feel as Nephi feels and hope that they, anyone, will hear the words of God.]

4 And I know that the Lord God will consecrate my prayers for the gain of my people. And the words which I have written in weakness will be made strong unto them; for it persuadeth them to do good; it maketh known unto them of their fathers; and it speaketh of Jesus, and persuadeth them to believe in him, and to endure to the end, which is life eternal. [It has always been about pointing people to the Lord, not me, or any other person–one of the several reasons for the anonymity.]

5 And it speaketh harshly against sin, according to the plainness of the truth; wherefore, no man will be angry at the words which I have written save he shall be of the spirit of the devil. [This is one of the primary reasons for my significant changes to the study guide–to speak in “plainness.” Again, I am pointing people to the scriptures–the words of prophets and the words of the Savior Himself. Yet people deny them and do get “angry” because of the words in the study guide.]

6 I glory in plainness; I glory in truth; I glory in my Jesus, for he hath redeemed my soul from hell. [Now more than ever, I feel it very important to be more and more bold. Like, Nephi, I do glory in “plainness.” Nephi’s witness is “my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen” (2 Nephi 31:21). Nephi’s was a second witness to the Savior’s stern warning, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and whoso buildeth upon this buildeth upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them. And whoso shall declare more or less than this, and establish it for my doctrine, the same cometh of evil, and is not built upon my rock; but he buildeth upon a sandy foundation, and the gates of hell stand open to receive such when the floods come and the winds beat upon them” (3 Nephi 11:39-41). Personally, I will not apologize if the words in the scriptures are contrary to your current narrative or the narrative taught and held by any religious institution.]

7 I have charity for my people, and great faith in Christ that I shall meet many souls spotless at his judgment-seat. [Like Nephi, I trust that the Lord will lead each person through their own unique journey on the only true path in and through Jesus Christ.]

8 I have charity for the Jew—I say Jew, because I mean them from whence I came.

9 I also have charity for the Gentiles. But behold, for none of these can I hope except they shall be reconciled unto Christ, and enter into the narrow gate, and walk in the strait path which leads to life, and continue in the path until the end of the day of probation. [I too hope that each person will be reconciled to the Lord by having their baptism of fire and Holy Ghost]

10 And now, my beloved brethren, and also Jew, and all ye ends of the earth, hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should do good. [One of the plagues of our day is “unbelief” and it was prophesied all throughout the Book of Mormon. I urge you to despise “unbelief” and believe in the promises of the Lord even to receiving the promise of a personal remission of sins and the presence of the Lord]

11 And if they are not the words of Christ, judge ye—for Christ will show unto you, with power and great glory, that they are his words, at the last day; and you and I shall stand face to face before his bar; and ye shall know that I have been commanded of him to write these things, notwithstanding my weakness. [There is no such thing as group salvation–it is a false doctrine or assumption. Your association with any group or membership in any religious institution cannot ever offer you salvation or exaltation. You, and you alone, are responsible for your personal choices to accept this or reject it–even if you were taught differently since childhood.]

12 And I pray the Father in the name of Christ that many of us, if not all, may be saved in his kingdom at that great and last day.

13 And now, my beloved brethren, all those who are of the house of Israel, and all ye ends of the earth, I speak unto you as the voice of one crying from the dust: Farewell until that great day shall come.

14 And you that will not partake of the goodness of God, and respect the words of the Jews, and also my words, and the words which shall proceed forth out of the mouth of the Lamb of God, behold, I bid you an everlasting farewell, for these words shall condemn you at the last day. [You will have no excuses. Respect the words of the Lord]

15 For what I seal on earth, shall be brought against you at the judgment bar; for thus hath the Lord commanded me, and I must obey. Amen. [I love Nephi’s conviction and willingness to obey.]

Revision Supports Your Recommitment

This revision of The Doctrine of Christ Study Guide (v3.0) is the chance to recommitment to learn, believe, live, teach, and even share the doctrine of Christ.

To help you learn Christ’s doctrine even more effectively, I have taken a more direct and bold approach to this latest version of the study guide. I have taken the Lord’s own teachings about His doctrine and put them at the beginning of the guide. For simplicity, it outlines five major milestones in the doctrine of Christ or covenant taken from the Lord’s own teaching and other prophets in the Book of Mormon. His own teachings about what it is and is not will forever be the standard of truth. In keeping with the law of witnesses (D&C 6:28). I then add a second witness of the doctrine of Christ as it is taught by Nephi. The truth is that the Book of Mormon contains the witness of Christ’s doctrine in many, many places. In forthcoming blog posts, I will share more examples.

