Question
Gramps,
I have a question I hope you can answer quickly concerning the sealing power that enables a wayward child to return to their parents so long as they repent and haven’t committed the unpardonable sin. I am terminally ill and will soon leave this mortal existence and go to spirit prison on account of the bad decisions I have made in life. My question is this- It doesn’t make sense at all to me that myself, a sinner, by virtue of the everlasting covenant of my parents can eventually achieve the lower realm of the celestial kingdom, but yet a person who is not born into the church can reject Christ in this life and have at best a terrestrial reward. Will you please elaborate on the fairness of this? Also, what does it mean to you to have a perfect knowledge of Christ? My understanding is that only with a perfect knowledge followed by denying the Holy Ghost constitutes the unpardonable sin. Thank you for your response.
Marc
Answer
Dear Marc
Of course it is not fair and doesn’t make sense. However this is because you are misunderstanding what is promised. You have the mistaken idea that you are going to coast into the celestial kingdom on your parents coat tails. That because of your parents, you are going to some how be the exception to the rules. This is not so. Lets read what the promise is..
“The Prophet Joseph Smith declared-and he never taught more comforting doctrine-that the eternal sealings of faithful parents and the divine promises made to them for valiant service in the Cause of Truth, would save not only themselves, but likewise their posterity. Though some of the sheep may wander, the eye of the Shepherd is upon them, and sooner or later they will feel the tentacles of Divine Providence reaching out after them and drawing them back to the fold. Either in this life or the life to come, they will return. They will have to pay their debt to justice; they will suffer for their sins; and may tread a thorny path; but if it leads them at last, like the penitent Prodigal, to a loving and forgiving father’s heart and home, the painful experience will not have been in vain. Pray for your careless and disobedient children; hold on to them with your faith. Hope on, trust on, till you see the salvation of God” (Elder Orson F. Whitney, Conference Report, April 1929, Third Day Morning Meeting, p.110).
From this we see the only promise that your parents have is that if they will remain faithful that the day will come that their kids (you) will have a change of heart. It will be this change of heart that will cause you to repent and return to the Lord, and it will be in no way easy. This puts you in the same category as any other convert working out their way back. Compared to those that choose not to.
As for the second questions about perfect knowledge of Christ and the unpardonable sin. To me the perfect knowledge of Christ is when the Holy Ghost enlightens our understanding of Christ and his atonement to the point that there is no doubt, and nothing else we really need to know about it. The denial comes in if after receiving this understanding and knowledge we chose to turn away. God respects our agency. So if after knowing everything God is offering for us we choose to say no, no to the atonement, no to the blessings, well then there is nothing left for him to do but respect our choice.
Gramps
