470. One reason we came to earth was to obtain physical bodies of flesh and bone.
472. Our life on earth is a probationary period, a time to prepare for eternal life.
473. The body is a temple in which the Spirit of God may dwell.
468. Those who come to earth are those who were faithful in the premortal life (they kept their First Estate).
We have been placed upon this earth because of our faithfulness in having kept our first estate. The labors that we performed in the sphere that we left before we came here have had a certain effect upon our lives here, and to a certain extent they govern and control the lives that we lead here, just the same as the labors that we do here will control and govern our lives when we pass from this stage of existence. ("Reward of Conscience," Improvement Era, Feb. 1943, p. 75) TLDP:496
quoted by Joseph Smith
And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever. (Abraham learns about the creation of the earth, of pre-earth existence, foreordination and the second estate of man) Abraham 3:26
The people who inhabit this earth were all living in the spirit life before they came to this earth. The Lord informs us that this earth was designed, before its foundations were formed, for the abode of the spirits who kept their first estate, and all such must come here and receive their tabernacles of flesh and bones, and this is according to the number, or measure, of man according to his creation before the world was made. CHMR1:209
Man in his mortal state is the union of a preexistent spirit with a body composed of earthly elements. This union of spirit and body marks progress from the unembodied to the embodied condition, and is an inestimable advancement in the soul's onward course. The penalty incurred by proud Lucifer and his rebel hordes for their attempt to thwart the divine purpose in the matter of man's agency was the doom of being denied bodies of flesh. Mortal birth is a boon to which only those spirits who kept their first estate are eligible (see Jude 6). Expressive of the awful state of the utterly unregenerate among men, of those who have sunk to such depths in sin as to become "sons of perdition" the Lord has applied the extreme malediction that for such it were better never to have been born (see Matthew 26:24; D&C 76:32). The blessedness of advancement to the mortal state lies in the possibilities of achievement therein. Mortality is the preparatory school for eternity. Its curriculum is comprehensive and exacting. In its laboratories we pupils meet the experiences that test and try to conclusive demonstration the individual effect of precept and profession. For the founding and maintenance of this school the earth was created. AF:428
There is no truth more plainly taught in the Gospel than that our condition in the next world will depend upon the kind of lives we live here. "All that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." (John 5:28-29Is it not just as reasonable to suppose that the conditions in which we now live have been determined by the kind of lives we lived in the pre-existent world of spirits? That the apostles understood this principle is indicated by their question to the Master when the man who was blind from his birth was healed of his blindness. "Master, who did sin, this man or his parents that he was born blind?" (John 9:2) Now perhaps you will have a partial answer to some of your questions as to why, if God is a just Father, that some of his children are born of an enlightened race and in a time when the Gospel is upon the earth, while others are born of a heathen parentage in a benighted, backward country. . . .
The privilege of obtaining a mortal body on this earth is seemingly so priceless that those in the spirit world, even though unfaithful or not valiant, were undoubtedly permitted to take mortal bodies although under penalty of racial or physical or nationalistic limitations. Between the extremes of the "noble and the great" spirits, whom God would make his rulers, and the disobedient and the rebellious who were cast out with Satan, there were obviously many spirits with varying degrees of faithfulness. May we not assume from these teachings that the progress and development we made as spirits have brought privileges and blessings here according to our faithfulness in the spirit world? (Decisions for Successful Living, pp. 164-65) TLDP:497
Related Witnesses:
The punishment of Satan and the third of the host of heaven who followed him, was that they were denied the privilege of being born into this world and receiving mortal bodies. They did not keep their first estate and were denied the opportunity of eternal progression. The Lord cast them out into the earth, where they became the tempters of mankind—the devil and his angels. (Doctrines of Salvation, 1:65) DGSM:15
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
4. According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: (Letter to the Saints at Ephesus in Asia Minor, about A.D. 62) Ephesians 1:3-4
But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
14. Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Letter to the Church at Thessalonica, comprising Jews and many pagan converts, A.D. 50) 2Thess. 2:13-14
469. Those who successfully meet the trials of life on earth will inherit eternal life in the celestial kingdom of glory.
The spirits who kept their first estate—that was their spirit estate—are added upon, as promised, by receiving mortal bodies as they are born here upon this earth as human souls.
The promise is that if they keep this, their second (that is, our mortal) estate, they "shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever."
