This essay attempts to explain comprehensively all the essential elements of the Gospel. So yeah, it is long.

Base Model

In my view, aligning our heart with God boils down to three principles:

1. Love – love God and man.
2. Diligence – work righteousness and fulfill covenants with God.
3. Purity – abstain from sin and don’t even desire to sin.

These elements can be likened to a fire triangle: Just as a fire must have heat, oxygen, and fuel, our relationship with God just as much requires love, diligence, and purity. If any of these elements are missing, then our hearts are not fully aligned with God (these ideas are somewhat inspired by this video from Rosie Lost Sheep). As I have described in The Dark Side of Organized Religion and Four Steps to Salvation, I believe many protestant religions emphasize love to the exclusion of diligence and purity, while Mormonism emphasizes diligence and purity to the exclusion of love. Put another way, these three traits represent the essential attributes of a good servant of God.

So through the rest of this article, I will go through each of these elements: love, diligence, and purity. At the end, I discuss faith versus works.

Love

Spending time with God

To align our hearts with God, we need to develop a personal relationship with Him. We show that we want to make God part of our lives by spending time with Him, so here are a few ways to do that:

Prayer – Prayer is the most essential way to have a relationship with God because it allows us to directly communicate with him and spend time doing nothing other than be with him. The scriptures tell us to pray without ceasing (Ether 2:14-15, Alma 17:3, Luke 18:1, 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Philippians 4:6, James 5:16, Ephesians 6:18, 2 Nephi 32:9, Alma 34:17-27, Mosiah 26:39, Moroni 7:48). I describe how to pray in Spiritual Warfare.

Scripture Study – Spending time in the Word is another great way to spend time with God. In my view, if we don’t spend time searching out the already existing revelations, it is unlikely that God will reveal to us new revelations. Beyond reading the scriptures, memorizing scriptures can also be helpful, which I describe in Spiritual Warfare.

Fasting – Fasting is important because it teaches us to put the spirit above the flesh and put our desire for heavenly things above earthly things. The time we spend fasting is time spent with God (Omni 1:26).

Correct Knowledge of God

To have a love for the true God, rather than the false gods invented by Man, we must have a correct conception of God (Hosea 4:6). So, this is my testimony of God:

God is our father – we were created in his image (Genesis 1:26–27), and we lived with him in the premortal life (Moses 3:4–5, Jeremiah 1:5, Doctrine and Covenants 138:56, Abraham 3:23–26). In this life, we experience trials so that we can gain experience and progress (2 Nephi 2:11-27, D&C 122:7–8, D&C 130:18–19, Romans 5:3-5). Jesus Christ is the only begotten son of God (John 3:16, 1 John 4:9) and is the only mediator between man and God, and we can only approach God through Christ (1 Timothy 2:5, John 14:6, Romans 8:34, Hebrews 7:25, 1 John 2:1). Because Christ suffered for our sins in the atonement, we can be washed clean of sin (2 Nephi 2:6–8, 2 Nephi 9:7–10, Mosiah 3:5–11, Alma 7:11–13, Alma 34:8–16, Helaman 5:9, 3 Nephi 11:10–11). We gain access to his atoning power through repentance (Alma 12:33–34) and baptism (2 Nephi 31:17), and we can develop a personal relationship with God through prayer (Matthew 7:7–8, James 1:5–6, Revelation 3:20). If we humble ourselves (Mosiah 3:18–19, Matthew 18:3-4), repent, seek God, try to follow the commandments, as described by his prophets in the scriptures, and endure to the end, we can live with God again after we die (2 Nephi 9:23-24, Moroni 7:33–34, 2 Nephi 31, 3 Nephi 27:19–21, D&C 88:63, Amos 5:4).

We Love God through Loving Man

Matthew 22:37–39
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

In this scripture, we are told that the most important commandment is to love God and our fellow man (Matthew 22:37–39, John 13:34–35, 2 Nephi 31:20). The scriptures in fact teach us that we love God through loving our fellow man (1 John 4:16-21, Matthew 25:34-40). This is explained well in Mosiah 2:17:
And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.

