How can I help others understand the doctrine of Christ?

We cannot help others learn the doctrine of Christ unless we ourselves are already following the doctrine. It is imperative that we know the doctrine ourselves and follow it before we can expect to help others. Embedded in the doctrine itself is the very answer to the question of how we help others to learn the doctrine, as we shall see.

First and foremost, Christ is at the very center of his doctrine.

2 Nephi 25:26 And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.

Nephi and his followers focused their attention on Christ and his central role in the Plan of Salvation. They kept their eyes fixed on the Son of God. We might say that their eye was single (see Matthew 6:22).  It was not that they were not interested in all aspects of the gospel. But they recognized that everything in the gospel pointed them back to Christ.

This is a truth that the Jews missed. They studied and kept the Law of Moses for the law's sake. They failed to see that the law was merely a means to an end, the end being salvation through Christ. They thought that they could save themselves through strict obedience. They missed the fact that perfect obedience is an illusion for mortal man.

Latter-day Saints sometimes fall into the same trap. We emphasize keeping the commandments, and there are lots of commandments to keep. We cannot afford to miss the fact that we all fall short of the glory of God (see Romans 3:23). We miss the fact that we keep the commandments not to earn our way into heaven, but to practice being like Christ so that we can be comfortable in his presence. It is the Atonement, and not our imperfect works, that will save us in the Kingdom of God.

The prophet Nephi provided a masterful discourse and summary of the doctrine of Christ in his writings to his brethren. Nearing the end of his mortal life, Nephi wanted to leave a final testament to his posterity. The center of his testimony was the doctrine of Christ, which he described beautifully in 2 Nephi 31.

2 Nephi 31:2-3 Wherefore, the things which I have written sufficeth me, save it be a few words which I must speak concerning the doctrine of Christ; wherefore, I shall speak unto you plainly, according to the plainness of my prophesying. For my soul delighteth in plainness; for after this manner doth the Lord God work among the children of men. For the Lord God giveth light unto the understanding; for he speaketh unto men according to their language, unto their understanding.

The doctrine of Christ is plain, simple, and understandable. It can be explained in plain, ordinary language. One does not have to have a rich and arcane vocabulary nor a stunning intellect to grasp the concepts of the doctrine. Little children, by the age of eight are expected to understand the doctrine of Christ sufficiently that they can make a decision to follow the doctrine.
God wants us to understand the doctrine. He does not hide it in obscurity or shroud it in dark mysteries. He puts it out in plain sight so that all who want to learn it and understand it can do so. It is accessible and approachable.

All this is not to say that the doctrine is easy and takes no effort to comply with it. Salvation is not cheap, but it is freely given to all who will put forth the effort to live it and incorporate it in their lives. We can learn the doctrine in a few moments, but we will spend a lifetime implementing it and letting it change us.

We learn here from Nephi that we should approach teaching the doctrine of Christ with plainness to the understanding of those we teach. We should endeavor to present it in simple and straightforward terms. And we should present it with delight and enthusiasm. The gospel of Christ is "good news". We should share it with the joy that it brings to us. The doctrine of Christ is delightful because it enlightens us and lifts us.

2 Nephi 31:4-5 Wherefore, I would that ye should remember that I have spoken unto you concerning that prophet which the Lord showed unto me, that should baptize the Lamb of God, which should take away the sins of the world. And now, if the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by water, to fulfil all righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized, yea, even by water!

Christ not only taught the doctrine, he lived it. He was and is the very embodiment of his doctrine. He says with authority and confidence, "Come, follow me." Baptism is a key principle in the doctrine of Christ. Jesus demonstrated the significance of baptism by setting the example for us.

Baptism is a cleansing ordinance and a covenant-making ordinance. We are baptized unto repentance. The ordinance unlocks for us the door to forgiveness, justification and sanctification. Jesus needed no repentance, but he still needed baptism because he needed to make the covenant with his Father that he would obey him. We are likewise baptized into the covenant to do our best to become like Christ, and always remember him, and keep his commandments.

The covenant of baptism also brings with it a promise from God that as we keep the covenant, we will always have his spirit to be with us. Jesus needed that promise as much as we do.

Nephi also establishes with this introduction to baptism that it was a recognized prophet who performed Christ's baptism. Priesthood authority is key to the validity of the baptismal ordinance. One may have a sincere desire to make a covenant with God, but unless he receives the ordinance from one whom God recognizes as an authorized agent to administer the ordinance, it is not valid nor binding for the individual. God is a God of order, and his order says that we do not baptize ourselves nor can someone perform the ordinance for us who is not properly authorized. Ordinances require authority. The words ordinance and order derive from the same root. An ordinance sets things in order. God's authority to set things in order is his priesthood. Only God can establish a righteous covenant with man, and only priesthood holders are authorized to perform ordinances in the name of God.

2 Nephi 31:6-7 And now, I would ask of you, my beloved brethren, wherein the Lamb of God did fulfil all righteousness in being baptized by water? Know ye not that he was holy? But notwithstanding he being holy, he showeth unto the children of men that, according to the flesh he humbleth himself before the Father, and witnesseth unto the Father that he would be obedient unto him in keeping his commandments.

As noted earlier, Christ set the example for all mankind by pledging his own loyalty, faithfulness, and obedience to his Father through baptism. An ordinance is an outward expression of an inner commitment. Some may ask why we cannot just make a promise in our hearts to follow and obey God. Why do we have to perform a public, visible sign of our commitment? I do not know the answer to that question. But if it was important to the Savior to submit to baptism as a sign of his formal covenant with Heavenly Father to be obedient, it is surely important to us to do the same. That is Nephi's point. We may not understand the reason for everything, but as long as we follow Christ, we cannot go wrong.

