Who Died Without Law

In the description of those who will inherit the terrestrial kingdom, we read, “Behold, these are they who died without law” (D&C 76:72).  This has a verse that has caused me some confusion as I’ve tried to understand exactly what is meant by that.  The most obvious meaning seems to contradict other revelations, namely that those who don’t have the law given to them on earth will go to the terrestrial kingdom.  But that’s certainly problematic given such statements as this from the Prophet Joseph: “All who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of God” (D&C 137:7).  That would imply that those who didn’t have the law given to them in this life but who accept the gospel in the next life will indeed inherit the celestial kingdom.  So what is meant by this terse statement of dying without the law?

               Here are a few possibilities for how we might understand D&C 76:72:

·        The word without could mean here “outside of” instead of “not having”, in the sense that the word is used in our hymn There is a Green Hill Far Away: “There is a green hill far away, Without a city wall, Where the dear Lord was crucified, Who died to save us all.” The word without there doesn’t mean that the city had no wall but rather that Christ died in a place that was outside the city wall.  If this were the meaning of the word in D&C 76 then it would make more sense since it would be saying those who died outside of (or not following) the law inherit the terrestrial kingdom.  But given that the word is not used in that sense anywhere else I know of in the Doctrine and Covenants, that’s probably not likely.

·        The statement that those who die without law inherit the terrestrial kingdom is a sort of minimum inheritance, not a definitive statement of where they will end up.  In other words, it could be saying that those who didn’t sufficiently have the law in their life (however that is measured) will go at least to the terrestrial kingdom.  This would then fit better with other statements suggesting that those who didn’t get the opportunity to accept the gospel in this life can still go to the celestial kingdom. 

·        The Prophet in his poem on D&C 76 wrote of the terrestrial kingdom, “Behold, these are they that have died without law; The heathen of ages that never had hope”.  I’m not sure what the word “heathen” means exactly here, but perhaps this implies that these were people who did wicked deeds—the things “heathens” do—but who really had no law to tell them otherwise.  In other words, perhaps some of those who will inherit the terrestrial kingdom will be those who actions merited the telestial kingdom but because they did not have the law sufficiently in their understanding, the Lord will be merciful in granting them the terrestrial world.

Whatever is meant exactly by this phrase, we can still be sure that the Lord’s judgments are just and no one will receive an inheritance in a kingdom who will argue the validity of that reward.  Jacob wrote, “Where there is no law given there is no punishment; and where there is no punishment there is no condemnation; and where there is no condemnation the mercies of the Holy One of Israel have claim upon them, because of the atonement” (2 Nephi 9:25).  Because of the mercy of the atonement, the Lord will not condemn those who act do wrong without knowing it is wrong, but “he who sins against the greater light shall receive the greater condemnation” (D&C 82:3).  We who know so much of God’s plan and who understand what is right and wrong must focus on living according to that light that we have.