3 Lessons of Mortality

While here in mortality we must learn 3 things to demonstrate our love and devotion to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

1. resist Satan.  (faith and obedience)

2. master the body. (temperance and sacrifice)

3. submit to God's priestood authority. (meekness and humility)

Sadly, so many honorable can't seem to learn lesson 3.  Those who never learn lesson 1 are sons of perdition (satanists) and are destined to reveive wages from the master they serve. Those who never learn lesson 2 are hedonists and are destined for only a Telestial reward. Those who never learn lesson 3 are humanists and are destined for only a Terrestrial reward.  Only those who learn all 3 will merit through Christ a Celestial reward and eternal calling.

Imagine you inherited " eternal lives" and were charged with an eternal stewardship to prepare spirits for their own mortality (mortality prep?).  Could you effectively help other spirits prepare to learn these lessons of mortality if you yourself never learned them?

32 For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors. (Book of Mormon, Alma, Alma 34)

Law of Justice and Mercy

God's justice is God doing exactly as He has said:

1. "no unclean thing can enter into heaven"

2. "be ye perfect"

3. "If any man be a brother be guilty of fornication (purity), covetousness (tithing), idolatry (true belief), railer( abuse), drunkard (WOW), extortion (honest dealings)... cast from among yourselves that wicked person"  (1 Cor 5:11 = temple questions = God's standard of godliness)

God's mercy is God doing exactly as He has said: 

1. Mercy is NOT an entity or monster that God must satisfy.

2. "Repent and come unto Christ and be perfected in Him"

3. "Deny yourself of all ungodliness, then is his grace sufficent ... ye are perfected in Christ"

4. "Day of this life is a probationary state... time to prepare to meet God" (Alma 12, 34)

5. "souls of just men made perfect"

6. "saved by grave after all we can do"

7. All We Can Do = "make use of the means (grace) the Lord has (already) provided for us" (Alma 60)

8. In this life we have been given grace that we can repent and learn to keep 1 Cor 5:11 perfectly.

Whatever God commands is good:

1. "whatever persuadeth to believe in Christ is good" (Moro 7)

2. "teacheth a man to pray"

3. "enticeth to do good continually, to love God and serve Him"

4. "... service of your fellow being... service of your God"

Whatever Satan commands is evil: 

1." for he [devil] persuadeth no man to do good" (Moro 7)

2. "evil cannot do that which is good"

3. "teacheth a man that he must not pray"

4. an evil man will pray to give a gift begrudgingly or without real intent

5. "In thy name, done many wonderful works?  ... I never new you" (Matt 7)

6. SATAN COMMANDING TO DO GOOD IS CONTROLLED OPPOSITION

Continuing Revelation and Scripture

My LDS friend had a gospel conversation with a colleague at work and gave an excellent analogy about the importance of continuing revelation.

My LDS friend was talking about the Book of Mormon to his work colleague.  The work colleague responded "everything that God wants us to know is in the Bible and the Bible is all I need".

My LDS friend then said, "imagine you taught your child everything they needed to know before they were 8 years old and  then after that you never taught them anything else.  How do you think your child would turn out?  Don't you think your child would need continual guidance?" 

In the same way a young child still needs direction and guidance from his parents, Our Heavenly Father continues to give us guidance and direction to His Church through Prophets and Apostles, continuing revelation and scripture.