Life Rock Three! My Standards

And I give unto you a commandment that ye shall do these things. And if ye shall always do these things blessed are ye, for ye are built upon my rock.
—3 Nephi 18:12

What do I believe?

Jesus said amazing things. His teachings often left people stunned, confused, and speechless. As you study the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), watch how many times Jesus’ words are followed by something like, “and they were astonished at his doctrine.” For me, watching the people’s reactions to Jesus’ teachings is just one of the reasons reading the Bible is so enjoyable.

Perhaps the only things that could possibly compare with Jesus’ teachings were Jesus’ questions.

The questions Jesus asked were sometimes answered with silence because people didn’t want to respond, knowing their own behavior wasn’t what it should be. Sometimes He would ask interesting questions of His own devoted followers. For example, Jesus asked His disciples in Matthew 16:13 a very short question (read it slowly):

“Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?”

Hmm, what an interesting thing to ask! Jesus didn’t care about public opinion. He already knew what the world thought of Him. Then why did He inquire? Perhaps He wanted His disciples to answer so that they could see how far removed they were from the world’s opinions of things. Maybe His first question was a perfect setup for His second question:

“But whom say ye that I am?” (Matthew 16:15; emphasis added).

Peter recognized that he and the world believed two different things. As you have studied and learned the gospel in seminary, I suspect you have discovered the very same thing. Perhaps we can use these questions and apply them to our own lives. We could use the same questions Jesus did, even imagining Jesus asking them to us as we ponder our own standards:

What does the world say about this particular belief of yours?

Okay, but what do you say?

Life Rock Three is what we believe—and it’s often quite different from what the world believes. I’ll show you what I mean with an example:

What does the world think about the law of chastity?

What do you think about the law of chastity?

Very different answers, as anyone who has watched TV knows. You have been teased about your beliefs and so have I, and we will probably be teased again. No doubt, we will continue to witness that the “truths and values we embrace are mocked on every hand” (see Hymns, no. 256). Now, you probably don’t want to bust out singing that song in the hallway to your friends, but you don’t ever have to be self-conscious about your beliefs, either.

The “If Everybody” Test

One thing is certain: You need never be embarrassed about your beliefs. What you believe is awesome. What you believe is true. What you believe would transform the world! Just think about it for a minute. If everybody believed as you do, this world would be a completely different place—and a completely wonderful place. A place where we would feel comfortable and relaxed. A place where we would want to live forever!

As you ponder your beliefs, run them through what I call the “if everybody” test. “If everybody” kept the law of chastity, how would that make the world different? If everybody believed in abstinence before marriage and complete fidelity after marriage, what kind of society would we have? Think about the consequences of all people buying into that way of life.

What would happen to the problem of teen pregnancy? What would happen to the many children born to unwed mothers and the fathers who too often abandon them? What would happen to the abortion rate? What would happen to all the broken hearts and homes? If everybody believed in the law of chastity as you do, it would totally change the world! Bottom line, you need never be embarrassed about your belief in the law of chastity!

Let’s try another: If everybody believed in being honest and true, what would happen? Think about it. The world would be transformed overnight. What would happen to crime? Burglaries and robberies and pickpocketings and frauds and identity theft would vanish. There would be no cheating in school. In fact, there would be no lockers in school. You wouldn’t have to lock up your books, or your car, or your front door. If everybody believed in being honest, we wouldn’t even need the police department (except, perhaps, to help with traffic). Homicide division? Gone. Grand theft auto? Gone. Bank robberies? Gone. White-collar crime? Gone!

Check out this video about someone who was not embarrassed about being honest:

Honesty: You Better Believe It!

“Everyone is honest here, so we don’t have locks on our lockers. We call them unlockers.”

If everybody believed in the Word of Wisdom, what would happen to drunk driving? Gone. How about DUIs, DWIs, and bloodshot eyes? Gone. What about all the crime and domestic violence that happens while people are under the influence of alcohol? Gone. What would happen to lung cancer and emphysema? Greatly reduced. What would happen to marijuana, meth labs, and other drug abuse and the scores of human tragedies they leave in their wake? Gone! You need never be embarrassed about the Word of Wisdom.

If everybody believed in seeking only after those things that were virtuous, lovely, and of good report, and praiseworthy (see Articles of Faith 1:13), what would happen? Well, for one thing, half the movie industry would dry up overnight. Television would be safe and uplifting. There would be no problem with so-called sexting. Binding families together through genealogy would be the top use of the Internet instead of tearing families apart with pornography. You need never be embarrassed about your belief in seeking what’s virtuous.

If everybody loved God as you do, can you even imagine what the world would be like? Well, the fact is, we don’t have to just imagine it. You see, it actually happened. We can read all about it in Fourth Nephi. After Jesus visited the righteous Nephites and Lamanites in the New World, the impact on the people was absolutely staggering. The society that came as a result of their beliefs was almost heaven on earth. Just listen to the consequences that followed a group of people filled with the love of God:

• The people were all converted unto the Lord.

• There were no contentions and disputations.

• Every man did deal justly one with another.

• There were not rich and poor.

• The disciples of Jesus did heal the sick, raise the dead, cause the lame to walk, the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear.

• The Lord did prosper them exceedingly in the land.

