Eternity in the Making

The morning of December 19, 1969 dawned crisp and clear in Salt Lake City, Utah. I picked up my bride-to-be, Patsy Hewlett, early on our way to the Salt Lake Temple to be sealed for time and for all eternity to each other. My Grandfather, Harold B. Lee, then one of the senior Apostles in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was scheduled to officiate at the ordinance that would bind us to one another. He was very emotional during the brief ceremony, sensing, I felt, the spirits of those who would come through our union. I believe he knew the identities of each one who would come to join our family.

On another December day fifty years later in 2019 we would gather as many of our children and grandchildren as we could to participate in a sealing session in the Salt Lake Temple just before it closed for what will be an extensive four-year renovation. We were assigned to the sealing room behind the old sealing office just off the Celestial Room to perform proxy ordinances of marriage for our deceased ancestors – all family names our family had prepared. One by one we took our turns at the altar in the center of the room and relived again the morning it all began with just the two of us in 1969. This time the altar was surrounded by our cherished posterity, all of whom had been sealed as couples in previous live ordinances for themselves. The realization of that blessing pronounced upon us fifty years earlier had come to pass, fifty years in the making.

Patsy and I have been through many wonderful and challenging times together over those fifty years. Perhaps the most humbling of all has been this last several years as we sought diligently to petition our Father in Heaven for answers to my deteriorating health. The downward slide accelerated in the last six months. I know it is good to be humble without being compelled to be humble, but this last six months especially we have been compelled to be humble. Our circumstances are not unusual for most people as they grow older. Few old people I have known are afraid to die, it’s just the getting there that is so difficult.

We simply could not find that elusive answer to why I was “off” from what everyone had known me to be earlier in my life. Then the meningioma brain tumor was diagnosed, and the answer to the medical mystery was staring right back at us from the doctor’s computer screen. It was the brain that had been squeezed and compressed over a long period.

So compromised had I become pre-surgery that I calculated I was at about a 2 on a 100 scale. I had my heart and my lungs that were still functioning well – everything else had been shut down as my brain’s way of compensating to keep me alive. Simple tasks in earlier years were now seemingly impossible to accomplish. My brain told me I could do these things – I had always done these things – but I had lost the ability to do them. My doctor had told me, “Anybody can exercise for ten minutes a day,” and I agreed in principle to that statement. I had gone for much longer periods of heavier exercise before. But I couldn’t do it anymore. I could barely get out of bed, and then I wobbled badly on my weak leg muscles.  

Post-surgery I wasn’t much better for three weeks. I was childlike. I had to master the control of my bladder and my bowels again like a little child in diapers, and I was wearing adult diapers. I was compelled to be humble. I had to learn to eat for myself again. I had to learn to balance and to walk again, at first mastering only a few steps to the bathroom and back using a walker for balance. I couldn’t do any of those things I had always done until my brain fog cleared and the blood clot that occupied the space where the tumor had been in my brain at the incision spot had dissipated. It took about three weeks.

Now our prayers have been fully answered. I have been cured and I have been healed. Humility is now once again a choice for me.

Fifty years is a long time to be married to the same person. It’s a golden time in our lives now. That’s why no one knew me better than Patsy, and why her instincts (impressions of the Spirit) could not be dismissed so easily. She knew me better than I knew myself, and she certainly knew me better than all the doctors and their scientific training. Once they listened to her and responded to her demands for the MRI, the source of our long struggle for answers was finally revealed.

We have been studying together the outlines of the Book of Mormon chapters in Come Follow Me. We are now into the book of Helaman. There is a constant ebb and flow among the Nephites and Lamanites at this point in their history. One year the Lamanites are repenting and receiving great blessings from the Lord, then they become prideful. Another year the Nephites are repenting, and they become more righteous than the Lamanites and they are blessed continually. Then this one verse leaps out as a pattern scripture for us to learn to live by, whether we are “Lamanites” or “Nephites:”

Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts,  which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God. (Helaman 3:34).

My children are old enough now to see some of their friends who were once faithful members of the Church begin leaving and taking their families with them into the wilderness of apostasy because they have “done their research” and learned about “facts” they were never taught in the Church. They often come to me with their stories about their friends who have left, and they are saddened by the stories they read on their friends’ social media pages about their reasons for leaving. I encourage my children to be patient and to try to be like Heavenly Father. Can you imagine Him pacing around His throne wringing His hands over every soul who turns away for a season? Having vouched safe the moral agency of His children from the beginning and put a Redeemer in place to assure the demands of justice are fully satisfied through mercy conditioned upon the repentance of His children, He waits patiently for the fruits of the vineyard to come forth in the glorious harvest He envisions for each of His children. That’s the perspective we must have too – be patient and wait for the harvest that will surely come.

Mormon uses a phrase “thus we see” as an editorial comment in his editorial work of summarizing the records:

Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked – And land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the right hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers to go no more out. (Helaman 3:29-30).

Let us all “lay hold” upon the word of God, slow down, turn down the noise in our busy lives, take a deep breath, ponder and pray, follow the pattern given to us as cited above, and land our souls at the right hand of God.

 We are in a war for our souls. Believe me I know that as never before. In the varied battles of life Satan takes many prisoners and inflicts many injuries and even deaths. But if we are true and faithful, we will prevail in the final battle of this war, for so it has been written and the scriptures are true. We are building for the eternities, and we are just now beginning to discern the light at the end of the long tunnel of sin and deception.

Is There Life After Death?

I have several dear friends who are not currently members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I frequently have conversations with them about their religious beliefs, and invariably the question will come up whether life goes on after the grave. They are always astounded at my answers and my assurance that life does continue after death. So many in the world have an innate belief in life after death because it is so plausible. How can a lifetime of association with those they love simply end at the edge of the grave? They don't want to accept the finality of death. They want to believe there is more, but believing in life after death presupposes there must be a God who can make such hopes a reality.

Over the years I have spoken at many funerals. I always make a statement about how optimistic I am about death and the reality of life after death. I have come to believe and to KNOW there is life after death. In this post I will dive a little deeper into WHY I believe the way I do.

I accept that God gives good gifts to all His children, and He is no respecter of persons because He has told us as much in His Holy Word. (See Romans 2:11; Acts 10:34). In this context we are assured there is no partiality or favoritism. All are alike before the bar of eternal justice. Mercy and grace are extended to those who comply with God's commands, but all who accept the terms and conditions of repentance are treated alike.

If we accept that God is capable of giving only good gifts because His very nature is goodness, then we have this blessed assurance: If you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God. (D&C 14:7). Notice the quid pro quo: If you do this, I will do that. And there you have the exact definition of a covenant.

Salvation is the greatest of all the gifts of God. It is synonymous with eternal life. It is the gift bestowed by God upon those who come to think as He thinks, to believe as He does, to act as He acts. In time those who are faithful to their covenants will come to experience what He experiences. To become as God now is will put us in position to be a joint heir with Jesus Christ, the Firstborn and Only Begotten Son, our Savior and Redeemer. We become equal with the Lord in power, might, and dominion, as the scripture declares: "Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High." (Psalms 82:6).

We receive from our Heavenly Father the gift of immortality through His Son, Jesus Christ. That gift is to have the power to live forever. It is one of the wondrous gifts we receive through the atonement of Jesus Christ. Our spirits are already immortal as a conscious personality shrouded by a mortal body now in mortality which will never cease to exist. Our spirits are the spark of divinity within each of us. The spirit within each of us will live everlastingly. Death is simply the temporary separation of our eternal spirit from our mortal body. The scriptures make it clear, however, that immortality is associated with the resurrection where spirit and body are inseparably reconnected and reunited, destined for a kingdom of glory in the life after this mortal life. Resurrection is a reality for all. I love the way the Apostle Paul expressed it:

"Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once; but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God." (Romans 6:8-10).