. . . [W]e came to earth for two purposes: one, to obtain physical bodies of flesh and bone in the likeness of our Heavenly Father; and two, to be proved—to see if we "will do all things whatsoever the Lord" our God commands us. CR1976Apr:118-19
quoted by Joseph Smith
And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them;
26. And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever. (Abraham learns about the creation of the earth and the second estate of man) Abraham 3:25-26
All intelligent beings who are crowned with crowns of glory, immortality, and eternal lives must pass through every ordeal appointed for intelligent beings to pass through, to gain their glory and exaltation. Every calamity that can come upon mortal beings will be suffered to come upon the few, to prepare them to enjoy the presence of the Lord. If we obtain the glory that Abraham obtained, we must do so by the same means that he did. . . . We must pass through the same experience, and gain the knowledge, intelligence, and endowments that will prepare us to enter into the celestial kingdom of our Father and God. . . . Every trial and experience you have passed through is necessary for your salvation. (At Provo, Utah, Aug. 26, 1860, JD8:150) TLDP:426-27
quoted by Mormon
And we see that death comes upon mankind, yea, the death which has been spoken of by Amulek, which is the temporal death; nevertheless there was a space granted unto man in which he might repent; therefore this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God; a time to prepare for that endless state which has been spoken of by us, which is after the resurrection of the dead. (Alma responds to the chief ruler, Antionah, regarding Adam and Eve's expulsion from the Garden of Eden, about 82 B.C.) Alma 12:24
There is no truth more plainly taught in the Gospel than that our condition in the next world will depend upon the kind of lives we live here. "All that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." (John 5:28-29(Decisions for Successful Living, pp. 164-65) TLDP:497
receiving the Word of the Lord
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; (Revelation received Sept. 1830; the Fall and the Atonement bring salvation) D&C 29:43
The object of our being placed upon the earth is that we may work out an exaltation, that we may prepare ourselves to go back and dwell with our Heavenly Father; and our Father, knowing the faults and failings of men, has given us certain commandments to obey, and if we will examine those requirements and the things that devolve upon us we will find that they are all for our individual benefit and advancement. The school of life in which we are placed and the lessons that are given to us by our Father will make of us exactly what he desires, so that we may be prepared to dwell with him. ("How to Be 'Saved,'" IE1945Mar:123) TLDP:427
470. One reason we came to earth was to obtain physical bodies of flesh and bone.
[W]e came to earth for two purposes: one, to obtain physical bodies of flesh and bone in the likeness of our Heavenly Father; and two, to be proved—to see if we "will do all things whatsoever the Lord" our God commands us. CR1976Apr:119
[A]s the offspring of God, we inherit the capability of reaching, in full maturity, the status of our heavenly parents just as we inherit from our mortal parents the capability to attain to their mortal status; and . . . since God has a body of flesh and bones, it was necessary and perfectly natural for us, his spirit offspring, to obtain such bodies in order that we might be like him; . . . coming to earth was the means provided for us to obtain these bodies. CR1976Apr:118
quoted by Elder Joseph Fielding Smith
We came to this earth that we might have a body and present it pure before God in the celestial kingdom. The great principle of happiness consists in having a body. The devil has no body, and herein is his punishment. He is pleased when he can obtain the tabernacle of man, and when cast out by the Savior he asked to go into the herd of swine, showing that he would prefer a swine's body to having none.
