Latest / Scripture Central / ”Stand Forever” Ep. 20 | The Truth—Where Are You? | Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge

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”Stand Forever” Ep. 20 | The Truth—Where Are You? | Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge · Scripture Central

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There are only two places in the world, the path of the gospel of
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Jesus Christ and everywhere else.
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One common belief is all roads lead to heaven is a prevalent
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belief that has done immense harm to mankind throughout time.
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It is as old as the world Nihor falsely taught all mankind
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should be saved at the last day. There shall be many who shall
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say they do this or do that, and it mattereth not.
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But woe unto such, for they are in the gall of bitterness.
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You're either on the path or you're not.
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If not, get on it. If you're on it, stay the
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course. Stay on it and you will make it.
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Where are you? That is the question for this
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episode. You can't get to where you want
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to go without first knowing where you are and then plot the
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chorus in between. In past episodes, we explored
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some of the many dimensions of who you are, including whether
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you are good enough. I suggested The answer to that
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question depends in part on where you are.
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Hello, my name is Larry Corbridge and this is episode 20
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of the Stand Forever series. So again, where are you?
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The answer to this question is, I think a lot easier than who
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you are. There are only two places in the
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world, the path of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and everywhere
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else you're either on the path or you're not.
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The question should be, are you on the path?
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It doesn't matter so much where you are on the path.
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If you are on it and moving forward, that's the question.
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If you are, then you are good enough despite your weaknesses,
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despite your mistakes and imperfections.
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It's really that simple. Having taken your bearings as to
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where you want to go again point B and where you are point A, you
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would think to just simply draw a straight line between the two
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and that would be your course. That may or may not work here
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depending on where you are. The problem is not all courses
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lead to point B any more than all roads lead to heaven.
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Life is about getting, getting to the end, getting to the
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destination, reunion with God, receiving the gift of God's Son,
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God's Spirit and God's life and and helping others do that very
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same thing. More concisely, it is to partake
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of the fruit of the tree of life and help others do the same.
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That's the destination. That's point B.
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There is only one course, one path that leads to that
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destination. If you are already on that
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course, then you can draw a straight line to the
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destination. But if not, you need to draw a
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straight line to that course, to that path, and then turn right
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toward the destination. You are either on the course or
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you're not. If you're not, go there.
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In Lehigh's description of the of the vision of the Tree of
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Life, he said he saw multitudes pressing forward on the path
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that led to the Tree of Life. That's the straight line.
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But he also said he saw numberless concourses of people,
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many of whom were pressing forward that they might obtain
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the path which led into the tree by which I stood.
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He said you have to get to the path first, the true course, and
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then just stay on it to get to the tree of life.
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This method of navigation is counter to the intuition to draw
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a straight line to the destination from your location,
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wherever you may be. But it is necessary because not
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all courses converge on the same destination, and the course is
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also, in a way, partially the destination.
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One common belief is all roads do lead to heaven, every church
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is good, and we'll all be saved in the end.
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Or so people say and think. You may have even thought.
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I really don't know that much about other faiths.
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There are many people of other faiths that seem to be sincere
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and convinced that they have the truth.
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All religions teach people to be good, and isn't that what we're
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all trying to do anyway? Become good people?
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So maybe that is all God asks of us.
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We are essentially striving toward the same thing.
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It's a very common thought, but the belief that all churches
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lead to heaven, that all religions teach people to be
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good, and in the end that is all God wants.
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The belief that churches, one church is no better than any
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other, just different, that all paths will converge and one is
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quite as good as another, is a prevalent belief that has done
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immense harm to mankind throughout time.
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It is as old as the world, Nihor falsely taught All mankind
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should be saved at the last day, and that they need not fear nor
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tremble, but that they might lift up their heads and rejoice.
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For the Lord had created all men, he said, and had also
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redeemed all men, and in the end all men should have eternal
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life, the Scripture goes on to say.
