The Rock on Which We Must Build
Dear Elder Peterson,
Previously we learned all the doctrines of Christ and that these doctrines make up the fulness of his gospel. Notice in the following scriptures that both the doctrine of Christ and the Gospel of Christ are called “the rock on which, if we build, the gates of hell shall not prevail against us”.
(After repeatedly teaching the doctrine of Christ in 3 Nephi 11:31-38, the lord says the following)
“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.” – 3 Nephi 11:39
“11 Yea, repent and be baptized, every one of you, for a remission of your sins; yea, be baptized even by water, and then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost.
12 Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my gospel; and remember that they shall have faith in me or they can in nowise be saved;
13 And upon this rock I will build my church; yea, upon this rock ye are built, and if ye continue, the gates of hell shall not prevail against you.” – D&C 33:12-13
The reason for this is that if you follow the doctrine of Christ, which is his gospel, you will receive the Holy Ghost, which will tell you “the words of Christ (which) tell you all things what ye should do.”
“Do ye not remember that I said unto you that after ye had received the Holy Ghost ye could speak with the tongue of angels? And now, how could ye speak with the tongue of angels save it were by the Holy Ghost?
3 Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.” – 2 Nephi 32:2-3
This means that building on the doctrine of Christ/the Gospel is actually the foundation that enables you to build on Christ and his words to you through the spirit. Christ is the rock.
“Wherefore, I am in your midst, and I am the good shepherd, and the stone of Israel. He that buildeth upon this rock shall never fall.” – D&C 50:44
“And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.” – 1 Corinthians 10:4
The goal of the gospel is to receive the Holy Ghost/voice of the Lord, so that we can constantly be guided and directed by the Lord/Good Shepherd, and receive the other spiritual gifts that come with having the Spirit. It allows God to give us personal and specific day to day direction and instruction, to help us return to his presence. Through this means, he will teach us how to overcome our limitations and flaws, how to achieve our goals and desires, and by interacting with him, we will come to know who He is, so that we can become like Him.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is the Gate by which we enter the Kingdom of God. On the other side of that gate is a path. At the end of the path is eternal life. (See 2 Nephi 31:17-18) At the end of the path we receive the promise of eternal life.
The gate is walked through only when we receive the Holy Ghost, and a person has not walked through the gate until they have received the Holy Ghost.
Without the Holy Ghost, a person cannot find or walk the path that leads to eternal life. The path is walked by following the Holy Ghost, which tells you all things that you should know, do, and become. The “iron rod” from Lehi’s dream is the word of God or the words of Christ you receive through the Holy Ghost.
The end of the path is the promise of eternal life, which is given by the Holy Spirit of Promise, and is known as Making Your Calling and Election Sure. We will eventually talk about this in more detai.
Each of these phases in our progression map directly to the three kingdoms of Glory.
- Telestial Kingdom = Outside the Gate, haven’t found or entered the gate
- Terrestrial Kingdom = Entered in at the gate and received the Holy Ghost. They are now on the path that leads to eternal life.
- Celestial kingdom = Reached Eternal life at the end of the Path, Sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise, Calling and Election made sure
These symbols and imagery are used repeatedly throughout the scriptures to help you understand what is required as we progress. As missionaries, you are helping people to progress from the Telestial Kingdom to the Terrestrial Kingdom by teaching the doctrine of Christ and His Gospel. This is only the first part of their spiritual journey.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Peace and love,
Uncle Philip