This is a brilliant example of how portions of the truth lead to contentions, confusions, and strife. Imagine yourself being told this, it'd ruffle a few feathers I'd daresay. Make you want to give up before you've even began. For example, while many, if not all, have heard of Jesus Christ, this particular example may not apply to you. But what of the belief that is tossed about that only a select few, and they've already been selected before they were born, will make it to heaven. Well, then, what would be the point for the rest of us? Why not, then, be of the philosophy, 'eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.'? I shall begin by explaining the scripture which the pastor could base his words, but then go further into the plan of God, of which this pastor does not understand.
In speaking with Moses, God said, "For behold, this is my work and my glory; to bring to pass inmortality and eternal life of man [Mos. 1:39]." I would like you to think a moment on this. This is the Plan of God, our Father in Heaven. And yes, anonymous pastor, central to that plan is Jesus Christ. We can read many times, most notably in John 14:6, of our need of Christ in returning to live with our Heavenly Father. Christ is instructing His apostles, shortly before suffering on the cross, and says, "..I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
The Lamb of God
Here I would like to briefly address sacrifices. Ancient and modern. We are familiar with the great and atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, but why was it so important that Christ be the firstborn of the Father? That He be without sin? Since the beginning, we read in the Old Testament, that God has required sacrifices of His children, the firstlings of their flocks, as a symbol of atoning for their sins, or in other words, as a sign of repentance. Repentance is one of the first principles of the gospel, which is necessary to return to God.
In 1 Cor 6:9, we are taught, "know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?..."
In Gal 5:19-21 we find a list a little more specific of things, which include, hatred, uncleanness, envyings, etc. That is not all inclusive, however. We become unrighteous, or unclean, through sin.
King Benjamin, a prophet from the Book of Mormon states, "...I cannot tell you all the things whereby ye may commit sin; for there are divers ways and means, even so many that I cannot number them."
Each and every one of us sin, everyday. No ifs, ands, or buts, about it. So when Christ came, He being the firstborn of our Father, "...was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. [Isa. 53:7]"
"Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered.[ 2 Nephi 2:7]"
He fulfilled the Law of Moses, which required the shedding of blood, but gave a higher law of sacrifice. That we offer a broken heart and a contrite spirit, which are the fruits of repentance.
If we are to enter into the Kingdom of our Father, we have to be cleansed of our sins. Without the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we would not be able to repent, nor be baptized, but would instead remain in our sins, and therefore not be able to enter into Heaven, as stated in the scriptures. God is bound by His word, and the laws of heaven. However, He provided a way for us to return, that fulfills the law. He wants us to return.
This is the first part of which the pastor spoke. If I lost you in there, I apologize, and I would invite you to ponder the scriptures, and pray to ask God to know if it is true. I will now address the second portion of his statement, which was incorrect.
Those without law
At the start of his mortal ministry, "Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. [Matt. 4:18-19]"
Later, the apostles are commissioned to preach the gospel unto the world. Bringing men unto Christ. There is a pattern in the scriptures, which I will not go into deeply here, that whenever there is a prophet of God on the earth, there are people, or missionaries if you will, out proclaiming the gospel. There is also a pattern of people rejecting the prophets and the gospel light being taken from the earth. There have been many generations where the message of Jesus Christ was not known throughout the land. The point was brought up in this interview "what about the people in the middle east...?" They are just a small portion of people, in the history of the world, who never had the opportunity to hear the gospel. I will impart with you some of the plain and precious truths of the gospel, which shows the great love of our Heavenly Father, and may answer some questions you didn't know you had. I pray that you read, and ponder these things with an open heart, that the Spirit of the Lord may work within you, that you may know for yourself that the worth of souls is great in the sight of God.
The prophet Joseph F. Smith, in 1918, while reading and pondering 1 Peter 3:18-20; 4:6, recieved a revelation expounding these scriptures. To read of his vision look in Doctrine and Covenants section 138 (D&C 138). The verses in Peter read:
"For Christ also hath once suffered for our sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
Which sometime were disobedient, when once the long suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water....
For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit." [italics added]
Through modern-day revelation, we know that after death our spirits go to a spirit world while our body stays here in the mortal world. In Alma 40:11-14, of the Book of Mormon, the prophet Alma is teaching his son the plan of God, more specifically in these verses, he's teaching him of the spirit world.
"Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection...then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of all those who are righteous are recieved into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace...that the spirits of the wicked, yea, who are evil...for behold, they chose evil works rather than good...these shall be cast out... there shall be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth...thus they remain in this state until the time of their ressurrection."
Taking into account the verses from Peter, where Christ went and preached unto the spirits in prison, and the verses from Alma, where he teaches of the spirit world, this was the understanding of the prophet when he recieved the revelation.
He saw Christ in the spirit world those three days between his death and resurrection. He visited the spirits in paradise, taught them, and organized them, and set them apart to preach His Gospel to those that were suffering in prison. The same way that He set his apostles apart to preach the gospel to those among the living. The Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. The authority of God has been restored to the earth so that we can seek out those of our kindred dead [geneology work] who have not yet recieved the saving ordinances of the gospel, such as baptism, and be baptized in their name.
1 Cor 15:29 Paul poses this question to teach of the resurrection. I use it to illustrate the forethought of God in His plan to save His children. "Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?"
Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by Him. But the Father's work and His glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. But, "there are many yet on the earth among all sects, parties, and denominations, who are blinded by the subtle craftiness of men...who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it-" But if they died without the opportunity to learn of Christ, they will yet be given the chance. Those that still live, will be given an equal opportunity to hear. There are missionaries of the Lord Jesus Christ, called and set apart by the authority of God to bring this message unto the world. We have a living prophet who is directed by Jesus Christ himself, unto the fulfilling of this work. I commend all you who are concerned over our brothers and sisters throughout the world where the situation is difficult to hear of Jesus Christ. But I know that God is a just and merciful God, that He has a plan of happiness for each of us.
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