What Precisely is the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Quick! In one simple sentence tell me, “What is the gospel of Jesus Christ?”

Ahhh, let’s see. It’s the teachings of Jesus. And maybe the Ten Commandments. Ummm… Well, it’s the atonement of Jesus. Oh, it’s the Savior’s example and His life… ummm, and His death… and His resurrection. I remember now, in seminary we learned that the word “gospel” means “good news” so it’s the good news of Jesus Christ!

We talk about the gospel of Jesus Christ all the time and we live the gospel in our daily lives, but can we define it or explain it in a simple yet comprehensive way? How would you answer a nonmember or a non-Christian who asked you, “What is the gospel of Jesus Christ?”

Can you summarize the gospel of Jesus Christ in just twelve words and still capture the fulness of what the gospel really is? The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles have done so in the missionary pamphlets.

Before I tell you the answer the Lord’s prophet would give, try to mentally fill in the blanks…

The gospel of Jesus Christ is   _____   _______________   ______________   _______   for the ____________________   and  ____________________   of   _____   _____________ .

It is called the gospel of Jesus Christ because the   _______________   of   _________   _________  is central to this   ________ .

The fulltime missionaries utilize several pamphlets to help nonmembers prepare for baptism. One pamphlet is called, “The Gospel of Jesus Christ.” The front cover is a picture of the “Woman at the Well” conversing with Jesus. The inside front cover contains a picture of the Savior giving the Sermon on the Mount. The first section starts with the question: “What is the gospel of Jesus Christ?”

If you’ve at least given a thought to the possible answer, turn the page and learn the proper answer that we all should know by heart…and soul.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is  our Heavenly Father’s plan for the happiness and salvation of His children.

It is called the gospel of Jesus Christ because  the atonement of Jesus Christ is central to this plan.

 

That’s it! The gospel is the plan of salvation and exaltation that Heavenly Father presented to us in the pre-earth life. Before this life, we accepted His plan for our happiness and Jesus Christ as our Savior.

If and when we hear the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ again in this life, we accept it by covenant and ordinance, and we live it until we are “safely dead with our testimonies burning brightly” (M. Russell Ballard, see Ensign, May 1996, page 27).

If we don’t hear it in this life, we live a good life and hear it and accept it in the spirit world and the ordinances are done in the temple.

Then we are resurrected and inherit eternal life.

That’s it! The gospel is our Heavenly Father’s plan for our salvation with Jesus Christ as Savior.

 

Sacrament Can Provide a Forgiveness/Remission of Sins Each Week!

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Once we were having a family home evening lesson about baptism. William was almost eight years old and would be baptized soon and we talked about the covenants of baptism, the confirmation, the receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and the remission of sins with baptism.

Jonathan, age 12, observed wisely and wistfully, “Wouldn’t it be great to die just after you were baptized so you would all your sins would be washed away?”

I pointed out that that is the purpose of the Sacrament and the importance of preparing for and partaking of the Sacrament each week. When we properly prepare ourselves by repenting of our sins and come to the Sacrament table with a broken heart and contrite spirit, then the Atonement of Jesus Christ washes away our sins, as if we had been baptized again. Repenting and partaking of the Sacrament on a weekly basis is important because then generally we only have a week’s worth of sins, if you will, for which we need to repent.

Weekly repentance and forgiveness is important. We once had a 1976 Light Blue Chevy Malibu that had one small rust spot on the back right fender, right near the tire. It would have probably taken less than an hour to buy the primer and blue spray paint, sand down the surface, and spray on the primer. Then a day later it would have taken fifteen second to spray on the blue paint and it would have looked as good as new. But I didn’t take the little time to do so.

The spot grew and grew and grew. Eventually it was about ten inches in diameter. Other spots appeared elsewhere on the car. I didn’t take care of them either. Eventually, the rust spots grew so big in so many places that we had to take the car into Maaco for a complete paint job – the shop sanded all the paint down to bare metal, sprayed a coat or two of primer, and then a couple of coats of blue.

The point is if I had taken care of the little problems before they became big, everything would have been a lot easier and cheaper and less painful.

And so it is with our weekly repentance, partaking of the Sacrament, renewing our covenants, and having our sins remitted. It’s just easier to take care of things while they are little instead of waiting until they get more difficult and painful to resolve.

The booklet True to the Faith is modern scripture from the First Presidency and is the Word of God and latter-day scripture specifically for our day. It contains clarification of doctrine from the First Presidency to members of the Church and the world!

