I do want to begin with a disclaimer that I do not in any way feel any right or ability to "judge" anyone else's place in the kingdom of God. All of my study has been purely for my own understanding, without making assumptions about the judgment of anybody's life. I am purely curious and wanting to gain more understanding in order to improve my own life. I love the counsel given in Romans 14:10-14 that says:
"But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
"For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
"So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
"Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way."
It is with these scriptures in mind that I approach this study.
In the "Guide to the Scriptures," damnation is defined this way:
- The state of being stopped in one’s progress and denied access to the presence of God and His glory. Damnation exists in varying degrees. All who do not obtain the fulness of celestial exaltation will to some degree be limited in their progress and privileges, and they will be damned to that extent. (See Mark 16:16; John 5:29; 2 Ne. 9:24; Morm. 9:4, Ether 4:18; 3 Ne. 26:5; D&C 68:9, 84:74.
Elder David A. Bednar taught in a recent General Conference talk the following about "damnation":
"Satan does not have a body, and his eternal progress has been halted. Just as water flowing in a riverbed is stopped by a dam, so the adversary’s eternal progress is thwarted because he does not have a physical body. Because of his rebellion, Lucifer has denied himself all of the mortal blessings and experiences made possible through a tabernacle of flesh and bones. One of the potent scriptural meanings of the word damned is illustrated in his inability to continue progressing and becoming like our Heavenly Father.
"Because a physical body is so central to the Father’s plan of happiness and our spiritual development, Lucifer seeks to frustrate our progression by tempting us to use our bodies improperly. President Russell M. Nelson has taught that spiritual safety ultimately lies in “‘never taking the first enticing step toward going where you should not go and doing what you should not do.’ … As human beings we all have [physical] appetites necessary for our survival. ‘These appetites are absolutely essential for the perpetuation of life. So, what does the adversary do? … He attacks us through our appetites. He tempts us to eat things we should not eat, to drink things we should not drink, and to love as we should not love!’”
"One of the ultimate ironies of eternity is that the adversary, who is miserable precisely because he has no physical body, invites and entices us to share in his misery through the improper use of our bodies. The very tool he does not have and cannot use is thus the primary target of his attempts to lure us to physical and spiritual destruction."
The scriptures teach that there are many tools given to us that are meant to keep our eternal progress moving forward so our progress is not stopped by the devil and his followers:
“And you that will not partake of the goodness of God, and respect the words of the Jews, and also my words, and the words which shall proceed forth out of the mouth of the Lamb of God, behold, I bid you an everlasting farewell, for these words shall condemn you at the last day” (2 Nephi 33:14).
In 2 Nephi 9, we are told that those who do not have the law of the gospel taught to them are immune to the "demands of justice" (vs. 26). But "wo unto him that has the law given, yea, that has all the commandments of God, like unto us, and that transgresseth them, and that wasteth the days of his probation, for awful is his state!" (vs. 27).
We are warned not to trust in our own knowledge without also relying on the counsel of God (see 2 Nephi 9:28-29). If our hearts our closed and unwilling, God will not open up to us (see 2 Nephi 9:40, 42).
2 Nephi 28 discusses how easy it can be to be "lulled away" by Satan if we fail to receive God's guidance and direction and commit our lives to Him:
19 For the kingdom of the devil must shake, and they which belong to it must needs be stirred up unto repentance, or the devil will grasp them with his everlasting chains, and they be stirred up to anger, and perish;
20 For behold, at that day shall he rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good.
21 And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.
22 And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none—and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance.
23 Yea, they are grasped with death, and hell; and death, and hell, and the devil, and all that have been seized therewith must stand before the throne of God, and be judged according to their works, from whence they must go into the place prepared for them, even a lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment.
24 Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion!
25 Wo be unto him that crieth: All is well!
26 Yea, wo be unto him that hearkeneth unto the precepts of men, and denieth the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost!
27 Yea, wo be unto him that saith: We have received, and we need no more!
28 And in fine, wo unto all those who tremble, and are angry because of the truth of God! For behold, he that is built upon the rock receiveth it with gladness; and he that is built upon a sandy foundation trembleth lest he shall fall.
29 Wo be unto him that shall say: We have received the word of God, and we need no more of the word of God, for we have enough!
30 For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.
31 Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost.
2 Nephi 33:14 says, "And you that will not partake of the goodness of God, and respect the words of the Jews, and also my words, and the words which shall proceed forth out of the mouth of the Lamb of God, behold, I bid you an everlasting farewell, for these words shall condemn you at the last day."
