Glorified in Truth

To my son, 

               This week we studied Doctrine and Covenants 93, a marvelous section that teaches us incredible truths about who we are, where we were before this life, and what we can become. There are a couple truths in particular taught in this section that I hope you will come to know for yourself. First, you lived with God before you came to this earth. The Lord said it this way: “Man was also in the beginning with God.” That beginning was a period before coming to the earth when we as spirit children of the Father were progressing with Him. I love to contemplate that idea—when you were born you did not come into existence; rather, you simply progressed along your journey as a physical body was given to your spirit. But that spirit existed before it came to earth, and you were taught by our Father in Heaven. What’s even more incredible is the fact that you have always existed in some form. This revelation declares, “Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be…. The elements are eternal” (v23,33). The scriptures suggest that before you and I became spirit children of our Father in Heaven we still existed in some form we call intelligence. Your past is as long as your future: infinite. It’s hard to wrap our finite minds around that, but what it means is that you are an eternal being and you have been progressing for a very long time. And you are completely independent to act and choose to continue that progression; even God is not responsible for your actions because He did not fully create you. You became His spirit son as He organized your intelligence into a spirit body and moved you along in your progression. Now here on earth you have more opportunities to continue that progression as you learn to exercise your agency for good.

               A second truth that this section emphasizes is that we can indeed became like the Father through our Savior and His grace. He put it this way: “If you keep my commandments you shall receive of his fulness, and be glorified in me as I am in the Father; therefore, I say unto you, you shall receive grace for grace” (v20). As we seek to keep His commandments, just as He kept the commandments of the Father, we will receive of His grace to help us grow and develop and become each day more like God. Grace can mean many things, including forgiveness and power and the ability to change our very natures. We keep the commandments not because doing so is a way to put money in some heavenly bank account; rather we seek to follow Him so that we can have His infinite grace to help us each day to become more like Him and the Father we seek to return to. And this phrase, that we will receive grace for grace, suggests that as we give grace to others, He will give grace to us. In other words, as we show mercy and forgiveness to others, as we help them overcome their challenges, He will forgive us and help us and give us power to be better. He will continue to aid our progression as we remain obedient. Here is his promise: “He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things” (v28). I know that you are a child of our Heavenly Father and that you too have infinite potential. As you keep the commandments of the Savior and seek His help and grace in your life, you too can become glorified even as God is. 

Love,

Dad