On the topic of Sacrament in the section on Renewing Covenants and Promised Blessings, the First Presidency declares:

“When you partake of the sacrament, you witness to God that your remembrance of His Son will extend beyond the short time of that sacred ordinance. You promise to remember Him always. You witness that you are willing to take upon yourself the name of Jesus Christ and that you will keep His commandments. In partaking of the sacrament and making these commitments, you renew your baptismal covenant (see Mosiah 18:8–10; Doctrine and Covenants 20:37).

“You receive great blessings when you keep the baptismal covenant. As you renew it, the Lord renews the promised remission of your sins. Cleansed from sin, you are able to “always have his Spirit to be with [you]” (Doctrine and Covenants 20:77). The Spirit’s constant companionship is one of the greatest gifts you can receive in mortality. The Spirit will guide you in the paths of righteousness and peace, leading you to eternal life with your Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ” (True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference, published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, © 2004 by Intellectual Property Reserve, Inc., page 148).

Looking into my Wife-To-Be’s Eyes for the First Time

We met and then our eyes caressed as if we’d met before.
My fingers touched so lightly yours and longed to touch once more.
They said your name and yet these were just empty sounds to me,
For I had known you eons gone by, in some lost century.
But while we stood and murmured words that seemed both old and new
I smiled and gazed into your eyes and was aware… You knew!

By Mae Hirschson

My Wife

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The best thing about me is my wife, TerriLu!

I know she is not perfect, but she is perfect for me!

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Parenting and Grandparenting

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The trouble with being a parent is that by the time you are experienced, you are usually unemployed.

(Author Unknown)

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That’s why it is so much fun to be a grandparent! (WERIII)

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Judging Others – Character and Personal Merits

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It is said that the poet, Robert Burns, was once walking along one of the main streets of Edinburg, in company with a titled aristocrat, when Burns turned to an old friend who was passing by. The old man was roughly and commonly dressed. The poet greeted the old man with evidence of great friendship and affection. A moment later, walking along with his aristocratic acquaintance, the haughty aristocrat expressed surprise that Burns would condescend to speak with such a common person as the old man they had just passed. Burns replied, “Sir, I spoke to the man, not to his coat. If he and we were placed on the scales to ascertain our own respective merits, that man would easily outweigh the both of us.

His Words Were Few and Far Between

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(I have a propensity to talk too much. That is, I talk incessantly. I repeat myself and say things three times to try to make sure that anyone I talk to understands what I am trying to say. It’s annoying to others and even now to me since I recognize it as a problem. For that reason, I’ve always appreciated the following poem. I wish I knew the name of the author so I could give credit where it is due. I may have seen it in an old Dear Abbey column).

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His words were few and far between
And never formed to glisten.
Yet he was a joy to all his friends;
You should have heard him listen.

Oh, Jeremy, Please Go Away!

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(Ricks College 1976 – not for a writing class – William E. Ross III)

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“Oh, Jeremy, please go away! I haven’t got the time today.
I’ve more important things to do, than wasting precious time with you.
One day soon I’ll make some time, to leave this valued work of mine.
I’m much too busy – the hours run few. Tomorrow I’ll spend the day with you.”

Through the window I watched you go, across the lawn with head hung low
I almost called you back to me, but selfish pride cried, “Let him be.”
In the street you trudged along. The Spirit whispered, “There’s something wrong!”

Then screeching tires, your muffled cry. I have no reason to ask God why.
Through tear-filled eyes you could not see, the car that took your life from me
I’d ask just one more chance to be, the loving mother you’d want of me.
Unfulfilled my time now runs. Your promised “tomorrow” never comes.

You’re Passionate

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(Asimov Laughs Again, Isaac Asimov, page 120, joke 173.)

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At the captain’s party, a rather elderly woman had over imbibed with liquor that was being dealt out with a lavish hand by the bartender, and a young officer was detailed to get her back to her stateroom. He placed his arm about her waist, held her elbow firmly with his other hand, and began to march her down the corridor.

She said, with a faint hiccup, “You’re passionate.”

He said, “Ma’am, I’m just trying to get you to your room.”

She repeated, “But you’re passionate!”

“Ma’am,” he said, “I’m a happily married man and under orders. I am only
interested in escorting you to your room.”

“But my room is back there,” she said. “You’re pashin’ it.”

 

South Africa is One Hell of a Country

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(While attending BYU-Provo, I gave this speech in my Communications class on February 2, 1981. Being a religious school, swear words are frowned upon at BYU, but in an introduction to a speech to catch the attention of the audience, I used a word that in South Africa is less harmless than “heck” so I figured it would be fine.)

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INTRODUCTION

South Africa is one hell of a country and you will just have to excuse that expression because in South Africa “hell” is not a swear word – it’s more like heck. Even from the pulpit in Church, the bishop will say, “We had a hell of a ward party Friday night! We wish all could have been there.”