The words in the scriptures to me sound very depressing and harsh and they make me worry about anyone who might choose anything other than God's path for them. I found some comfort in these words taught by some well known Church leaders:
D&C 19:4–12. Great Additional Truths Concerning God’s Punishments
"These verses provide one of the most important insights into the Judgment found anywhere in scripture. Elder James E. Talmage stated: “During this hundred years [of Church history] many other great truths not known before, have been declared to the people, and one of the greatest is that to hell there is an exit as well as an entrance. Hell is no place to which a vindictive judge sends prisoners to suffer and to be punished principally for his glory; but it is a place prepared for the teaching, the disciplining of those who failed to learn here upon the earth what they should have learned. True, we read of everlasting punishment, unending suffering, eternal damnation. That is a direful expression; but in his mercy the Lord has made plain what those words mean. ‘Eternal punishment,’ he says, is God’s punishment, for he is eternal; and that condition or state or possibility will ever exist for the sinner who deserves and really needs such condemnation; but this does not mean that the individual sufferer or sinner is to be eternally and everlastingly made to endure and suffer. No man will be kept in hell longer than is necessary to bring him to a fitness for something better. When he reaches that stage the prison doors will open and there will be rejoicing among the hosts who welcome him into a better state. The Lord has not abated in the least what he has said in earlier dispensations concerning the operation of his law and his gospel, but he has made clear unto us his goodness and mercy through it all, for it is his glory and his work to bring about the immortality and eternal life of man.” (In Conference Report, Apr. 1930, p. 97.)
D&C 19:7. Is There a Difference between Eternal Punishment and Eternal Damnation?
Elder Bruce R. McConkie explained the difference between these two terms:
“Eternal damnation is the opposite of eternal life, and all those who do not gain eternal life, or exaltation in the highest heaven within the celestial kingdom, are partakers of eternal damnation. Their eternal condemnation is to have limitations imposed upon them so that they cannot progress to the state of godhood and gain a fulness of all things.
“They ‘remain separately and singly, without exaltation, … to all eternity; and from henceforth are not gods, but are angels of God forever and ever.’ (D. & C. 132:17.) Their kingdom or progress has an ‘end,’ and they ‘cannot have an increase.’ (D. & C. 131:4.) Spirit children are denied to them to all eternity, and they inherit ‘the deaths,’ meaning an absence of posterity in the resurrection. (D. & C. 132:16–25.)
“They are never redeemed from their spiritual fall and taken back into the full presence and glory of God. Only the obedient are ‘raised in immortality unto eternal life.’ The disobedient, ‘they that believe not,’ are raised in immortality ‘unto eternal damnation; for they cannot be redeemed from their spiritual fall, because they repent not.’ (D. & C. 29:42–44.)” (Mormon Doctrine, p. 234.)
When I wonder about the fairness of the afterlife, if one "sin" is worse than another "sin," and how judgment will work out in the end, I remember these words:
"My promise to you is one that a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles once made to me. I had said to him that because of choices some in our extended family had made, I doubted that we could be together in the world to come. He said, as well as I can remember, 'You are worrying about the wrong problem. You just live worthy of the celestial kingdom, and the family arrangements will be more wonderful than you can imagine.'” (Pres. Eyring, GC April 2019)
Sometimes people will look at the Church and see it as restrictive, narrow-minded, and limiting, because it claims to provide the "one way" to receive eternal life. Because there are so many beliefs and ideas of truth in the world, God has provided a pathway in his mercy to offer a consistent and reliable way for all people to return to Him. It is not to restrict, it is to free and enable and clarify. I found this passage in Richard Millet's The Doctrine of Merit that discusses Christ's role in our salvation because of the Fall:
"The Fall and the Atonement are a package deal; one brings the other into existence, and I am not aware of any discussion of the Atonement in the Book of Mormon that is not accompanied, either directly or by implication, with a discussion of the Fall. We do not appreciate and treasure the medicine until we appreciate the seriousness of the malady. One cannot look earnestly and longingly to the Redeemer if he or she does not sense the need for redemption. Jesus came to earth to do more than offer sage advice. He is not merely a benevolent consultant, a spiritual adviser. He came to save us."
"Wherefore, all mankind were in a lost and in a fallen state, and ever would be save they should rely on this Redeemer" (1 Nephi 10:4-6; compare Alma 42:6). I am fascinated with the two words so descriptive of mortals—lost and fallen. Truly, as Isaiah declared (and as Abinadi quoted), "All we, like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way" (Mosiah 14:6; compare Isaiah 53:6). The Good Shepherd thus comes on a search and rescue mission for all of His lost sheep. He who never took a moral detour or a backward step thus reaches out and reaches down to lift us up. We are lost in the sense that we do not know our way home without a guide, in the sense that we are alienated from God and separated from things of righteousness. We are fallen in the sense that we have chosen, like our Exemplar, to condescend and enter a telestial tenement; in the sense that our eternal spirit has taken up its temporary abode in a tabernacle of clay; in the sense that we must be lifted up, quickened, and resuscitated spiritually if we are to return to the divine presence."