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And it came to pass that he did teach these things so much that
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many did believe on his words, Even so many that they began to
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support him and give him money, that he is, as I said in the
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last episode, what I call the feel good gospel.
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Korahor and Sherem taught similar nonsense, also deceiving
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many. Meron, I saw our day and he said
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this. There shall be many who shall
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say, Do this or do that, and it mattereth not, for the Lord will
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uphold such at the last day. But continuing on, he said, But
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woe unto such, for they are in the gall of bitterness and in
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the bonds of iniquity. Nephi, in a very similar way
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also saw our day and said really the same thing, saying, Yeah,
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and there shall be many which shall say, eat, drink and be
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merry, for tomorrow we die, and it shall be well with us.
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And there shall also be many which shall say, eat, drink, and
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be merry. Nevertheless, fear God, He will
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justify in committing a little sin.
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Yeah, lie a little, take advantage of one because of 1's
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words. Dig a pitch for thy neighbor.
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There's no harm in this, and do all these things, for tomorrow
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we die, and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us
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with a few stripes, and at last we should be saved in the
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Kingdom of God. Yeah, and there shall be many
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which shall teach. He said after this manner false
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and vain and foolish doctrines, and shall be puffed up in their
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hearts, and shall seek deep to hide their counsels from the
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Lord, and their works shall be in the dark, in the blood of the
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Saints. He said, shall cry from the
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ground against them. Yeah, they have all gone out of
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the way. They have become corrupted
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again. The blood of the Saints shall
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cry from the ground against them.
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Imagine the anguish of those Saints who sacrificed all they
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had, some their very lives for the truths of the restored
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Gospel. When they see the apathy,
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mediocrity, confusion and deceit created by this singular belief,
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surely they would cry out in anguish that their blood was
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shed for not because people are blinded by such fools, false and
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vain and foolish doctrines. How can everyone be right when
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there are so many divergent teachings?
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That is what the young Joseph asked himself.
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He said My mind at times was greatly excited, the cry and
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tumult were so great and incessant.
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The Presbyterians were most decided against the Baptists and
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the Methodists, and used all powers of both reason and
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sophistry to prove their errors, or at least to make the people
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think they were in air. On the other hand, the Baptists
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and the Methodists in their turn, were equally zealous in
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endeavoring to establish their own tenants, and disprove all
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others. In the midst of this war of
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words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself, What is to
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be done? Who of all these parties are
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right, or are they all wrong together?
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If any one of them be right, which is it, and how?
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How shall I know it? While I was laboring, Joseph
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said, Under the extreme difficulties caused by the
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contest of these parties of religionists, I was one day
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reading the Epistle of James, the 1st chapter and 5th verse,
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which reads. If any of you lack wisdom, let
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him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally and uprighteth
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not, and it shall be given Him. Obviously all churches cannot be
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true because although there is some common ground among them,
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they differ greatly in fundamental doctrine.
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The only other conclusion is no church is the true church, which
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means they are all in air. God created all of this, the
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cosmos, the universe, our solar system, the earth, and every
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form of life just to stick us here and let us muddle through.
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How much sense does that make? Why would he do that?
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Why create this world for us and then leave us in confusion to
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stumble along? Why would He not show us the way
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and then allow us to choose if God wants us to return to His
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presence, If He loves us and wants us to succeed in this
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life, then would He not make the way clear from the beginning?
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Yes, yes, yes He would, and He has since the beginning.
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He has revealed through prophets the way to return to Him.
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It is simple. Everyone is capable of
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understanding, choosing and following even the least and the
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weakest can can understand the truth and follow Him.
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The gospel is clear and available to everyone.
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In fact, everyone who has not had an opportunity to know and
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accept will have that opportunity.
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We believe that through the atonement of Christ, literally
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all mankind, every last one may be saved by obedience to the
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laws and ordinances of the gospel.
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We are the only ones that believe that no one is excluded.