Actually, there are many things you need to get used to when you go to the fascinating land of South Africa.

BODY

[Specific purpose: To explain and inform audience about some interesting points of South African culture].

As its name implies, the Republic of South Africa is located at the southern part of Africa. The population of the country consists of 20 million blacks and only 5 million whites. However, as of 1976, the whites ruled the country and apartheid or separateness was still a major part of the culture. The blacks are not like the African American blacks.  Intellectually and culturally, the blacks are behind and/or different from whites. Some African or black languages, such as Zulu, Xhosa, Bantu, and others, do not even include words to express geometric shapes, electronics, or philosophical concepts. The blacks are poor and humble people. A day’s pay for a black person may be just three dollars. Ten blacks may live as a family in one small hut.

An interesting feature of South Africa is the languages used among the whites which is comprised of 60 percent Afrikaans, 35 percent English, British style not American English, and 5 percent mix of many other languages. Afrikaans is a simplified version of Dutch mixed with a lot of British English mixed in and some German. When the Dutch explorers settled in the Cape Province, Afrikaans evolved so the Dutch and the British could communicate. While Afrikaans is fairly easy to learn, it is sometimes difficult because many words have similar pronunciation yet vastly different meanings, similar to American English.

Take vertrek and uittrek as examples. At a baptism for an Afrikaans-speaking convert, my companion, Elder Brockbank, baptized the young woman using the memorized Afrikaans translation for the ordinance. I followed by confirming her in Afrikaans (much more difficult than reciting a memorized set of words). The new Elder who was to say the closing prayer decided to join us and demonstrate his Afrikaans mastery. In the prayer, he said, “Seen ons soos wat ons uittrek.” The greeny  (groentjie) new missionary meant to say, “Seen ons soos wat ons vertrek.” “Vertrek” means “depart”. “Uittrek” means “undress.” So the English translation was, “Bless us as we undress” when he meant to say, “Bless us as we depart.” That raised a few eyebrows.

I made the mistake once of asking a man if he was the moon of the home. Near Cape Town in Bloubergstrand (BlueMountainBeach/Seashore) with a spectacular view of Table Mountain across Table Bay… Me talking to the chap in the doorway (translation to follow): “Is u die maan van hierdie huis?” “Ekskuus?” “Is u die maan van hierdie huis?” “Ekskuustog?!” “Is u die maan van hierdie huis?!” In desperation I look at my companion. Elder Stewart casually takes over. “Is u die man van hierdie huis?” “Ja.” “Ek en my metgasel is sendeling van Die Kerk van Jesus Christus van die Heiligus van die Laaste Dae On het a kort boodskap. Mag ons inkom om dit met u te deel?” “Nee.” “OK. Totsiens.” (“Are you the moon of this home?” “Pardon me?” “Are you the moon of this home?” “Pardon me?!” Elder Stewart finally, “Are you the man of this home?” “Yes.” “I and my companion are missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We have a short message. May we come in to share it with you?” “No.” “Okay. See you later.”) As we walk away, I question my trainer in English, “Why didn’t he understand? What was wrong with him?” Elder Stewart drawled as he scrawled the report in the tracting book, “Well, first of all, Elder, you asked him if he was the ‘moon’ of the home.” I contended that I hadn’t. Elder Stewart gently explained my pronunciation problem. Man (adult male) is pronounced with a short “a” as in “nun”. Moon (the one in the night sky) is pronounced “mawn” (almost like “lawn”). As I grumbled and mumbled and stumbled on our way, I still unsympathetically felt like the ‘moon’ in the doorway should have recognized my American accent and should have been able to make the leap from ‘moon’ to ‘man’. Then I tried everything in English at my home: If someone asked me at my door in America, “Are you the moon of the home?” it might take a few minutes but without prompting I determined that even I was capable of making the translation from ‘moon’ to ‘man’ especially with the foreign missionary’s foreign accent.