(pgs. 112-113.)
Millet discusses the "natural man" that is within all of us that we are meant to overcome in order to align our will with God's:
"The natural man is an enemy to God in that he (or she) is operating on another agenda than God's, is doing everything in his or her power to bring to pass their own whims and wishes, and in general has placed his or her will above that of the Captain of our souls. President Brigham Young taught that "the natural man is at enmity with God. That fallen nature in every one is naturally opposed, inherently, through the fall, to God and to His Kingdom, and wants nothing to do with them." Such persons are thereby operating at cross-purposes to the Father's plan for the salvation and redemption of His children and thus prove to be their own worst enemy. "All men that are in a state of nature," Alma observed, "or I would say, in a carnal state, are in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity; they are without God in the world, and they have gone contrary to the nature of God; therefore, they are in a state contrary to the nature of happiness" (Alma 42:11)." (pg. 115)
...
"By means of the Atonement, the finite is reconciled to the Infinite, the incomplete to the Complete, the unfinished to the Finished, the imperfect to the Perfect. . . . The plan of salvation is not just a program bent on making bad men good and good men better, though it certainly does that; rather, it is a system of salvation that seeks to renovate society and transform the whole of humankind." (pg. 116)
So how do we access the Atonement in order to overcome the natural man? How are we "transformed" by God's plan of salvation and Christ's atonement?
"The Book of Mormon teaches that we are saved by merit, but not by our own merit. "Since man had fallen," Aaron explained to the father of Lamoni, "he could not merit anything of himself; but the sufferings and death of Christ atone for their sins, through faith and repentance, and so forth" (Alma 22:14; emphasis added). This requires a bit of explanation. Of course, we are expected to receive the ordinances of salvation, work faithfully in the kingdom, perform acts of Christian service, and endure faithfully to the end. Of course, we are required to do the works of righteousness. These things are necessary—they evidence our covenant with Christ to follow Him and keep His commandments. They are necessary, but they are not sufficient.
"Through the Church, we receive the ordinances of salvation. Through the Church, we sing and preach and rejoice. Through the Church, we learn to love and serve one another, to contribute to the edification and growth of the "body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12), to officiate in a system of organized sacrifice. But our hope for salvation is not in a system, not in an organization, not in a program, inspired and God-ordained though it may be. Our hope is in Christ, the Person. In a world that offers flimsy and fleeting remedies for mortal despair, Jesus comes to us in our moments of need with a "more excellent hope" (Ether 12:32). What Jesus Christ has done speaks volumes concerning what He can do and what He will do for us." (pgs. 116-17)
..,
"It is only through exercising faith in the name of Jesus Christ—meaning His power or authority, His atoning mission and work—that salvation comes to the children of men (see Acts 4:12; 2 Nephi 9:24; Mosiah 3:17; 26:22; Alma 22:13; Helaman 14:13)." (pg. 118)
...
"This strength, this enlivening influence, this spiritual change about which we have been speaking, does not come to us just because we work harder or longer hours. It comes as a result of working smarter, working in conjunction with the Lord God Omnipotent. Elder Gene R. Cook pointed out that "if we can obtain the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, that divine enabling power to assist us, we will triumph in this life and be exalted in the life to come. . . . I bear witness that if we will seek the grace of God, He will come to our aid and the aid of our loved ones in times of need." President Brigham Young likewise testified: "My faith is, when we have done all we can, then the Lord is under obligation, and will not disappoint the faithful; He will perform the rest." (pg. 124-125)
...
So on the one hand, Latter-day Saint scripture and prophetic teachings establish the essential truth that salvation is free and that it comes by grace, through God's unmerited favor. On the other hand, ancient and modern prophets set forth the equally vital point that works are a necessary though insufficient condition for salvation. We will be judged according to our works, not according to the merits of our works, but to the extent that our works manifest to God who and what we have become. (pg. 127)
...
C. S. Lewis explained: "Christians have often disputed as to whether what leads the Christian home is good actions, or Faith in Christ. . . . You see, we are now trying to understand, and to separate into water-tight compartments, what exactly God does and what man does when God and man are working together." (pg. 128)
..,
What does it mean, therefore, to "work out our own salvation"? (Philippians 2:12). Certainly not to attempt to do it by ourselves, for the divine word is sure and clear—such is impossible. Certainly not to accept Christ and His gospel and then live however we choose, utterly disregarding the standards of Christian discipleship—such is an offense to God, and we will answer for the same on the day of judgment. No, it means to pray and trust in the Lord God as though everything depended upon Him, and also to work and labor as though everything depended upon Him! If I rely wholly upon the merits of Christ (see 2 Nephi 31:19), how much do I rely upon myself to be saved? If I rely alone upon the merits of Christ (see Moroni 6:4), how much do I rely upon myself to be saved? The answer to both questions is a resounding "NONE." This is not a matter of self-confidence; it is a matter of confidence in Christ. I have a role in my own salvation, but peace and assurance and hope come because of what Jesus the Redeemer has done and will do to qualify me for life with Him one day. Thus, the grace of God, provided through the intercession of the Savior, is free yet expensive; it is costly grace, "costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. . . . Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son, . . . and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us." (pgs. 128-129)
...
