Faithfulness

"And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto them: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou was born.

"And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell;

"And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them" (Abraham 3:23-25).

One of the great truths of this account is the clear understanding we receive about who we were as pre-mortal spirit children of God. We were individual, separate persons, with agency, and names prior to our entry on earth. Yes, God knows us by name.

You and I were there and so were all the rest of the spirit children of God our Father who was designated for life upon this earth.

"And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them" (Abraham 3:25).

Of the three big questions, the first two are answered in this chapter:  Where did we come from? And why are we here? In answering the second question, we might quote many scriptures, but this one has to be near the top of the list.  God's intent is to prove us, to see if we will pass the test, to see if we will live by faith and still be obedient.

As Rex C. Reeve taught, "Yes, this life is a time of testing. It is not the reward time. That will come later. We are here being tested." [close quote](Ensign, Nov. 1982, 26)

Yet, it is not supposed to be a miserable experience.  Another of the seminal passages on the purpose of life reminds us that man is "that he might have joy" (2 Nephi 2:25).  The journey should be a joyful experience, but the journey is still a test, and not all will reach the destination.

While studying about “faithfulness” I was able to find a few scriptures that were pretty interesting. It seems to me that if we are faithful, we are given a special gift. Does anyone know what gift this is?

"And no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end" (3 Nephi 27:19).

Notice that it says, “nothing entereth into his rest -- save it be those who have washed [their] garments in my blood.”

Hmmm, I began to wonder what does that really mean?

Bruce R. McConkie clarifies it for us. He said: “Stains of sin cannot be cleaned with water. The only solution capable of removing the stain of sin is blood - but not just any blood, it must be the blood spilt by the Only-Begotten.

Interestingly, it is us who must do the washing. We must be willing to remove our stained garments, soak them in Christ's blood, and then scrub out the stains, one by one. Christ can't do it for us. He has provided the amazing cleaning solution, but his sanctifying soap must be used in order for us to cleanse ourselves and enter into his rest. The scripture tells us that we use his soap when we exhibit faith, repentance, and faithfulness unto the end.” [close quote]

Those who desire to be baptized into the Church are required by the Lord to have a determination to serve him to the end. President Joseph Fielding Smith, at age 94, said, “I have sought all my days to magnify my calling in that priesthood and hope to endure to the end in this life and to enjoy the fellowship of the faithful saints in the life to come.” [close quote]

There’s the word ‘faithful’ again. He also said “in the life to come”. What did he mean by that? I guess we can go back to the original question I had. What is the special gift our Father in heaven will give us if we are faithful to the end?

"And if thou art faithful unto the end thou shalt have a crown of immortality, and eternal life in the mansions which I have prepared in the house of my Father" (D&C 81:6).

So there you have it. It’s Eternal Life.

So what are the things we can do to remain faithful?

President Monson pretty much sums it up by saying, and I quote: “To help guide us we have the words of God and of His Son found in our holy scriptures. We have the counsel and teachings of God’s prophets. Of paramount importance, we have been provided with a perfect example to follow—even the example of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ—and we have been instructed to follow that example. Said the Savior Himself: “Come, follow me.” “The works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do.” He posed the question, “What manner of men ought ye to be?” And then He answered, “Verily I say unto you, even as I am.” “He marked the path and led the way.”

As we look to Jesus as our Exemplar and as we follow in His footsteps, we can return safely to our Heavenly Father to live with Him forever. Said the prophet Nephi, “Unless a man shall endure to the end, in following the example of the Son of the living God, he cannot be saved.” [close quote]

In the book of Mosiah, we are told, when we are in the service of our fellow beings we are only in the service of our God (see Mosiah 2:17).

When we think of service, we usually think of the acts of our hands. But the Lord looks to our hearts as well as our hands. He is concerned not only with our acts but also with our motives. The first great commandment is to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul. The second is to love thy neighbor as thyself.

Dallin H. Oaks once said: "In order to purify our service to God and to our fellowmen, it is therefore important to consider not only how we serve, but also why we serve.”

Brothers and Sisters, when we serve others we gain important blessings. Through service we increase our ability to love. We become less selfish. As we think of the problems of others, our own problems seem less serious. We must serve others to gain eternal life. God has said that those who live with Him must love and serve His children (see Matthew 25:34-40).

"And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it" (Mosiah 2:41).

And this is my testimony, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.