The final section in next Sunday’s Priesthood and Relief Society lesson deals with exaltation. After detailing the difference between immortality and eternal life, after describing the different degrees of glory and how they may be obtained, the quotes center on achieving exaltation. In short, they turn on the old ‘faith versus works’ argument.
One of the things that greatly impressed me when I investigated the church was the direction the gospel takes that argument. To quote James in James 2:18, “I will shew thee my faith BY my works” (emphasis added). That is, once we have faith, we will prove it in and through our works.
If you scan the verses around 18 to get a general context, you will see the discussion actually started in verse 14. A peek at the footnotes will lead you to the JST, which actually rearranges the order of this section. In the JST, after James notes that he will prove his faith through his works, he notes that, if you have faith, you do not leave the destitute empty handed (versus the KJV, which puts the destitute brethren before the question of faith and works).
If we love Christ and truly wish to serve him, we will be the manner of man (or woman) he has commanded us to be – we will be like him. This takes a great deal of work. I don’t know about you, but the natural man in me rears its head on a daily basis, and takes more putting down than I would like to deal with. Some days I win the battle; other days, he (she?) does.
I also liked the reference to D&C 20:37. In a verse dealing with baptism, one prerequisite is made. A person seeking to be baptized must “truly manifest by their works that they have received the Spirit of Christ unto the remission of their sins.” This in turn led me to the fourth article of faith – “We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentence; third, baptism…” and so forth. Thus, before we are baptized, our faith must be strong enough to lead to repentance; we must seek to change our ways and become a new person, a Christlike person.
But this is not simply for those seeking baptism. In our everyday lives, we must struggle to be more like him. We must repent for the errors of our ways. Is it because he expects us to be perfect while on this earth? Of course not; that is impossible. Is it because he expects us to save ourselves, to work out our own salvation? Like perfection, that is impossible; we can be saved only in and through Christ. His grace is sufficient for us. But to prove that our faith in him is absolute, we must turn our backs on the cares of the world and turn our faces to him and him alone.
President Kimball made a statement that really stuck out to me. He said that only a few Latter-day Saints, of the millions and perhaps even billions baptized, would receive exaltation. Those who do not failed “Because they would not put forth the effort to pattern their lives and make them like the Savior’s life…” He goes on to note that “they live the gospel casually but not devoutly.”
I challenge to look at your life and evaluate your faith. Are you living the gospel casually, or keeping it foremost in your mind? Is your faith in Christ strong enough to overcome the entreaties of the world? Is your will seeking to merge with his? Ask yourself what things you need to change to make this happen. It will be difficult. It will be challenging. It will be work. But, as President Kimballl says, “It is worth all it costs in patience, faith, sacrifice, sweat, and tears.”
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