"Because we are human—because we are weak and mortal and tired—we will probably never reach the point in this life when we have done "all we can do." Too many of us misread 2 Nephi 25:23 and conclude that the Lord can assist us only after, meaning following the time that, we have done "all we can do." In fact, the Lord can and does help us all along the way. I think Nephi is trying to emphasize that no matter how much we do, it simply will not be enough to guarantee salvation without Christ's intervention. Restating Nephi, "Above and beyond all we can do, notwithstanding all we can do, it is by the grace of Christ that we are saved." And what is true of our ultimate salvation is true of our daily walk and talk, of our personality and our passions. Above and beyond all efforts at self-control, behavior modification, or reducing our sins to manageable categories, "everything which really needs to be done in our souls can only be done by God." (pg. 130)
...
"There is a very real sense in which "all we can do" is come before the Lord in reverent humility, confess our weakness, and plead for His forgiveness, for His mercy and grace. It occurred to me recently that life is repentance, that progression and improvement and growth and maturity and refinement are all forms of repentance, and that the God-fearing live in a constant state of repentance." (pg. 131)
In a 1995 Conference Address, Pres. Ballard discussed the importance of agency in this life:
Critical to our knowledge of the plan of happiness is an understanding of the great governing principle of agency. A person does not have to spend much time in the schoolroom of mortality to realize that Heavenly Father’s plan does not provide for blissful happiness at every step along our mortal journey. Life is filled with harsh realities that tug at the heart and tear away at the soul.
We tend to think of agency as a personal matter. If we ask someone to define “moral agency,” the answer will probably be something like this: “Moral agency means I am free to make choices for myself.” Often overlooked is the fact that choices have consequences; we forget also that agency offers the same privilege of choice to others. At times we will be affected adversely by the way other people choose to exercise their agency. Our Heavenly Father feels so strongly about protecting our agency that he allows his children to exercise it, either for good or for evil.
We mortals have a limited view of life from the eternal perspective. But if we know and understand Heavenly Father’s plan, we realize that dealing with adversity is one of the chief ways we are tested. Our faith in our Heavenly Father and his beloved Son, Jesus Christ, is the source of inner strength. Through faith we can find peace, comfort, and the courage to endure. As we trust in God and his plan for our happiness with all our hearts and lean not unto our own understanding (see Prov. 3:5), hope is born. Hope grows out of faith and gives meaning and purpose to all we do. It can give us comfort in the face of adversity, strength in times of trial, and peace when we have reason for doubt or anguish.
By focusing on and living the principles of Heavenly Father’s plan for our eternal happiness, we can separate ourselves from the wickedness of the world. If we are anchored to the correct understanding of who we are, why we are here on this earth, and where we can go after this mortal life, Satan cannot threaten our happiness through any form of temptation. If we are determined to live by Heavenly Father’s plan, we will use our God-given moral agency to make decisions based on revealed truth, not on the opinions of others or on the current thinking of the world.
Those who live according to Heavenly Father’s eternal plan will not want to absorb any information that is illicit or untoward, nor will they destroy their spiritual sensitivity through immoral acts or the consumption of any harmful substances. Neither will they search for doctrinal loopholes to find reasons to challenge the ordained leadership of the Church nor tamper with the simple truths of the gospel. They will not attempt to justify any lifestyle that is contrary to the plan of happiness. If they do any of these things, they will never find the inner peace and joy that living the gospel brings. All of our Father’s children can seek prayerfully to know who they are and can find real happiness if they obey God’s commandments and endure to the end. President Howard W. Hunter said:
"There is nothing sad or gloomy about a person who accepts the truths of the gospel and incorporates these principles in his daily living. God wants all of his children to be joyous and glad, and we can have this blessing if we are willing to keep his commandments and live by his word in all that we do” (in Conference Report, Sept./Oct. 1961, p. 108).
“When we ask ourselves what we know about the spirit world from the standard works, the answer is ‘not as much as we often think.’”
Of course, we know from the scriptures that after our bodies die we continue to live as spirits in the spirit world. The scriptures also teach that this spirit world is divided between those who have been “righteous” or “just” during life and those who have been wicked. They also describe how some faithful spirits teach the gospel to those who have been wicked or rebellious (see 1 Peter 3:19; Doctrine and Covenants 138:19–20, 29, 32, 37). Most important, modern revelation reveals that the work of salvation goes forward in the spirit world (see Doctrine and Covenants 138:30–34, 58), and although we are urged not to procrastinate our repentance during mortality (see Alma 13:27), we are taught that some repentance is possible there (see Doctrine and Covenants 138:58).
