“There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated, and when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.”[1]

“Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection. And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.”[2]

These two scriptural statements form the doctrinal basis for the Law of Obedience.

All blessings are predicated upon obedience to certain laws. For any given blessing, there are certain laws that must be satisfied, somehow, by someone, in order for you to receive that blessing.

Many people think that because Jesus suffered for our sins, by His grace we can be saved if we simply accept him as our Savior through some born-again-saved-by-grace process, or by ordinances, or some winky-winky doctrinal process, without any additional effort or requirements on our part. They say that salvation is free. This is false.

Salvation is not free. There is nothing free about it. It is true that Jesus Christ paid a price that only He could pay, opening the doors of salvation to all who would enter, through faith on His name, and by complete obedience to His commandments. He paid a price, but so must we. Hence, salvation is not free.

Jesus is not a fairy with a magic wand, a genie granting wishes, or a gym buddy who just wants you on his team.

Jesus does not offer a free ride from one place to another, or from one condition to another, or from sin and corruption to holiness and perfection. Jesus Christ is here to help you become better, stronger, smarter, and more reliable; so, you must do what He asks you to do, otherwise, there is no growth.

Salvation is not a come-as-you-are party. It is not a “say the magic words and you are saved” event. It is not even a specific place or condition. There are, in fact, graduated levels of salvation, commensurate with the degree of light and truth you have obtained and applied. Most people misunderstand the conditions and requirements for salvation because, really, they have very little idea of what it even is. Ultimately, salvation means that you have become exactly as Jesus Christ is. In lesser degrees, it also means that you are firmly on the path to becoming so.

People who are corrupt, sinful, weak, stupid, and unreliable are not saved, they are not heirs of salvation, they do not go to heaven; they go to hell. They are not rewarded with power and authority; they are condemned as ignorant, corrupt, dangerous, and morally compromised. Such as these cannot be trusted with any exalted status or divine authority. Rather, they are condemned to dwell with their own—with others who are similarly depraved and condemned.

Thankfully, Jesus makes it possible for us to be transformed from being corrupt, sinful, weak, stupid, and unreliable to instead becoming sanctified, holy, mighty in faith, filled with light and glory, and completely reliable such that we are fit to rule and reign in the eternal worlds under His direction. But you must muster the faith and do the required work to get there. You must learn the principles, laws, commandments, covenants, and doctrines associated with these blessings and continuously adhere to them.

There is no other way, no other path, no magic wand, no magic genie, and no Plan B for receiving any of these blessings. It requires hard work, humility, grit, faithfulness, diligence, and obedience. It’s that simple. Most people don’t like this, but it does not matter that they do not like it. The law is the law, and truth is truth.

Jesus was obedient to the law required of Him to offer salvation through faith in His name. He became exalted. He condescended. He experienced ruin and rebirth.[3] He came to earth, lived a perfect life, performed the atonement, submitted to those who crucified Him, died, and was resurrected on the third day, with the power to save all who would have faith on His holy name. He paid a price we do not even begin to comprehend. He did His part.

Now, we must do our part. We must condescend. We must submit. We must experience ruin and rebirth. We must labor and toil, be tried and tested, learn obedience, and perfect ourselves through repentance and faith in His name. If you do not believe that He has the power, goodness, and intelligence to redeem you and perfect you, not just in the next life but in this life as well, doing all things for your best benefit, then you do not believe in Him. We must learn to believe in Him and have faith in Him. Otherwise, we cannot be quickened in Him. To be quickened is to be increased and sanctified in truth and righteousness.

We will be blessed and increased proportionately with the obedience and faithfulness we manifest to God and His laws.

We will be condemned and diminished proportionately with the disobedience and rejection we manifest toward God and His laws.

This is the law of obedience.

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[1] Doctrine and Covenants | Section 130:20 – 21

[2] Doctrine and Covenants | Section 130:18 – 19

[3] Ruin and rebirth is a term borrowed from the published works of Avraham Gileadi, especially Isaiah Decoded.

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