South African English is similar to British English, both of which are quite different from American English. I used to write home, “Hey, Mom! I’m learning English!” A chap or a bloke in South Africa is a guy or a dude in the United States. Sweets in South Africa are candy in the United States. A serviette in South Africa is used at the dinner table and in the United States we call it a napkin. In South Africa is what an unpotty-trained baby wears on her bottom so when a missionary having dinner with some investigators says, “I need a new napkin” means he soiled the diaper he’s wearing. The family gets a big laugh at the missionary’s expense. In the United States the car has a trunk at the back and in South Africa the boot of the car while the hood of the car in the United States covers the engine, but in South Africa it’s called a bonnet. In South Africa kids bunk school and in the United States kids skip school. A rubbish bin in South Africa is a wastebasket in the United States. A duster is an eraser for a chalkboard in South Africa, but we just call it an eraser or a chalkboard eraser in the United States. And be careful – a rubber is an eraser on the non-pointy end of a pencil in South Africa while a rubber in the United States is a condom and the eraser on the not-pointy end of a pencil is just a plain, old eraser in the United States. Anticlockwise is counter clockwise. To pinch something is to steal something. Ta is thanks. A torch is a flashlight. A geaser is a water heater. A bathing costume is a bathing suit. In South Africa, you hold thumbs while in the United States you cross your fingers for luck. In South Africa the OB/Gyn catches the baby while the mother delivers it – in the United States the doctor delivers the baby and I suppose the mother just gets credit for pushing. And the list goes on and on.

You never say, “Can I use your bathroom?” because the bathroom is a room separate from the toilet. The bathroom has a bath and a sink and no toilet. The toilet room has the toilet. So you have to learn to say, “Can I use your toilet?” Slang terms for the toilet are jazz, Lou, water closet, or W.C. In American English, we have our own slang terms for the bathroom or toilet room such as the John, powder room (where women and now men, put on their makeup) latrine, outhouse, lavatory, sandbox, or whatever.

One time while we were tracting door to door, Elder Shipley said he needed to go to the bathroom. I reminded him that in South Africa you say, “I need to use the toilet” because the toilet is a small room, almost a closet, next to the room that has the bathtub and the sink. The room with the bathtub is called the bathroom. Elder Shipley was still too embarrassed to use the word “toilet.” We continued tracting and got to the DeKok’s house where we had placed a copy of The Book of Mormon a few days earlier. As we were about to sit down in the living room, I pointed to Elder Shipley and bluntly asked Mrs. DeKok, “Can he use your toilet?” Elder Shipley looked over at me like I’d lost my marbles, right there, all over Mrs. DeKok’s living room floor. His eyes got big and he turned beet red. “Sure,” Mrs. DeKok said without the least bit of embarrassment. “Right this way.” Elder Shipley followed, but he looked back with his eyes squawking, “I can’t believe you actually said that!” which is quite a bit for two eyes to say when the bladder associated with the same body as the eyes is otherwise full. Later, after we left the home, he told me the rest of the embarrassing story. As Mrs. DeKok was leading him down the passage (hallway) a very cute teenage daughter appeared. “Henrietta,” said the mom, “would you show this nice young man where the toilet is?” And the cute, perky girl bobbed her head up and down and chirped, “Sure I will.” Elder Shipley turned even redder as Henrietta showed him to the toilet. He went in and took care of his business and then exited the toilet. He knew he should turn off the light but there were five switches on the outside wall. He tried the first one and saw under the bathroom door that the light went out. Henrietta shrieked in the dark bathroom. Elder Shipley quickly flipped the same switch back on. He tried another switch and it turned off the light in the passage. On his third try he turned off the light in the toilet. He was still red when he returned to the living room. In spite of that embarrassing experience, we got along great–he was one of my favorite companions. 

South Africa has some interesting customs and traditions. South Africa is a very religious country. Nearly all white South Africans go to church on Sunday. There is very little pornography because the conservative government, which is heavily influenced by the Dutch Reformed Church, simply won’t allow it. All movies are carefully censored. The semi-raunchy “girlie” magazine Scope has a centerfold of a girl in a fairly modest bikini. Fifty percent of the whites belong to one of the three Dutch Reformed Churches. And as missionaries we called the Dutch Reformed Church the Much Deformed Church and they called us much worse.

Proper etiquette is very important, much more so than in the United States. You can blow your nose often and loudly, but never sniffle, even quietly. You use a knife and fork to cut everything on your plate and you eat off the backside of the fork, like the people of England do. You don’t yawn or stretch in public – it’s just plain rude.

Kids all wear school uniforms (public and private schools) and the uniform includes a necktie for both girls and boys. Also, if a girl’s hair is long enough to cover her ears, she must wear her hair in a pigtail or in braids.

Swear words are different. Hell and damn are fine – they are like heck and darn in the United States. Bugger off and bloody are horribly offensive. I can say them here in the U.S. because they are not the least bit odious to us. During a door approach, an angry man told us to bugger off. Many missionaries use the word crap which is much worse than the “S” word. Crap has nothing to do with excrement. Yet American missionaries toss the word crap around like it’s no big deal.

CONCLUSION

Just one visit to South Africa will certainly convince you that South Africa is one hell of a country!