The gospel is preached to the ignorant, the unrepentant, and the rebellious so they can be freed from their bondage and go forward to the blessings a loving Heavenly Father has in store for them.
(I appreciate Eyring's specification here of who the gospel is preached to in the spirit world, because it helps define for me what "wickedness" really means. All people will sin and make mistakes at some point in this life, but it is those who refuse to change or repent who will not receive the ultimate blessings of the gospel.)
The spirit-world bondage that applies to righteous converted souls is their need to await—and perhaps even be allowed to prompt—the performance of their proxy ordinances on earth so they can be baptized and enjoy the blessings of the Holy Ghost (see Doctrine and Covenants 138:30–37, 57–58).2 These mortal proxy ordinances also empower them to go forward under priesthood authority to enlarge the hosts of the righteous who can preach the gospel to the spirits in prison.
Beyond these basics, our canon of scripture contains very little about the spirit world that follows death and precedes the Final Judgment. So what else do we know about the spirit world?
... For all questions about the spirit world, I suggest two answers. First, remember that God loves His children and will surely do what is best for each of us. Second, remember this familiar Bible teaching, which has been most helpful to me on a multitude of unanswered questions:
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
“In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5–6).
20 For behold, at that day shall he rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good.
21 And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.
22 And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none—and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance.
23 Yea, they are grasped with death, and hell; and death, and hell, and the devil, and all that have been seized therewith must stand before the throne of God, and be judged according to their works, from whence they must go into the place prepared for them, even a lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment.
24 Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion!
25 Wo be unto him that crieth: All is well!
26 Yea, wo be unto him that hearkeneth unto the precepts of men, and denieth the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost!
27 Yea, wo be unto him that saith: We have received, and we need no more!
28 And in fine, wo unto all those who tremble, and are angry because of the truth of God! For behold, he that is built upon the rock receiveth it with gladness; and he that is built upon a sandy foundation trembleth lest he shall fall.
29 Wo be unto him that shall say: We have received the word of God, and we need no more of the word of God, for we have enough!
30 For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.
31 Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost.
2 Nephi 33:14 says, "And you that will not partake of the goodness of God, and respect the words of the Jews, and also my words, and the words which shall proceed forth out of the mouth of the Lamb of God, behold, I bid you an everlasting farewell, for these words shall condemn you at the last day."
The words in the scriptures to me sound very depressing and harsh and they make me worry about anyone who might choose anything other than God's path for them. I found some comfort in these words taught by some well known Church leaders:
D&C 19:4–12. Great Additional Truths Concerning God’s Punishments
"These verses provide one of the most important insights into the Judgment found anywhere in scripture. Elder James E. Talmage stated: “During this hundred years [of Church history] many other great truths not known before, have been declared to the people, and one of the greatest is that to hell there is an exit as well as an entrance. Hell is no place to which a vindictive judge sends prisoners to suffer and to be punished principally for his glory; but it is a place prepared for the teaching, the disciplining of those who failed to learn here upon the earth what they should have learned. True, we read of everlasting punishment, unending suffering, eternal damnation. That is a direful expression; but in his mercy the Lord has made plain what those words mean. ‘Eternal punishment,’ he says, is God’s punishment, for he is eternal; and that condition or state or possibility will ever exist for the sinner who deserves and really needs such condemnation; but this does not mean that the individual sufferer or sinner is to be eternally and everlastingly made to endure and suffer. No man will be kept in hell longer than is necessary to bring him to a fitness for something better. When he reaches that stage the prison doors will open and there will be rejoicing among the hosts who welcome him into a better state. The Lord has not abated in the least what he has said in earlier dispensations concerning the operation of his law and his gospel, but he has made clear unto us his goodness and mercy through it all, for it is his glory and his work to bring about the immortality and eternal life of man.” (In Conference Report, Apr. 1930, p. 97.)
D&C 19:7. Is There a Difference between Eternal Punishment and Eternal Damnation?
Elder Bruce R. McConkie explained the difference between these two terms:
“Eternal damnation is the opposite of eternal life, and all those who do not gain eternal life, or exaltation in the highest heaven within the celestial kingdom, are partakers of eternal damnation. Their eternal condemnation is to have limitations imposed upon them so that they cannot progress to the state of godhood and gain a fulness of all things.
“They ‘remain separately and singly, without exaltation, … to all eternity; and from henceforth are not gods, but are angels of God forever and ever.’ (D. & C. 132:17.) Their kingdom or progress has an ‘end,’ and they ‘cannot have an increase.’ (D. & C. 131:4.) Spirit children are denied to them to all eternity, and they inherit ‘the deaths,’ meaning an absence of posterity in the resurrection. (D. & C. 132:16–25.)