All beings who have bodies have power over those who have not. The devil has no power over us only as we permit him. (At organization of school of instruction, Jan. 1841) DGSM:28; TLDP:62; TPJS:181
It is absolutely necessary that we should come to the earth and take upon us tabernacles; because if we did not have tabernacles we could not be like God, or like Jesus Christ. God has a tabernacle of flesh and bone. He is an organized being just as we are, who are now in the flesh. Jesus Christ . . . had a fleshly tabernacle; He was crucified on the cross; and his body was raised from the dead. . . . We are precisely in the same condition and under the same circumstances that God our Heavenly Father was when He was passing through this or a similar ordeal. We are destined to come forth out of the grave as Jesus did, and to obtain immortal bodies as He did. . . . This is the object of our existence in the world. (In Assembly Hall, Feb. 17, 1884, JD25:58-59) TLDP:426
quoted by John A. Widtsoe
Our mortal bodies are all important to us: without them we never can be glorified in the eternities that will be. We are in this state of being for the express purpose of obtaining habitations for our spirits to dwell in, that they may become personages of tabernacle. (In Tabernacle, Feb. 23, 1862, JD9:286) DBY:56
Man in his mortal state is the union of a preexistent spirit with a body composed of earthly elements. This union of spirit and body marks progress from the unembodied to the embodied condition, and is an inestimable advancement in the soul's onward course. The penalty incurred by proud Lucifer and his rebel hordes for their attempt to thwart the divine purpose in the matter of man's agency was the doom of being denied bodies of flesh. AF:428
Related Witnesses:
quoted by John A. Widtsoe
Our bodies are all important to us, though they may be old and withered, emaciated with toil, pain, and sickness, and our limbs bent with rheumatism, all uniting to hasten dissolution, for death is sown in our mortal bodies. The food and drink we partake of are contaminated with the seeds of death, yet we partake of them to extend our lives until our allotted work is finished, when our tabernacles, in a state of ripeness, are sown in the earth to produce immortal fruit. Yet, if we live our holy religion and let the spirit reign, it will not become dull and stupid, but as the body approaches dissolution the spirit takes a firmer hold on that enduring substance behind the veil, drawing from the depths of that eternal Fountain of Light sparkling gems of intelligence which surround the frail and sinking tabernacle with a halo of immortal wisdom. (In Tabernacle, Feb. 23, 1862) JD9:288) DBY:56-57
471. Mortality is a time for testing and trial, to prove whether we will keep the commandments of God.
quoted by Joseph Smith
And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them; 26. And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever. (Abraham learns about the creation of the earth and the second estate of man) Abraham 3:25-26
The purpose of our mortal probation is that of education, training, trial, and test, whereby we demonstrate whether we will obey the commandments of the Lord our God and so lay hold on the boundless opportunities of advancement in the eternal worlds, or elect to do evil and forfeit the boon of citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven. (The Vitality of Mormonism, p. 238) TLDP:427
receiving the Word of the Lord
For if you will that I give unto you a place in the celestial world, you must prepare yourselves by doing the things which I have commanded you and required of you. (Revelation, March 1832) D&C 78:7
receiving the Word of the Lord
Therefore, be not afraid of your enemies, for I have decreed in my heart, saith the Lord, that I will prove you in all things, whether you will abide in my covenant, even unto death, that you may be found worthy.
15. For if ye will not abide in my covenant ye are not worthy of me. (Revelation received Aug. 6, 1833 in consequence of the persecution of the Saints in the United States) D&C 98:14-15
receiving the Word of the Lord
And again, verily I say unto you, I command you again to build a house to my name, even in this place, that you may prove yourselves unto me that ye are faithful in all things whatsoever I command you, that I may bless you, and crown you with honor, immortality, and eternal life. (Revelation, Jan. 19, 1841) D&C 124:55
In this mortal probation it is the design and purpose of the Lord to test us: to see if we will believe in him and obey his laws now that we no longer dwell in his presence, hear his voice, and see his face. He already knows how we respond—what we believe and how we act—when we walk by sight. Now he is testing our devotion to him when we walk by faith: when his presence is veiled, his voice is afar off, and his face is seen by few men only. (The Promised Messiah, p. 84) TLDP:429
We are placed on this earth to prove whether we are worthy to go into the celestial world, the terrestrial, or the telestial, or to hell, or to any other kingdom or place, and we have enough of life given us to do this. (At Great Salt Lake City, March 8, 1857, JD4:269) TLDP:426
Related Witnesses:
It is only by obedience to the laws of God that men can rise above the petty weaknesses of mortality. CR1903Oct:1-2; DGSM:28
