Righteousness: The Way Back, by Spencer Clegg

There is nothing more key to our salvation, save the Atonement performed by Jesus Christ, than our obedience to the Lord’s commandments. Obedience, or living righteously, is the way that we may return to our Heavenly Father! This not only means obedience in deed but also in word and thought. With these key elements, we make ourselves eligible to receive the blessings of the Atonement.

Just over 2000 years ago our Heavenly Father sent his firstborn of the spirit world, Christ, to earth to perform the atonement. Christ took upon himself all of the sins of every person to ever live under God’s realm; past, present, and future. Hebrews 5:9 says, “Being made perfect, [Christ] became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him.”[1] According to the LDS Church Website, “because of [Christ’s] Atonement, all people will be resurrected, and those who obey His gospel will receive the gift of eternal life with God.”[2] As soon as we have done all that we can, including repentance and obedience to the commandments, then the atonement applies to us and we can return to our Heavenly Father.

In the beginning, the Lord gave Adam and Eve commandments that they were to obey, as is shown in Moses 5:5. It says, “And He gave unto them commandments, that they should worship the Lord their God, and…[be] obedient unto the commandments of the Lord.”[3] Moses most clearly demonstrated this through deed, as he performed sacrificial ceremonies without even knowing why (The Lord tells him 40 years later that it is a representation of the sacrifice of Christ, since Christ Himself had not performed the atonement yet.). The explicit obedience manifest in Adam’s actions is an example of what most people think of when the word “righteousness” is discussed. We must not, however, excuse the other two elements to righteousness: our words, and our thoughts.

As Latter Day Saints, we are constantly being watched—and listened to—by others. I had the opportunity to attend a high school that had a student body consisting of about 95% LDS. If I had not known, though, that percentage would seem more correct if it were 50%. The reason I say this was not because of the actions that I witnessed, but because of the dialogue that was heard day in and day out. Not only did the profanity used detract me from feeling the spirit (and consequently, being righteous), but it “also takes its toll on the one who uses it,” according to Dallin H Oaks.[4] In Proverbs 15:4 we read: “A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.”[5] We must always remember that our dialogue is still a part of being righteous.

Righteousness in thought is also important to observe in our path back to our heavenly. During a Priest’s Quorum meeting, an advisor compared our thoughts to a stage. On this stage, the main act must always be in concordance with the teachings of Christ. If it is not a continual performance, the Adversary will undoubtedly work his way slowly onto the stage. If we do not proceed with righteous thoughts, soon Satan will have taken center stage. In D&C 137:9 the Lord says, “For I will judge all men according to the desire of their hearts.”[6] If your actions and language are righteous, but your desires are not, the Lord will be able to see right past those outward appearances. It is key that we contain our thoughts and direct them towards righteousness.

President Hinckley wisely counseled: “In a world that wallows in filth, be clean—in language, in thought , in body, in dress.”[7] When we do these things we qualify to receive the necessary help, provided by the Atonement, to get back to our Heavenly Father. I have the hope that we may all strive to be clean in our actions, words, and thoughts, in order to receive these blessings.

WORKS CITED

[1] Hebrews 5:9
[2] www.lds.org, Definition: Atonement
[3] Moses 5:5
[4] Dallin H. Oaks, “Reverent and Clean,” Ensign, May 1986, 49
[5] Proverbs 15:4
[6] D&C 137:9
[7] President Gordon B. Hinckley, CR, April 2007, 63-64