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As Nephi said, he invited them all to come unto him and partake
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of his goodness, and he denieth none that come unto him.
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Black and white, bond and free, male and female, all are alike
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unto God. That, of course, is one of the
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reasons for temples, and it is why so many people work so hard
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at genealogical research. They're not just interested in
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who their ancestors are, they are working for the salvation of
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all mankind on both sides of the veil.
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There is no religion that includes everyone except His
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Church, by which the Lord does and has provided a way for all.
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But we must choose. It won't work otherwise.
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We must get up, walk through the gate, get on the path, and then
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stay the course. Life and judgment will.
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In terms of final judgment, will not be a process of God only
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weighing all the good that someone does against all the
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bad. And if the balances tip in one's
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favor, grant him entrance. No unclean thing can dwell on
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the presence of God. Can't happen, can't be done.
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It is not just a matter of living a good life.
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Whatever belief system one may have, there is a glorious
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Kingdom for those who think and live that way.
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There are decent, respectable, humble, honorable people and
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many churches, Christian and otherwise.
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There are Latter Day Saints who do not keep their covenants but
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essentially live a good life. There is a place for those who
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live a good life but are not valiant in the testimony of
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Jesus Christ. It is not so much a Kingdom of
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punishment for their shortfall. Rather, it is a Kingdom of
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glory, commensurate to their faithfulness, equal to their
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state of preparation and being. They will receive the light and
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glory to which they are entitled in a terrestrial existence,
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which will be glorious, but not a fullness of joy and glory.
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They will not realize the full measure of their potential, not
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because they can't, but because they choose not to.
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They will not return to the presence of God the Father,
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which is the essential problem in life.
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Elder Boyd K Packer said this. Good conduct without the
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ordinances of the gospel will neither redeem nor exalt
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mankind. Covenants and the ordinances are
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essential. We are required to teach the
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doctrines, even the unpopular ones.
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Yield on this doctrine and you cannot justify the restoration.
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The doctrine is true, it is logical, and the opposite is
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not. A few weeks ago I was returning
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from the East with President Hinckley.
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We conversed with a passenger who said something to the effect
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that all churches lead to heaven.
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How often have you heard that the parallel path to heaven
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philosophy. They claim one church is not
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really better than another, just different.
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Eventually the paths will converge. 1 is therefore quite
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as safe in any church as in any other.
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While this seems to be very generous, it just cannot be
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true. I find it so interesting that
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those who condemn us for following the philosophy we do
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reject the parallel path philosophy themselves when it
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comes to non Christian religions.
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For if they do not, they have no reason to accept the Lord as our
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Redeemer, or regard the atonement as essential.
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And what could they do with his statement that he that believeth
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in his baptized shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall
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be damned? While the converging path idea
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is very appealing, it really is not reasonable.
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Suppose schools were operated on that philosophy, with each
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discipline a separate path leading to the same diploma.
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No matter whether you study or not, pass the tests or not, all
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would be given the same diploma, the one of their choice.
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Without qualifying, one could choose the diploma of an
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attorney, an engineer, a medical doctor.
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Surely you would not submit yourselves to surgery under the
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hands of a graduate of a school of that kind.
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But it does not work that way. It cannot work that way, not in
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education, not in spiritual matters.
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There are essential ordinances, just as there are required
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courses. There are prescribed standards
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of worthiness. If we resist them, avoid them,
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or fail them, we will not enter in with those who complete the
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course. Do you realize that the notion
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that all churches are equal presupposes that the true Church
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of Jesus Christ actually does not exist anywhere?
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Now, others may insist that this is not the true church, that is
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their privilege. But to claim that it does not
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exist anywhere. That it does not even need to
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exist is to deny the Scriptures the New Testament teaches of 1
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Lord, 1 faith, 1 baptism, and speaks of all coming in the
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unity of the faith, and of a restitution of all things which
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God has spoken by the mouth of His holy prophets since the
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world began. We did not invent the doctrine
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of the only true church. It came from the Lord.