472. Our life on earth is a probationary period, a time to prepare for eternal life.
Mortality is the preparatory school for eternity. Its curriculum is comprehensive and exacting. In its laboratories we pupils meet the experiences that test and try to conclusive demonstration the individual effect of precept and profession. For the founding and maintenance of this school the earth was created. AF:428
quoted by Mormon
And we see that death comes upon mankind, yea, the death which has been spoken of by Amulek, which is the temporal death; nevertheless there was a space granted unto man in which he might repent; therefore this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God; a time to prepare for that endless state which has been spoken of by us, which is after the resurrection of the dead. (Alma responds to the chief ruler, Antionah, regarding Adam and Eve's expulsion from the Garden of Eden, about 82 B.C.) Alma 12:24
My people must be tried in all things, that they may be prepared to receive the glory that I have for them, even the glory of Zion; and he that will not bear chastisement is not worthy of my kingdom. (Revelation received at Winter Quarters, Jan. 14, 1847) D&C 136:31
Each one of you has it within the realm of his possibility to develop a kingdom over which you will preside as its king and god. You will need to develop yourself and grow in ability and power and worthiness, to govern such a world with all of its people. You are sent to this earth not merely to have a good time or to satisfy urges or passions or desires. You are sent to this earth, not to ride merry-go-rounds, airplanes, automobiles, and have what the world calls "fun."
You are sent to this world with a very serious purpose. You are sent to school, for that matter, to begin as a human infant and grow to unbelievable proportions in wisdom, judgment, knowledge, and power. That is why you and I cannot be satisfied with saying merely "I like that or want that." That is why in our childhood and our youth and our young adulthood we must stretch and grow and remember and prepare for the later life when limitations will terminate so that we can go on and on and on. (University of Utah institute, Oct. 1976) DGSM:29
All intelligent beings who are crowned with crowns of glory, immortality, and eternal lives must pass through every ordeal appointed for intelligent beings to pass through, to gain their glory and exaltation. Every calamity that can come upon mortal beings will be suffered to come upon the few, to prepare them to enjoy the presence of the Lord. If we obtain the glory that Abraham obtained, we must do so by the same means that he did. . . . We must pass through the same experience, and gain the knowledge, intelligence, and endowments that will prepare us to enter into the celestial kingdom of our Father and God. . . . Every trial and experience you have passed through is necessary for your salvation. (At Provo, Utah, Aug. 26, 1860, JD8:150) TLDP:426
quoted by Mormon
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.
33. And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed. (Amulek teaches the people that this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God, 74 B.C.) Alma 34:32-33
We are not here to while away the hours of this life and then pass to a sphere of exaltation; but we are here to qualify ourselves day by day for the positions that our Father expects us to fill hereafter. CR1905Apr:61-62
Is there not wisdom in his [God's] giving us trials that we might rise above them, responsibilities that we might achieve, work to harden our muscles, sorrows to try our souls? Are we not exposed to temptations to test our strength, sickness that we might learn patience, death that we might be immortalized and glorified? (Faith Precedes the Miracle, p. 97) DGSM:28
Jesus Christ presented his Father’s eternal plan, that plan of which we are all part. We come to this earth to undergo testing for a probationary period and to have opposition in all things. Through the eternal principle of agency, we are free to choose liberty and eternal life and return with honor to God’s presence if we live righteous lives; or to choose captivity and spiritual death (see Moses 4:1-4. (CR 1994Apr; The Unique Message of Jesus Christ, Ensign, May 1994, p.78)
Related Witnesses:
To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. (The Apostle John writes the invitation of Jesus to overcome the world) Revelation 3:21
Keep courage. Do not feel sorry for yourselves. Whatever you do, do not feel sorry for yourselves. You live in a great age of opportunity. I remember the words of one very sharp and shrewd observer who said, "Whenever I hear someone sigh and say that life is hard, I am tempted to ask 'compared to what?'" What are the alternatives? No one ever promised us it would be easy. It is a schooling; it is an opportunity; it is a learning period, and a wonderful one. Despite all the disappointments and difficulties, the great and ultimate rewards are beyond price. CR1961Apr:76
473. The body is a temple in which the Spirit of God may dwell.
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
17. If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. (Paul writes to the Church at Corinth, Greece, about A.D. 55) 1 Corinthians 3:16-17
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20. For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. (Paul writes to the Church at Corinth, Greece, about A.D. 55) 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
That which is sacred has long been protected from the eyes of the curious public. It has been true from the earliest times. Did the masses of the people obtain admission to the sacred tabernacle of ancient Israel? Could they view or handle the ark of the covenant? Were they admitted into the sacred precincts of the Holy Temple built anciently to the name of the Lord? Are they permitted into the Holy of Holies of any age?
The human body is as sacred as any building ever erected, whether temple or tabernacle itself. It provides a mortal home for our own spirits, which are divine, the very offspring of God, and it may be a resting place for the Holy Spirit to which all followers of God are entitled.
