Home » Discuss Elliaison Books and Articles » The Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ » Who Can Make Their Calling and Election Sure (Discuss thoughts related to this chapter.)
| Re: Who Can Make Their Calling and Election Sure [message #375 is a reply to message #363] |
Fri, 25 May 2012 14:36   |
Amonhi
Messages: 237
Registered: June 2010
Location: Las Vegas, NV.
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Senior Member |
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The book covers very clearly that all of us can receive this blessing. On various forums where I discuss this topic, I hear all sorts of ideas about why we can't receive the blessing. There are a lot of criteria that we setup for ourselves.
One is that we have to be perfect. It seems that we try to work our way to heaven by obedience to laws and ordinances.
Let me ask here, If we are becoming perfect the way many think is required, then are we negating the power of the atonement?
Is that like saying, "Thanks Christ, but if you can cover the past, then I will work on the future perfection on my own. I got this one covered..."
In D&C 76:69 it tells us about those who have their C&E and how they become perfect. It says,
"D&C 76:69"These are they who are just men made perfect through Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, who wrought out this perfect atonement through the shedding of his own blood.
It seems that the criteria is that we become "Just Men" and Christ will make us perfect from there...
In the pre-mortal world, we all including Satan, were in the presence of God while we learned and grew and made mistakes and even sinned. (WoW, I just said that we sinned in the pre-mortal world in the presence of God!) Yet, we were not cast out of God's presence while we grew and developed.
How could this be?
It worked because of a very little known doctrine called "the Preparatory Redemption".
"Alma 13:3"And this is the manner after which they were ordained--being called and prepared from the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God, on account of their exceeding faith and good works; in the first place being left to choose good or evil; therefore they having chosen good, and exercising exceedingly great faith, are called with a holy calling, yea, with that holy calling which was prepared with, and according to, a preparatory redemption for such.
This Preparatory Redemption allowed us to remain in God's presence while we were yet imperfect and growing before the foundation of the world, as spirits.
At the conclusion of the war of words, there were those who rejected Christ as the Savior and put their faith in Satan. In so doing, when they rejected Christ, they also rejected the preparatory redemption and so were cast out having given up the grace that allowed them to be there. Without grace they were relying on their own merits to save them, which was not enough. (They were also cast out for other reasons... but the point I am making still stands.)
If we, like them reject the atonement and deny its power, and attempt to rely on our own merits to save ourselves, then we will have a very long way to go before we can be brought back into God's presence. However, if we allow the power of the atonement to take us from being "Just Men" to "perfect men", right now, then we can return to God's presence having been redeemed from the fall, while still learning and growing and progressing. This is what Grace is all about. We wouldn't need grace if we already qualified on our own merits.
Of course we continue to grow and learn and progress and make mistakes and readjust our heading. But it isn't about trying to earn our way to heaven such that grace is nullified and void. Also Grace is able to save us during the process, not just at the end.
What other criteria do we tend to think we need to meet before we qualify? Are they valid criteria?
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