Attaining "the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ" requires far more than acquiring knowledge, said Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of Twelve.
"It is not even enough for us to be convinced of the gospel; we must act and think so that we are converted by it," Elder Oaks said Saturday afternoon. "In contrast to the institutions of the world, which teach us to know something, the gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to become something."
People will be judged by the condition they have achieved, he added.
"It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions," Elder Oaks said. "The commandments, ordinances and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become."
Christ's gospel promises the incomparable inheritance of eternal life, the fulness of the Father and reveals the laws and principles by which it can be obtained, he said. The Lord's children qualify for eternal life through a process of conversion.
Jesus taught His disciples about conversion, which is far more than testimony. Christ taught that men and women must be converted, and become as little children, to enter into the kingdom of heaven, Elder Oaks said. The needed conversion by the gospel begins by being "born again." Through baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost, the faithful become sons and daughters of Christ.
"The gospel of Jesus Christ is the plan by which we can become what children of God are supposed to become," Elder Oaks said. "This spotless and perfected state will result from steady succession of covenants, ordinances and actions, an accumulation of right choices and from continuing repentance."
Now is the time for all to work toward their personal conversion, he added. Family relationships are the setting where the most important part of the development can occur.
"Exaltation is an eternal family experience and it is our mortal family experiences that are best suited to prepare us for it," Elder Oaks said.
Local Church leaders should reduce their concentration on statistical measures of actions and focus more on what people are and what they are striving to become, he counseled.
Conversion is often achieved more readily by suffering and adversity than by comfort and tranquility, Elder Oaks noted. Most experience some measure of what the scriptures call "the furnace of affliction."
"Through the justice and mercy of a loving Father in Heaven, the refinement and sanctification possible through such experiences can help us achieve what God desires us to become," he said.
Instead of being judgemental of others, people should be concerned about themselves, Elder Oaks said, adding they should not give up hope or stop striving.
"We are children of God and it is possible for us to become what our Heavenly Father would have us become," he said.
