PROVO, Utah — True doctrine is eternal truth revealed by God, and missionaries have an individual responsibility to learn and proclaim it by the power of the Holy Ghost, said Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
He began his remarks in the 2026 Seminar for New Mission Leaders by quoting the Prophet Joseph Smith: “If we start right, it is easy to go right all the time; but if we start wrong, it is a hard matter to get right.”
Added Elder Bednar, “This basic guideline is the essential starting point for helping missionaries fulfill their purpose as they learn and teach doctrine.”
Speaking on Saturday, June 20, at the Provo Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, Elder Bednar answered four questions about true doctrine:
1. What is true doctrine?
“True gospel doctrine is eternal truth revealed by God,” said Elder Bednar.
It comprises Heavenly Father’s plan of happiness, the atoning and redeeming roles of His Only Begotten Son in that plan and the eternal progression and exaltation of His sons and daughters.
“True doctrine is applicable to all God’s children in all places and at all times,” he said. “True doctrine is enduring and does not change.”
2. What are the sources of true doctrine?
During His earthly ministry, Jesus Christ said, “The word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me” (John 14:24).
“Everything the Savior spoke and taught was in perfect harmony and alignment with the doctrine of His Father,” said Elder Bednar.
In a similar way, “prophets and apostles speak and transmit the eternal truths that come from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.”
Missionaries find true doctrine, then, in the standard works of the Church, repeated teachings of the prophets and apostles, and authorized declarations and proclamations of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Elder Bednar said, “Other servants commissioned to preach and teach follow the example of the prophets and apostles.” (See Mosiah 18:18-19; Mosiah 25:21-22.)
3. How can we learn true doctrine?
Revelation is conveyed through the Holy Ghost — the witness of and messenger for the Father and the Son — said Elder Bednar. And all missionaries have a personal responsibility to pray, study, ponder and learn for themselves true doctrine by the power of the Holy Ghost.
“Doctrine is impactful in our lives as the Holy Ghost testifies of its truthfulness. Inviting the Holy Ghost to be our companion as we ‘feast upon the words of Christ’ (2 Nephi 32:3) is essential to learning and understanding true doctrine.”
After referencing the late President Boyd K. Packer’s teaching that understanding true doctrine changes attitudes and behavior, Elder Bednar added, “Knowing and understanding true doctrine in both our minds and in our hearts is essential to righteous attitudes, teaching and testifying.”
4. How should we teach true doctrine?
As authorized servants, missionaries help individuals increase faith in the Father and the Son, become converted to Them and receive the blessings of eternal life, said Elder Bednar. Each missionary has an individual responsibility to proclaim true doctrine by the power of the Holy Ghost.
He added that gospel instruction should be accurate, clear, simple and grounded in the scriptures and repeated teachings of prophets and apostles.
“Because the role of the Holy Ghost is to bear witness of all truth,” he said, “gospel teaching should be centered on Heavenly Father and His plan, on the Lord Jesus Christ and His infinite and eternal Atonement, and on the Restoration of the gospel in the latter days.”
Just as important as knowing gospel doctrine is individuals knowing what they do not know, said Elder Bednar.
He quoted President Dallin H. Oaks, who in his February BYU devotional said, “Trusting God in what we know and in what we don’t know is a great protection against doubts based on mistaken ideas instead of on what God has chosen to reveal.”
‘Relish the sweetness of true gospel doctrine’
Elder Bednar concluded with his witness that all who “give place” in their hearts for the pure doctrine of Jesus Christ can know “the word is good” (Alma 32:28).
“We are blessed by the doctrine restored to the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith — and by our individual spiritual witnesses of the truthfulness of the Father’s great plan and of the mission and atoning sacrifice of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
It’s a blessing beyond measure, he added, to live in this season of the dispensation of the fullness of times, to have the ongoing influence of the Holy Ghost and to be called to the work.
“I invite and bless you to taste and relish the sweetness of true gospel doctrine, even ‘the pleasing word of God’ (Jacob 2:8), and to rejoice more and more — today, tomorrow and always.”