Being free of Hatred

According to the scriptures we should love and forgive our enemies (Matthew 5:43–44, Romans 12:19–21, Matthew 6:14–15, Matthew 18:21–22). Moreover we are commanded to not revile against those who revile us (1 Peter 2:23, D&C 19:30, D&C 31:9, D&C 98:23–24), but rather to overcome evil with good (Romans 12:14-21)

The scriptures give us many reasons to love our enemies and bless them who curse us.

1. God will judge us the same way we judge others – so if we are forgiving towards others, God will be forgiving to us (Matthew 6:14–15, Matthew 7:1–2, Luke 6:37–38, Romans 2:1, James 2:12–13, Mark 11:25).
2. We should forgive others who wronged us because Christ has forgiven us for our wrongs (Ephesians 4:31–32, Colossians 3:13, Matthew 18:32–35).
3. We should love our enemies because Christ loves them and our goal is to follow his example (Luke 6:35–36, Luke 23:34, 1 Peter 2:21–23)
4. We do not need to exact revenge ourselves because we know that God already will avenge us (Deuteronomy 32:35, Hebrews 10:30, Proverbs 20:22). Moreover, if we continue acting kind towards those who hurt us, that will “heap coals of fire upon their head” (Romans 12:19–21).
5. Quite simply because we have been commanded in the scriptures to forgive our enemies (Matthew 5:43–44, Romans 12:19–21, Matthew 18:21–22, Luke 6:27–36, Romans 12:19–21).
6. Even evil people know how to give good gifts to those who do them good, therefore as disciples of Christ, we have to surpass this and even give gifts to people who have done us wrong (Luke 6:27–36, Matthew 5:46–48).
7. Finally, because our enmity is not with man, but with the dark powers that be who have deceived man, as seen in Ephesians 6:12:
   For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

However, loving others does not mean we should have tolerance for their sin. Rather, the bible teaches us to exhort all around us to abandon wickedness (D&C 88:81, Galatians 6:1, 2 Timothy 4:2, Matthew 28:19–20, Isaiah 58:1, 2 Timothy 2:24–26, Alma 29:9), because when we love someone we desire their eternal salvation (Proverbs 27:5–6, Mosiah 28:3, Hebrews 12:6-8, Revelation 3:19, Romans 12:9). In fact, we are taught that if we don’t warn others then their sins will be answered upon our own heads (Ezekiel 3:17-19, Ezekiel 33:8-9, Acts 20:26-27, Jacob 1:19, Mosiah 2:27-28, Proverbs 27:5-6).

A primary way we love others is by desiring their eternal salvation by spreading the gospel to them – as we are oft commanded to do in the scriptures (Matthew 28:19–20, D&C 4, D&C 88:80-81, D&C 18:10–16, Matthew 5:14–16, Daniel 12:3).

Desiring God’s Return

I recently watched this video about yet another failed rapture date. Normally, I avoid these videos since I don’t believe in a pretribulation rapture, but the woman in it made a point that stuck with me: if we truly love God, we should be eager for His return. For her, setting dates gives her hope and something to look forward to—even though she has been repeatedly disappointed. Waiting on the Lord, even with setbacks, is part of the sacrifice of faith.

This made me reflect on a relative who got angry when I shared evidence that a dream of mine was coming true. His reaction puzzled me until I realized: for those without the hope of Christ’s return, our blessed hope of his coming seems like foolishness and is annoying.

Having faith means holding on to the hope of Christ’s return. Instead of being annoyed by others who long for it, we should rejoice with them—because He truly is coming soon to make all things right and wipe away every tear (Revelation 21:4, Revelation 7:17, Isaiah 25:8).