2 Nephi 31: 8 Wherefore, after he was baptized with water the Holy Ghost descended upon him in the form of a dove.

Christ completed his demonstration of the doctrine of faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost through the sign of the dove, which represented the Holy Ghost, descending upon him.
For us the gift of the Holy Ghost is bestowed through an ordinance of the Melchezidek priesthood. In Christ's day, there were no Melchizedek priesthood holders. Jesus himself was the embodiment of priesthood authority, but there were none others to whom he could look to receive the ordinance. So the Father himself bestowed the gift upon his Son. The dove was merely a sign that the gift had been given. The dove did not bring the Holy Ghost, nor was it the incarnation of the Holy Ghost. It was simply the outward sign to faithful observers, such as john the Baptist, of the inward truth that Jesus possessed the supernal gift of the Holy Ghost.

2 Nephi 31: 9-12 And again, it showeth unto the children of men the straitness of the path, and the narrowness of the gate, by which they should enter, he having set the example before them. And he said unto the children of men: Follow thou me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father? And the Father said: Repent ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my Beloved Son. 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.

Nephi reiterates the purpose of his telling of the coming events in the life of Jesus Christ. Christ is the perfect example in all things, including his obedience to the ordinances of salvation.

There is no deviating from the strict and narrow path that leads to salvation. We cannot choose to make our own path to salvation. We may not skip steps or create some other path. We choose to either follow the designated path or not. In this sense, our agency is limited. We either choose the path that is Christ's plan, or we do not. We cannot devise another path that we like better.

2 Nephi 31: 13 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism —yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel.

For the ordinances and covenants to be effective, we must enter into them with an honest desire to conform ourselves to the Lord's plan of happiness. We must have a real and abiding intention of following through. Please note that we do not have to be perfect in the execution of our covenants. God knows, and surely we should know, that we will be less than successful in our attempts to be perfectly obedient. It is the whole purpose of the Atonement to enable Christ to help us overcome our failures, mistakes, shortcomings, and sins. The Lord does not expect us to be perfect, but he expects us to want perfection and to strive for it. He will perfect us through his Atonement in his own time. In the meantime, we practice, which means we make mistakes, we receive feedback and correction, and we try again.

As we make a genuine and honest effort to comply with the commandments, the gift of the Holy Ghost will become more evident in our lives. As we qualify ourselves with Christ's help, we will draw ever closer and more consistently to the influence of the Spirit until eventually we will be enveloped by him. Just as we were immersed in the water of baptism, we will be immersed in the Holy Ghost. Thus we are baptized with the Holy Ghost, the symbol of which is fire.

2 Nephi 31: 14 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.

There is a risk in exercising our agency to come unto Christ. If we lose faith and fall away after having received the blessings of salvation, our situation will be worse than if we had never known him at all.

So why take the risk? Why not remain in blissful ignorance until we die and then learn about the gospel in the spirit world?

Because with the greater risk comes the greater reward. The plan of salvation – the very purpose of earth life – is to learn to exercise our agency and to take risks in the pursuit of happiness. Satan's plan removed all agency and all risk. Like the slothful servant who buried his one talent and return it in its original state to his master, Satan would have returned us to the Father virtually unchanged after a purposeless earthly existence. Heavenly Father rejected this plan as insufficient and contrary to the plan of happiness and eternal progression. Our God is a God of progression. We were born to progress. We must progress to become like him. We cannot progress without agency, and we cannot have agency without risk.

So yes, there is a chance that we can fall after we have risen to meet the Savior. But if we fall, it is our own doing because we gave up and chose to turn away from our faith and the helping hand of Christ. As long as we face him and reach out to him, no matter how many mistakes we make, he will not abandon us and let us fall. He will never give up on us if we never give up on him.

2 Nephi 31:19-20 19 And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save. Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a clove of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.

Here is both the antidote to potential failure from verse 14 and the final reward. If we have faith in Christ and keep our eyes fastened on him and continue to have hope in his help and love God and share that love with others and learn to listen to the Holy Ghost, who speaks the words of Christ to us, and not give up on ourselves or on the Lord, we have the promise of eternal life, which is life with Heavenly Father in the celestial kingdom.

The doctrine of Christ is central to the message of the Restoration. Knowing the doctrine helps us focus on the essential aspects of the restored gospel and avoid the fringe topic that can divert the investigator's attention from the central message of Christ and his doctrine.

In Come, Follow Me, the new youth curriculum of the Church, we learn, “The 'doctrine of Christ' is that all men everywhere must have faith in Jesus Christ, repent of their sins, be baptized, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. The doctrine of Christ is the only way to be saved in the kingdom of God. It is the foundation of the Church and the central message of its missionaries.”

The doctrine of Christ has been a marvelous blessing in my life. As simple as it is, I have spent the last forty-five years of my life trying to implement the doctrine into my life. It has changed me in profound ways. And yet I am still learning about how to “feast upon the words of Christ” and how to touch those whom God has put in my path to love. I too often take the doctrine and my responsibilities in it for granted. I have for a long time assumed that the Holy Ghost would simply come to me because I have been given the gift. I am only now learning how to ask for the Holy Ghost every day and invite him into my daily actions, thoughts, and decisions. I am still trying to get my heart to agree with my head that mistakes are inevitable and are not failures but are steps along the path to a Christ-like life. I am a living witness that there is a lifetime of adventures and progress in the simple doctrine of Christ.