To my friends who are not currently of my faith, I invite you to request a copy of The Book of Mormon (click the link to obtain a free copy). One of the prophets in that book of scripture was Amulek, who describes the resurrected body and uses the word spiritual synonymously with the word immortal. This usage is identical with all prophets of all ages, denoting a state which is not subject to death. (See also 1 Corinthians 15:44; D&C 88:27; Moses 3:9).

Immortality, life after death in a resurrected body, is a free gift to all men and women who have ever lived upon the earth. It is a supernal gift of God's grace, requiring no obedience whatsoever to God's laws, "for as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive" (1 Corinthians 15:22). "All" in this expression means "all" without exception. Amulek said it best: "Now, this restoration [of body and spirit] shall come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous" (Alma 11:44; emphasis mine).

Eternal life is synonymous with God's life (see Moses 7:35). It consists of two components: 1) inheriting, receiving, and possessing the fulness of the glory of the Father; and 2) a continuation of the family unit in eternity (see D&C 132:19).

Immortality comes as a free gift to all. Eternal life, may also be received as an additional gift to those who qualify through faithful obedience to the covenants we make as provided in the plan of salvation. Both of these conditions are made available through our Lord's suffering in Gethsemane and on Calvary, followed by His resurrection from His borrowed tomb on Easter morning.

We are all partakers of that blessing. When I visited the Garden Tomb at the foot of Calvary outside the city walls of Jerusalem, a small plaque memorialized the words of the angel to the grieving Mary and others as we turned to exit the tomb: "Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen." (Luke 24:5-6). The tomb that stands empty still to this day is ample evidence of His resurrection. President Harold B. Lee and President Spencer W. Kimball, each serving at the time as President of the Church, when they visited there independently declared that tomb was the place of the resurrection of our risen Lord Jesus Christ. It is sacred and hallowed ground.

In the Lord's own words: "And thus did I, the Lord God, appoint unto man the days of his probation - that by his natural death he might be raised in immortality unto eternal life, even as many as would believe" (D&C 29:43; emphasis mine).

Paul described our Lord thusly: ". . . he who hath abolished death, and hath brought [eternal] life and immortality to light through the gospel" (2 Timothy 1:10).

Appearing to Moses, the premortal Jehovah described His mission:: "For behold, this is my work and my glory-to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39; emphasis mine; see also John 11:25).

Joseph Smith

"Salvation consists in the glory, authority, majesty, power, and dominion which Jehovah possesses and in nothing else; and no being can possess it but himself or one like him." (Joseph Smith, Lectures on Faith, 7:9). Both Joseph and the Apostle Paul taught Christ had gained salvation because He had put all enemies under His feet, the last enemy being death. And so it is for all of us. (See Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 297, 301, 305; 1 Corinthians 15:25; Hebrews 2:8).

Salvation is eternal life. It is life in the highest degree of celestial glory, it is life among Gods and angels. The word salvation means exactly the same thing as eternal life. Exaltation is another word we use to describe the same things associated with the glories of the celestial kingdom. Exaltation has the same meaning as eternal life, and it is the same meaning as salvation. To be saved is to be exalted and to enjoy eternal life. Elder Bruce R. McConkie elaborated:

"We are ofttimes prone to create artificial distinctions, to say that salvation means one thing and exaltation another, to suppose that salvation means to be resurrected, but that exaltation or eternal life is something in addition thereto. It is true that there are some passages of scripture that use salvation in a special and limited sense in order to give an overall perspective of the plan of salvation that we would not otherwise have. (2 Nephi 9:1-27; D&C 76:40-49; 132:15-17). These passages show the difference between general or universal salvation that consists in coming forth from the grave in immortality, and specific or individual salvation that consists of an inheritance in the celestial kingdom....

"Since it is the prophetic purpose to lead men to full salvation in the highest heaven of the celestial world, when they speak and write about salvation, almost without exception, they mean eternal life or exaltation. They use the terms salvation, exaltation, and eternal life as synonyms, as words that mean exactly the same thing without any difference, distinction, or variance whatever." (The Promised Messiah, 129; 306; also, A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, 144-54; emphasis mine).

Once again, Amulek equated the two terms eternal life and salvation. He described the coming of the Messiah: "And he shall come into the world to redeem his people; and he shall take upon him the transgressions of those who believe on his name; and these are they that shall have eternal life, and salvation cometh to none else." (Alma 11:40; emphasis mine).

The Savior said, "If thou wilt do good, yea, and hold out faithful to the end, thou shalt be saved in the kingdom of God, which is the greatest of all the gifts of God; for there is no gift greater than the gift of salvation." (D&C 6:13; emphasis mine). Now notice this parallel meaning in another revelation given two months later: "And, if you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God." (D&C 14:7; emphasis mine).

Salt Lake Temple

Eternal marriage is the crowning covenant for those who seek eternal life, since bringing to pass the "immortality and eternal life of man" is contingent upon the creation of the mortal body by a man and a woman. Marriages are "solemnized" in temples. We call it "sealing," implying an eternal welding link forged by priesthood authority that binds families together forever. Death may intervene and temporary partings may ensue, but life continues even after death, and love never ends. "In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees. And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage]; And if he does not, he cannot obtain it. He may enter into the other, but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an increase." (D&C 131:1-4).

Said the Lord: "Except a man and his wife enter into an everlasting covenant and be married for eternity, while in this probation, by the power and authority of the Holy Priesthood, they will cease to increase when they die; that is, they will not have any children after the resurrection. But those who are married by the power and authority of the priesthood in this life, and continue without committing the sin against the Holy Ghost, will continue to increase and have children in the celestial glory." (D&C 132:22-25). Eternal lives indicates the right of a worthy man and woman to enjoy "the continuation of the seeds," the everlasting perpetuation of the family unit. (TPJS, 300-301; emphasis mine).

We started by stating God is no respecter of persons, implying explicitly there is no "cap" in eternity upon the number of saved beings. The design of God's "great plan of happiness" is to save all who will be saved in compliance with the requirement to repent. With the Mormons it is an article of our faith: "We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel." (Articles of Faith 1:3; emphasis mine). Again, when the Lord says "all" He means "all".

No person was promised eternal life in our premortal spirit state on an unconditional basis, and conversely, none was condemned forever as an irretrievable reprobate either. (Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed., 238). Lehi declared to his son Jacob, "Salvation is free" (2 Nephi 2:4). The plan of salvation turns on mercy, and His purposes are available and accessible to all without restriction. Nephi taught: ". . .the Lord God worketh not in darkness." Further, "He doeth not any thing save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation." Nephi declared: "Hath he commanded any that they should not partake of his salvation? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but he hath given it free for all men; and he hath commanded his people that they should persuade all men to repentance." (2 Nephi 26:23-24, 27). Mormon missionaries, totaling some 85,000, now dot the globe proclaiming these truths. I encourage everyone who hasn't yet to invite them into your homes to learn more.

We learn in the scriptures about a "strait gate" and a "narrow way" which lead to eternal life. "Strait is the gate, and narrow the way that leadeth unto the exaltation and the continuation of the lives, and few there be that find it, because ye receive me not in the world neither do ye know me." On the other hand, "broad is the gate, and wide the way that leadeth to the deaths; and many there are that go in thereat, because they receive me not, neither do they abide in my law." (D&C 132:22, 25; see also Matthew 7:13-14).