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Whatever perception others have of us, however presumptuous we
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appear to be, whatever criticism is directed to us, we must teach
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it to all who will listen. We do not claim that others have
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no truth. The Lord described them as
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having a form of godliness. Converts to the Church may bring
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with them all of the truth they possess and have it added upon.
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In addition to the fact that not all courses converge on the same
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destination, the other reason to chart a course directly to the
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to the true course is because that course is also in part the
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destination. God's greatest gifts are His
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Son, His Spirit, and His life. The purpose or destination of
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life is to receive those gifts, return home to God, and help
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others do the same. That's point B.
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That's the destination. Except for the gift of God's
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life, eternal life, everything else is to be realized along the
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course. To that extent, the course is
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also partially the destination. Get on course, stay there, and
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you will make it. A common view of our journey is
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bite the bullet now for a greater reward later.
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Resist temptation of an immediate reward and preference
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for a far better one later. This view is particularly driven
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by our understanding of heaven, or eternal life, which is of
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course the ultimate goal, the epitome of delayed reward.
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In the grand scheme of things, eternal life is God's greatest
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gift. But while the hope of eternal
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life holds sway with our choices today, generally people are more
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heavily influenced by how life can be better here and now.
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In their book titled The One Thing, the authors observed that
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economists have long known that even though people prefer big
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rewards over small ones, they have an even stronger preference
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for present rewards over future ones, even when the future
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rewards are much bigger. It's an ordinary occurrence,
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oddly named as hyperbolic discounting.
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The further away the reward is in the future, the smaller the
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immediate motivation to achieve it.
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God's plan for his children, however, is not entirely delayed
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gratification. Suffer now and hope for glory
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and happiness later. Not hardly.
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The supreme blessings in this life, the best we can
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experience, the best of all human conditions in this life
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are God's Son, His Spirit and all the blessings that flow from
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it, the hope of eternal life and helping other people receive
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those same gifts. All of that is part of the
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course, and all of that is available here and now.
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Speaking of the House of Israel in the latter days, among
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others, Nephi said They shall come to the knowledge of their
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Redeemer and the very points of his doctrine, that they may know
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how to come unto him and be saved.
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The course is how. The course is how to get to the
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destination. Point B.
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What is the how, or in other words, what is the course?
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We might quickly say keep the commandments and saying so we
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would be correct. The Lord has said as much in the
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Doctrine Covenants, for example. And if you keep my commandments
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and endure to the end, you shall have eternal life.
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Which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God?
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But the Lord also has repeatedly defined the course more
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specifically, detailing the waypoints along the way that
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collectively comprise the course to eternal life.
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The greatest mystery, it seems to me, in the gospel of Jesus
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Christ is the gospel of Jesus Christ.
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It is odd because the Lord has defined it over and over again,
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clearly and repeatedly. He also said we should take it
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to all the world. That is the knowledge of their
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Redeemer and the very points of His doctrine, that they may know
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how to come unto him and be saved.
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As is the case with other gospel terms, the gospel of Jesus
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Christ and the doctrine of Jesus Christ are terms that on
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occasion are used more broadly. But by and large those terms are
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not only interchangeable, but are clearly defined and
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repeatedly defined. Here are a few examples.
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Doctrine of Covenants, Section 33.
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Yeah, repent and be baptized, everyone of you, for remission
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of your sins. Yeah, be baptized even by water,
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and then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost.
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Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my gospel.
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And remember that they shall have faith in me, or they can,
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and no wise be saved. And upon this rock I will build
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my church. That is the rock of his gospel.
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Yeah, upon this rock ye are built.
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And if he continue, the gates of hell shall not prevail against
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you. Doctrine Covenant, Section 39.