Waiting on the Lord

In my view, part of having faith in the Lord involves waiting on the Lord even when at the present it looks like he hasn’t helped us. These two scriptures are relevant:

Psalm 37:7
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

Isaiah 40:31
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

As we learn in these scriptures, sometimes it will look like the wicked are prospering more than the righteous and that there is no profit in following God. However, in the long run, the blessings we receive from waiting on the Lord are far more than we can imagine.

Our situation can be likened to Cinderella: At the start of the story, Cinderella’s life situation is terrible, and those who were wicked (her step sisters) prosper over her. However, since she followed the council of her fairy godmother, eventually she receives her happy ever after. Likewise, if we follow God’s council for us found in the scriptures, we too will ultimately receive our happy ending (this analogy comes from this video).

Valuing God’s Messages

As I substantiate with scripture in Truth in Dreams and Why I believe the book of Mormon is true, the scriptures are not complete, and there is still truth to be revealed.

I have sadly experienced much resistance when discussing my dreams with people who count themselves as Christians. However, part of “desiring Godly things” involves actually valuing communications from God. Every message we receive from God should be precious to us – and when others discuss their dreams, we should celebrate with them, not persuade them that the communication is worthless.

Diligence

Work

Here are a few things we are commanded to work on:

Commandment to work hard (Genesis 39:22-23, Proverbs 6:6-11, Romans 12:11, 1 Timothy 5:8, Colossians 3:23-24, 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12, Ephesians 4:28, 2 Nephi 5:17, D&C 42:41-43, D&C 75:28-29, D&C 88:124, D&C 68:30-31)

Care for your family (Genesis 2:24, Deut. 6:7, Eph. 6:1–4, Jacob 3:7, Mosiah 4:14–15, Alma 43:47, 3 Ne. 18:21, Colossians 3:18-21)

Call to spread the gospel (Matthew 5:14–16, Matthew 28:19–20, Alma 29:9, Daniel 12:3, D&C 18:15–16)

We are taught that spreading the gospel to others helps bring a remission of sins to ourselves (James 5:19–20, D&C 84:61). As taught in the parable of the talents, if we hide the truths given to us, it will not be well for us in the life to come, while if we use the resources God has granted us to accomplish his Work, we will rewarded greatly (Matthew 25:14–30).
D&C 4:
1 Now behold, a marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men.
2 Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day.
3 Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work;
4 For behold the field is white already to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul;
5 And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work.
6 Remember faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence.
7 Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Amen.

Serving Others

Here are some relevant scriptures:
James 1:27
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
Mosiah 2:17 – “When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.”
Matthew 25:35-45
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

As we learn in James 1:27, the core of our religion is serving others. As we learn in the scriptures, when we serve others, we are only serving God (Mosiah 2:17), and serving others helps us enter heaven (Matthew 25:35-40). Here are additional scriptures on serving others (1 Corinthians 13:3-7, Luke 6:38, Matthew 25:40, Galatians 5:13, Mosiah 4:16-18, Moroni 7:47-48, Alma 34:28-29, Ether 12:34-35).

Ordinances

Beyond simply following the commandments, another essential part of following the gospel is baptism (how to perform baptism: D&C 20:72–74, 3 Nephi 11:23–26). This is because baptism gives us access to the atoning power so that our sins can be washed clean (2 Nephi 31:17), and therefore baptism is necessary for salvation (2 Nephi 9:23-24, Moroni 7:33–34, 2 Nephi 31, 3 Nephi 27:19–21). As we learn in the scriptures, baptisms should be done through immersion (3 Nephi 11:23–26, Mosiah 18:14–16, D&C 20:72–74), and it is not necessary to baptize children under the age of eight (D&C 68:25–27, Moroni 8:4–24).