Should it be desecrated? Is it not as much an act of desecration to expose the sacred human temple to the public gaze, as it would have been for ancient Israel to expose the Ark of Covenant to the eyes of the jeering mobs?
Can temples made with stone and brick be any more sacred than the human temple? (A Faith to Live By, pp. 311-12) TLDP:63
The elements are the tabernacle of God; yea, man is the tabernacle of God, even temples; and whatsoever temple is defiled, God shall destroy that temple. (Revelation received at Kirtland, Ohio, May 6, 1833) D&C 93:35
Finally, there are inherent in the doctrine, the teaching, and the practices of this Church, those elements which will improve the individual physically. The body is the temple of the spirit. It is God’s creation as a part of His eternal plan. (CR 1986Apr; Come and Partake, Ensign, May 1986, p.46)
Related Witnesses:
All spirits came from God, and they came pure from his presence, and were put into earthly tabernacles, which were organized for that express purpose; and so the spirit and the body became a living soul. If these souls should live, according to the law of heaven, God ordained that they should become temples prepared to inherit all things. (In Tabernacle, Aug. 15, 1852, JD6:291) TLDP:426
The spirit within must speak through a mortal body, subject to disease and death. The eternal spirit is restricted by the conditions of the body, which is of the earth, a result of all physical good and evil to which man has given himself since the days of Adam. During the long history of the race, both strength and weakness have no doubt been added to the body. It possesses inborn, inherent qualities, which man finds it difficult to ignore. Under the best conditions, the body is weaker than the spirit within. It is likely that the spirit inhabiting the finest earthly body is infinitely greater than its expression through that body. The spirit speaks only as our bodies allow; and, since our bodies differ greatly, there is in them another source of man's inequality. In fact, the inequality of man comes largely from the inequality of body, through which the eternal spirit often tries in vain to speak. (A Rational Theology, p. 138) TLDP:62-63
474. On earth those who accept the gospel are given the opportunity to receive the necessary eternal ordinances of salvation.
There is no exaltation in the kingdom of God without the fulness of priesthood. How could a man be an heir in that kingdom without priesthood? While the sisters do not hold the priesthood, they share in the fulness of its blessings in the celestial kingdom with their husbands. These blessings are obtained through obedience to the ordinances and covenants of the House of the Lord. The Prophet Joseph Smith once said: "If a man gets a fulness of the priesthood of God, he has to get it . . . by keeping all the commandments and obeying all the ordinances of the house of the Lord." To obtain the fulness of the priesthood does not mean that a man must become president of the Church. . . . The Lord has made it possible for every man in this Church, through his obedience, to receive the fulness of the priesthood through the ordinances of the temple of the Lord. This cannot be received anywhere else.
So being ordained an elder, or a high priest, or an apostle, or even president of the Church, is not the thing that brings the exaltation, but obedience to the laws and the ordinances and the covenants required of those who desire to become members of the Church of the Firstborn as these are administered in the House of the Lord. To become a member of the Church of the Firstborn, as I understand it, is to become one of the inner circle. We are all members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by being baptized and confirmed, and there are many who seem to be content to remain such without obtaining the privileges of exaltation. The Lord has made it possible for us to become members of the Church of the Firstborn by receiving the blessings of the House of the Lord, and "overcoming all things." Thus we become heirs, "priests and kings, who have received of his fulness, and of his glory," who shall "dwell in the presence of God and his Christ forever and ever," with full exaltation. (Take Heed to Yourselves, pp. 112-14) TLDP:166
They will not baptize anybody in the spirit world; there is no baptism there; there is no marrying or giving in marriage there; all these ordinances have to be performed on the earth. Paul says, in referring to this subject—"Why are ye baptized for the dead? If the dead rise not why then are ye baptized for the dead?" The Lord holds us responsible for going to and building Temples, that we may attend therein to the ordinances necessary for the salvation of the dead. (In new Tabernacle, Sept. 12, 1875, JD18:114) TLDP:61
This mortal probation was to be a brief period, just a short span linking the eternity past with the eternity future. Yet it was to be a period of tremendous importance. It would either give to those who received it the blessing of eternal life, which is the greatest gift of God, and thus qualify them for godhood as sons and daughters of our Eternal Father, or, if they rebelled and refused to comply with the laws and ordinances which were provided for their salvation, it would deny them the great gift and they would be assigned, after the resurrection, to some inferior sphere according to their works. This life is the most vital period in our eternal existence. It is filled with awful responsibilities and dangers. Here we are face to face with innumerable temptations. Lucifer, formerly a son of the morning, now Satan, the deceiver, is here with his rebellious hosts to tempt us and lead us astray. (Doctrines of Salvation, 1:69) TLDP:429
quoted by Elder Joseph Fielding Smith
One of the ordinances of the house of the Lord is baptism for the dead. God decreed before the foundation of the world that the ordinances should be administered in a font prepared for that purpose in the house of the Lord. (Sunday sermon at the Stand, Nauvoo, Ill., June 11, 1843) TPJS:308
receiving the Word of the Lord
For, for this cause I commanded Moses that he should build a tabernacle, that they should bear it with them in the wilderness, and to build a house in the land of promise, that those ordinances might be revealed which had been hid from before the world was.