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And verily I say unto you, he that receiveth my gospel
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receiveth me, and he that receiveth not my gospel
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receiveth not me. And this is my gospel,
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repentance and baptism by water. And then cometh the baptism of
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fire and the Holy Ghost, even the Comforter, which showeth all
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things, and teacheth the peaceable things of the Kingdom.
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Nephi says he must speak about the doctrine of Christ.
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He then teaches faith in Christ, repentance, baptism, the Holy
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Ghost, and enduring to the end. He concludes by saying, And now
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behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way, and there is
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none other way, nor name given under heaven, whereby man can be
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saved in the Kingdom of God. And now behold, this is the
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doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father,
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and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is 1.
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God without, and Amen. For emphasis, the Lord on one
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one occasion characterized the same principles under 4
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different banners, as my gospel, the Gospel, the Word, and the
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commandment. As for my gospel and the Gospel,
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he says, all men will be judged before Him by their works.
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And it shall come to pass that whoso repenteth and is baptized,
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and my name shall be filled. And if he endureth to the end,
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behold him will I hold guiltless before my Father at that day
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when I shall stand to judge the world.
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And then he says, And this is the word which he had given unto
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the children of man, And no unclean thing can enter into His
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Kingdom, therefore nothing enter into His rest, save it be those
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who have washed their garments in My blood, because of their
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faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their
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faithfulness unto the end. And then he characterizes it as
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the commandment, saying, Now this is the commandment, Repent
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all ye ends of the earth, and coming to Me, and be baptized in
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my name, that you may be sanctified by the reception of
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the Holy Ghost, that you may stand spotless before me at the
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last day. Verily, verily, I say unto you,
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This is my Gospel, and you know the things you must do in my
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Church, for the works which you have seen me do, that shall ye
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also do. For that what you have seen me
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do, even that shall ye do. The Lord also said, Behold,
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verily, verily, I say unto you, I will declare unto you my
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doctrine. And this is my doctrine, and it
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is the doctrine which the Father hath given unto me.
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And I bear record of the Father, And the Father bear beareth
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record of Me. And the Holy Ghost beareth
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record of the Father and Me. And I bear record that the
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Father commanded all men everywhere to repent and believe
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in Me. And whoso believeth in Me and is
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baptized, the same shall be saved.
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And they are they who shall inherit the Kingdom of God.
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And whoso believeth not in Me, and is not baptized, shall be
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damned. Verily, verily, I say unto you,
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that this is my doctrine, and I bear record of it from the
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Father. And whoso believeth in Me,
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believeth in the Father also. And unto him will the Father
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bear record of me, For he will visit him with fire.
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Listen to this, He will visit him with fire and with the Holy
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Ghost. And thus will the Father bear
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record of me, and the Holy Ghost will bear record unto him, of
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the Father, and me. For the Father and I and the
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Holy Ghost are what? And again I say unto you, You
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must repent, and become as a little child, and be baptized in
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my name, or you can and no wise receive these things.
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And again I say unto you, You must repent and be baptized in
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my name, and become as a little child, or you can and no wise
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inherit the Kingdom of God. Verily, verily, I say unto you,
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that this is my doctrine, and whoso buildeth upon this
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buildeth upon my rock, and the gates of hell should not prevail
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against them. And who shall declare?
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Listen to this, and who shall declare more or less than this,
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and establish it from my doctrine?
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The same cometh of evil, and it's not built upon my rock, but
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He buildeth upon a sandy foundation, and the gates of
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hell stand open to receive such when the floods come and the
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winds beat upon them. Therefore go forth unto this
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people, and declare the words which I have spoken unto the
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ends of the earth. I know that's a lot, but the
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Lord has. It's not even a beginning of how
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much the Lord has repeatedly defined His doctrine and His
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gospel. When we use the phrases the
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Gospel of Jesus Christ or the doctrine of Christ, what do
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people understand those phrases mean?
