What is the role of the Holy Ghost in learning the gospel?

Learning is an action, and action requires agency. Agency is the difference between acting and merely being acted upon.

The Lord revealed the following principle about agency to the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1831:

“For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward. Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward.” (D&C 58:26-28)

Learning the gospel is certainly a good cause. Being anxiously engaged in the cause of gospel study is pleasing to the Lord. The Church provides many opportunities and venues in which we can learn:   Sacrament meeting, Sunday school, priesthood quorums, Relief Society, home teaching, visiting teaching, family home evening, General Conference, and so on. But if our learning is restricted to our standard meetings, we are not anxiously engaged. We are merely waiting to be acted upon. We must also act. We must seek learning by faith, through person study and by opening our hearts to the Holy Ghost.

Elder David A. Bednar, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, has emphasized repeatedly the principle of agency in our lives. Regarding agency in learning, he has referred to D&C 88:77-78:

“And I give unto you a commandment that you shall teach one another the doctrine of the kingdom. Teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you, that you may be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand.”

He then made the following comment. “Consider that the blessings described in these scriptures are intended specifically for the teacher: “Teach … diligently and my grace shall attend you”—that you, the teacher, may be instructed!” (“Seek Learning by Faith", Liahona, Sept. 2007, 16–24)     

One obviously formal learning situation is the classroom. Classroom instruction has been a regular feature of the Restored Church almost from the beginning. We are commanded to “meet together oft” (3 Nephi 18:22) and to “hear the word of the Lord” (4 Nephi 1:12) and to “instruct and edify each other” (D&C 43:8). In such a setting, we seek learning not simply by showing up and occupying a seat in the class, but by actively engaging in the instruction. We learn when we think about the information being delivered, when we look for ways to apply the information to our personal situation, and when we interact with those around us who are similarly engaged in pondering. No matter what the instructor may be doing or saying, we are ultimately responsible for our own learning.

Elder Bednar has taught, “An answer given by another person usually is not remembered for very long, if remembered at all. But an answer we discover or obtain through the exercise of faith, typically, is retained for a lifetime. The most important learnings of life are caught—not taught.” (Ibid.)

We are the catcher. The instructor may throw out a pitch, but if our mitt is not up, and if we do not wrap our hand around the spiritual ball and pull it into us, it will just fall lifeless on the ground at our feet.

Applying another analogy, Elder Bednar has taught, “As parents and gospel instructors, you and I are not in the business of distributing fish; rather, our work is to help individuals learn to 'fish' and to become spiritually self-reliant.” (Ibid.)

Learning to fish takes preparation, effort, and practice. Before we begin to fish, we need to get the right equipment, and we need to be taught how to use it. We need to learn how to bait the hook and what techniques work best in certain situations. Then we need to practice. We may not be very successful at first, but with time and experience and determined effort, we can become expertly successful fishermen.

When I was in elementary school, Dad took me fishing several times. We went surf fishing at Bolsa Chica Beach. Back then we called it Tin Can Beach because it was not well maintained. He showed me how to dig for sand crabs, put them on the hook, and tie sinkers to the line. I practiced running out onto the shore behind a receding wave and casting the line beyond the breakers, then running back up the beach ahead of the next breaking wave. I learned how to watch the tip of the pole as it bent and swayed with the rhythm of the surf to detected the little jerk that indicated that a fish was teasing the bait. After a few trips in the pre-dawn hours, I could catch fish. But then Dad stopped going fishing.

When my son Russell got into Boy Scouts, he wanted to learn to fish. It had been many years since I had fished, and the little bit I remembered about surf fishing was nothing like fishing in a lake or a stream. Nevertheless, I bought some gear and took him out. 

After a couple of trips with no success, I went to a friend who was an expert fisherman and got some pointers about casting and working with lures. But still my son and I had no success. 

I was not motivated to work at this fishing business because it was just a hobby, and not even a serious one for me. After all, I could always buy fish at the store. I enjoyed the time with Russell, but the actual catching, cleaning and eating of fish was not a priority for me. 

It would have been a much different motivation, and I think I would have had a much different experience, if the store went out of business and I needed to catch fish to feed my family. I would have taken every opportunity to learn from masters. I would have studied the subject of fishing with intensity. I would have practiced regularly and with deliberation. I am confident that I could have learned to catch fish if my life depended on it.

Gospel learning cannot be a casual hobby. We ought not to take the “store” for granted. I cannot show up at church once a week and expect teachers and speakers to pour gospel knowledge into my inattentive head. Just getting occasional spiritual pointers is not enough. Spending time with good people in a pleasant social setting is not enough. To get the gospel past my head and into my heart and soul, I need to study with intensity and practice deliberately. Unlike catching fish, my life really does depend on catching the gospel.

Agency, in the form of action, is the difference between shopping for fish and catching fish.