To help you learn Christ’s doctrine by personal revelation, I have updated and added additional ponder sections and questions. Regardless of my ponder questions, it is always important to be preparing questions for the Lord. One of the most important reasons to read and study the scriptures (especially the Book of Mormon) is to help you develop your questions.

When you are entrenched in this path and even with the gospel of Jesus Christ in general, it is common for you to encounter a lot of different terms. This revision will should be more helpful for you in correctly understanding terms like “new and everlasting covenant,” “baptism in the name of the Son,” salvation, and exaltation.

Christ’s doctrine was taught in each major dispensation of the earth and then followed by an apostasy. This occurred in every dispensation without exception. This significant revision of the study guide should help you realize, if you have not already, what Joseph Smith was really commanded to restore.

The study guide continues by outlining five major milestones in the doctrine of Christ or covenant. To avoid a dependency upon my own words, the study guide consistently points any reader to the scriptures. It’s in the scriptures that each person can learn deeper, ponder, and ask the right questions to receive personal revelation about the message that is in the scriptures.

This revision also has what I hope is more simple and straight forward. In some cases, more content has been added while in other places I have taken away and tried to make it cleaner, more readable, to add more context, and easier to understand. It’s not perfect and I wish I was a better writer; but then again, this was always meant to be a study guide and just point you in the right direction, so please forgive me for anything that is confusing still. As a matter of fact, I am alway open to suggestions.

In your personal journey in and through the Savior, Jesus Christ, is so important to understand the importance of the Book of Mormon and to “believe” it’s teachings. Unfortunately, there are still many people that claim to believe that the restoration of the gospel has occurred and also claim that the Book of Mormon is truly another witness of the Savior; however, they refuse to accept the “plainness” in which it teaches the correct doctrine of Christ (covenant path). This significant revision should help even more for you to overcome “unbelief.” However, don’t mistake, the burden of proof is not on me. You, and you alone, are responsible to know this for yourself.

Throughout the study guide, teachings from the Book of Mormon are featured. The Book of Mormon was truly restored to in order to restore this plain and precious truth lost through time and through the efforts of the adversary. As it did in previous versions, this study guide will test any reader’s hope and faith in the Book of Mormon. If you believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God, then you have to believe that this is the one and only doctrine of Christ. This is to say that there is none other way to salvation and exaltation than what is taught in the Book of Mormon. In testing your hope and faith, it may force you to put away your current narrative or understanding of the this doctrine. I invite you to have sufficient hope, have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repent, and begin (or continue) your journey in and through the Lord by first learning (or re-learning) the doctrine of Christ in this revision. I offer this revision of The Doctrine of Christ Study Guide (version 3.0) to help you.

The Lord is calling many people to fully awaken. I invite you to share the correct understanding of Christ’s doctrine with everyone you know. Let those you know and love read, ponder, and know for themselves by seeing it in the scriptures, the standard works, and even the amazing and powerful Book of Mormon.

I believe the time is short. So, for now, I leave you with the farewell witness of Moroni:

30 And again I would exhort you that ye would come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing.

31 And awake, and arise from the dust, O Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy beautiful garments, O daughter of Zion; and strengthen thy stakes and enlarge thy borders forever, that thou mayest no more be confounded, that the covenants of the Eternal Father which he hath made unto thee, O house of Israel, may be fulfilled.

32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.

Moroni 10

“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.”

Mother Theresa

As always, the latest version/revision of The Doctrine of Christ Study Guide is always available at www.JourneyDoctrineOfChrist.org.

-----

    

JourneyDoctrineOfChrist.org is based on free, online study guides to help you learn, believe, live and teach the Doctrine of Christ. The Study Guides invite any and all to see and know this truth for themselves that the Savior, Jesus Christ, has, in fact, introduced His doctrine and He personally invites all to receive personal redemption and literally receive Him while in the flesh (mortality).

Blog posts are only intended to supplement the Study Guides.  Per all blog posts, seek the understanding and confirmations from the Lord in your own personal revelation.  Study guides are intended to point you to both the Lord’s written word and His voice (personal revelation). These study guides will help you uncover what the Doctrine of Christ is and other essential topics that will help you in your journey to literally “come unto Christ” while in mortality. Links to the latest versions of each study guide are available at JourneyDoctrineOfChrist.org.