Salvation from Physical Death
There are two major obstacles in the way of our becoming like our Heavenly Father. Our Father in heaven has a perfect, immortal body. We do not. Our bodies are imperfect and mortal. We will all eventually die. In death, our spirits are separated from our mortal bodies. Even though our spirits continue to live after death, we cannot overcome physical death by ourselves.
Jesus Christ overcame physical death. He died on the cross. Three days after his death, his followers returned to the tomb where they had laid his mortal body, but he was not there. Jesus was resurrected! His spirit and body had been reunited making him immortal.
42 Now, there is a death which is called a temporal death; and the death of Christ shall loose the bands of this temporal death, that all shall be raised from this temporal death.43 The spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame, even as we now are at this time; and we shall be brought to stand before God, knowing even as we know now, and have a bright recollection of all our guilt. --Alma 11:42-43
Because Jesus overcame physical death, all of us will overcome physical death. Resurrection is a free gift to each of us, whether or not we did good or evil in this life. I know that Jesus Christ lives! I know that because of his resurrection, we will also be resurrected--our spirits and bodies together again.
Salvation from Sin
Sin is our second major obstacle in becoming like our Heavenly Father. According to the plan of salvation, each of us leaves the presence of our Father to come to earth. Here we have opportunities to grow spiritually. We grow by learning to distinguish good from evil and by choosing the good.
In choosing between good and evil, we do some things that are against the will of God. To sin is to act knowingly or willfully agains the will of God. None of us are perfect. All of us commit sin. Sin leads to unhappiness in this life. More importantly, sin makes us unclean spiritually. No unclean thing can dwell with God.
Sin separates us from God. This separation is referred to as spiritual death. Because of our sins, we are unable to return to live with him unless we are first forgiven and cleansed. We cannot overcome this obstacle alone. The only way is through Jesus Christ.
8 And now, behold, I will testify unto you of myself that these things are true. Behold, I say unto you, that I do know that Christ shall come among the children of men, to take upon him the transgressions of his people, and that he shall atone for the sins of the world; for the Lord God hath spoken it.9 For it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement which it is expedient should be made.--Alma 34:8-9
God sent his Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to overcome the obstacle of sin. Through the grace of Christ we can become clean from sin. We can also live with God again. Christ paid the penalty for our sins. We are forgiven of our sins when we accept Christ, repent, and follow his commandments. This is how we can be cleansed of our sins and become worthy to return to the presence of God.
The triumph of Jesus over physical death and sin is called the Atonement. Through the Atonement, we can return to live with God.
Jesus Christ did not eliminate our personal responsibility when paying the price for our sins. There are certain steps we must follow in order to get the benefits of this gift.
1. Faith in Christ
The first principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ is faith in Him. To have faith in Christ means to firmly believe that he is the Son of God and the Savior of the world. Believe what he did and what he taught.
The Apostle Paul taught that "faith is the substance [assurance] of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). Alma made a similar statement: "If ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true" (Alma 32:21). Faith is a principle of action and power. Whenever we work toward a worthy goal, we exercise faith. We show our hope for something that we cannot yet see. Having faith in Jesus Christ means relying completely on Him—trusting in His infinite power, intelligence, and love. It includes believing His teachings. It means believing that even though we do not understand all things, He does. Because He has experienced all our pains, afflictions, and infirmities, He knows how to help us rise above our daily difficulties (see Alma 7:11-12; D&C 122:8). He has "overcome the world" (John 16:33) and prepared the way for us to receive eternal life. He is always ready to help us as we remember His plea: "Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not" (D&C 6:36).
We have faith that Jesus Christ truly was resurrected. He truly did sacrifice his life and suffered the sins of all mankind for all of us because he loves us and wants us to return to our Father in Heaven. We have faith that if we follow what he taught, we can and will be able to return to our Father in Heaven. This faith has brought us happiness and hope.
2. Repentance
Repentance is the next principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Repentance is essential to our temporal and eternal happiness. It is much more than just acknowledging wrongdoings. It is a change of mind and heart that gives us a fresh view about God, about ourselves, and about the world. It includes turning away from sin and turning to God for forgiveness. It is motivated by love for God and the sincere desire to obey His commandments.
"Therefore may God grant unto you, my brethren, that ye may begin to exercise your faith unto repentance, that ye begin to call upon his holy name, that he would have mercy upon you;" Alma 34:17
As our faith increases, we seek to become more like him and repent of our sins.
