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T H E PURPOSE OF L I F E The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Salt Lake City, Utah Copyright © 1983 by Corporation of the President The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America
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T H E PURPOSE OF LIFE
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s you look at yourself and others, do you wonder—Who am 1? Where did 1 come from? - Why am I here? Where am I going? Does God have a purpose for me? for my family? for my friends? for everyone? The answer to these questions is yes! God does have a purposeful plan for you and for everyone. He wants you, your family, friends, and all his children on earth to know of the purpose of life and the way to fulfill that purpose. The scriptures, written by revelation from God to lis prophets, point clearly the way of salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Savior of the world. The Savior has said: " I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). "Come . . . follow me," he exhorted (Mark 8:34). To find Christ's way and follow it must surely be God's purpose for every man. To seek out the Savior's way is the first step. For yourself, only you can choose to follow the Lord, if follow you will. You, your family, your posterity will be eternally blessed by the right decision. The words you are about to read deal directly with your personal salvation. Your quiet contemplation of the Lord's holy words will call to mind the revealed answers to the great questions: Who am I? Where did I come from? What have God and Christ done for me? What must 1 do for myself to make my life happy and abundant? How may I obtain eternal happiness?
Where Did You Come From?
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ife for you did not begin here on earth. You lived before you were bom; you will live on in the spirit ' world after your mortal life is ended. Thereafter, and throughout the eternities, you will live forever as a resurrected being. But whether you live in glory or sorrow is a determination only you can make.
God's Purpose for Man "For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and etemal life of man" (Pearl of Great Price, Moses 1:39).
2 God Created You "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them" (Genesis 1:27). You Are Responsible to God "Futhermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?" (Hebrews 12:9).
You Are a Child of God e all once lived in the presence of God, the Etemal Father. In the world before your earth life you were a spirit child of his. With this divine parentage, your destiny, through righteous living, is to become like your Father in Heaven and retum to his presence.
Earth Life Is a Divine Plan
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n your life before birth, before the earth was created, God presented a plan to his children for their advancement. You were free to accept or reject this plan of salvation. Those spirit children who accepted his plan were given the opportunity to live on earth; those who rejected his plan were not privileged to enter mortality. Your Purpose in Life "For behold, this is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors" (Book of Mormon, Alma 34:32). You Must Prove Yourself to God "And we will prove them [mankind] herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them; "And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever" (Pearl of Great Price, Abraham 3:25-26).
What Does Mortality Provide You?
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n coming to earth you gained a body of flesh and bone, and though you may die, you have been promised an etemal resurrection. While on earth you also have an opportunity to live by faith, away from the presence of God, and to thereby prove yourself. You have seen given commandments and laws and the freedom to obey or disobey—but justly you are responsible for your choices.
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God Wants You to Succeed
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od is fair. Through your freedom to choose good or evil, he knows you will make mistakes. Since the transgressor cannot, under his own power, he resurrected or return to the presence of his Heavenly Father, God has provided the way, and if you accept the means placed within your reach, you may unite once again with your etemal family. God Blessed Adam and Eve "And God blessed them, and God said unto them. Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth" (Genesis 1:28). Adam Made Your Life Possible "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy" (Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 2:25). You May Earn Salvation through Christ "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive" (1 Corinthians 15:22).
Christ Is Your Redeemer
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n pre-earth life Jesus Christ offered to take upon himself the sins of all who would live on earth, upon the condition of their repentance. The flawless earth life and sacrifice of this one Perfect Being made possible the resurrection of all men and the retum of the faithful and repentant to the presence of God.
God Sacrificed His Perfect Son for You "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). Christ Suffered for Your Sins "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit" (1 Peter 3:18). Christ Can Reconcile Your Sins "And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: "And he is the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 2:1-2). •
Opposition in All Things
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ut there is opposition in your life; there are forces that would encourage your failure. Lucifer, before the world began, was opposed to God's plan of salvation. He would influence your life today; he is the advocate of all evil; he would tempt you to remain impure.
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hrist's sacrifice
made possible the retum of the faithful and repentant to God
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The Atonement of Christ
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n the spirit world, before this life, you were among the faithful. You earned, there, the right to be on earth today. Christ, through his perfect life and his personal sacrifice, has provided atonement for your sins, but only on condition that you accept and follow his plan of salvation. Everyone Has Need to Repent "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Salvation Comes Only through Christ "And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent" (Book of Mormon, Mosiah3:17). "Jesus saith . . . , I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). You Will Not Suffer If You Repent "For behold, I , God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; ". . . Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men" (Doctrine and Covenants 19:16, 19).
