“Forsake the World”
Doctrine and Covenants 53:1–4
1 Behold, I say unto you, my servant Sidney Gilbert, that I have heard your prayers; and you have called upon me that it should be made known unto you, of the Lord your God, concerning your calling and election in the church, which I, the Lord, have raised up in these last days.
2 Behold, I, the Lord, who was crucified for the sins of the world, give unto you a commandment that you shall forsake the world.
3 Take upon you mine ordination, even that of an elder, to preach faith and repentance and remission of sins, according to my word, and the reception of the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands;
4 And also to be an agent unto this church in the place which shall be appointed by the bishop, according to commandments which shall be given hereafter.
President M. Russell Ballard said:
“In the Church, we often state the couplet: ‘Be in the world but not of the world.’ . . .
“Perhaps we should state the couplet . . . as two separate admonitions. First, ‘Be in the world.’ Be involved; be informed. Try to be understanding and tolerant and to appreciate diversity. Make meaningful contributions to society through service and involvement. Second, ‘Be not of the world.’ Do not follow wrong paths or bend to accommodate or accept what is not right.
“. . . In spite of all of the wickedness in the world, and in spite of all the opposition to good that we find on every hand, we should not try to take ourselves or our children out of the world. Jesus said, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven,’ or yeast (Matt. 13:33). We are to lift the world and help all to rise above the wickedness that surrounds us.”
(“The Effects of Television,” Ensign, May 1989, 80.)
