In a sermon
delivered 17 January 1858, Brigham Young said the following, showing he
believed that justification, being among the first revelation or
"step" in salvation, if you will, is transformative:
The revelations to us teach us to first
cleanse our hearts—to purify ourselves, in order to have our eyes sufficiently
opened to see the kingdom of God; for, without the spiritual birth referred to
in the New Testament, we cannot see the kingdom of God. The revelations to
Joseph were—Go forth, my servants, preach the Gospel by the power of the Holy
Ghost, and open the eyes of the people, that they may see the kingdom of God,
and not look into eternity to see the Father seated upon his throne and the
angels around him, nor seek to know what he is doing there. The people need
teaching by the power of the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, that their eyes
may be open to see that the Lord is commencing a literal kingdom upon the
earth. When they can discern that, then they have the opportunity to be born of
water, to enter into this kingdom. Nearly all the teachings to us pertain to
this life; and if we have not ability to preserve our lives in our present
existence, what can we do here to promote the kingdom of God on the earth; or
to prepare the earth or the people for the coming of the Son of Man? Nothing.
Consequently our labour is chiefly a temporal labour. (JOD 6:171)