39. Therefore, verily I say unto you, that your anointings, and your washings, and your baptisms for the dead, and your solemn assemblies, and your memorials for your sacrifices by the sons of Levi, and for your oracles in your most holy places wherein you receive conversations, and your statutes and judgments, for the beginning of the revelations and foundation of Zion, and for the glory, honor, and endowment of all her municipals, are ordained by the ordinance of my holy house, which my people are always commanded to build unto my holy name.
40. And verily I say unto you, let this house be built unto my name, that I may reveal mine ordinances therein unto my people; (Revelation to Joseph Smith, Jan. 19, 1841) D&C 124:38-40
Now the concern of the Church is to bring all men into the celestial kingdom. It has no interest in the other, lower kingdoms. Every doctrine, principle, and item of organization within the Church pertains to the celestial glory. The manner of entrance into this the highest kingdom is therefore made clear. Any person who wishes to enter it must have faith and repent from his sins. Then he must be baptized, and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost by one who has divine authority to perform such ordinances. There are principles and ordinances which in their entirety belong peculiarly to the higher kingdom.
After having laid the foundation for his claim to celestial membership and association, he must, to receive all available blessings of this kingdom, comply with the many requirements of life within the Church. He belongs to "those who are valiant and inspired with the true independence of heaven, who will go forth boldly in the service of their God leaving others to do as they please, determined to do right, though all mankind should take the opposite course." All this having been done, he is qualified to enter the celestial kingdom. Indeed, he is then, even on earth, in the celestial kingdom of God.
Naturally, those who enter the celestial kingdom are of various attainments. There is not absolute uniformity anywhere among the children of God. Their innate capacities and their use of the law of free agency make them different, often widely so. Therefore, the members of the highest kingdom are also grouped, according to the Prophet Joseph Smith into three "degrees." [See D&C 131:1.]
To enter the highest of these degrees in the celestial kingdom is to be exalted in the kingdom of God. Such exaltation comes to those who receive the higher ordinances of the Church, such as the temple endowment, and afterwards are sealed in marriage for time and eternity, whether on earth or in the hereafter. Those who are so sealed continue the family relationship eternally. Spiritual children are begotten by them. They carry on the work of salvation for the hosts of waiting spirits. They who are so exalted become even as the gods. They will be "from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue." [D&C 132:20] (Evidences and Reconciliations, pp. 200-01) TLDP:163-64
Related Witnesses:
Ordinances instituted in the heavens before the foundation of the world, in the priesthood, for the salvation of men, are not to be altered or changed. All must be saved on the same principles. . . .
All men who become heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ will have to receive the fulness of the ordinances of his kingdom; and those who will not receive all the ordinances will come short of the fullness of that glory, if they do not lose the whole. (Sunday sermon at the Stand, Nauvoo, Ill., June 11, 1843) DGSM:52; TPJS:308
We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel. (The third of the thirteen Articles of Faith; letter to John Wentworth, March 1, 1842) Articles of Faith :3
quoted by Mormon
Now these ordinances were given after this manner, that thereby the people might look forward on the Son of God, it being a type of his order, or it being his order, and this that they might look forward to him for a remission of their sins, that they might enter into the rest of the Lord. (Alma instructs the people that high priests were ordained because of righteousness, about 82 B.C.) Alma 13:16