In relation to the world's population, perhaps Mormons will forever be a minority, and "few" among the masses of humanity of 7 billion in the world today, but there is room for optimism in these verses. Many of our spirit brothers and sisters, perhaps a number approaching infinity, will be saved. Think of all the children who died before the age of accountability, perhaps billions of little ones from the days of Adam to the time of the Millennium. Add to that billions who never had the opportunity to hear the gospel message in mortality, but who afterwards received the glad tidings in the spirit world prior to their resurrection. Don't forget the innumerable hosts who qualified for exaltation from Enoch's city, from Melchizedek's Salem, or from the "golden era" of the Nephites after the resurrected Lord's visit to the Americas, as cited in The Book of Mormon. Continue adding the billions of children who will be born during the Millennium, a time when disease and death are non-existent. (D&C 45:58). Think about all who will yet live when Earth is "renewed" and paradisiacal glory reigns. Can you begin to catch a glimpse of the number of saved beings in eternity? God, our Eternal Father in Heaven, who is the Author of the plan of salvation will save many more than our finite minds can imagine.

As Mormons, we are a patient lot, and we accept salvation and exaltation as a process over time. We align ourselves in this life to the degree we can with eternal verities we accept and know to be true. We accept our imperfections and those of others, while simultaneously doing all we can to become sanctified and holy in this life and encouraging one another to do the same. Learning to forgive others freely is to learn the attributes of godliness in this life, since each of us falls short of perfection in mortality and stands in need of forgiveness ourselves. Gaining salvation and attaining perfection is a lengthy process that certainly must transcend time and space in this life and continue beyond the grave. (See D&C 93:19).

I cherish and commend to you these words of Elder Bruce R. McConkie to college students at BYU:

Elder Bruce R. McConkie

"We do not work out our salvation in a moment; it doesn't come to us in an instant, suddenly. Gaining salvation is a process. Paul says, 'Work out your salvation with fear and trembling' (Philippians 2:12). To some members of the Church who had been baptized and who were on the course leading to eternal life, he said, 'Now is our salvation nearer than when we believed' (Romans 13:11). That is, 'We have made some progress along the straight and narrow path. We are going forward, and if we continue in that direction, eternal life will be our everlasting reward. . .'

"We say that a man has to be born again, meaning that he has to die as pertaining to the unrighteous things in the world. Paul said, 'Crucify the old man of sin and come forth in a newness of life' (Romans 6:6). We are born again when we die as pertaining to unrighteousness and when we live as pertaining to the things of the Spirit. But that doesn't happen in an instant, suddenly. That also is a process. Being born again is a gradual thing, except in a few isolated instances that are so miraculous that they get written up in the scriptures. As far as the generality of the members of the Church are concerned, we are born again by degrees, and we are born again to added light and added knowledge and added desires for righteousness as we keep the commandments. . .

"So it is with the plan of salvation. We have to become perfect to be saved in the celestial kingdom. But nobody becomes perfect in this life. Only the Lord Jesus attained that state, and he had an advantage that none of us has. He was the Son of God, and he came into this life with a spiritual capacity and a talent and an inheritance that exceeded beyond all comprehension what any of the rest of us was born with. Our revelations say that he was like unto God in the premortal life and he was, under the Father, the creator of worlds without number. That Holy Being was the Holy One of Israel anciently and he was the Sinless One in mortality. This shows that we can strive and go forward toward that goal, but no other mortal - not the greatest prophets nor the mightiest apostles nor any of the righteous saints of any of the ages - has ever been perfect, but we must become perfect to gain a celestial inheritance. As it is with being born again. and as it is with sanctifying our souls, so becoming perfect in Christ is a process. . .

"As members of the Church, if we chart a course leading to eternal life; if we begin the processes of spiritual rebirth, and are going in the right direction; if we chart a course of sanctifying our souls, and degree by degree are going in that direction; and if we chart a course of becoming perfect. and, step by step and phase by phase, are perfecting our souls by overcoming the world, then it is absolutely guaranteed - there is no question whatever about it - we shall gain eternal life. Even though we have spiritual rebirth ahead of us, perfection ahead of us, the full degree of sanctification ahead of us, if we chart a course and follow it to the best of our ability in this life, then when we go out of this life we'll continue in exactly that same course. We'll no longer be subject to the passions and the appetites of the flesh. We will have passed successfully the tests of this mortal probation and in due course we'll get the fulness of our Father's kingdom - and that means eternal life in his everlasting presence.

"The Prophet told us that there are many things that people have to do, even after the grave, to work out their salvation. We're not going to be perfect the minute we die. (TPJS, 189; see also, Doctrines of Salvation, 1:61). But if we've charted a course, if our desires are right, if our appetites are curtailed and bridled, and if we believe in the Lord and are doing to the very best of our abilities what we ought to do. We'll go on to everlasting salvation, which is the fulness of eternal reward in our Father's kingdom."

Elder McConkie then observed: "I think we ought to have hope; I think we ought to have rejoicing." ("Jesus Christ and Him Crucified," 1976 Brigham Young University Devotional Speeches of the Year, 398-401; also see, "The Seven Deadly Heresies," 1980 Brigham Young University Devotional Speeches of the Year, 78-79; Conference Report, October 1976, 158-59, emphasis mine above).

We have hope to rejoice for those who will yet forsake the ways of the world, enter the gate of baptism and walk along the strait and narrow path with the Holy Ghost as their guide, whether in this life or in the next. It is always better the sooner we can embrace truth and live accordingly. I take great comfort in knowing there will be "an innumerable company" of the just (see D&C 76:67; 138:12), who do so.

Our Lord declared, ". . .he who doeth the works of righteousness shall receive his reward, even peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come." (D&C 59:23). Centuries ago, Isaiah wrote: "And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever" (Isaiah 32:17). Though we pass through "hard things" in mortality, we can know peace in this life "which passeth all understanding" (Philippians 4:7). We can come time through all the tests and trials, taught the Prophet Joseph, to a point where we have made our callings and elections sure. (TPJS, 149-51). For these the day of judgment has been advanced and blessings associated with the glories of the celestial kingdom are assured. They receive what the Prophet Joseph called "the more sure word of prophecy," which the Lord explained to him, "means a man's knowing that he is sealed up unto eternal life, by revelation and the spirit of prophecy, through the power of the Holy Priest hood. It is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance." (D&C 131:5-6).

President Marion G. Romney

Though it is true, as President Marion G. Romney observed, that "the fulness of eternal life is not attainable in mortality, . . .the peace which is its harbinger and which comes as a result of making one's calling and election sure is attainable in this life." (Conference Report, October 1965, 20).

The Prophet Joseph extended this invitation: "I would exhort you to go on and continue to call upon God until you make your calling and election sure for yourselves, by obtaining this more sure word of prophecy, and wait patiently for the promise until you obtain it." (TPJS, 299; see also Mosiah 18:8-9; D&C 14:7; 53:7; 2 Nephi 31:20; Mosiah 5:15). Remember, "But blessed are they who are faithful and endure, whether in life or in death, for they shall inherit eternal life." (D&C 50:5; emphasis mine).

I conclude with these words from Elder Bruce R. McConkie at the funeral of Elder S. Dilworth Young:

"If we die in the faith, that is the same thing as saying that our calling and election has been made sure and that we will go on to eternal reward hereafter. As far as faithful members of the Church are concerned, they have charted a course leading to eternal life. This life is the time that is appointed as a probationary estate for men to prepare to meet God, and as far as faithful people are concerned, if they are in the line of their duty, if they are doing what they ought to do, although they may not have been perfect in this sphere, their probation is ended. Now there will be some probation for some other people hereafter. But for the faithful saints of God, now is the time and the day, and their probation is ended with their death, and they will not thereafter depart from the path. It is true as the Prophet Joseph Smith said, that there are many things that have to be done 'even beyond the grave' to work out our salvation, but we'll stay in the course and we will not alter from it, if we have been true and faithful in this life." (From an address at the funeral service for Elder S. Dilworth Young, 13 July 1981, typescript, 5; emphasis mine).