Baptism can only be performed by someone who has proper authority – that means someone who received the Aaronic priesthood through the laying on of hands of someone who themselves also has authority (3 Nephi 11:21–22, Mosiah 21:33, Mosiah 18:17–18, D&C 20:72–74). The New Testament clearly outlines that this authority was necessary and passed down through anointing and laying on of hands (transfer of God’s authority during early Church: Matthew 10:1, John 15:16, Luke 9:1–2, Mark 3:14–15, Acts 6:5–6, Acts 13:2–3, 1 Timothy 4:14, 2 Timothy 1:6, Hebrews 5:4–6; laying on of Hands to transfer authority in early Church: Acts 6:5–6, Acts 8:14–17, Acts 13:2–3, Acts 19:5–6, 1 Timothy 4:14, 2 Timothy 1:6). However, in fulfillment of biblical prophecy, this authority was eventually lost (2 Thessalonians 2:3, Amos 8:11–12, 2 Timothy 4:3–4, Acts 20:29–30, Isaiah 24:5, 1 Nephi 13:24–29, 2 Nephi 26:20–22, 2 Nephi 28:3–6, D&C 1:15–16, D&C 112:23–26, Joseph Smith—History 1:19). God’s authority was restored in 1829 when John the Baptist conferred the Aaronic Priesthood to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery (D&C 13:1). The transferring authority in the modern church is the same as in the old – via ordination and laying on of hands (D&C 42:11, D&C 20:38–39, D&C 20:60, D&C 84:6–42).

Seeing that many have never had the opportunity to be baptized, or were baptized without proper authority, our ancestors can be baptized by proxy through baptism of the dead, which Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians 15:29. Baptism for the dead operates like normal baptism except it is performed in temples and require us to use our ancestor’s name rather than our own (described further in D&C 128:1–18 and D&C 124:29–33).

When we are baptized, we promise to always follow Christ, and in return we are promised greater access to God’s spirit and the atonement – this the same promise that we make when we perform the Sacrament, which I discuss in greater detail in Spiritual Warfare. We also can receive greater access to God’s spirt through the conferral of the holy ghost – in which someone who possesses priesthood power lays his hands upon you and gifts you the holy ghost (D&C 20:41, D&C 33:15, Moroni 2). This process of granting the holy ghost through the laying on of hands is outlined in the new testament (Acts 8:14–17, Acts 19:5–6).

To go into depth on the nature of the priesthood, the Aaronic priesthood is used to provide ordinances such as baptism, the gift of the holy ghost, and sacrament. There is also a higher priesthood known as the Melchizedek priesthood, which grants the power to perform blessings and receive via revelation the mysteries of God. I discuss blessings in Spiritual Warfare. Peter, James, and John conferred the Melchizedek Priesthood to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in 1829 (D&C 27:12–13); to understand better the difference between these two priesthoods see these references (D&C 107:1–20, D&C 84:18–27, Hebrews 7:11–12).

It is worth noting that once we are baptized, we are not “done”. We must continue following the commandments, repenting, serving others, performing the sacrament, staying humble, aligning our hearts with God, and developing a relationship with Him until we die. This is the meaning of the term “Endure to the End” seen in the scriptures (2 Nephi 9:23-24, Moroni 7:33–34, 2 Nephi 31, 3 Nephi 27:19–21).

Staying True to what you know

I once saw a Babylon Bee skit about Californians moving to Texas. Over time, they gave up constant mask-wearing, accepted guns, and started eating meat—not because they were persuaded, but because they became addicted to the thrill and taste. Eventually, realizing they were being morally corrupted, they moved back to California.

Though I agree with the Texans (being one myself), I respected the Californians for trying to live by a moral code that went beyond mere pleasure. In the skit, their code wasn’t replaced by something higher—it was simply dismantled.

I believe a moral code should lead us to something holier than hedonism. Faith often means sticking to that code despite mockery (Romans 12:2, Alma 5:57) or uncertainty (Proverbs 3:5–6, Ether 12:6).

