Church Talks
WHY KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS?
[Talk given by John E. Enslen in Montgomery, Alabama, on October 13, 1974, at the Montgomery Second Branch of the Montgomery District of the Florida Tallahassee Mission. At that time, the standard practice of the Church provided for a Sunday School general assembly on Sunday mornings which included short talks, usually two of them, and observance of the ordinance of the sacrament prior to dividing for class instruction. Sacrament meeting per se was held in the early evening. The following talk was given in that morning Sunday School assembly. This was my last talk in Montgomery before the organizational meeting of the Wetumpka Branch on October 20, 1974.]
It would be better for a man to keep the commandments his entire life and never receive a single ordinance of the church, than to receive all the ordinances and fail to keep the commandments. By proxy one might be baptized, given the priesthood, be married and sealed to his family. But the gospel of Jesus Christ does not provide a substitute to live the commandments for us.
Did you know that living the commandments is an essential ingredient of repentance and receiving forgiveness? (See D&C 1:31-32)
Living the commandments is necessary to be truly repentant, and incomplete repentance never brings about complete forgiveness.
How long must we keep the commandments? We are to endure and hold out faithful to the end in keeping the commandments of God. (See D&C 53:7 and D&C 6:13)
Since all of us sin in greater or lesser degree, then keeping the commandments is an effort which must be extended through the remainder of one’s years. Life should be a never-ending process of attaining perfection. Self-mastery is a continuous “do-it-yourself” program.
“The glory of God is intelligence” (D&C 93:36) and we cannot live all of the commandments unless we know all of the commandments. A man will spend years to receive the proper training for his occupation, yet many will reject the true gospel of Jesus Christ because it cannot be easily understood in just a few simple lessons. “Search the scriptures” (John 5:39) and “study to shew thyself approved.” (2 Timothy 2:15) “Prove all things, hold fast that which is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21)
Since following the commandments is one of the steps in true repentance, then a transgressor is not fully repentant if he:
(1) neglects his tithing;
(2) misses his meetings;
(3) breaks the Sabbath;
(4) fails in his family prayers;
(5) does not sustain the authorities of the Church;
(6) breaks the Word of Wisdom;
(7) omits his missionary work;
(8) hypocritically puts on an air of righteousness when in the presence of fellow saints; or
9) looks for the worse in people instead of the best.
Even bearing your testimony is a commandment, and forgiveness can come from doing so. (See D&C 84:61and D&C 62:3) When motivated by charity and love, every testimony we bear, every prayer we offer, every sermon we preach, every good example we set, every scripture we read, and every aid we give our brothers and sisters will raise ourselves and others toward perfection. This is the mandate from the Lord: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:16)
Yes, keeping the commandments does bring happiness, now and in the hereafter. And the carrot at the end of the stick is not always apparent. There is a principle of obedience in faith without knowing the reasons why. I am glad the Lord planned it that way. We build faith by using faith.
Let us put the commandments of the Lord to the test by living them. May we all grow in faith and obedience to the commandments I pray humbly in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.