Of course there is life after death! That includes life after death for EVERYONE. In this life we choose the quality of our life after death, through the exercise of our agency in obedience to God's commandments. For those of us who are living in mortality, we must exercise faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior and Redeemer, repent of our sins, recognizing He has already redeemed us from sin and death, enter the waters of baptism and be baptized by those authorized servants holding the priesthood, and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands by those in authority.

Then throughout our mortal probation we endure in those principles and ordinances in order to claim the blessings of salvation and exaltation.

Without Joseph Smith

This afternoon I was searching in my e-mail history for something else, and I stumbled over an e-mail I sent to a dear friend summarizing my appreciation for the Prophet Joseph Smith. It's worth sharing again:

Joseph Smith (1805 - 1844)

April 16, 2005

Tomorrow, I’m speaking in Francis 1st Ward.   The topic they assigned me was the Prophet Joseph Smith.   The bishop had heard me speak in the stake fireside in January to kick off the year of celebration [2005 was the 200th anniversary of Joseph's birth in 1805] and wanted me to reprise what I had done before.   While it's impossible to do that, because it all came by the Spirit while I was on my feet, my mind took me in this direction.

I thought about, “What would my life be like without Joseph Smith?”   It reduces to truth, defined by the Lord as "knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come."   (D&C 93:24)   It's the knowledge from God through Joseph that I can't live without.

Without Joseph, we would never understand the true nature of the Godhead.   The concept of God would be a nebulous spirit essence whose center is nowhere and whose circumference is everywhere.   Just read the Nicean Creed sometime for an example of what man, left to his own wisdom, comes up with when trying to describe God.   With Joseph, however, we have this simple declaration:   “The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. . .”   (D&C 130:22).   Either Joseph saw them and spoke with them, or he didn’t.   Everything this Church teaches and represents stands on that simple declaration based upon an early Spring morning’s encounter with Diety in 1820.   I would never know, without Joseph, that my Father in Heaven once lived on an earth like I do, and that I may someday become just like him.   (See King Follett funeral address, TPJS, 342).   Read it again to remind yourself just how stunning his knowledge at the pinnacle of his life really was.

Without Joseph, we would never have received the true priesthood.   It came to him from those ancient prophet worthies who held the power and authority they held during their mortal lives, namely John the Baptist and Peter, James and John.   Authority came from heaven itself in the form of resurrected beings.   Recently, Pope John Paul II was laid to rest, they claim, only feet away from the “first Pope,” Peter the ancient Apostle.   Imagine this most recent Pope’s surprise upon entering the spirit world to be greeted by a resurrected Peter whose body long ago arose from the earthly tomb that held it bound.   I wonder how long it will take the last Pope to accept the fullness of the gospel from the "first Pope" upon hearing it for the first time.  Imagine the conversation when Peter explains his bones were never buried under St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, Rome.

Without Joseph, we would have no knowledge of the organization of the only true Church authorized by our Father in Heaven and named for his Son Jesus Christ.   Imagine an organization revealed from heaven to living prophets that is able to accommodate rapid growth and constant change without missing a beat.   It is a constant source of amazement to me that changes in leadership every week across the world happen seamlessly without conflict or rebellion.   Its ability to expand its leadership infinitely as needed is equally amazing.   Beginning in 1975, the 1st Quorum of the Seventy was established, followed soon thereafter by the 2nd Quorum.   Members of these two quorums were designated as full-time General Authorities.   In April 1997, there came part-time Area Authority Seventies comprising the 3rd, 4th and 5th Quorums of Seventy.   In July 2004, the 6th Quorum was established.   All this is in fulfillment of a stunning pronouncement by Joseph in 1835:   “If the first Seventy are all employed, and there is a call for more laborers, it will be the duty of the seven presidents of the first Seventy to call and ordain other Seventy and send them forth to labor in the vineyard, until, if needs be, they set apart seven times seventy, and even until there are one hundred and forty-four thousand thus set apart for the ministry.”   (TPJS, 75).   Read about the 144,000 high priests (all today’s Seventies are ordained high priests) in Revelation 6-7, and D&C 77:11, then ask yourself how Joseph knew so much about organizing a worldwide Church when all the ordained priesthood brethren in Kirtland could fit in a little room.   Reported by Wilford Woodruff who was there, Joseph said:   “You know no more concerning the destinies of this Church and kingdom than a babe upon its mother’s lap.   You don’t comprehend it. . . It is only a little handfull [sic] of Priesthood you see here tonight, but this Church will fill North and South America –  it will fill the world” (as quoted by Wilford Woodruff, in Conference Report, April 1898, 57).

Without Joseph, we would know nothing about the establishment of Zion, pointing to the day when the earthly priesthood would unite with the heavenly priesthood.   Joseph taught that those who make their calling and election sure have the privilege of communing with "an innumerable company of angels." (HC 1:283).   He observed that "Paul [the Apostle] speaks of the Church coming to an innumerable company of angels."   (HC 3:388; 4:51; Hebrews 12:23).   The Prophet also explained: The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed.   The mustard seed is small, but brings forth a large tree, and the fowls lodge in the branches.   The fowls are the angels. . .   We may come to an innumerable company of angels, have communion with and receive instruction from them. . .   Paul had these things, and we may have the fowls of heaven lodge in the branches, etc.   (HC 3:389).   All that describes a condition of the heart, and is expanded in Joseph’s revelation and subsequent teachings about the church of the Firstborn (D&C 76:50-70).   But the thing that always amazes me is that the Lord revealed to Joseph that Independence, Missouri, was the geographical center of the United States in 1831, and the exact location of the New Jerusalem that would come down out of heaven to be joined to the earthly Zion.   He called it the “center place” and the “center stake of Zion.”   (D&C 57:1-5; 84:1-5; and this stunning promise in 101:16-18).   We know all of that because of Joseph.   I seem to use that word "stunning" a lot when I speak of Joseph.

Without Joseph, what hope do we have for salvation, meaning exaltation in the highest degree of celestial glory?   Through Joseph came the marvelous flood of light that shines brightly on the Father’s plan of happiness for his children.   We, who have suffered the loss of loved ones through death, have the hope of a glorious reunion with them.   We know we will be resurrected with them.   We know we may be exalted if we are faithful.   We know the sting of death is temporary, only swallowed up in the eternal life that awaits the sanctified.

Without Joseph, we would never know what we do about the atonement of Jesus Christ, and how to apply its purifying power to our lives.   Think what your life would be like to never have the knowledge that you could find peace in this life through the cleansing power of repentance.   Think what your life would be like without the knowledge that your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, if acted upon the way Joseph Smith outlines in the Restoration, could become the dominating force for good in your life.   Imagine not knowing that the old man of sin could be laid away in that watery grave of baptism, and rise renewed in the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost who will walk with us daily in our mortal journey.   Imagine not having the Articles of Faith to shed light on the atonement's power in our individual lives.   Said Joseph:   "The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things [I take that to mean "programs of the Church," sorry just couldn't resist] which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it."   (TPJS, 121).   Joseph said, commenting upon this statement, "I published the foregoing answers to save myself the trouble of repeating the same a thousand times over and over again."

Without Joseph, we have no modern scripture to be added to the canon of the Bible.   Without Joseph, there is no Book of Mormon, no Pearl of Great Price, no Doctrine and Covenants, no Lectures on Faith, no Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith.   Without Joseph we are left to interpret and debate the meanings of doctrine endlessly with our Christian neighbors.   We are shrouded without Joseph in the darkness of uncertainty and doubt about the meaning of our existence here in mortality.

Without Joseph, we have no knowledge about the role of prophets, ancient and modern.   Chosen by the God of heaven, they are appointed in a completely foreign way to the ways of men –  God chooses them, rather than a body of believers who elect them to lead.   I was interested recently to hear Susan Easton Black recount the history of how the Reorganized Church approached Joseph Smith III repeatedly and begged him to assume what they determined to be his rightful position in succession to his father.   After many attempts and many years later, he finally relented to their persistent pleas.   He was never sure that he was called of God thereafter, and made no such claim.   Contrast that with revelation from God to living prophets who exercise sacred priesthood keys.

