President David O. McKay taught that there is “[n]o more sacred ordinance . . . administered in the Church of Christ than the . . . sacrament.”1 Why? What is it about the sacrament that makes it so sacred, and what can we do to obtain the benefits of worthily partaking of the sacrament?
The sacrament is best understood in the context of the Plan of Salvation
I have written several posts with the purpose of better understanding the sacrament:
- The Plan of Salvation
- The Nature of God
- The Creation
- The Fall
- The Atonement of Christ
- A Covenant Relationship with God
- The Doctrine of Christ
- The Sacrament: An Introduction
- The Sacrament: An Ordinance for Repentance
- The Sacrament: The Promise of the Holy Ghost
- The Sacrament: Conditions of Repentance
- The Sacrament: The Name of Christ
- The Sacrament: Keep His Commandments
- The Sacrament: Remember Him
We are the children of heavenly parents. We lived with them as spirits before the world was formed, and in that state our Heavenly Father taught us of his plan, which would allow us to obtain physical bodies and gain the experience and knowledge we need to become like him. But we would sin, and be subject to death, and so Jesus Christ, the great Jehovah, was chosen as our savior and redeemer.
Adam and Eve were the first people on the earth, placed in the Garden of Eden where they were not subject to death. By partaking of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they became subject to two deaths: a spiritual death, wherein they were separated from God, and a physical death, wherein their mortal bodies would die. By performing the atonement, and being the first to rise in the resurrection, Jesus Christ gained power to free us from those two deaths. All who are born on this earth will be resurrected. It is a free gift to all who kept our first estate, in which we chose God rather than Satan.
But our redemption from sin, or from the separation from God, is subject to conditions that have been established by the Savior. These conditions are summarized in the doctrine of Christ: we must exercise faith in Jesus Christ, repent, be baptized, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. As part of the plan, God wants us to enter into a covenant relationship with him. It is through covenants that we bind ourselves to him, allowing him to teach us and bless us when we satisfy the conditions associated with those covenants.
The gift of the Holy Ghost is one of the greatest gifts that has been given to us by a loving and merciful Heavenly Father. It is through this gift that we are sanctified from sin, that we receive comfort and succor, knowledge, understanding, inspiration, and a testimony of truth. It is through this gift that we receive strength and power available to us because of the atonement of Jesus Christ. But to receive that gift, we must satisfy conditions established by the Savior. Those conditions are stated succinctly in the sacrament prayers.
Therefore, the sacrament is the ordinance that teaches us how to receive all the blessings God has made available to us in this mortal life. It is through the covenants in the sacrament that we know how to satisfy the conditions that God has established for us to have the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost.
As we contemplate the ordinance of the sacrament within the context of the plan of salvation, we see that it enables us to receive all the blessings of the atonement of Jesus Christ. It is an ordinance that helps us progress through this mortal life, so that we can remain faithful and return to the presence of our Heavenly Father.
The sacrament is an outward expression of an inner commitment
Within the temple, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints participate in sacred ordinances. In order to qualify for temple attendance, members must receive a temple recommend. In the interview for that recommend, they are asked a question pertaining to the sacrament: “Do you strive to keep the Sabbath day holy, both at home and at church; attend your meetings; prepare for and worthily partake of the sacrament; and live your life in harmony with the laws and commandments of the gospel?”2
This question teaches us that preparing for and worthily partaking of the sacrament is a pre-requisite to enter the temple. So we should ponder and self-evaluate how we approach the sacrament. Do we approach it like the Zoramites approached their meetings, who after their meetings were over, “returned to their homes, never speaking of their God again until they had assembled themselves together again”?3 Or do we prepare ourselves before the meeting, ponder the Savior’s life, ministry, and atonement, and reflect on our relationship with Him, both before and while we participate in that sacred ordinance? Do we think about our covenants during the week, or is the sacrament just something we do on Sundays?
When President Nelson read the temple interview questions in General Conference in 2019, he also said, “it is understood that each adult temple patron will wear the sacred garment of the priesthood under their regular clothing. This is symbolic of an inner commitment to strive each day to become more like the Lord.”4 During the temple recommend interview, priesthood leaders read an instruction about wearing the temple garment, which says, in part, “It is a sacred privilege to wear the garment and doing so is an outward expression of an inner commitment to follow the Savior Jesus Christ.”5
An “outward expression” of an “inner commitment.” I love that thought. Although this is discussed in the temple recommend interview as pertaining to the temple garment, what could that teach us about how we should prepare for and partake of the sacrament? The sacrament is certainly an “outward expression.” As we partake of that outward ordinance, do we also have the inner commitment to follow Jesus Christ?
How can we increase our inner commitment?
The prophet Alma asked, “have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?”6 The ordinance of the sacrament can help us experience this mighty change, but only if we are “willing,” and if we make the effort to live our covenants.
During his mortal ministry, the Savior asked Peter, “[W]hom say ye that I am,”7 and Peter responded “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”8 The Savior then said, “Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.”9 A testimony of Christ comes only through the Holy Ghost. Conversion only comes through the Holy Ghost. But in order to receive that testimony, in order to have that mighty change of heart, we must satisfy the conditions the Savior has established for us to have the Holy Ghost in our lives.
Nephi taught that “when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men.”10 In quoting this verse, Elder David A. Bednar said, “Please notice how the power of the Spirit carries the message unto but not necessarily into the heart. . . . Ultimately, however, the content of a message and the witness of the Holy Ghost penetrate into the heart only if a receiver allows them to enter.”11
How do we allow the Holy Ghost to penetrate into our hearts? How do we increase our “inner commitment” while continuing to perform the outward expressions? We must commit to live our covenants day by day, hour by hour, even minute by minute.