The flaw in the Californians’ code was that it was rooted in cultural trends and human authority. Scripture warns us not to trust what the world embraces (2 Nephi 9:28–29, Jeremiah 17:5-6, Romans 12:2, 1 John 2:15–17, James 4:4, 1 Corinthians 3:19-20). Instead, our morality should come from the light of Christ, which teaches us true right from wrong (Moroni 7:16-19, Moroni 10:5, 2 Nephi 32:5). Here are a few attributes that help us to identify the spirit.

• Leads us to do good (D&C 11:12–13, Moroni 7:13, Ether 4:11–12)
• Speaks in a piercing, still small voice (1 Kings 19:11–12, Helaman 5:30, 3 Nephi 11:3, D&C 85:6)
• Brings joy and peace (D&C 6:22–23, Mosiah 4:3, Galatians 5:22)
• Communicates to both the mind and the heart (D&C 8:2–3)
• Causes burning in bosom if true, otherwise leads to a stupor of thought (D&C 9:8, Luke 24:32)

However, we must be careful not to confuse the feelings of our own heart with the spirit, given that the heart is deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9, Proverbs 28:26, Ecclesiastes 9:3, Matthew 15:19). For me, discerning the difference can be difficult. However, we are promised that as we strive to follow the directives of the gospel, we will gain greater access to the holy spirit  (Acts 5:32, John 14:15-18, Mosiah 2:36, Helaman 4:24). Another tip in recognizing good from evil is the following principle: Satan teaches us that nothing is wrong (2 Nephi 28:22), other than to accuse others of doing that which is wrong (D&C 29:36, Amos 5:10, Isaiah 5:20-21, Helaman 7:22), which I discuss more in Antichrist and False Rapture.

Staying true to our principles can be rough in the world we live in. Many who do so lose friends and loved ones and ultimately it can lead to a feeling of not truly belonging anywhere (John 15:18–19, John 17:14–16, Hebrews 11:13–16). It is a sacrifice.

Sacrifice

Part of truly following God involves being willing to sacrifice your desires to follow Him.
Matthew 16:24–25
24 ¶ Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

In fact, we are told that if we are not willing to sacrifice our most dear things for Jesus, then we are not truly his disciple:
Luke 14:26–27
26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

One reason why sacrifice is important is because it is an ultimate act of love. In John 15:13, we read “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Sacrifice also is the ultimate act of humility since it involves abasing ourselves to show that the will of higher powers supersedes our own (Philippians 2:8). We only truly subject ourselves to God when we become willing to sacrifice everything for him. And we only get to heaven by subjecting ourselves to the spirit of God over the adversary (Romans 6:16, Alma 3:26–27).

Beyond sacrificing our loved ones (Luke 14:26–27), we must also be willing to sacrifice our bodies and our hearts:Romans 12:1 – Our bodies
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Psalm 51:16–17 – our hearts
16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise

In my view, sacrificing our bodies means forsaking the lusts of our flesh so that our bodies can remain pure. Regarding the heart, having a broken heart means being willing to do things for the Lord that go against what we desire, and having a contrite heart means letting go of pride – not seeking to glorify ourselves – and always remaining susceptible to correction from others and God.

And finally, we must even be willing to sacrifice our lives (Matthew 16:24–25, Luke 9:23-24, Revelation 2:10, Philippians 1:20-21), in order follow the example of the Lord (1 John 3:16). I think this scripture is interesting regarding sacrifice:
2 Corinthians 4:10-12
10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
11 For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
12 So then death worketh in us, but life in you.

I think it means we must forsake ourselves to receive Christ in us (similar: Galatians 2:20).

Nevertheless, we are taught to be glad for the opportunity to sacrifice for the Lord, since in doing so we earn ourselves riches in heaven.
Matthew 19:29
And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
Similar: Mark 10:29–30, Luke 18:29–30

Matthew 5:10-12
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Ultimately, Christ doesn’t want to just be a passing interest in us. Rather, he calls us higher to a point where we totally commit in him:
Matthew 10:37–39
37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

Luke 14:26–27, 33
26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
similar verses (Luke 9:62,  Matthew 16:24–25)

Purity

Being free of Pride

Another essential element of the gospel worth mentioning here is humility: Humility has a few characteristics: 1) not viewing yourself too highly; 2) being willing to accept correction from others and being childlike and teachable; 3) turning your attention outwards – away from self and on to those around you.

