Responsibility of Membership

And the members shall manifest before the church, and also before the elders, by a godly walk and conversation, that they are worthy of it, that there may be works and faith agreeable to the holy scriptures — walking in holiness before the Lord. Doctrine & Covenants 20:69

The apostle Paul taught that the natural man, the unregenerated individual, brings forth the “works of the flesh” (Galatians 5:19), the sins and spiritual flaws that are only so obvious in the life of one who has spurned the gracious gift of the Atonement. On the other hand, Paul taught, those who have put on Christ enjoy the “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22), the sweet manifestations of righteousness that follow naturally from a changed heart. Paul concluded, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25). In today’s parlance, if we talk the talk we really ought to walk the walk. There’s something different about individuals who have been born again, who have given themselves to the Lord and his work and whose highest aspiration is to learn the will of God and do it. They evidence that they are worthy of membership in the Lord’s Church, and their walk and talk are uplifting to everyone they meet. (Robert L. Millet and Lloyd D. Newell. Draw Near Unto Me: Daily Reflections on the Doctrine and Covenants. 70)