“They are never redeemed from their spiritual fall and taken back into the full presence and glory of God. Only the obedient are ‘raised in immortality unto eternal life.’ The disobedient, ‘they that believe not,’ are raised in immortality ‘unto eternal damnation; for they cannot be redeemed from their spiritual fall, because they repent not.’ (D. & C. 29:42–44.)” (Mormon Doctrine, p. 234.)
When I wonder about the fairness of the afterlife, if one "sin" is worse than another "sin," and how judgment will work out in the end, I remember these words:
"My promise to you is one that a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles once made to me. I had said to him that because of choices some in our extended family had made, I doubted that we could be together in the world to come. He said, as well as I can remember, 'You are worrying about the wrong problem. You just live worthy of the celestial kingdom, and the family arrangements will be more wonderful than you can imagine.'” (Pres. Eyring, GC April 2019)
Sometimes people will look at the Church and see it as restrictive, narrow-minded, and limiting, because it claims to provide the "one way" to receive eternal life. Because there are so many beliefs and ideas of truth in the world, God has provided a pathway in his mercy to offer a consistent and reliable way for all people to return to Him. It is not to restrict, it is to free and enable and clarify. I found this passage in Richard Millet's The Doctrine of Merit that discusses Christ's role in our salvation because of the Fall:
"The Fall and the Atonement are a package deal; one brings the other into existence, and I am not aware of any discussion of the Atonement in the Book of Mormon that is not accompanied, either directly or by implication, with a discussion of the Fall. We do not appreciate and treasure the medicine until we appreciate the seriousness of the malady. One cannot look earnestly and longingly to the Redeemer if he or she does not sense the need for redemption. Jesus came to earth to do more than offer sage advice. He is not merely a benevolent consultant, a spiritual adviser. He came to save us."
"Wherefore, all mankind were in a lost and in a fallen state, and ever would be save they should rely on this Redeemer" (1 Nephi 10:4-6; compare Alma 42:6). I am fascinated with the two words so descriptive of mortals—lost and fallen. Truly, as Isaiah declared (and as Abinadi quoted), "All we, like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way" (Mosiah 14:6; compare Isaiah 53:6). The Good Shepherd thus comes on a search and rescue mission for all of His lost sheep. He who never took a moral detour or a backward step thus reaches out and reaches down to lift us up. We are lost in the sense that we do not know our way home without a guide, in the sense that we are alienated from God and separated from things of righteousness. We are fallen in the sense that we have chosen, like our Exemplar, to condescend and enter a telestial tenement; in the sense that our eternal spirit has taken up its temporary abode in a tabernacle of clay; in the sense that we must be lifted up, quickened, and resuscitated spiritually if we are to return to the divine presence."
(pgs. 112-113.)
Millet discusses the "natural man" that is within all of us that we are meant to overcome in order to align our will with God's:
"The natural man is an enemy to God in that he (or she) is operating on another agenda than God's, is doing everything in his or her power to bring to pass their own whims and wishes, and in general has placed his or her will above that of the Captain of our souls. President Brigham Young taught that "the natural man is at enmity with God. That fallen nature in every one is naturally opposed, inherently, through the fall, to God and to His Kingdom, and wants nothing to do with them." Such persons are thereby operating at cross-purposes to the Father's plan for the salvation and redemption of His children and thus prove to be their own worst enemy. "All men that are in a state of nature," Alma observed, "or I would say, in a carnal state, are in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity; they are without God in the world, and they have gone contrary to the nature of God; therefore, they are in a state contrary to the nature of happiness" (Alma 42:11)." (pg. 115)
...
"By means of the Atonement, the finite is reconciled to the Infinite, the incomplete to the Complete, the unfinished to the Finished, the imperfect to the Perfect. . . . The plan of salvation is not just a program bent on making bad men good and good men better, though it certainly does that; rather, it is a system of salvation that seeks to renovate society and transform the whole of humankind." (pg. 116)
So how do we access the Atonement in order to overcome the natural man? How are we "transformed" by God's plan of salvation and Christ's atonement?
"The Book of Mormon teaches that we are saved by merit, but not by our own merit. "Since man had fallen," Aaron explained to the father of Lamoni, "he could not merit anything of himself; but the sufferings and death of Christ atone for their sins, through faith and repentance, and so forth" (Alma 22:14; emphasis added). This requires a bit of explanation. Of course, we are expected to receive the ordinances of salvation, work faithfully in the kingdom, perform acts of Christian service, and endure faithfully to the end. Of course, we are required to do the works of righteousness. These things are necessary—they evidence our covenant with Christ to follow Him and keep His commandments. They are necessary, but they are not sufficient.
