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Note to the Reader
In the previous post I said that I would discuss the third element of faithfulness in a later post. I was intending to use this post as that opportunity. However, the Spirit impressed upon me to reserve that topic for a different series. Instead, this post will focus on how the faithful are rewarded for their faith by God.
Rewards of the Faithful
While the cost of faithfulness will be great, it will also yield great rewards. And this is according to the law of justice which requires an individual to receive compensation for their loss. In the words of Alma, we receive according to our works.
Put even more simply, the meaning of justice means to be rewarded (that is restored) to what we deserve based on our desires. Justice is therefore not an act reserved only for the wicked, but is for the righteous as well. It is justice, not mercy, that rewards us to the desires of our heart and which gives us the claim on eternal life.
If our works are good and characterized by sacrifice for the good at the expense of our comfort, then we receive the rewards of such efforts. This reward is the Celestial Kingdom because this self-giving nature and desire to do good is the character trait of the inhabitants (residents) of the Celestial Kingdom.
Those who merit the Celestial Kingdom are those who gave their all to receive it -- and will continue to give all the Lord requires as sacrifices. The inhabitants of the Celestial Kingdom have shown to God that they loved not their lives unto death (see Revelation 11:12). These are they whose faith in God was so firm that they were willing to set aside anything to receive the inheritance of the Celestial Kingdom because they trusted that what God had to offer them was greater than what they could receive on earth through men. (Hebrews 12).
Consider the faithful described by the author of Hebrews:
32 And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of aBarak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: 33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 Quenched the violence of afire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.35 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;38 (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
It is the expectation of these blessings that allowed the faithful saints of the past to endure through the tribulations they experienced -- because they knew that if they held out faithful to the end, their rewards were great. More on this in the next post.
This expectation gave them peace because they knew that all would be made right in the end. See Ether 12:4.
And what is that reward? It is “eternal life.”
But blessed are they who are faithful and endure, whether in life or in death, for they shall inherit eternal life (D&C 50:5).
19 And whoso is found a faithful, a just, and a wise steward shall enter into the joy of his Lord, and shall inherit eternal life. (D&C 51:19).
Those who inherit eternal life are those who:
- Come forth in the resurrection of the just
- Are washed and cleansed from all sins through obedience
- Sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise
- Are members of the church of the Firstborn
- Are given all things
- Are priests and kings
- Receive of the fullness of the father
- Are Gods
- All things are theirs
- Dwell in the presence of God and Christ
- Receive celestial bodies bodies and whose glory is that of the sun
- Are just individuals made perfect through Jesus
- Shall come with the Lord when he returns to earth
(see generally D&C 76: 50-70)
As Bruce R. McConkie explained,
“[Eternal life is] the greatest of all the gifts of God” (D&C 14:7), for it is the kind, status, type, and quality of life that God himself enjoys. Thus those who gain eternal life receive exaltation; they are sons of God, joint-heirs with Christ, members of the Church of the Firstborn; they overcome all things, have all power, and receive the fulness of the Father. They are gods.”
In short, the faithful are members of the Church of the Firstborn--which organization is distinct from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. As Joseph Fielding Smith explained,
What is the difference, if there is a difference between the Church of the Firstborn and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or of any day saints? Well, the members of the Church of the Firstborn are members of the Church of Jesus Christ, but not all those who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ become members of the Church of the Firstborn, for they are they unto whom the Lord has given all things. They are priests and kings. They are they who have received the exaltation, they who are made equal in power, and in might, and in dominion, who attain to the fulness and become the sons, and for the sisters, the daughters of God.
As one prominent LDS writer distinguished:
…the Church of the Firstborn is not an earthly organization. It does not own buildings or land and hold conference every six months. This is a sacred society whose highest officer is Jesus Christ and whose members are those who have been ushered into His presence and there received the endowment of Zion, and thus, membership in this august body.
Witnesses to God’s Power
In addition to the ultimate reward of exaltation, the faithful are able to witness the power of God working on their behalf to turn insurmountable mountains-like obstacles of their lives into sand (figuratively -- and even literally). Like Nephi, angels will minister to them daily. They will preach and speak in power and authority and perform miracles that will cause the wicked to tremble. They will raise people from the dead and heal people of their sicknesses and infirmities.
And it came to pass that Nephi—having been visited by angels and also the voice of the Lord, therefore having seen angels, and being eye-witness, and having had power given unto him that he might know concerning the ministry of Christ, and also being eye-witness to their quick return from righteousness unto their wickedness and abominations; Therefore, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts and the blindness of their minds—went forth among them in that same year, and began to testify, boldly, repentance and remission of sins through faith on the Lord Jesus Christ…And Nephi did minister with power and with great authority. And it came to pass that they were angry with him, even because he had greater power than they, for it were not possible that they could disbelieve his words, for so great was his faith on the Lord Jesus Christ that angels did minister unto him daily.
And in the name of Jesus did he cast out devils and unclean spirits; and even his brother did he raise from the dead, after he had been stoned and suffered death by the people. And the people saw it, and did witness of it, and were angry with him because of his power; and he did also do many more miracles, in the sight of the people, in the name of Jesus.…as many as were converted did truly signify unto the people that they had been visited by the power and Spirit of God, which was in Jesus Christ, in whom they believed. And as many as had devils cast out from them, and were healed of their sicknesses and their infirmities, did truly manifest unto the people that they had been wrought upon by the Spirit of God, and had been healed; and they did show forth signs also and did do some miracles among the people. (3 Nephi 7:15-20).