To repent, we admit to God that we have done wrong. We feel sorrow for our sins and ask God to forgive us. We do all we can to correct the problems our actions may have caused. If we sincerely repent, we turn away from our sins and do them no more. We no longer have any desire to commit the sins.
Sincere repentance brings us forgiveness and peace in this life. It prepares us to live again with our Father in the life to come.
Even when we have accepted Christ and repented of our sins, we still fall short of perfection and sin again. Throughout our lives, whenever we sin, we need to repent. We need to change both our behavior and our hearts. We need to begin in earnest the process of making ourselves more like Jesus Christ.
We have felt the peace that repentance brings. We know that repentance is a lifelong process. We know that we can be forgiven for all of the mistakes we have made in this life.
3. Baptism
Faith and repentance lead us to the next step in the gospel of Jesus Christ: the ordinance of baptism. Acts 2:38 says "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." Jesus taught that we must be baptized by immersion for the remission, or forgiveness, of sins.
Through the ordinance of baptism, we enter a covenant (or agreement) with God. We promise to accept Christ, become his followers, and keep his commandments to the end. Our Heavenly Father promises that our sins will be forgiven if we keep our part of the agreement.
Baptism by immersion is a symbol of the death, burial, and resurrection of the Savior. It also represents the end of our old life and the beginning of a new life as a disciple of Christ.
We must be baptized to become members of the Church of Jesus Christ and to enter the kingdom of heaven. Baptism must be performed by member of the Church who have the priesthood and are authorized to perform ordinances in the name of Christ.
I was baptized by my father when I was 8 years old. Being baptized is a great blessing. I have also had the opportunity to baptize many people in the Philippines. I have seen the change and effect it has on people. It is a necessary step towards salvation and is an integral part of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
4. The Gift of the Holy Ghost
Jesus taught that we must be baptized of the water and also of the Spirit. In this way we are spiritually reborn. We begin a new spiritual life as disciples of Chirst. This new life begins when we receive the Holy Ghost.
Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day. --3 Nephi 27:20
The Holy Ghost has a cleansing effect upon us. Jesus described receiving the Holy Ghost as the "baptism of fire." We are purified as if by fire. Our sins are forgiven.
After you are baptized, an authorized priesthood holder lays his hands upon your head and gives you the gift of the Holy Ghost. He also confirms you a member of the Church of Jesus Christ. This means you can enjoy the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost as long as you are worthy of it.Those who receive the gift of the Holy Ghost can enjoy his companionship throughout their lives, if they remain worthy. The Holy Ghost testifies of Christ and helps us recognize the truth. He provides strength and helps us do what is right. He comforts us during times of trial or sorrow. The gift of the Holy Ghost is truly one of the most precious gifts of our Father in Heaven.
I am very grateful for the gift of the Holy Ghost in my life. It has been a guide to me in important decisions that I have had to make in my life. It has protected me from danger. It has testified the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ to me. I have felt very blessed because of this gift. You can have this gift! Please send me a message or leave a comment below if you would like to receive this gift.
5. Endure to the End
Through baptism, we promise our Father in Heaven that we will be obedient to his commandments for the rest of our lives. In the scriptures this lifelong obedience is often called "enduring to the end."
God gives us commandments to help us understand how we can fulfill his plan and become more like him. Only by obeying the commandments of God can we find lasting peace and happiness in this life. When we obey the commandments, we show our faith and love for our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. We also become worthy of the companionship of the Holy Ghost.
It is not enough to simply accept what Christ has done for us and expect to be saved. When we believe in him and what he taught, we must follow him. The steps above are what Jesus taught us that we must do. This is his gospel. This is how we show God that we are obedient to his gospel--by having faith, repenting, being baptized, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end of our lives in following the commandments of God to the best of our ability.
Take a moment to reflect on your life. Have you been following his gospel? There are a lot of things in this life that may seem important, but nothing is more important than this. We may spend all of, or much of our time seeking for money, fame, pleasure, or whatever else you want---but when we die, none of those things will matter! What will matter is if we followed what God has taught us. Am I saying that we shouldn't work hard at our careers, never have any fun, or never do what you want?... No. I am saying what Jesus said... "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
I know the gospel of Jesus Christ is true! I know that if we follow his gospel, we will be happy! I am happy to share this knowledge with you! Please click on the links on the left side of this page to learn more. Jesus said "Come, follow me," and I would invite you to do the same. You won't regret it!
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