From the beginning our Heavenly Father has been looking for goods stewards. The end goal of the Plan of Salvation is to prove the children of men to see if they can be trusted with raising His grandchildren and receiving exaltation. In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus gives the parable of the talents. These verses brilliantly capture the essence of the Plan of Salvation: a man entrusts his servants (us, his children) with varying degrees of stewardship, according to their abilities. The first two servants are proactive and end up increasing that which was given to them-- doubling it, in fact. To both of them, the master gives an identical response: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”
The other servant chose instead to neglect his stewardship. In fact, he buried it in the earth so that he wouldn't have to think about it until his master returned to reclaim what was his. His lazy indifference and hollow excuses were met by the wrath of his master-- at the very least he could have deposited the money in a bank so that there would be interest on the principal. But he had nothing to show for the time and opportunities that had been bestowed upon him. He was thereafter relieved of his stewardship.
Here on earth, we are given many chances to prove ourselves. All too often, we fall short of the mark. Because of the Atonement, we can receive additional chances to prove ourselves. But, counsels the prophet Alma, “If we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness, wherein there can be no labor performed” (Alma 32:33). God expects improvement-- increase-- and if we fail to receive the light (meaning to accept and build upon the truths we have) we stand condemned before the lord (see D&C 93:31-32). We will wait in darkness and restless agony in the spirit world until the resurrection and judgment (see Alma 40:13-14). There the Lord will require from us an accounting of our stewardships.
God does not simply want us to return to live with him-- we were already there in the pre-mortal existence. Satan's offer was to have us all return to Heaven-- Jesus Christ offered us the chance to return with interest. Only to those who receive the Light of Christ and magnify it by the way they live can receive the source of that light (See D&C 84:36-39). In the church we are blessed with abundant opportunities to serve and provide God with an increase.
Many have misconstrued this concept to say that Latter-Day Saints believe that we earn grace, that we earn exaltation and thrones, dominions, kingdoms, etc. Let me be clear in saying that we cannot earn those things because, let's just face it, none of us are good enough. But every blessing from God is conditional upon obedience to the eternal law to which the blessing is affixed (See D&C 130:20-21), which means we need to exert every effort to meet the conditions which God has set for our redemption.
Concerning the idea of earning grace through our own works, King Benjamin, a great Book of Mormon prophet, said this: “I say unto you, that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath... with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants. And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments... for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted to him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast?” (Mosiah 2:20-25).
Salvation and exaltation come as a result of our meeting God's requirements-- the Atonemnt raises us to the level of the bar and allows us the chance to meet those conditions. Because of the Atonement we can have the chance to be “heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if it so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together” (Romans 8:16-17). Heirs inherit-- and rule-- servants labor and abase themselves. I testify that we are God's children and we can all be heirs of God's kingdom through the Atonement-- but first we have to be servants and let God prove us in his absence, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
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