The opposite of humility is pride. If we are proud, that will prevent us from aligning our selves with God because: 1) we will not be willing to accept correction when we sin; 2) we will be focused on ourselves rather than on God; 3) we will prioritize our own decision making process over the council that we receive from the holy ghost and the scriptures; 4) we won’t feel like we need God.

Consequently, humility and pride are a huge topic in the scriptures. Here are some scripture references:
God opposes the proud (James 4:6, Proverbs 16:18, Proverbs 16:5)
Do not think you are higher than you are (Romans 12:3, Galatians 6:3)
Value others over yourself (Philippians 2:3, Matthew 23:11–12)
Be humble (Colossians 3:12, James 4:10, 1 Peter 5:5-6, Ephesians 4:2, 2 Chronicles 7:14)
Be childlike (Matthew 18:3–4, Mark 10:14–15, Mark 10:14–15)
Be meek (Matthew 5:5, Matthew 11:29, Galatians 5:22–23, Ephesians 4:1–2, Titus 3:2, Psalm 22:26, Psalm 25:9, Psalm 37:11, Psalm 76:9, Zephaniah 2:3)
* I learned here that when Jesus says that the meek will inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5), he actually is quoting David (Psalm 37:11).
Connection between humility and obedience (Philippians 2:5–8, 1 Peter 5:5–6, Micah 6:8, Romans 6:16-18)

Another part of humility is being willing to repent for your sins, which is necessary to access the atoning power of Christ (Alma 12:33–34). When we repent for our sins, we admit that what we did was wrong (1 John 1:9, D&C 58:43), try to make amends with the person who was wronged (Ezekiel 33:15-16, 3 Nephi 12:23–24), ask for forgiveness from God (Mosiah 4:2, Alma 36:18), and realign ourselves with the goal of cutting that sin out of our lives (D&C 58:43, Alma 5:13). Therefore, true repentance requires a change of heart and commitment to do better (Mosiah 5:2, Romans 6:1–2).

Ultimately, we are taught that we must be contrite and broken hearted to enter God’s kingdom (Isaiah 57:15, Isaiah 66:2, Matthew 18:3–4, 2 Nephi 2:7, D&C 59:8).
Psalm 34:18
The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Being free of addiction

Here are some relevant scriptures to cleansing ourselves of addictions.
1 Corinthians 6:18–20
18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
Romans 12:1
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
1 Thessalonians 4:3–5
3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;
5 Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:
Galatians 5:16-21
16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Basically, in overcoming addictions, we sanctify and cleanse our bodies, which are temples. This grants greater access to the holy spirit, since the spirit dwells not in unholy temples (Mosiah 2:37, Alma 34:36). Here are a few more scriptures (2 Corinthians 7:1, 1 Corinthians 3:16–17, Matthew 5:29–30).

The main things we should avoid are: premarital sex, alcohol, and indeed any mind altering drug or substance we can become addicted to (which I discuss more in The Commandments). Another thing we should avoid (in my view), is excess drinking of caffeine, seeing that we are warned against drinking tee and coffee in  D&C 89:9. This is because caffeine reduces our impulse control, leading to greater abusive behavior, which is documented in Caffeine Use: Association with Nicotine Use, Aggression, and Other Psychopathology in Psychiatric and Pediatric Outpatient Adolescents.

If you struggle with addictions, check out my article Overcoming Addictions.

