Question
Gramps,
I have recently been learning about the laws of mercy and justice, and am confused. On the one hand, we learn from both Alma and Samuel the Lamanite that we cannot procrastinate the day of our repentance. On the other hand, we learn that because we will all die imperfect, we can continue to repent and progress in the next life. Also, if everyone could repent in the next life, wouldn’t everyone be saved in the celestial kingdom? How do you reconcile these two realities?
Christian
Answer
Hi Christian.
Thank you for your question.
First, let me dispel the notion of that last sentence. You said, “If everyone can repent in the next life…” Who said that? Have you ever heard that in General Conference? In all of scripture and all the sermons we’ve heard from General Authorities, we hear:
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. – Alma 34:32
We never hear anyone of authority say:
…Eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God—he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God. – 2 Ne 28:8 (quoting evil men who want to lead people astray).
The point is that people tend to misunderstand what it means to “repent”.
What is repentance? It is the recognition that we messed up and we need to do better. And all the while, we continue to yoke ourselves to the Savior.
So, “everyone can repent in the next life” is incorrect.
- Many people have no intention of repenting. And they won’t in the next life either, because that’s who they are. They’ll never recognize that they’ve done anything wrong because they don’t believe it now.
- Others think they can procrastinate repentance. They will continue procrastinating repentance in the next life because that is who they are. Is it conceivable that men will develop the habit of procrastinating repentance today, but they will all of a sudden shed of the trait of procrastination in the next life?
- Many religious people believe they have yoked themselves to Christ and then don’t have to worry about repentance. Without realizing it, they believe that faith in Christ gives them license to sin. Will they all of sudden realize that they DON’T have a license to sin?
People question how we can be perfect at the end of this life. We don’t need to be perfect. But we need to be on the road.
The problem here is that the question presupposes that we “earn” a kingdom by reaching a particular level of development. Well, kinda-not-really.
You don’t get into heaven by having the physique of Dwayne Johnson. You get there by being the person who stays yoked to Christ all the way to the gym every day. You need to have that commitment and dedication to be working on it throughout your life. Keep in mind that you DO NEED TO GO TO THE GYM every day. And if you endure to the end, that same attitude and commitment will carry you to the Celestial Kingdom in the next.
We endure by following the covenant path. We endure by repenting every time we sin. It means always admitting our weakness before Christ. And most importantly, we know that repentance is real because there will always be some tiny amount of progress we make every time we sin. It doesn’t mean we won’t ever backslide. Heaven knows that we all do that. But we get up each time we fall. And when we get up, we turn to face the Savior each time.
We need to be facing the right direction. We either face the Savior or we face sin. We can’t do both.
Sow a thought and you reap an action;
Sow an act and you reap a habit;
Sow a habit and you reap a character;
Sow a character and you reap (an eternal) destiny.”― Ralph Waldo Emerson (altered by E.D. Boardman April 1962 Conference).
It’s usually not all at once. It is a growth and development throughout our lives, and even throughout all of eternity. As a personal interpretation, I do not believe that being received into the Celestial Kingdom necessarily means that we will be fully exalted immediately. But we are allowed to progress as long as we have that attitude of repentance throughout eternity.
People want a reward that others have. But they’re not willing to do the things required to achieve that reward. It is one thing to say “I wanna have all the wealth of Elon Musk.” It is another thing to be willing to go through years of hell with virtually no one on your side just to save a major corporation from ruin with no promise, and a narrow hope of payback.
We want the Glory of God, but we aren’t willing to be yoked to the Lord for all of eternity. It is irreconcilable to believe that we don’t make any effort in that vein in mortality and somehow believe that we’ll have different habits and motivations in eternity.
Gramps