Although the lives of the faithful will not be easy and they will undergo many trials and tribulations, God will prevail in their lives in power and glory because they are people worth saving and they are people whom God can use to further his purposes of doing good.
In the end times, the faithful will work miracles heretofore only read about. The power of God will operate in the lives of believers that accounts of these miracles will be published far and wide, just like the fame and notoriety of the Israelites under Moses and Joshua spread throughout the land of Cannan.
The faithful will walk in power because they will have a sure knowledge of God’s existence and operation within their lives. Like Jacob, the evidence of his existence will be overwhelming that if commanded they can speak and the mountains move away.
They will work mighty works to the convincing of many and the condemnation of others.
Through them, the knowledge of God and his power will be revealed before the world
Nephi describes our time, and the blessings of the faithful, when he writes:
14 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory. (1 Nephi 14).
But before this occurs, we learn that the righteous are few and persecuted by the whore.
12 And it came to pass that I beheld the church of the Lamb of God, and its numbers were few, because of the wickedness and abominations of the whore who sat upon many waters; nevertheless, I beheld that the church of the Lamb, who were the saints of God, were also upon all the face of the earth; and their dominions upon the face of the earth were small, because of the wickedness of the great whore whom I saw. 13 And it came to pass that I beheld that the great mother of abominations did gather together multitudes upon the face of all the earth, among all the nations of the Gentiles, to fight against the Lamb of God. (1 Nephi 14).
To be the covenant people of the Lord requires keeping the covenant through faithfulness. Only those who are able to prove their faith -- at the expense of their own lives if necessary -- are in covenant with the Lord. And in covenant, they are not forsaken. And they cannot be, because God is bound to him through his hesed -- his covenantal love.
Filled With God’s Love
But perhaps, the greatest gift we receive through faithfulness is to be filled with God’s love.
10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. (John 15:10).
Which love is gained through faith in him
For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love.. (Ephesians 3: 14-21).
It is this love Moroni urged us to pray for with all the energies of our hearts and which Paul declared is the greatest gift.
It is why Christ was able to endure Gethsemane and proceed to the Cross, as he was scourged near to death, but had joy in his heart (see Hebrews 6:2).
Recall the the tree of life imagery described by Lehi and Nephi. We know the Tree of Life represents the love of God. There is certainly more to this and those interested about the full meaning of the Tree of Life can read my post here. But the Tree represents God’s love.
Notice, however, Satan’s response. He uses everything he can to distract people away from the Tree. That fact that Satan does this shows the Tree’s importance, just like we know that touchdowns or goals are important as sports teams build up defenses to prevent the opponent from scoring. Put crudely, the Tree is the touchdown and Satan has called an all out blitz.
God’s love is great for many reasons. But one reason relevant to this post is that God’s love allows us to withstand and endure trials. Paul likens the love to being rooted and grounded. The imagery evoked by Paul is that of a plant rooted and secure in the earth able to weather the storm.
Studies of children further support this principle as studies show that children who are loved are more likely to try new things and embrace more discomfort. They do this because of the confidence they receive from their mother’s love. The love signals to the child that everything is going to be okay and they can do it.
This is the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. It is a peace that allows one to maintain their character despite the chaos surrounding them. It is why Joseph Smith could knowingly walk toward his martyrdom expressing,
I am going like a lamb to the slaughter, but I am calm as a summer's morning. I have a conscience void of offense toward God and toward all men.
Do you have that kind of peace? It can’t be faked because only God’s love can provide it.
Trust, Commit, and Rest
David in Psalm 37 makes an emphatic threefold exhortation to: Trust, Commit, and Rest. The rest of the Lord is a common theme in the scriptures. But rest is the end result of our faithfulness to God. And rest can only be achieved through our faithfulness.
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed….5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it [our way] to pass. (Psalm 37)
As David points out, we trust in the Lord and commit our ways to him. Committing our ways refers to yielding ourselves to God. The Hebrew word for commit (galal) literally means to roll up something. Notice that in this verse we are to commit “our ways” -- our path, purposes, desires, will--to the Lord. In other words, we roll up ourselves unto God.
David’s pairing of faith and commitment leads to profound insights. Faith requires commitment. Faith in God requires us to surrender ourselves to a God who knows more than we do and to a God who knows what he is doing. Faith also requires that we walk the path he has ordained for us to tread because he knows that it will lead to our happiness.
However, this path is not smooth, predictable, or comfortable. This path descends and ascends, trying the very core of our heart while bestowing levels of joy as we overcome the darkness through faith. This path is counter-intuitive and we’ll be asked to do things that we think are impossible and question where it is heading.
To walk this path therefore requires us to surrender things that are weighing us down and delaying our progression along the path. In sum, it requires us to surrender all the false beliefs we hold and our false self, with its insecurities, envies, and lusts.
Those who are willing to surrender (sacrifice) those things which are not valuable and weigh them down, are those who demonstrate their faith to God and receive all that he desires to give them.
These are the rewards of the faithful.
23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. (Luke 9)
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