"Through the Church, we receive the ordinances of salvation. Through the Church, we sing and preach and rejoice. Through the Church, we learn to love and serve one another, to contribute to the edification and growth of the "body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12), to officiate in a system of organized sacrifice. But our hope for salvation is not in a system, not in an organization, not in a program, inspired and God-ordained though it may be. Our hope is in Christ, the Person. In a world that offers flimsy and fleeting remedies for mortal despair, Jesus comes to us in our moments of need with a "more excellent hope" (Ether 12:32). What Jesus Christ has done speaks volumes concerning what He can do and what He will do for us." (pgs. 116-17)
..,
"It is only through exercising faith in the name of Jesus Christ—meaning His power or authority, His atoning mission and work—that salvation comes to the children of men (see Acts 4:12; 2 Nephi 9:24; Mosiah 3:17; 26:22; Alma 22:13; Helaman 14:13)." (pg. 118)
...
"This strength, this enlivening influence, this spiritual change about which we have been speaking, does not come to us just because we work harder or longer hours. It comes as a result of working smarter, working in conjunction with the Lord God Omnipotent. Elder Gene R. Cook pointed out that "if we can obtain the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, that divine enabling power to assist us, we will triumph in this life and be exalted in the life to come. . . . I bear witness that if we will seek the grace of God, He will come to our aid and the aid of our loved ones in times of need." President Brigham Young likewise testified: "My faith is, when we have done all we can, then the Lord is under obligation, and will not disappoint the faithful; He will perform the rest." (pg. 124-125)
...
So on the one hand, Latter-day Saint scripture and prophetic teachings establish the essential truth that salvation is free and that it comes by grace, through God's unmerited favor. On the other hand, ancient and modern prophets set forth the equally vital point that works are a necessary though insufficient condition for salvation. We will be judged according to our works, not according to the merits of our works, but to the extent that our works manifest to God who and what we have become. (pg. 127)
...
C. S. Lewis explained: "Christians have often disputed as to whether what leads the Christian home is good actions, or Faith in Christ. . . . You see, we are now trying to understand, and to separate into water-tight compartments, what exactly God does and what man does when God and man are working together." (pg. 128)
..,
What does it mean, therefore, to "work out our own salvation"? (Philippians 2:12). Certainly not to attempt to do it by ourselves, for the divine word is sure and clear—such is impossible. Certainly not to accept Christ and His gospel and then live however we choose, utterly disregarding the standards of Christian discipleship—such is an offense to God, and we will answer for the same on the day of judgment. No, it means to pray and trust in the Lord God as though everything depended upon Him, and also to work and labor as though everything depended upon Him! If I rely wholly upon the merits of Christ (see 2 Nephi 31:19), how much do I rely upon myself to be saved? If I rely alone upon the merits of Christ (see Moroni 6:4), how much do I rely upon myself to be saved? The answer to both questions is a resounding "NONE." This is not a matter of self-confidence; it is a matter of confidence in Christ. I have a role in my own salvation, but peace and assurance and hope come because of what Jesus the Redeemer has done and will do to qualify me for life with Him one day. Thus, the grace of God, provided through the intercession of the Savior, is free yet expensive; it is costly grace, "costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. . . . Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son, . . . and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us." (pgs. 128-129)
...
"Because we are human—because we are weak and mortal and tired—we will probably never reach the point in this life when we have done "all we can do." Too many of us misread 2 Nephi 25:23 and conclude that the Lord can assist us only after, meaning following the time that, we have done "all we can do." In fact, the Lord can and does help us all along the way. I think Nephi is trying to emphasize that no matter how much we do, it simply will not be enough to guarantee salvation without Christ's intervention. Restating Nephi, "Above and beyond all we can do, notwithstanding all we can do, it is by the grace of Christ that we are saved." And what is true of our ultimate salvation is true of our daily walk and talk, of our personality and our passions. Above and beyond all efforts at self-control, behavior modification, or reducing our sins to manageable categories, "everything which really needs to be done in our souls can only be done by God." (pg. 130)
...
"There is a very real sense in which "all we can do" is come before the Lord in reverent humility, confess our weakness, and plead for His forgiveness, for His mercy and grace. It occurred to me recently that life is repentance, that progression and improvement and growth and maturity and refinement are all forms of repentance, and that the God-fearing live in a constant state of repentance." (pg. 131)
In a 1995 Conference Address, Pres. Ballard discussed the importance of agency in this life:
Critical to our knowledge of the plan of happiness is an understanding of the great governing principle of agency. A person does not have to spend much time in the schoolroom of mortality to realize that Heavenly Father’s plan does not provide for blissful happiness at every step along our mortal journey. Life is filled with harsh realities that tug at the heart and tear away at the soul.
