The meaning of salvation and being saved
After a person’s death, his, her spirit goes to the Spirit world where further growth can occur and all knowledge can be obtained, if you qualify. Obtaining salvation and being saved, means that:
- your sins, mistakes are forgiven—you do not pay the penalties attached to your sins;
- there is no limit to growth in love, charity, peace of mind, faithfulness, knowledge….;
- you live with Heavenly Father and our Creator, Jesus Christ, and with your family;
- you are where there is the greatest love and beauty.
In the Bible, failure to realize salvation means that you are Damned-- progress as described above is stopped, stalled.
Why Jesus Christ is necessary
Many desire to dwell with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in the Kingdom of Heaven* in the afterlife (in the spirit world) because this is where all the benefits described above are realized. Living there requires that your sins be forgiven which is accomplished by accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior and Redeemer, working to live as He asks, and making and keeping covenants with God.*
Christ paid the penalties attached to your sins and the sins of all people in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the Cross. His suffering was so great it caused Him to sweat blood (Luke 22: 44). In Latter Day Saint (LDS) scripture Doctrine and Covenants (D & C) Sec.19: 18-19, it says: “Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup and shrink—Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.” His suffering was so great that rocks which have spiritual perception, broke up (Book of Mormon (B of M) 3 Nephi 8: 18). As I understand it, this breaking up was because of agony over what their beloved Creator suffered. How He could suffer so much to free us from the penalties of sin, is hard to comprehend but I know it happened and I am beginning to understand how it was accomplished (on the website, see Basic Truths Behind Christ’s Teachings and Creator’s, God’s Power and Glory Explained).
Native and aboriginal traditional teachings and practices can help but are not enough
Good practices and teachings can help you develop the personal qualities that Christ asks you to acquire—faith, humility, charity, forgiving others, and love and respect for all the Creation. Many Native practices and teachings help develop these qualities. Eventually, all followers of Christ will understand, as many Natives already know, that the Creation is a delicate spiritual organization that must be treated with love and respect or the Creation will decay.
Traditional ways and teachings which contradict Christ’s teachings, must be abandoned if one is to have his, her sins forgiven and is to have the best of post-Earth life as described in the first paragraph. You often need to be very spiritually in tune to identify true contradictions—when you understand apparent conflicts deeply, some aren’t contrary but are compatible. Confusion in interrupting symbolism often causes conflict.
Native and aboriginal people often get much help from Nature, such as from the weather, plants and animals. This is accomplished by showing Nature and its’ components great respect, doing ceremonies for them, and by making a direct appeal to them for help, such as asking an animal to give itself for needed food, for a herb to be potent or for a storm to cease. Natives express gratitude for the help given. The Native approach can produce great benefits for a person and increase the abundance, health and stability of populations of plants and animals (see the papers on this website under resource management). But if you make this appeal directly to a resource and don’t make it through Christ, you maybe forgetting your Creator enough that you don’t qualify for the greatest benefits in the after life! It is best to always appeal for help from Nature by praying for it through Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ—this can increase the help received. When you revere our universally beloved Creator, Jesus Christ, Nature appreciates this and feels your respect for Him and for it, Nature. Thank God and Nature for respecting your request and ask Christ to help that part of Nature.**
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* In the Scriptures, The Kingdom of Heaven usually refers to the highest of the three kingdoms in Heaven. These are starting with the highest: Celestial, Terrestrial, and Telestial whose glory (brightness) is symbolized respectively by the sun, moon and stars. Heavenly Father and Christ dwell in the Celestial where there is all knowledge, and the greatest beauty and love. Those persons going to the top two kingdoms have accepted Christ at some level and have repented enough to have their sins forgiven. Obtaining the Celestial level requires a good effort plus making and keeping covenants with God. See 1 Corinthians 15: 40-41, 2 Cor. 12: 2, and especially LDS D&C Section 76. For further information, see your local LDS missionaries.
** To some, it may seem that I am making too much of Christ. These may think that He is a proud being on a pedestal. This is not the case! In defense of this position, I make the following points:
- You depend on Christ for salvation and being saved. He must be respected if you are to receive these incomprehensible benefits. It was He that paid the price of your sins so you can have all beauty and knowledge. Are you going to throw away such a miraculous gift?
- He is not controlling but lets you make your own decisions—you choose what happens to you. But Christ does provide experiences that help you grow and qualify for the best of the afterlife.
- He made this beautiful Mother Earth for us. The spirits in the Creation so respected Christ that they obeyed Him to form Earth.
- He is all wise and all knowing and loving. Those that know Him, feel indescribable love.
- Though He is all powerful, it does not go to His head. He is humble and completely loving. He will do anything within the limits imposed by the organization of the Creation (see the paper Basic Truths Behind the Teachings of Christ) to help you advance and qualify for the greatest benefits. The Creation being a voluntary organization of spirits who obey Christ (see Basic Truths….) can be upset if Christ does ‘too much’ for people whose sins generated negative energy that hurt the Creation.
- I feel His great love, He gives me peace of mind and much understanding and help.
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