Without Joseph, we know nothing of how to prepare ourselves spiritually for the Second Coming of Christ.   The Book of Mormon supplies us with a handbook, written through the spirit of prophecy by prophets who witnessed our day in vision.   It is remarkable that the bulk of its pages centers on conditions immediately preceding the Savior’s ministry among the Nephites and the aftermath of his ministry.   Said President Ezra Taft Benson: “The record of the Nephite history just prior to the Savior's visit reveals many parallels to our own day as we anticipate the Savior's second coming.   The Nephite civilization had reached great heights.   They were prosperous and industrious.   They had built many cities with great highways connecting them.   They engaged in shipping and trade.   They built temples and palaces.   But, as so often happens, the people rejected the Lord.   Pride became commonplace.   Dishonesty and immorality were widespread.   Secret combinations flourished because, as Helaman tells us, the Gadianton robbers ‘had seduced the more part of the righteous until they had come down to believe in their works and partake of their spoils.’   (Helaman 6:38).   ‘The people began to be distinguished by ranks, according to their riches and their chances for learning.’   (3 Nephi 6:12).   And ‘Satan had great power, unto the stirring up of the people to do all manner of iniquity, and to the puffing them up with pride, tempting them to seek for power, and authority, and riches, and the vain things of the world,’ even as today.”   (3 Nephi 6:15).   (See Ensign, May 1987, 4).

Without Joseph, we know nothing about the purpose of temples.   We would never know about sealing families together forever, nothing of the ritual cleansing ordinances that symbolize spiritual realities for the pure in heart.   We would never know how to link our ancestors and our posterity together in an unbroken chain forged back to Father Adam and Mother Eve.   We would never have the 119 sanctuaries we do dotting the globe today, where the faithful may go to find peace in a chaotic world and may commune directly with their Father in Heaven.   Those temples with the words "Holiness to the Lord" written upon them only symbolize our temples.   God will put his seal upon our temple someday if we are faithful to our temple covenants.   In the temple we learn of the path to celestial life, and we must choose here and now to get on that path:   Obedience, sacrifice, gospel, chastity and consecration.   Five laws, five covenants, five stepping stones to eternal life.   Without Joseph, how would we ever know?

With Joseph, we have it all.   How grateful I am to him for his generosity of spirit!

It's December - "Are You Ready for Christmas?"

"Are you ready for Christmas?" The question reverberates around the globe every year at this time. "Ready for Christmas?" It seems the pressure mounts to reach for the perfect tree, the perfect decorations, the perfect present, the perfect recipe, the perfect Christmas dinner. In short, it's a time of magical fantasy dreams and wishes.

December at its end always looks different than at the beginning, doesn't it? We love Christmas at our house. Patsy has over a hundred nativity scenes, and she loves to put them all out all over the house. The preparations, the decorations, the lights, the tree, the advent candles, all of it represents an attempt to recapture the innocence of a perfect time in our childhood. It fills us with anticipation that at the darkest time of the year, the end of December, we may seek and find the Light of the world if we focus on Him. The aftermath of Christmas morning rarely lives up to its fullest potential on December 1st, it seems. But we try year after year to recapture the magical moments of youth. A simpler time, a simpler set of expectations, a simpler life.

As we grow older, Patsy and I have evolved into something from "Back to the Future." Alone, just the two of us in our large family home once filled with children, their friends, and non-stop parties, we have now defaulted to the Hallmark Channel for its barrage of cheesy Christmas perfection. I tease her that every Christmas movie plot involves a winning and predictable formula - two star-crossed lovers, conflict of some kind, resolution, kissing and always a scene at the end with snow gently falling all around. The funniest thing about the snow scene is that it happens even in Arizona and California. Perfect.

The embodiment of the Christmas ideal is the perfection we find in Jesus Christ. He is the only human being (half human, half God), who came to Earth and never succumbed to the wiles of Satan. Good and evil were with us from the beginning, when Satan rebelled against the Father's plan of happiness for His children and took "a third part" of Heavenly Father's spirit children down with him. Forever denied access to a physical body, the essential element of the plan, they continue to afflict and torment man. But in Christ we have the perfect Prototype of salvation.

Joseph Smith

Joseph Smith posed the question in the Lectures on Faith: "We ask, then, where is the prototype? or where is the saved being? We conclude, as to the answer of this question, there will be no dispute among those who believe the Bible, that it is Christ; all will agree in this, that He is the prototype or standard of salvation." (Lecture 7).

In Christ we have the perfect example of how to live. We reach for it, we aspire unto it, yet as Paul reminds us, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23).

I believe it is in the reaching, the stretching, the yearning for perfection that we are sanctified and purified. Rather than become discouraged, disheartened or disappointed in our lack of achievement against the standard of perfection, we must embrace our fallen natures, acknowledge our weakness and our need for Christ. We must confess our stupidity on so many levels, rather than break ourselves against the wall of the law. So many within my sphere of influence have given up, left the Church, walked away from the attempt, claiming it's just futile, inconceivable and elusive beyond man's ability to comprehend. To which I respond, "That's exactly what we are supposed to see and understand about ourselves."

No great business enterprise prospered and succeeded without a vision of the impossible. Once the vision is set before us, the solutions begin to present themselves as we attempt to climb higher to our goals. Without the struggle, without the courage to try, without dependency upon a higher power than our own, nothing can be accomplished that is worthwhile. Growth comes in the stretching beyond our native abilities. New ideas present themselves we never would have contemplated but for the reaching higher toward the impossible vision we set for ourselves. Become a god someday myself? Impossible. But it's possible to believe it's possible.

Two of the titles we give to Jesus Christ are Savior and Redeemer. In December, as in no other month, we are reminded of these two titles. "Saved from what?" we might ask. Redeemed from what?

President Harold B. Lee

President Harold B. Lee's favorite chapter of scripture was 2 Nephi 9. In it, he said, was found a more comprehensive treatment of the plan of salvation than anywhere else in scripture. He quoted from it often during his lifetime. Let me give you a sample:

"O the greatness of the mercy of our God, the Holy One of Israel! For he delivereth his saints from that awful monster the devil, and death, and hell, and that lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment [see D&C 19:10]. O how great the holiness of our God! For he knoweth all things, and there is not anything save he knows it." (2 Nephi 9:19-20). "For the atonement satisfieth the demand of his justice upon all those who have not the law given unto them, that they are delivered from that awful monster, death and hell, and the devil, and the lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment; and they are restored to that God who gave them breath, which is the Holy One of Israel." (2 Nephi 9:26).

In those three verses we learn God is merciful to us because He knows us, really KNOWS us down to the cellular level. He delivers us in His mercy from the devil, death and hell. But we must call upon Him for deliverance, and reject the arm of flesh which has nothing to offer us eternally. He saves us and redeems us from those effects of the mortal chaos swirling around us that threatens to destroy us when we come unto Him, repent of our sins and embrace HIS perfection. Trusting in His unseen deliverance is much more difficult than reaching for more dollars in our bank account, but it is the requirement for salvation and redemption. It is reaching for perfection in Him.

We learn even those who inherit the telestial kingdom, a kingdom of glory, are "heirs of salvation" at their level. (D&C 76:88). We are instructed in that day, "These all shall bow the knee, and every tongue shall confess to him who sits on the throne forever and ever." (D&C 76:110).

