Living The Gospel?

What words best describe the Church Handbook definition of Living the Gospel?

Inspired? Based on the word of God, or the precepts of men mingled with scripture? New latter-day revelation?

The section begins with this statement:

God’s work of salvation and exaltation focuses on four divinely appointed responsibilities (see 1.2). The first of these is living the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Before moving on to the Handbook definition of what it says it means to live the gospel, let's look at the introduction that God's work of salvation and exaltation focuses on four divinely appointed responsibilities, which are 1) living the gospel, 2) caring for those in need, 3) inviting all to receive the gospel, and 4) uniting family for eternity. 

Where in scripture is found the phrase divinely appointed responsibilities?  Or that God’s work of salvation and exaltation focuses on these four? Words matter when we are talking about the word of God. The premise is that even one word from men that misrepresents His words qualifies as transfiguring the word of God. Anytime we teach anything that constitutes a perversion of His words it qualifies as a precept of men mingled with scripture and is false. It leads others astray and perverts the right way of the Lord (2 Nephi 28:9-15).

Is this section in the General Handbook an example of perverting the right way of the Lord? Is this someone's understanding of God's work or is it God's work, keeping in mind that He said "This is my work and my glory to bring about the immortality of men."

The phrase living the gospel poses a problem for me. While the Handbook tells us how we live the gospel, does Christ's definition of His gospel in 3 Nephi 27:13-21 make it an impossibility to live His gospel? He defines Himself as His Gospel when He says "this is the gospel which I have given unto you—that I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me." How then do we live Him? We can't live Christ. 

This is an example of how tradition makes the word of God of none effect. Someone invented the phrase living the gospel and it has been repeated so often from the pulpit and among ourselves that it has effectively replaced Christ's gospel. The Church even publishes an email publication titled Living The Gospel.

Further, it removes us from Christ and His gospel by putting the emphasis on us! It is just another example of a tenet being repeated so often that it has made His gospel (Him) only a picture on our walls. This is a good example of when religion as in living the gospel becomes Anti-Christ.

This is emphazed even more when the Handbook makes a list of what it means to live the gospel. Note the emphasis on what we are to do to meet the Handbook's definition of living the gospel.

We live the gospel as we:

Exercise faith in Jesus Christ.

Repent daily.

Make covenants with God as we receive the ordinances of salvation and exaltation.

Endure to the end by keeping those covenants.

Exercise faith in Christ and repent daily. That's good isn't it? But even here it becomes just another couple of things on our list of duties we are do like daily scripture study. And nothing is said about how He defines repentance or why we need to repent as Christ does in 3 Nephi 27. And no reference to 3 Nephi 27. But the point in 3 Nephi 27 is not what we do, but what He does if we do repent--He will hold us guiltless. Not something we can do except in our vain imaginations, and there we are quite effective as evidenced by the myth that we can live the gospel. 

This is an example of how we transfigure His words. While the elements faith, repent, covenant and and endure to the end, on their face seem OK, but are transfigured by creating the phrase live the gospel, and then trying to mingle words from scripture to define what it means.

The Handbook (note the emphasis on us) continues:

As we live the gospel and experience the influence of the Holy Ghost, we desire to help family members and others receive God’s blessings (see 1 Nephi 8:10–12). We learn and teach the gospel (how we define His gospel) of Jesus Christ at home and at church. We also seek to become self-reliant in providing for ourselves and our families, both spiritually and temporally.

Living the gospel encompasses the other aspects of the work of salvation and exaltation. These include caring for those in need, inviting all to receive the gospel, and uniting families for eternity.

Is it any wonder that Christ prophesied that we would reject the fullness of His gospel (3 Nephi 16:10), and that it would be taken from us? It already has been and we don't even know it. Instead we believe that if we do everything mentioned we will be living the gospel.

Compare this Handbook description with Nephi's plea to "feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do" (2 Nephi 32:3). And if we feasted upon Christ's words in 3 Nephi 27:13-21 we would know all that we are to do. 

"Now this is the commandment: 

Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and 

be baptized in my name, 

that ye may be sanctified 

by the reception of the Holy Ghost, 

that ye may stand spotless 

before me at the last day.

Verily, verily, 

I say unto you, 

this is my gospel" 

(3 Nephi 27:20-21).

We become spotless because of Him,  not because we live the gospel. And this makes all the difference. But there will always be those in the Church who will put the cart before the horse. The religious, always. The repentant, never!

The most obvious tell that the Handbook definition of living the gospel is perverted is that "self reliance" is tied to living the gospel. This is a man-made term that has absolutely no basis in scripture. In fact, just the opposite--His Gospel requires being totally dependent on Him--for everything. Are we not all beggars? The angel's word to King Benjamin show us just how off- base self reliance is.

Let me make a few more observations. The way we use covenant making and the way the Lord does are also at odds.

The "Lord covenanteth with none save it be with them that repent and believe on his Son, who is the Holy One of Israel" (2 Nephi 31:2). Not with those who make covenants. See how a watered down version of His words really does dilute His words.

And this observation.

Joseph is told that his ministry (which is also our ministry) is in "proclaiming the gospel...among thy brethren." And then the Lord tells us why our ministry is to proclaim the gospel. 

"And in doing these things 

thou wilt do the greatest good 

unto thy fellow beings, 

and wilt promote the glory 

of him who is your Lord" (emphasis added). Not the glory of those who live the gospel. 

And another:

Notice how the Lord describes what He means by enduring to the end: 

"Wherefore, ye must press forward 

with a steadfastness in Christ, 

having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God 

and of all men. 

(Fruits of our repentance.) 

Wherefore, if ye press forward, 

feasting upon the word of Christ, 

and endure to the end, 

behold, thus saith the Father: 

Ye shall have eternal life" (2 Nephi 31:20).

And one more. Almost without exception the word live is used as in look to God and live (Alma 37:46-47), and "...even so as many as should look upon the Son of God with faith, having a contrite spirit, might live, even unto that life which is eternal" (Helaman8:15).

And because of Him you will desire that all have eternal life.

Can you see the difference? Can you hear the difference? Can you feel the difference?