Romans 1:16 - For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto Salvation to every one that believeth.
So, I think that the analogy I am considering is like an electrical pathway. If you want to turn on a light, you go to a light switch and flip it. That closes the circuit, which has been established, designated, and likely explained.
If you want salvation, there is an established and dedicated way: the gospel. It's like God has put His power into that pathway, and only through flipping that switch can we obtain salvation. Could God grant salvation in another way? maybe. But He doesn't. He has made it very black and white. or perhaps there are other older laws in place that say, no, He cannot grant salvation in any other way, and He is sending His prophets to make sure it is explained to us.
So when I read in Doctrine and Covenants 84:20 about the power being manifest in the ordinances, its like saying you will see the results of flipping that light switch when you look right there at the light bulb, and in no other way. There are other outlets for God's power that require other switches, but the salvation one requires flipping the switch of the gospel.