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Many think of all the principles and teachings of Christ as as a
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whole rather than the narrow definition the Lord has
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repeatedly given. While the broader definition may
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be correct in some instances, it is less meaningful because it is
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so broad. If everything is swept into one
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bucket, most of the individual contents are buried one on top
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of another, which is why the Lord has repeatedly, carefully
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and simply pulled them out of the bucket and laid out the
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course very clearly. The waypoints along our journey,
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His gospel, His doctrine. These truths are are are so
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monumentally important that the Lord has said if parents in Zion
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don't teach them to their children by age 8.
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The sin will be upon the heads of the parents saying and again,
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inasmuch as parents have children in Zion or any of her
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stakes which are organized that teach them not to understand the
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doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living
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God, and a baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying
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on of hands when 8 years old, the sin be upon the heads of the
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parents. Pretty sobering statement.
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And why? Why age 8?
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Is it because younger children are more teachable?
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Maybe to some extent. But while younger children are
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more impressionable, what happens at age 8?
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They become accountable, and what happens then?
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Eventually they die. Eventually they die spiritually,
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having become accountable. They make mistakes and the
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Spirit withdraws. And if they don't, if they don't
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understand the gospel or the doctrine of Christ, they won't
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know what's happened to them when it does, much less know how
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to fix it. And so is Nephi said, And we
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talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we
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prophecy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies that
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to the end that our children may know to what source they may
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look for a remission of their sins.
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One of the best expressions of the standard by which we will be
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judged is given by Nephi, who said if the Lamb of God, he
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being holy, should have need to be baptized by water to fulfill
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our righteousness. Oh, then how much more need have
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we being unholy to be baptized? Yeah, even by water it showeth
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unto the children of men the straightness of the path and the
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narrowness of the gate by which they should enter, He having set
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the example before them. And he said unto the children of
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men, Follow thou me. And the Father said, Repent ye,
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repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my beloved Son.
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And also the voice of the Son came unto me Nephi, saying, He
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that is baptized in my name, to him will the Father give the
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Holy Ghost like unto me. Wherefore follow me, and do the
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things which you have seen me do.
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He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.
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And now, my beloved brethren, I know by this that unless a man
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shall endure to the end in following the example of the Son
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of the living God, he cannot be saved.
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And then Nephi gives a marvelous summary statement of hope,
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saying this. Wherefore you must press forward
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with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of
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hope, and a love of God, and of all men.
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Wherefore if you shall press forward, feasting upon the Word
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of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the
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Father, ye shall have eternal life.
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So what then is the standard by which one will be judged?
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Did you have faith in Christ by repenting of your sins to bring
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your life into harmony with His teachings, and by entering the
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covenant of baptism to keep His commandments?
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Did you receive and keep the power of God in your life, the
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gift of the Holy Ghost? Did you make and keep additional
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covenants associated with the ordinances of the temple,
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particularly temple marriage, if that is, if that's available to
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you? Did you press forward
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incorporating into your life the Word of Christ?
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And did you stay the course engaged in His work building the
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Kingdom of God as an active contributing member of His
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Church? The Lord warned, saying, and of
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tenants, thou shalt not talk, but thou shalt declare
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repentance and faith on the Savior, and remission of sins by
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baptism and by fire. Yeah, even the Holy Ghost.
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Behold, this is a great and the last commandment which I get,
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which I shall give unto you concerning this matter.
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For this shall suffice for thy daily walk, even to the end of
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thy life. The waypoints along the course
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that leads to God's Son, His Spirit, and His life are again
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faith in Christ, repentance, ordinances beginning with
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baptism for the remission of sins, receive the Holy Ghost and
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endure to the end, building up the Kingdom of God.
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That is the course. That is the course, overcoming
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the natural state of things, order out of chaos, light over
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darkness, and life over death. In coming episodes, we will
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explore each of those particular waypoints and greater depth.
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I invite and hope you will join me for that.
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You're either on the path or you're not.
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If not, get on it. If you're on it, stay the
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course. Stay on it and you will make it.