From the word of the
Lord as received by Joseph Smith, we learn that man gains eternal life only by
keeping the commandments which God has given for his growth and development.
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;
And they that believe not unto eternal damnation; for they cannot be redeemed
from their spiritual fall, because they repent not. (Doc. and Cov. 29:43, 44.
From scriptural
passages like the one quoted it becomes evident that our theological concept of
eternal life is not synonymous with immortality, but adds to immortality the
idea that man can through his own efforts become worthy of inheriting that
exalted state called eternal life. When the ruler asked Jesus what to do to
inherit eternal life, he was told to keep the commandments. By partaking of the
sacrament worthily and regularly we renew the covenants we have made with our
Heavenly Father and, by persistent efforts, learn gradually how to live in His
divine presence, for “He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth
in me, and I in him.” (John 6:56.)
John further gives us
a good explanation of the nature of eternal life. “And this is life eternal,
that they might know thee, the only God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”
(John 17:3.) Convinced that eternal existence in the quantitative sense is
already theirs, true Latter-day Saints seek to gain eternal life in this qualitative
sense. To know God and His Son is not to be confused with merely knowing about
Them. To know God, as a theological concept, means to live to closely according
to the pattern of life that He has suggested, that we become more and more like
Him, until eventually our characters become truly Godlike. If we honestly and
sincerely strive in this direction, and endure to the end, we shall actually be
tasting of eternal life while still in mortality.
But blessed are they who
are faithful and endure, whether in life or in death, for they shall inherit
eternal life. (Doc. and Cov. 50:5.)
And, if you keep my
commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is
the greatest of all gifts of God. (Doc. and Cov. 14:7.)
It is not difficult
to believe that when we earnestly search for eternal life we are already
experiencing it. We need but to remind ourselves that earth life is an
important part of eternity, and that Gospel principles lived here and now are
just as immediately rewarding during mortal existence as they will be during
the postmortal part of eternity. How to live a Godlike life has to be learned
little by little, precept upon precept, deed upon deed, step by step. Only thus
can we gradually come to understand how to live as God lives. Only after we
have learned to live as our Maker lives can we be admitted into His presence,
there to live with Him for ever and ever.
At a conference in
Salt Lake Stake, President John Taylor discoursed on eternal life. Said he:
As eternal beings we
all have to stand before Him to be judged; and He has provided different degrees
of glory—the celestial, the terrestrial, and the telestial glories—which are
provided according to certain unchangeable laws which cannot be controverted.
What will He do with them? For those who are ready to listen to Him and be
brought under the influence of the Spirit of God, and be led by the principles
of the revelation and the light of heaven, and who are willing to yield
obedience to His commands at all times and carry out His purposes upon the
earth and who are willing to abide a celestial law. He has prepared for them a
celestial glory, that they may be with Him for ever and ever.
And what about the
others? They are not prepared to go there any more than lead is prepared to
stand the same test as gold and silver; and there they cannot go. And there is
a great gulf between them. But He [God} will do with them just as well as he
can. A great many of these people in the world, thousands and hundreds of
millions of them, will be a great deal better off through the interposition of
the Almighty than they have any idea of. But they cannot enter into the
celestial kingdom of God; where God and Christ are they cannot come. (Emphasis
supplied.) (January 6, 1879) (Gerrit De Jong, Jr., Eternal Progress: The
Practicality and Relevance of the Gospel Today [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft,
1975], 147-49—notice that, according to both de Jong and Taylor, we will never
be independent of God in our exalted state)