President Joseph F. Smith

President Joseph F. Smith gives us just a glimpse of how comprehensive this work of saving and redeeming the souls of men really is:

"I beheld that the faithful elders of this dispensation, when they depart from mortal life, continue their labors in the preaching of the gospel of repentance and redemption, through the sacrifice of the Only Begotten Son of God, among those who are in darkness and under the bondage of sin in the great world of the spirits of the dead. The dead who repent will be redeemed, through obedience to the ordinances of the house of God. And after they have paid the penalty of their transgressions, and are washed clean, shall receive a reward according to their works, for they are heirs of salvation." (D&C 138:57-59).

It is clear from the scriptures what is involved in becoming an "heir of salvation." This is as clear as words can possibly be: "And the resurrection from the dead is the redemption of the soul. And the redemption of the soul is through him that quickeneth all things, in whose bosom it is decreed that the poor and the meek of the earth shall inherit it." (D&C88:16-18).

To be redeemed, anything and everything is possible, even for people who have lost their way. One day, if they repent, they too will be redeemed and saved in the highest degrees of glory:

"And behold, this is the whole meaning of the law, every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal. And thus he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowerth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance. And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice; therefore only unto him that has faith unto repentance is brought about the great and eternal plan of redemption." (Alma 34:16).

Even in the spirit world beyond this life, the work of redemption moves ahead. Spirits of the dead who have departed this life continue to have their moral agency, they may embrace the gospel in its fulness, exercise faith unto repentance, accept the ordinances of the Lord's house including proxy baptism by immersion for the remission of their sins, the laying on of the hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, and the endowment and sealing ordinances that bind their families to them forever. Performed under the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood, these saving ordinances assure men and women a place together as husband and wife in the Patriarchal Order of the priesthood if they are willing to be saved and redeemed under the merciful provisions offered to them by a loving Savior and Redeemer.

Helaman reminds us: "O remember, remember, my sons, the words which king Benjamin spake unto the people; yea, remember that there is no other way nor means whereby man can be saved, only through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, who shall come; yea, remember that he cometh to redeem the world." (Helaman 5:9).

And what did King Benjamin teach? That we must embrace our fallen natures and turn to Christ:

For behold, if the knowledge of the goodness of God at this time has awakened you to a sense of your nothingness, and your worthless and fallen state -
I say unto you, if ye have come to a knowledge of the goodness of God, and his matchless power and his wisdom, and his patience, and his long-suffering towards the children of men; and also, the atonement which has been prepared from the foundation of the world, that thereby salvation might come to him that should put his trust in the Lord, and should be diligent in keeping his commandments,, and continue in the faith even unto the end of his life, I mean the life of the mortal body -
I say, that this is the man who receiveth salvation, through the atonement which was prepared from the foundation of the world for all mankind, whichever were since the fall of Adam, or who are, or who ever shall be, even unto the end of the world.
And this is the means whereby salvation cometh. And there is none other salvation save this which hath been spoken of; neither are there any conditions whereby man can be saved except the conditions which I have told you. (Mosiah 4:5-8).

I have written extensively in the past about the word "salvation" being the scriptural equivalent of "eternal life." Even as debilitating as it may seem to some during their mortal probation, the scriptures that speak of salvation and eternal life are extensive and comprehensive. We know very little about the terrestrial and the telestial kingdoms. I wonder if that isn't because our Savior and Redeemer is pointing us higher than we think we can climb. When we come unto Him and partake of His righteousness, we are "ready for Christmas" not just in December but every other day of the year too. (See Moroni 10:32-33).

So, the next time someone asks you, "Are you ready for Christmas?" how will you answer? I hope you'll always say, "Yes, now and forever!" And be sure to say, "Merry Christmas."

Captured Prisoners and Triumphant Atonement

Matters of life and death have preoccupied me lately, and no, I'm not speaking about the future of America here. I am guessing the hearts and minds of many parents and brothers and sisters are weighed down with the burdens they carry for the sins of their family members.

I hope I can begin to offer more light and hope to such in this post.

The Great Plan of Salvation

The great plan of salvation, synonymous in The Book of Mormon as "the plan of redemption," "the plan of mercy," "the plan of happiness," "the great plan of our God," (see Alma 42), involves more than merely hoping for someday "being in a better place." In the covenant relationship there is work involved on our part too. However, when one we love was incapable of doing the work required here, let us be assured that life continues beyond the veil.

I don't know how many times we heard, "He's in a better place now," in the final farewells to my brother Drew, but they were many. However, the scriptures are clear on this point regarding our works in the flesh when we depart from this life:

Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection — Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.
And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow.
And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of the wicked, yea, who are evil — for behold, they have no part nor portion of the Spirit of the Lord; for behold, they chose evil works rather than good; therefore the spirit of the devil did enter into them, and take possession of their house — and these shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth, and this because of their own iniquity, being led captive by the will of the devil.
Now this is the state of the souls of the wicked, yea, in darkness, and a state of awful, fearful looking for the fiery indignation of the wrath of God upon them; thus they remain in this state, as well as the righteous in paradise, until the time of their resurrection.
. . . there is a space between death and the resurrection of the body, and a state of the soul in happiness or in misery until the time which is appointed of God that the dead shall come forth, and be reunited, both soul and body, and be brought to stand before God, and be judged according to their works. (Alma 40:11-14; 21, emphasis mine).

In that merciful "space" we know as the spirit world there is agency, progression, repentance and continuation beyond the grave. A better place? Perhaps, but there is only hope commensurate with the desires of one's heart, and that's a piece of judgment that is hard for us to measure. I would bet most of us desire to do better than we do. We know better, but we are routinely subject to the desires of the "natural man," aren't we? (See Mosiah 3:19). Works can be seen, but desires of the heart are God's business, as the Lord makes clear in D&C 137:9: "For I, the Lord will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts."

On one occasion some years ago, we joined together as a family and cast out some evil spirits who were still habitating a home. It was pretty obvious some dark happenings had occurred there, and when we cast them out one in the group asked, "Dad, when you cast out evil spirits where do they go?" It was a good question, and as I thought about it the answer seemed obvious. Lost and disembodied spirits whose tendencies were to do evil during their mortal probation could be invited to seek out the missionaries in the spirit world who have the fulness of the gospel to teach. Since then, that's what I've done -- invited the evil spirits to learn the gospel. I'm not certain what that would mean for unembodied spirits, but I suspect disembodied spirits who are looking for truth can be helped on the other side. For these reasons, I suspect the spirits of those who chose to do good are the missionaries and those who chose to do evil are the investigators. In order for that work to proceed in the spirit world, there is little doubt they would interact with each other.

President Lorenzo Snow

President Lorenzo Snow offered this bit of consolation and insight into the condition of the souls of our family members who may stray in this life:

"God has fulfilled his promises to us, and our prospects are grand and glorious. Yes, in the next life we will have our wives, and our sons and daughters. If we do not get them all at once, we will have them some time, for every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is the Christ. You that are mourning about your children straying away will have your sons and your daughters. If you succeed in passing through these trials and afflictions and receive a resurrection, you will, by the power of the Priesthood, work and labor, as the Son of God has, until you get all your sons and daughters in the path of exaltation and glory. This is just as sure as that the sun rose this morning over yonder mountains. Therefore, mourn not because all your sons and daughters do not follow in the path that you have marked out to them, or give heed to your counsels. Inasmuch as we succeed in securing eternal glory, and stand as saviors, and as kings and priests to our God, we will save our posterity. . . . God will have His own way in His own time, and He will accomplish His purposes in the salvation of His sons and daughters. . . . God bless you, brethren and sisters. Do not be discouraged is the word I wish to pass to you; but remember that righteousness and joy in the Holy Ghost is what you and I have the privilege of possessing at all times." (Lorenzo Snow, General Conference address given 6 October 1893, as quoted in Collected Discourses, 4 vols., comp. Brian H. Stuy [Sandy, Ut.: BHS Publishing, 1987], 3:364-65, emphasis mine).