We should not even desire to sin

Beyond simply striving to follow all The Commandments, the ultimate goal is to reach a state where we don’t even want to commit sin. Here are some scripture references:
Matthew 5:27–28
27 ¶ Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
1 John 3:15
Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
Matthew 15:18–19 – Sin comes from the heart.
Matthew 5:21–22 – Beyond just not killing, we shouldn’t even unjustly harbor anger.

As we see in these scriptures, Jesus commands us to go beyond sinning, to also not sin within our heart. To do this, we must learn to control our thoughts and desires, as discussed here:
2 Corinthians 10:5 – bring into captivity every thought

However, this process can be difficult and painful. That is because our hearts naturally desire that which is evil, so we literally have to cut off a part of our heart for it to only desire that which is good. This is the meaning of the phrase “circumcising your heart” – removing the evil parts of your heart (Deuteronomy 30:6).

The good news is God promises that as we strive to follow him, he will renew our heart and mind so that we begin to only desire after Godly things (Ezekiel 36:26, Deuteronomy 30:6, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Hebrews 8:10, John 8:36).

Focus on the spirit, not the flesh

Just as we should change our desires, we should also change our focuses in life. In the scriptures, we are commanded to focus on things of the spirit, not of the flesh:
Romans 8:5–6
5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Galatians 5:16-17
16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
Galatians 5:24–25
24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

The reason why we are commanded to turn away from the flesh towards the spirit is because the flesh leads us to commit wickedness, while the spirit turns us towards righteousness. These scriptures properly explain the nature of the flesh versus the spirit: Galatians 5:19–21
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Now in contrast here are the desires of our spirit:
Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

As one can see, our flesh only desires corruption, while our spirit desires that which is good. Obviously, we will not be able to align ourselves with God unless we are able to overcome the flesh and turn towards the spirit. This is summarized in this verse:
Mosiah 3:19
For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.

Faith vs works

Thesis

According to the scriptures, what spirit we obey in this life is the spirit we will obey in the life to come, therefore to go to heaven if we must obey the good spirit rather than the evil spirit (Romans 6:16, Alma 3:26–27). If we do not obey that good spirit, then we are obeying the evil spirit – it is one or the other (Matthew 6:24, Matthew 12:30, James 4:4, Revelation 3:15–16). Obeying the spirit of God means developing Christlike attributes and aligning our hearts with him. This entire essay has been about how to do this – namely developing love, diligence, and purity. We must develop these traits because our spirit does not change after death – if our hearts are not aligned with God when we die they will remain unaligned with Him in the life to come (Alma 34:34).

Which is why the faith versus works discussion comes in. In my view: we indeed are saved by faith rather than works. However, the term “faith” has been widely misinterpreted by apostasy religions into simply being willing to utter declarations of your love for Christ. Instead, I believe that faith is more than just an esoteric knowledge of Christ, or empty words of love, but rather is a central aspect of our character that motivates us to action. In other words, if we truly have faith, then this faith should lead us to obey the spirit of God and reject the evil spirit.

When we have this type of transformative faith, we become born again – which means we love others, no longer desire to do evil but rather to do good, and receive the image God in our countenances (Alma 5:14, 1 Peter 1:22–23, Mosiah 5:2, Alma 19:33, Mosiah 27:25–26). According to the scriptures, we cannot be saved unless we are born again (John 3:3, Mosiah 27:25–26).

To go into greater detail, according to the scriptures, no unclean thing can enter the kingdom of God (Revelation 21:27, Psalm 24:3–4, Isaiah 35:8, Alma 11:37, 3 Nephi 27:19). However, all end up sinning (Ecclesiastes 7:20, Isaiah 64:6, Romans 3:10, Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:8). Therefore, to the only way we can cleanse ourselves of sin is through the Atonement of Christ (1 John 1:7, Isaiah 1:18), where he suffered for our sins so that we can be free of them (Isaiah 53:5-12, 1 Peter 2:24). The way we access the atonement is via exercising this transformative faith (Romans 3:25-28, Romans 5:1–2, Ephesians 2:8–9) and via repentance (Alma 12:33–34) and baptism (2 Nephi 31:17). To access the atonement we also must “bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance” (Matthew 3:8, Luke 3:8, Acts 26:20, Alma 13:10, Moroni 6:1) – so works still somewhat matter.

