Recently, I have been pondering a simple yet searching question: What is the difference between Conditional Christianity and Covenant Christianity? For the purposes of this discussion, Conditional Christianity refers to living the gospel only when convenient, whereas Covenant Christianity means living the gospel consistently, especially when it is difficult. When we make temple covenants, we promise to obey, sacrifice, and consecrate—not when it is convenient, but forever. These covenants are eternal, reaching back to our premortal promises and forward to the day we will again stand before our Heavenly Parents.

In every religious tradition, there is a risk that believers may practice their faith conditionally—embracing discipleship when it is convenient and setting it aside when it demands sacrifice. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are not immune to this challenge. However, practicing conditional Christianity undermines the covenant path Latter-day Saints have promised to walk and distances believers from the deep transformation that true discipleship demands.

Before this mortal life, each of us stood in the presence of God the Father and Jesus Christ. In that premortal council, we chose to follow the Plan of Salvation, willingly accepting the necessity of mortality, agency, opposition, and the Atonement of Jesus Christ (see Abraham 3:24–26). In that sacred moment, we covenanted to be true to Christ—not merely when convenient, but through all the testing conditions mortality would bring. Our loyalty to the Savior began long before we were born.

That original choice—to stand with Christ—forms the foundation for all later covenants we make on earth: at baptism, in temple ordinances, and through the sacrament. By entering mortality, we accepted a life of opposition by design. Opposition is not a flaw of mortality, instead it is a feature essential to growth. It is precisely this environment of adversity, discomfort, and sacrifice that proves and refines our discipleship.

The temptation of conditional Christianity—being faithful only when faith is easy—threatens the very purposes of mortality. Conditional discipleship echoes the rebellion of Lucifer, who sought to remove agency and guarantee ease at the cost of eternal growth (see Moses 4:1–4). Satan’s plan was built around avoiding risk, pain, and struggle. In contrast, God’s plan embraces these realities as necessary for exaltation. When we practice convenience-based Christianity, we align ourselves more with Lucifer’s philosophy than with the Savior’s path of sacrifice and sanctification.

The Savior’s mortal ministry was the ultimate embodiment of inconvenient obedience. He was “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). He endured misunderstanding, rejection, betrayal, injustice, agony, and crucifixion—not because it was easy, but because it was essential to the salvation of humankind. In Gethsemane, His soul was “exceeding sorrowful, even unto death” (Matthew 26:38), and yet He submitted to the Father’s will perfectly. The covenants we make—particularly in the temple—bind us to follow that same pattern of submission, sacrifice, and consecration.

At its core, the restored gospel calls for an all-encompassing commitment. When we promise to “mourn with those that mourn” and to “stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places” (Mosiah 18:9), that promise is meant to endure through both ease and adversity, comfort and discomfort.

Yet conditional Christianity can creep in subtly. It may look like proclaiming faith on Sunday but ignoring the call to serve on Monday. It may mean participating in Church activities when socially rewarding but withdrawing when it requires standing alone. It can appear in the selective application of Christ’s teachings—loving neighbors only when they are easy to love, forgiving only minor offenses, sacrificing only when it fits conveniently into personal schedules. The real test of discipleship comes when obedience is difficult, inconvenient, or costly.

The Savior Himself modeled inconvenient discipleship. His life was a continual offering—healing on the Sabbath despite cultural backlash, forgiving those who wronged Him in the moment of His greatest suffering, and ultimately submitting to the will of the Father even when it led to Gethsemane and Golgotha. Christ did not practice conditional love or conditional obedience. His example calls His followers to a higher, harder standard. To be Christian—to truly be His disciple—is to embrace a life of consistent faithfulness, not one dictated by circumstances or comfort.

President Russell M. Nelson has taught repeatedly that we cannot pick and choose which gospel principles to follow. Partial obedience is still disobedience. Similarly, Elder Neal A. Maxwell warned against a cafeteria-style approach to discipleship—choosing only those doctrines and commandments that are palatable or convenient. True conversion places the Savior at the center of one’s life, not at its margins. It requires submitting not only when it is easy, but especially when it is difficult. A conditional Christian remains on the fringes of true discipleship; a covenant disciple presses forward with steadfastness, no matter the cost.

One of the Church’s great strengths is its emphasis on daily, deliberate discipleship. Family home evening, daily prayer, scripture study, ministering, and temple worship all help members develop a relationship with Christ that endures beyond the walls of the chapel. Still, the temptation of convenience is real. It is easier to share the gospel when it is well-received but harder when it risks awkwardness. It is easier to serve when time is abundant but harder when life feels stretched thin. It is easier to defend gospel truths when they are popular but much harder when doing so invites ridicule or isolation.

Yet it is precisely in these inconvenient moments that true Christian character is forged. These are the times when a disciple demonstrates where his or her loyalty truly lies. As Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf has taught, “Discipleship is not about doing things when it is convenient or comfortable—it is about commitment, about determination, and about faith in every circumstance.”

In a world that increasingly prizes convenience, comfort, and self-interest, Latter-day Saints must remember that discipleship is often inconvenient by design. It is meant to stretch, sanctify, and reshape us into the image of Christ. Conditional Christianity offers temporary comfort but robs believers of the transformative power of grace. It builds shallow roots that cannot endure the storms of mortality.

Moreover, when Latter-day Saints live their faith fully and consistently, they offer powerful, living testimonies of Christ to the world. Their lives become sermons more eloquent than any words spoken from a pulpit. Conversely, when members are faithful only when it is easy, the Church’s message of total commitment loses credibility, and the light meant to shine to the world grows dim.

Ultimately, each member must answer the Lord’s simple, searching invitation: “Come, follow me.” There is no asterisk, no fine print exempting busy days, social pressure, or personal preference. To follow Christ is to follow Him always, not only when it is easy. It is to take up His burden daily, prioritize His will over personal convenience, and stand as a witness of Him regardless of the cost.

President Nelson has also warned, “In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.” We need to be all in—not part-time Christians, not fair-weather Saints. Our faith cannot be casual because the stakes are not casual. The adversary is not casual about trying to pull us away. The world is not casual about eroding our commitment. Why should our discipleship be anything less than full-hearted?

The blessings of full, inconvenient discipleship are beyond measure. Therefore, let us choose not to be fair-weather Saints, but to be Christians in word and deed—not conditionally, but courageously, at all times and in all things and in all places.