Remember him, day by day
We must not only partake of the sacrament as an outward ordinance, but we must have an inner-commitment to live the covenants we make. As I have discussed in my post “The Sacrament: Remember Him,” the covenant to “remember him” can be representative of all those covenants. Those two simple words can be something of a mantra12 to help us live our covenants. We can remember him day by day, hour by hour, even minute by minute. With every decision we face on a daily basis, we can remember him. With every interpersonal communication, we can remember him. With every choice we make regarding how to spend our free time, we can remember him. Every thought that enters our mind, every word that leaves our mouth, every message we send by email or text or social media, we can remember him.
“Remember him” is representative and encompassing of every covenant we make. As we make that effort to remember him, the Holy Ghost will be with us.
In my post “The Sacrament: An Introduction,” I talked about an experience I had when the words “remember him” came into my mind during a difficult conversation. As I took a moment to think about those words, the Lord’s teachings came into my mind, and I knew the Lord wanted me to be better. So I tried. I made an effort, and that is all he expects from us. As we strive to remember him, the Holy Ghost will be there to help us in that effort.
As we work to “remember him,” the Holy Ghost will be our constant companion. The Lord has said, “I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.”13 One miracle of the Savior’s atonement is that he doesn’t just sit by and wait for us to act. He actively works with us to help us satisfy the conditions he has established. In the Doctrine and Covenants we read the Savior’s advocacy on our behalf: “Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life.”14 But Alma has taught that we can receive the blessings of the Savior’s atonement even if we only want to believe: “even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.”15 So even if we struggle with our faith, even in the face of doubt, if we desire and let that desire “work” in us, or as we strive to live our covenants, the Savior’s atonement becomes effective in our lives and we can always have his Spirit to help us along the way.
All of this means that we just have to try. Even if we struggle with our faith or belief, if we will sincerely live our covenants we can always have the Holy Ghost with us, which will eventually give us the testimony that we so desperately desire.
How can we receive the blessings of the Savior’s atonement?
The Savior has told us of many blessings we can receive through his atonement. The greatest is eternal life. But what about blessings in this life? What about help that we need along our mortal journey?
The Savior has promised us his peace.16 He has promised us comfort and succor in our trials.17 President Nelson has taught that we can draw the power of Jesus Christ in our life “to deal with the burdens, obstacles, and temptations of our day.”18 Elder Bednar has taught about the “enabling” power of the Savior’s atonement, which “strengthens us to do and be good and serve beyond our own individual desire and natural capacity.”19 Because of the Savior’s atonement, we can be cleansed and sanctified from sin by the reception of the Holy Ghost.20 The Savior has promised us that the Holy Ghost will teach us all things and bring all things to our remembrance.21 Through the Holy Ghost, we can know the truth of all things.22
But all of these blessings are conditional. So what do we need to do to satisfy the conditions and receive all these blessings? We need to be willing to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, and always remember him, and keep his commandments which he has given us. Three simply-worded covenants that we can study and ponder daily. Three covenants that can guide our lives and help us to always have the Holy Ghost with us.
The ordinance of the sacrament is a tremendous blessing. As we prepare for and worthily partake of the sacrament, as we reflect on the covenants we make, and demonstrate our willingness to keep those covenants, we satisfy the conditions the Savior has established to receive every blessing he has made available in this life.
References
- Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, “Elements of Worship,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2011, 34, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/teachings-david-o-mckay/chapter-4?lang=eng&id=p35#p35. ↩︎
- President Russell M. Nelson, “Closing Remarks,” Ensign, November 2019, 121, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2019/11/57nelson?lang=eng&id=p20#p20. ↩︎
- Alma 31:23. ↩︎
- Nelson, “Closing Remarks,” Ensign, November 2019, 121. ↩︎
- Church Newsroom, “Church Updates Temple Recommend Interview Questions,” October 6, 2019, https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/october-2019-general-conference-temple-recommend#questions. The interview questions and the statement regarding the temple garment is found on a link from that article: https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/multimedia/file/first-presidency-temple-recommend-letter.pdf. ↩︎
- Alma 5:14. ↩︎
- Matthew 16:15. ↩︎
- Matthew 16:16. ↩︎
- Matthew 16:17. ↩︎
- 2 Nephi 33:1. ↩︎
- Elder David A. Bednar, “Seek Learning by Faith,” Ensign, September 2007, 61, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2007/09/seek-learning-by-faith?lang=eng&id=p5#p5. ↩︎
- A “mantra” can have meaning in Hinduism and Buddhism, but it also means “a word or phrase that is often repeated and expresses a particular strong belief.” Cambridge Online Dictionary, “Mantra,” https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/mantra. ↩︎
- Doctrine and Covenants 84:88. ↩︎
- Doctrine and Covenants 45:5. ↩︎
- Alma 32:27. ↩︎
- John 14:27. ↩︎
- Alma 7:11-12. ↩︎
- President Russell M. Nelson, “Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives,” Ensign, May 2017, 39, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2017/05/saturday-morning-session/drawing-the-power-of-jesus-christ-into-our-lives?lang=eng&id=p4#p4. ↩︎
- Elder David A. Bednar, “In the Strength of the Lord,” BYU Speeches, October 23, 2001, https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/david-a-bednar/strength-lord/. ↩︎
- 3 Nephi 27:20. ↩︎
- John 14:26. ↩︎
- Moroni 10:5. ↩︎
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