We have before us the teachings of Amulek, who reminds us the same spirit or disposition we have in this life will be with us in the world to come (see Alma 34:31-35). Continuing in an evil addicted course would make it incredibly difficult to change, especially when the body and spirit are separated at death. But I would ask is it impossible? Too often, I believe, we tend to deny another the opportunity to change, but we all know people who do change here. Why would they be unable to change hereafter in the spirit world?

President Joseph F. Smith

During the past couple of weeks, I've been thinking and pondering, praying and reading about President Joseph F. Smith's vision of the post-mortal spirit world. I've been imagining how "the chosen messengers went forth to declare the acceptable day of the Lord and proclaim liberty to the captives who were bound, even unto all who would repent of their sins and receive the gospel." I believe that word "all" is instructive.

Then I thought about this verse: "Thus was the gospel preached to those who had died in their sins, without a knowledge of the truth, or in transgression, having rejected the prophets." (D&C 138:31-32; emphasis mine). That's descriptive and non-restrictive.

This same principle is echoed in the words of President Wilford Woodruff: "I tell you when the prophets and apostles go to preach to those who are shut up in prison, thousands of them will there embrace the Gospel. They know more in that world than they do here." (Joseph F. Smith, "In the Presence of the Divine," as quoted in Messages of the First Presidency, 5:6-7; emphasis added).

I've thought about so many like Drew, weighed down by challenges and crosses, circumstances, injuries inflicted by others' abuse of agency, wrenching and difficult life situations that only God can see and comprehend. That is true of members of the Church as well as non-members without distinction. Our spectrum of knowledge of the true facts in people's lives is so limited. We see and smell with our senses what is obvious; the sweet aroma of cigarette smoke on someone's breath, drunken behavior, drug abuse and a thousand other behavioral shortcomings, but few if any of us know the back story.

Why does a person become addicted? Why do some reject the gospel? Why does a child rebel and stray from home? Can we discern accurately? Are we in a position to pass appropriate judgment and close the doors to future recovery and reconciliation? Any drug rehabilitation expert will tell you about the high recidivism rates among those they treat on this side of the veil. Could we hope for better results in the spirit world.?

I have been reconsidering my perspective over the years as I have witnessed the breakage in so many lives of good people. Based upon my personal observations and the word of scriptures and prophets, I believe when a person passes through the veil of death, one who has a sincere desire to rise above wickedness but was tormented by his sins in this life, they will see things differently and more accurately than they ever did here. All the impediments and challenges and crosses to bear that were beyond one's power to control — sexual abuse, drug addiction, neglect, immoral environment, false traditions of the fathers, etc. — all of it will dissolve. Then perhaps they shall, as President Woodruff suggested, see and feel things that they could not see and feel before. Remember, these spirits may be as old as this universe, (2.555 billion years, said Joseph), and to think our performance in this brief mortal probation is the only accurate data point in our eternal existence makes reason stare.

President Boyd K. Packer

President Boyd K. Packer offered this contemporary insight:

"It is a great challenge to raise a family in the darkening mists of our moral environment. We emphasize that the greatest work you will do will be within the walls of your home, (see Harold B. Lee, in CR, April 1973, 130) and that 'no other success can compensate for failure in the home.' (See David O. McKay, in CR, April 1935, 116). The measure of our success as parents, however, will not rest solely on how our children turn out. That judgment would be just only if we could raise our families in a perfectly moral environment, and that now is not possible.
"It is not uncommon for responsible parents to lose one of their children, for a time, to influences over which they have no control. They agonize over rebellious sons and daughters. They are puzzled over why they are so helpless when they have tried so hard to do what they should. It is my conviction that those wicked influences one day will be overruled. . . .
"We cannot overemphasize the value of temple marriage, the binding ties of the sealing ordinance, and the standards of worthiness required of them. When parents keep the covenants they have made at the altar of the temple, their children will be forever bound to them." (Boyd K. Packer, in CR, April 1992, 94-95).

While it is true Satan captures many prisoners these days in the battles for the souls of men, he will one day be overthrown and the captives will be set free. Jacob tells us about the ultimate victory:

Yea, I know that ye know that in the body he shall show himself unto those at Jerusalem, from whence we came; for it is expedient that it should be among them; for it behooveth the great Creator that he suffereth himself to become subject unto man in the flesh, and die for all men, that all men might become subject unto him.
For as death hath passed upon all men, to fulfil the merciful plan of the great Creator, there must needs be a power of resurrection, and the resurrection must needs come unto man by reason of the fall; and the fall came by reason of transgression; and because man became fallen they were cut off from the presence of the Lord.
Wherefore, it must needs be an infinite atonement — save it should be an infinite atonement this corruption could not put on incorruption. Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon man must needs have remained to an endless duration. And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more.
O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace! For behold, if the flesh should rise no more our spirits must become subject to that angel who fell from before the presence of the Eternal God, and became the devil, to rise no more.
And our spirits must have become like unto him, and we become devils, angels to a devil, to be shut out from the presence of our God, and to remain with the father of lies, in misery, like unto himself; yea, to that being who beguiled our first parents, who transformeth himself nigh unto an angel of light, and stirreth up the children of men unto secret combinations of murder and all manner of secret works of darkness.
O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster; yea, that monster, death and hell, which I call the death of the body, and also the death of the spirit. (2 Nephi 9:5-10, emphasis mine).

Salvation, Exaltation, Eternal Life

Throughout the scriptures the various prophets have set forth repeatedly what it means to be "saved" and how men and women may qualify for exaltation or eternal life.

Joseph Smith

Joseph Smith taught:  "Salvation is nothing more nor less than to triumph over all our enemies and put them under our feet." (TPJS, 297).

He said on another occasion: "Salvation is for a man to be saved from all his enemies; for until a man can triumph over death, he is not saved. A knowledge of the priesthood alone will do this." (TPJS, 305).

In his Seventh Lecture on Faith, the Prophet Joseph taught:

"As all the visible creation is an effect of faith, so is salvation also — we mean salvation in its most extensive latitude of interpretation, whether it is temporal or spiritual. In order to have this subject clearly set before the mind, let us ask what situation must a person be in in order to be saved? or what is the difference between a saved man and one who is not saved? We answer, from what we have before seen of the heavenly worlds, they must be persons who can work by faith and who are able, by faith, to be ministering spirits to them who shall be heirs of salvation; and they must have faith to enable them to act in the presence of the Lord, otherwise they cannot be saved. And what constitutes the real difference between a saved person and one not saved is — the difference in the degree of their faith — one's faith has become perfect enough to lay hold upon eternal life, and the other's has not. But to be a little more particular, let us ask — Where shall we find a prototype into whose likeness we may be assimilated, in order that we may be made partakers of life and salvation? or, in other words, where shall we find a saved being? for if we can find a saved being, we may ascertain without much difficulty what all others must be in order to be saved. We think that it will not be a matter of dispute, that two beings who are unlike each other cannot both be saved; for whatever constitutes the salvation of one will constitute the salvation of every creature which will be saved; and if we find one saved being in all existence, we may see what all others must be, or else not be saved. We ask, then, where is the prototype? or where is the saved being? We conclude, as to the answer of this question, there will be no dispute among those who believe the bible, that it is Christ: all will agree in this, that he is the prototype or standard of salvation; or, in other words, that he is a saved being. And if we should continue our interrogation, and ask how it is that he is saved? the answer would be — because he is a just and holy being; and if he were anything different from what he is he would not be saved; for his salvation depends on his being precisely what he is and nothing else; for if it were possible for him to change, in the least degree, so sure he would fail of salvation and lose all his dominion, power, authority and glory, which constitute salvation; for salvation consists in the glory, authority, majesty, power and dominion which Jehovah possesses and in nothing else; and no being can possess it but himself or one like him. Thus says John, in his first epistle, third chapter, second and third verses: 'Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.' Why purify themselves as he is pure? Because if they do not they cannot be like him. . .

