My Gospel

“I’ve given you My gospel. This is the gospel I’ve given to you, that I came into the world to do the will of My Father, because My Father sent Me. And My Father sent Me so I could be lifted up on the cross — and after I’ve been lifted up on the cross, I can bring all people to Me, so that as I’ve been lifted up by people, likewise people will be lifted up by the Father to stand before Me to be judged according to their works, whether they were good or whether they were evil. This is why I’ve been lifted up. Therefore, according to the Father’s power, I will draw everyone to Me so they can be judged according to their works. Those who repent and are baptized in My name will be fully rewarded. If they continue faithful to the end, I’ll hold them

guiltless in the presence of My Father when I stand to judge the world. Those who don’t continue faithful to the end, they’re the ones who will also be cut down and thrown into the fire from which they can’t return again because of the Father’s justice. This is the message He’s given to mankind. This is why He acts consistent with the message He’s given; He doesn’t lie but fulfills all His words. No unclean thing can enter His kingdom. Therefore no one enters His rest except those who have washed their clothes in My blood because of their faith, and repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness to the end. Now this is the commandment: Repent, everyone, throughout the earth, and come to Me and be baptized in My name, so you can be sanctified by receiving the Holy Ghost, so you can stand spotless in My presence on the last day. Therefore I tell you: This is My gospel. You know what you must do in My congregation. You must do the works that you’ve seen Me do; because what you’ve seen Me do is precisely what you must also do. Therefore if you do these things, you are blessed, since you’ll be lifted up on the last day.” (3 Nephi 12:5 CE)

“And now, to prevent you from being destroyed, the Lord has sent His angel to visit many of His people, instructing them to come and solemnly warn you: Repent! Repent, because the kingdom of heaven is coming soon. Not many days from now the Son of God will come in His glory. His glory will be the glory of the Father’s Only Begotten: full of grace, fairness, truth, patience, mercy, and long-suffering, and quick to hear His people’s cries and answer their prayers. He is coming to redeem those who are baptized as a sign of repentance, through faith in His name.

Therefore get ready for the coming Lord, because the time is near when everyone will reap a reward for their works based upon what they’ve been: If they’ve been righteous, they’ll receive salvation through the power and redemption of Jesus Christ. But if they’ve been evil, they’ll receive damnation through the power and captivity of the accuser …”  (Alma 7:6 CE)

The Lord told us why He was lifted up. Everyone will be drawn to Christ to be judged according to our works. We will be found either clean or unclean, guilty or not guilty, with washed clothes in His blood or unwashed clothes, spotless or with spot(s), repented or unrepented, baptized as He has commanded or not baptized as He has authorized, doing the works we have seen Him do or not doing the works we have seen Him do, sanctified by receiving the Holy Ghost or not sanctified, faithful to the end or not faithful to the end, fully rewarded or not fully rewarded, redeemed or not redeemed, and guiltless in the presence of His Father when He stands to judge the world or cut down and thrown into the fire from which they can’t return again because of the Father’s justice. 

In this mortal probationary state, in which we currently find ourselves, we clearly have the perfect opportunity to decide which side we are on. Now is the time to firmly choose what we believe and the work to accomplish to “improve our time while in this life.” (Alma 16:37 RE) We must choose our Master to follow and His gospel to faithfully live. I believe the default option of “just floating along” or straddling the fence between God and the devil is dangerous and damning. If this course continues until it is too late (at mortal death), default triggers, reality sets in, and the devil secures us captive. I think God is currently holding things at bay sufficiently and long enough to afford us a necessary opportunity and fair chance to make our critical choices of our destiny and to prove our “true colors” and what we are actually made of. Christ’s offer won’t last forever and on the last day it will not be the same as it is today. We have the chance now to embrace it or reject it, take it or leave it.