Works

According to the scriptures, we are not saved by our works – there isn’t a point system where if we gain enough points from our works we go to heaven. These are two good scriptures:
Isaiah 64:6
But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Ephesians 2:8–9
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Instead of being saved by our works, we are saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8–9, 2 Timothy 1:9, Romans 11:6, Titus 3:5, Galatians 2:16). That doesn’t mean works don’t matter: If we do not have good works, that likely means we don’t truly have faith – which I will discuss more in the next section. However, many scriptures clearly say that God values having a broken heart, and being contrite, merciful, just, and humble over sacrifice (Psalm 51:16–17, Hosea 6:6, Isaiah 66:2-4, Micah 6:6–8, Moroni 7:6–9). In other words, it is not about our history, but about our character. These traits (mercy, humility, etc.), are all acquired as we learn to consistently follow the spirit of God and reject the spirit of the adversary – which happens when are born again through faith.

Faith

Faith transcends merely having a correct knowledge about God and having a good feeling about him. Faith motivates us to act and transforms our character, personality, and lifestyle (Romans 12:1-2, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 4:22-24, Titus 2:11-12). James explains this well:
James 2:15-20
15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
James 1:22
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

So, these scriptures pretty clearly state that faith is only truly faith if it motivates us to act. Here are more scriptures:
2 Nephi 31:10
And he said unto the children of men: Follow thou me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?

1 John 2:3-4
3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Matthew 7:17-27
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
21 ¶ Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
24 ¶ Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

Hebrews 10:26–27
26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.

So, here we see that the way we become a disciple is by genuinely following Jesus by obeying his commandments (John 14:15, John 15:14). If we only listen to Jesus, but don’t actually do what he commands, we will not be saved, instead we will be like the foolish man whose house falls in the storm (Matthew 7:21-27; Luke 13:24–27 – Christ will tell many who thought they were his followers that he never knew them). That is why the scriptures tell us repeatedly that we must follow the commandments (D&C 14:7, 2 Nephi 31:10, Revelation 22:14, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Galatians 5:19-21) and overcome sin (Revelation 2:7, Revelation 2:11, Revelation 2:17, Revelation 3:5, Revelation 3:12, Revelation 3:21, Revelation 21:7, 1 John 5:4-5) in order to be saved. While the adversary teaches that we will be ok in committing a little sin (2 Nephi 28:8-11), the scriptures explain that the powers of the atonement to cleanse us become limited once we are fully enlightened with the truth (Hebrews 10:26–27, Hebrews 6:4–6, 2 Peter 2:20–22, Luke 12:47–48). Ultimately, paying lip service to Christ but not letting that motivate action is definitely not what Christ wants (Matthew 21:28-32, Isaiah 29:13, Matthew 15:7-9, Luke 6:45-46, James 1:22, 1 John 3:18, Ezekiel 33:31). Put another way, according to the scriptures, works follow those who have faith (Ephesians 2:10, Matthew 7:17-20, Titus 2:14, John 15:5, Galatians 5:22–23), so unless we have good works, it is unlikely that we truly have faith (Matthew 7:17-21, James 2:26, Mark 4:20).

This essay would be incomplete without at least noting that there are varying degrees of glory that we can receive in God’s kingdom (I discuss this more in Cosmology). Therefore, we should be striving to be our very best selves so that we can achieve the highest degree of glory (2 Nephi 25:23).

Ultimately, to have faith is to become completely committed to Christ so that we would sacrifice everything for him (Matthew 10:37–39; Luke 14:26–27, 33; Matthew 16:24–25). These ideas I have expressed regarding faith are more elegantly conveyed in the very last verses of the book of Mormon:
Moroni 10:32-33
32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.
33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.