"These teachings of the Saviour most clearly show unto us the nature of salvation, and what he proposed unto the human family when he proposed to save them — that he proposed to make them like unto himself, and he was like the Father, the great prototype of all saved beings; and for any portion of the human family to be assimilated into their likeness is to be saved; and to be unlike them is to be destroyed; and on this hinge turns the door of salvation." (Lectures on Faith 7:9, 16, emphasis mine).

This is but one sample of the use of this word "salvation." In virtually all cases (there are only a few exceptions), salvation is synonymous with the words eternal life, exaltation, and eternal lives. Consider more examples:

In Alma 11:40, Amulek instructs: "And he shall come into the world to redeem his people; and he shall take upon him the transgressions of those who believe on his name; and these are they that shall have eternal life, and salvation cometh to none else." 

In D&C 6:13, we read: "If thou wilt do good, yea, and hold out faithful to the end, thou shalt be saved in the kingdom of God, which is the greatest of all the gifts of God; for there is no gift greater than the gift of salvation."

In D&C 14:7, this passage: "And, if you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God."

If Joseph Smith meant to tell us something different than the precise usage of the words he used, he easily could have done it. Almost always, salvation and eternal life are equated; they are the same.

Elder Bruce R. McConkie

Elder Bruce R. McConkie stated:

"We are ofttimes prone to create artificial distinctions, to say that salvation means one thing and exaltation another, to suppose that salvation means to be resurrected, but that exaltation or eternal life is something in addition thereto. It is true that there are some passages of scripture that use salvation in a special and limited sense in order to give an overall perspective of the plan of salvation that we would not otherwise have. (2 Nephi 9:1-27; D&C 76:40-49; 132:15-17). These passages show the difference between general or universal salvation that consists of coming forth from the grave in immortality, and specific or individual salvation that consists of an inheritance in the celestial kingdom. All men will be resurrected and all men (except the sons of perdition) will thus be saved from death, hell, the devil, and endless torment. But only those who keep the commandments will "be raised [both] in immortality [and] unto eternal life." (D&C 29:43).

"Since it is the prophetic purpose to lead men to full salvation in the highest heaven of the celestial world, when they speak and write about salvation, almost without exception, they mean eternal life or exaltation. They use the terms salvation, exaltation, and eternal life as synonyms, as words that mean exactly the same thing without any difference, distinction, or variance whatever. Thus Amulek says that 'no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of heaven,' and then asks: 'How can ye be saved, except ye inherit the kingdom of heaven?' He teaches that men 'cannot be saved' in their sins; that Christ will come to 'take upon him the transgression of those who believe on his name;' and that 'these are they that shall have eternal life, and salvation cometh to none else.' Having thus spoken of the salvation which the saints seek, he also says: 'The wicked remain as though there had been no redemption made, except it be the loosing of the bands of death,' meaning they shall come forth in immortality. (Alma 11:37-41). Thus all men — except the sons of perdition who are cast out into an eternal hell — are saved, in that they become immortal and go to a telestial or terrestrial inheritance, but only those who believe and obey become inheritors of that celestial rest which the whole body of revealed writ speaks of as salvation." (The Promised Messiah, 129).

As we recognize our fallen condition and humble ourselves, we claim the merits of Christ's perfection in our covenant relationship. The brother of Jared understood perfectly and speaks of his weaknesses in the flesh because of his fallen condition: "O Lord, thou hast said that we must be encompassed about by the floods. Now behold, O Lord, and do not be angry with thy servant because of his weakness before thee; for we know that thou art holy and dwellest in the heavens, and that we are unworthy before thee; because of the fall our natures have become evil continually; nevertheless, O Lord, thou hast given us a commandment that we must call upon thee, that from thee we may receive according to our desires." (Ether 3:2).

Aaron taught these truths to King Lamoni  in Alma 22:13-14: "And Aaron did expound unto him the scriptures from the creation of Adam, laying the fall of man before him, and their carnal state and also the plan of redemption, which was prepared from the foundation of the world, through Christ, for all whosoever would believe on his name. And since man had fallen he could not merit anything of himself; but the sufferings and death of Christ atone for their sins, through faith and repentance, and so forth; and that he breaketh the bands of death, that the grave shall have no victory, and that the sting of death should be swallowed up in the hopes of glory; and Aaron did expound all these things unto the king."

If The Book of Mormon is ever accused of being anything, it should be accused of being "The Book of Deliverance," preaching nothing but the merits of Christ's atonement and His mercy and patience.

Abinadi challenged the priests of wicked King Noah's court with the question about how salvation comes. He asked them was it by the law of Moses? And then answered his own question in Mosiah 13:27-28:  "And now ye have said that salvation cometh by the law of Moses. I say unto you that it is expedient that ye should keep the law of Moses as yet; but I say unto you, that the time shall come when it shall no more be expedient to keep the law of Moses. And moreover, I say unto you, that salvation doth not come by the law alone; and were it not for the atonement, which God himself shall make for the sins and iniquities of his people, that they must unavoidably perish, notwithstanding the law of Moses."

Elder Bruce R. McConkie offers this explanation: "Now let us suppose a modern case. Suppose we have the scriptures, the gospel, the priesthood, the Church, the ordinances, the organization, even the keys of the kingdom — everything that now is, down to the last jot and tittle — and yet there is no atonement of Christ. What then? Can we be saved? Will all our good works save us? Will we be rewarded for all our righteousness?
"Most assuredly we will not. We are not saved by works alone, no matter how good; we are saved because God sent his Son to shed his blood in Gethsemane and on Calvary that all through him might ransomed be. We are saved by the blood of Christ (Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 6:20).
"To paraphrase Abinadi: 'Salvation doth not come by the Church alone; and were it not for the atonement, given by the grace of God as a free gift, all men must unavoidably perish, and this notwithstanding the Church and all that appertains to it.'" (Sermons and Writings of Bruce R. McConkie, 76).

The Apostle Paul reminds us, "That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
"In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
"That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
"In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
"Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory." (Ephesians 1:10-14, emphasis mine).

On occasions like Drew's funeral, we are reminded with a token down payment where we are transported momentarily and given a glimpse of the glories of eternity that lie ahead, that we are the "purchased possessions of Christ" when we claim Him as our Redeemer. Salvation is in Christ, which is eternal life and exaltation. There are few requirements beyond our best efforts to live the gospel, keep the commandments, repent when we don't, serve others and live so we may someday be comfortable in His presence. The truth is we are already in His presence, we just can't see Him (see D&C 38:7-8).

President Brigham Young

In the meantime, while we continue to toil here below, a word of counsel from Brigham Young in conclusion:

"It is present salvation and the present influence of the Holy Ghost that we need every day to keep us on saving ground. When an individual refuses to comply with the further requirements of Heaven, then the sins he had formerly committed return upon his head; his former righteousness departs from him, and is not accounted to him for righteousness: but if he had continued in righteousness and obedience to the requirements of heaven, he is saved all the time, through baptism, the laying on of hands, and obeying the commandments of the Lord and all that is required of him by the heavens — the living oracles. He is saved now, next week, next year, and continually, and is prepared for the celestial kingdom of God whenever the time comes for him to inherit it.
"I want present salvation. I preach, comparatively, but little about the eternities and Gods, and their wonderful works in eternity; and do not tell who first made them, nor how they were made; for I know nothing about that. Life is for us, and it is for us to receive it today, and not wait for the millennium. Let us take a course to be saved today, and, when evening comes, review the acts of the day, repent of our sins, if we have any to repent of, and say our prayers; then we can lie down and sleep in peace until the morning, arise with gratitude to God, commence the labours of another day, and strive to live the whole day to God and nobody else." (JD, 8:124-5).