Line upon Line

To utilize a metaphor, we can look at Christianity as being shaped like a cross—its vertical beam stretching heavenward toward God, and its horizontal beam reaching outward toward others. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the restored gospel reaffirms this dual structure. Yet, even among Latter-day Saints, there can be a tendency to overemphasize the vertical relationship with God—personal righteousness, temple worthiness, scripture study, and prayer—at the expense of the horizontal relationships we are commanded to cultivate with our neighbors. When this imbalance occurs, we risk transforming the restored gospel into something narrower and less powerful than what the Savior intended.

Latter-day Saints are taught to seek personal revelation, strengthen their testimony, and build their relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. These are sacred, essential pursuits. President Russell M. Nelson has emphasized that “in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.” This underscores the importance of the vertical connection. But that connection was never meant to be isolated or inward-looking. The First Great Commandment, to love God, is incomplete without the Second, to love thy neighbour as thyself (Matthew 22:39). In fact, loving others is one of the clearest manifestations of loving God.

The danger of focusing solely on the vertical can be seen when members believe their salvation is ensured by personal worthiness alone, without a corresponding concern for the suffering, needs, or dignity of others. Such a mindset contradicts the example of Jesus Christ, who ministered not just in temples or synagogues, but in streets, on hillsides, among lepers, sinners, outcasts, and the poor. Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf once warned, “It is wrong to assume that if we love God, we will automatically love our neighbor. The two commandments are separate but inseparably connected.”

The Book of Mormon reinforces this theme repeatedly. King Benjamin’s statement, “when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God” (Mosiah 2:17) is especially pointed. King Benjamin further teaches if we withhold help from a beggar stating, “The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just”, we are under condemnation (Mosiah 4:17). These passages speak directly against a vertical only faith—one that seeks to excuse itself from human compassion under the guise of spiritual discipline—and ask us to embrace a faith in which our relationships with God go beyond the self-centric and include the horizontal obligations of caring for others.

In the restored gospel, covenants are central—but those covenants are not private. Baptism brings us into a community of Saints, where we “bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light” (Mosiah 18:8–9). The temple endowment teaches us to live a life of consecration, dedicating not just our time and talents, but also our means and energy to lifting others. The covenant path is not a solitary trail but a shared journey. Zion itself, the ultimate aspiration of the Saints, cannot be built without a society of the pure in heart aspiring to become of one heart and one mind (Moses 7:18).

Unfortunately, vertical only Latter-day Saint living can lead to a kind of spiritual consumerism, Did I get something out of Church today? Did I feel the Spirit in my personal study? These are fair questions, but insufficient if divorced from such horizontal obligations as, Did I lift someone’s load this week? Did I reach out to someone who feels invisible? Am I actively working to make my ward, my workplace, or my neighborhood more just, merciful, and kind?

The restored gospel is expansive. It invites both personal holiness and social holiness. As President Nelson reminds us, the gathering of Israel—the great latter-day work—is not just about conversion; it is about healing, service, and preparing a world for the return of the Savior. The Lord Himself declared, “I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say” (D&C 82:10), but He also says, “If ye are not one ye are not mine” (D&C 38:27). Both our personal obedience and our communal unity matter to Him deeply.

In Latter-day Saint culture, the difference between a self-centric, vertical only faith and a faith that embraces both vertical and horizontal dimensions is often seen in how members interpret and live their covenants. A vertical only approach can manifest in a checklist mentality—focusing primarily on personal worthiness, temple attendance, and scripture reading as isolated spiritual achievements. This version of faith, while sincere, can become self-contained, emphasizing individual salvation and spiritual progress without extending that growth outward in meaningful service.

In contrast, a more complete gospel-centered life recognizes that true discipleship includes building Zion—not just within ourselves, but in our wards, communities, and beyond. This broader view, which takes in horizontal obligations, sees covenants not just as private promises between the individual and God, but as sacred obligations to uplift the poor, welcome the stranger, mourn with those that mourn, and actively create a society of unity and charity. In this model, faith is not a ladder to climb alone but a network of shared responsibility, love, and action—where salvation is not just personal, but collective.

The cross of Christ, though not a formal symbol in Latter-day Saint worship, still teaches a vital visual truth. The gospel stretches heavenward and outward. As followers of Christ, we are not meant to ascend alone. We are to lift, to carry, to share, and to walk beside one another. Only then do we reflect the fullness of our covenants and truly become His disciples. Let our prayers rise like incense—but let our hands also reach like Christ’s. Let us not only seek to be worthy, but to do good. For in the restored gospel, faith and works are not rivals, but partners. Heaven and earth meet in Christ—and in His true disciples, they are never far apart.