• There was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people.

• Surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God (see 4 Nephi 1:2–16).

When you think deeply about Life Rock Three—our beliefs—they become much, much more than a list of dos and don’ts. They become a system that would save the people of the world so much heartache and so much pain. Suddenly we realize that God’s commandments are not harsh, and His teachings are not mean. In fact, the commandments of God are like a loving letter to His children, because they help us avoid the sad consequences that come when we don’t follow Him.

Life Rock Three, our standards, could actually be summarized in the first two lines of a hymn we often sing: “How gentle God’s commands! How kind his precepts are” (Hymns, no. 125; emphasis added).

“I Never Have to Worry”

I read an article about one high school senior in Tennessee who was teased about her beliefs concerning chastity, but she wasn’t quite sure how to explain them to her friends. At first, she said she obeyed because, she explained, “it’s the right thing to do.” She discovered that her response only brought laughter, and she knew she had to come up with something better. So instead of explaining her choice, she decided to explain the consequences she would never have to experience. The next time someone asked if she was a virgin, and why, she said:

I’m a virgin because I never have to worry. I never have to worry that the day after a date I will wake up pregnant. I never have to worry that I will have a baby out of wedlock and burden my parents with raising the child because I’m too young and don’t have time. I never have to worry that I will wake up after a date and find that I have a sexually transmitted disease. I never have to worry that one day when I find the man I want to marry and he pops the question, that I won’t have to say, “I love you, too, but I have something I have to tell you. I have a sexually transmitted disease that could cause our children to be born blind, or deaf, or mentally impaired, or born dead, or because of it I’m infertile and can never have children.” That’s why I’m a virgin, because I never have to worry.

She said the response of the kids was different after this explanation. They would say, “Oh, I never thought about that before.”

As you can see, her beliefs became a rock upon which she could build, and her confidence in her beliefs grew, as did her testimony of her beliefs. We need never, ever be embarrassed about our standards—or, more correctly, God’s standards for our lives. The article continued with more stark consequences of not keeping the law of chastity:

Sexually active girls are three times more likely to take their own lives than those who are abstinent. Boys are eight times more likely. Two-thirds of teens who have committed moral transgression wish they could go back to innocence again and desperately wish they had waited. (Gary and Joy Lundberg, “Parents Must Boldly Teach the Consequences of Immorality,” n.p.)

The “consequences” approach to explaining our standards, or the “if everybody” approach, helps us to see just how logical and smart it is to live the gospel, and how fortunate we are to have our behavior built upon this rock—Life Rock Three. Elder Neal A. Maxwell explained in rather bleak terms the resulting problems of those who repeatedly violate the law of chastity:

Thus some of the sad consequences attached to that immorality which breeches the seventh commandment are: penicillin instead of abstinence; pills instead of children; transient partners instead of marriage; childbirth with unwed parents; old perversions masquerading as new thrills—and all of it soaked in alcohol. (Notwithstanding My Weakness, 103)

The “consequences” approach is not new. Jacob, Nephi’s younger brother, taught, “Behold, if ye were holy I would speak unto you of holiness; but as ye are not holy, and ye look upon me as a teacher, it must needs be expedient that I teach you the consequences of sin” (2 Nephi 9:48).

I also appreciate the words of Sister Sheri Dew, who commented on the consequences experienced by those who violate the law of chastity: “I have never known anyone who was happier or who felt better about themselves or who had greater peace of mind as a result of their immorality. Never” (No Doubt About It, 194).

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that the consequences of living the plan of happiness are happiness, and the consequences of living the plan of misery are misery.

You Are Blessed

So, for a quick review, let’s take a look back to Jesus’ questions at the beginning of the chapter and apply them to the law of chastity:

What does the world think about the law of chastity? They think it’s outdated, they think it’s foolish, they say, “If it feels good, do it.”

But what do you think? We think the law of chastity is brilliant. We think living it would save the world a lot of pain and heartache and would bring a lot of blessings.

We could test many more of our standards with Jesus’ two questions as well, and we would come up with the same conclusion. These commandments are brilliant! If followed, they would help us create a perfect place to live.

After Jesus asked His disciples those two questions, and after Peter responded, Jesus said something wonderful to Peter:

“Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 16:17).

In other words, you are blessed because you got this from God. Yes, the source of our beliefs is not a bunch of philosophers sitting around a table, or a bunch of lawmakers surrounded by books and ideas of men. These commandments came from God, and the result of keeping them will help bring us back to God.

Brother S. Michael Wilcox summarized Jesus’ two questions and his follow-up statement to Peter like this: “It doesn’t matter what men think! What do you think? And what does God tell you?” (A Conversation with Peter—His Counsels to Youth)

It might be a good idea to take some time on your own and ponder your beliefs using Jesus’ questions. In the end, you’ll almost hear the Savior saying to you, “Blessed are you, [imagine your own name here], because this was revealed to you from your Father in Heaven.” You’ll be filled with a sense of gratitude for what God has shared with us, and you’ll want to share it with others, too.

Life Rock Three

We need never be embarrassed about our beliefs.

Our standards would change the world.

God’s commandments are gentle and kind.

God’s commandments are like a loving letter to His children because they save us from painful consequences.