The Grace of God
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our Etemal Father, by his grace, has made known the plan of salvation tbrough his holy prophets since the world began. By their inspired words and through the scriptures, all the essential laws and ordinances have been revealed. But God cannot make the decision for you as to whether or not you will live by them; you must choose for yourself.
The Way—the Gospel of Jesus Christ
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< ' he first principles and ordinances of the gospel are essential steps toward salvation and are the entrance way into the Church and kingdom of God. These steps are within your reach, and your acceptance of them is necessary for you to gain all the blessings offered by the atonement of Jesus Christ. You Must Be Judged by Your Works "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works" (Revelation 20:12). No Unclean Person Can Live with God "Wherefore, if ye have sought to do wickedly in the days of
7 your probation, then ye are found unclean before the judgment-seat of God; and no unclean thing can dwell with God" (Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 10:21). You Cannot Be Saved in Your Sins "He hath said that no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore, how can ye be saved, except ye inherit the kingdom of heaven? Therefore, ye cannot be saved in your sins" (Book of Mormon, Alma 11:37).
First Principles and Ordinances of the Gospel
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r e believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second. Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost" (Joseph Smith, fourth article of faith). "Then Peter said unto them. Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost" (Acts 2:38). Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ "Without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him" (Hebrews 11:6). Repentance "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord" (Acts 3:19). Baptism by Immersion "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" (Matthew 28:19). The Gift of the Holy Ghost "Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost" (Acts 8:17).
Endure to the End
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iaith, repentance, baptism by immersion for tbe remission of sins, and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghostâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;these steps constitute the entrance to the Church and the kingdom of God. But this is only the beginning. Continued obedience to the teachings of Christ must follow. Christ said: "He that endureth to the end shall be saved" (Matthew 10:22). You must live a good life. You must live each day with honor, faith, and courage and with an endurance equal to what must be endured. God's plan for his children is one of advancement and progression and continual improvement. Christ, the Author of Salvation "Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
F irst principles and ordinances of the gospelFaith in Jesus Christ Repentance Baptism by immersion Gift of the Holy Ghost
"And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them tbat obey him" (Hebrews 5:8-9). Through Obedience You Can Return to God "Jesus saith . . . , 1 am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). "Not every one that saith unto me. Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 7:21). The First Great Commandment "Jesus said . . . Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. "This is the first and great commandment" (Matthew 22:37-38). The Second Great Commandment "And the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" (Matthew 22:39-40). Christ's Goal for You "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48).
You Harvest What You Sow
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ou develop and improve as you use what the Lord God gave you. The law God gave Adam, "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread" (Genesis 3:19), applies not merely to physical sustenance; it is also a law for the salvation of the soul. You harvest what you sow.
Religion Is an Everyday Challenge I I * rue religion consists not only of knowing and I professing spiritual truths, but also of everyday X activities in which proper respect for self, love for fellowmen, and devotion to God are guiding principles. It is by following this path that you are permitted to share in the heritage of the glory of God. Christ Taught How to Live with Others "Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: "But 1 say unto you. That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. "And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. "And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. "Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away" (Matthew 5:38-42).
^\^siting the sick is one way in which service is given toothers
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"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them" (Matthew 7:12). "Ye have heard that it hath been said. Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. "But I say unto you. Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you" (Matthew 5:43-44). "Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; "Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift" (Matthew 5:23-24). "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you" (Matthew 6:14).
Parents Must Train Children in Truth
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have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth," said the Apostle John (3 John 1:4). Surely God, the Father of us all, can have no greater joy than to see his children walk in truth. Wise parents are happiest when they train their children in truthful, worthwhile pursuits.
True Religionâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Service to Others ' I ' rue religion expresses itself in service to others. I Service to others takes many forms: proper X disciplining of a child, giving encouragement to the discouraged, visiting the sick, setting a good example, greeting others kindly, creating opportunities for others. Individuals, families, even nations reach their highest attainment through service to others. Christ Taught How to Give "Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward. . . . "But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth" (Matthew 6:1, 3). What Is Pure Religion? "Pure religion . . . is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world" (James 1:27).
All Will Be Resurrected hen we depart this mortal life, we will enter the world of spirits with our own identity and with further opportunity to advance. Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, all will be resurrected; that is, the body and the spirit will be reunited and then men
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You Are Accountable to God
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ou have a literal etemal Father who sent you here and to whom you will retum to account for what you have done with your opportunities. "This life is the time for men to prepare to meet God" (Book of Mormon, Alma 34:32). You move on to a personal, everlasting life, toward the answers and peace promised by him who said, "This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent" (John 17:3). You Are Rewarded for Keeping God's Commandments "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. 1 go to prepare a place for you. . . . ". . . That where I am, there ye may be also" (John 14:2-3). "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him" (1 Corinthians 2:9). "Jesus said . . . , I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live" (John 11:25). "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33).
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