We tend to think of agency as a personal matter. If we ask someone to define “moral agency,” the answer will probably be something like this: “Moral agency means I am free to make choices for myself.” Often overlooked is the fact that choices have consequences; we forget also that agency offers the same privilege of choice to others. At times we will be affected adversely by the way other people choose to exercise their agency. Our Heavenly Father feels so strongly about protecting our agency that he allows his children to exercise it, either for good or for evil.
We mortals have a limited view of life from the eternal perspective. But if we know and understand Heavenly Father’s plan, we realize that dealing with adversity is one of the chief ways we are tested. Our faith in our Heavenly Father and his beloved Son, Jesus Christ, is the source of inner strength. Through faith we can find peace, comfort, and the courage to endure. As we trust in God and his plan for our happiness with all our hearts and lean not unto our own understanding (see Prov. 3:5), hope is born. Hope grows out of faith and gives meaning and purpose to all we do. It can give us comfort in the face of adversity, strength in times of trial, and peace when we have reason for doubt or anguish.
By focusing on and living the principles of Heavenly Father’s plan for our eternal happiness, we can separate ourselves from the wickedness of the world. If we are anchored to the correct understanding of who we are, why we are here on this earth, and where we can go after this mortal life, Satan cannot threaten our happiness through any form of temptation. If we are determined to live by Heavenly Father’s plan, we will use our God-given moral agency to make decisions based on revealed truth, not on the opinions of others or on the current thinking of the world.
Those who live according to Heavenly Father’s eternal plan will not want to absorb any information that is illicit or untoward, nor will they destroy their spiritual sensitivity through immoral acts or the consumption of any harmful substances. Neither will they search for doctrinal loopholes to find reasons to challenge the ordained leadership of the Church nor tamper with the simple truths of the gospel. They will not attempt to justify any lifestyle that is contrary to the plan of happiness. If they do any of these things, they will never find the inner peace and joy that living the gospel brings. All of our Father’s children can seek prayerfully to know who they are and can find real happiness if they obey God’s commandments and endure to the end. President Howard W. Hunter said:
"There is nothing sad or gloomy about a person who accepts the truths of the gospel and incorporates these principles in his daily living. God wants all of his children to be joyous and glad, and we can have this blessing if we are willing to keep his commandments and live by his word in all that we do” (in Conference Report, Sept./Oct. 1961, p. 108).
When I find myself worrying about another person's happiness or where they might end up in the afterlife according to the poor choices they are making in this life, I try to remember these words from Pres. Eyring's conference talk in 2019:
“You are worried about the wrong things. You should be worried about whether you will get to those places. Concentrate on that. If you get there, all of it will be more wonderful than you can imagine.”
“You are worried about the wrong things. You should be worried about whether you will get to those places. Concentrate on that. If you get there, all of it will be more wonderful than you can imagine.”
“When we ask ourselves what we know about the spirit world from the standard works, the answer is ‘not as much as we often think.’”
Of course, we know from the scriptures that after our bodies die we continue to live as spirits in the spirit world. The scriptures also teach that this spirit world is divided between those who have been “righteous” or “just” during life and those who have been wicked. They also describe how some faithful spirits teach the gospel to those who have been wicked or rebellious (see 1 Peter 3:19; Doctrine and Covenants 138:19–20, 29, 32, 37). Most important, modern revelation reveals that the work of salvation goes forward in the spirit world (see Doctrine and Covenants 138:30–34, 58), and although we are urged not to procrastinate our repentance during mortality (see Alma 13:27), we are taught that some repentance is possible there (see Doctrine and Covenants 138:58).
The gospel is preached to the ignorant, the unrepentant, and the rebellious so they can be freed from their bondage and go forward to the blessings a loving Heavenly Father has in store for them.
(I appreciate Eyring's specification here of who the gospel is preached to in the spirit world, because it helps define for me what "wickedness" really means. All people will sin and make mistakes at some point in this life, but it is those who refuse to change or repent who will not receive the ultimate blessings of the gospel.)
The spirit-world bondage that applies to righteous converted souls is their need to await—and perhaps even be allowed to prompt—the performance of their proxy ordinances on earth so they can be baptized and enjoy the blessings of the Holy Ghost (see Doctrine and Covenants 138:30–37, 57–58).2 These mortal proxy ordinances also empower them to go forward under priesthood authority to enlarge the hosts of the righteous who can preach the gospel to the spirits in prison.
Beyond these basics, our canon of scripture contains very little about the spirit world that follows death and precedes the Final Judgment. So what else do we know about the spirit world?
... For all questions about the spirit world, I suggest two answers. First, remember that God loves His children and will surely do what is best for each of us. Second, remember this familiar Bible teaching, which has been most helpful to me on a multitude of unanswered questions:
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
“In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5–6).
