Purpose of life

"The divine plan required the creation of the earth so that we could be granted the privilege of coming here to obtain a physical body and be able to prove ourselves worthy to return to God's presence." -Joseph Fielding McConkie, Answers: Straightforward Answers To Tough Gospel Questions [1]

"His desire, purpose, and glory is to have you return to Him pure and undefiled, having proven yourselves worthy of an eternity of joy in His presence... [H]e knows that only those who are worthy will be able to live with him." -For the Strength of Youth ^[1]

"The purpose of this earth and our life here is to give each and every one of Adam’s posterity the opportunity to end this life as a family unit for all eternity." [2]

Contents 1 To keep our second estate 2 Other quotes 3 Notes 4 See also 5 External links

[edit] To keep our second estate

The "second estate" is usually equated with one's mortal probation.

“We are now upon our second estate, and our eternal destiny depends upon the few years we spend in the flesh. We are placed here that it may be seen which law we will keep. Our Heavenly Father has placed before us the laws celestial, telestial, and terrestrial. If any man will obey the celestial law, he will be preserved by that law; all the glory, power and exaltation, belonging to that law, will be given to him” (Wilford Woodruff, The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, p.268; see also Journal of Discourses 22:209).

“What do the terms first estate and second estate mean in Abraham 3:26? (First estate refers to the premortal life, and second estate refers to our mortal life” (Old Testament Gospel Doctrine Teacher's Manual, p.5).

"When mortality, or the second estate of man, is completed, each individual will be prepared to continue his eternal journey into that place which the judgment of this life will place upon him. In this righteous, but penetrating, judgment, each of us shall go into the next estate of eternal existence for which we are best suited." - Elder Alvin R. Dyer, "The Last Dispensation", Ensign, July 1972, p.52

"And I would like you to reflect upon the fact that our children came to us with spirits that did not ask us to bring them, but with spirits, through some operation of which I am not aware, that are assigned to us; and they come to us as our guests. We are responsible for the mortal tabernacling of that spirit; and I should like each and every Latter-day Saint to get that fact into his heart, that the child which is his, or hers, comes at the invitation, virtually, of them who beget it, and then I would like you to reflect upon the responsibility which that brings home to each and every man and woman who is a parent. Yours is the responsibility to see that this tabernacled spirit loses no opportunity, through you, to prove his worthiness and righteousness in living through his second estate." - J. Reuben Clark, Jr.^[2]

[edit] Other quotes

• "The gospel has been restored in these the last days never to be taken from the earth again, to bring the blessings of salvation and exaltation to all God’s children who prove their worthiness through their faithfulness. The purpose of this earth and our life here is to give each and every one of Adam’s posterity the opportunity to end this life as a family unit for all eternity." - Eldred G. Smith^[3]

• "Rather than frustrating the purpose of life, mortality, with its accompanying death of the flesh, provides the necessary probation for man to prove his worthiness of exaltation." - J. Keith Melville, BYU Studies^[4]

• "We are placed on this earth to prove whether we are worthy to go into the celestial world, the terrestrial, or the telestial or to hell, or to any other kingdom, or place, and we have enough of life given to us to do this. 4:269." - Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, selected and arranged by John A. Widtsoe, p.87

• "Those of us who arrive at the years of accountability are here to develop and to be tried and tested, to see if we can so live as to regain the state of innocence and purity which we enjoyed as children, and thereby be qualified to go where God and Christ are." - Bruce McConkie^[5]

• “The purpose of this earth-life, so far as man is concerned, is that he may, through all the vicissitudes of mortality, prove himself worthy of advancement to the fulness of exaltation, or, through rejection and transgression of divine law, receive a reward of punishment and denial of blessings according to his works. Whether he receives exaltation or condemnation, we are positively informed that it will be a reward based upon individual merit” (Joseph Fielding Smith, The Progress of Man, p.65).

• “Let us consider first the purpose of the creation of the earth. The scriptures make it clear that it was for no other purpose than to provide a place for the sons and daughters of God to dwell in mortality and prove themselves worthy, through keeping the commandments, to return to the presence of God from whence they came. President N. Eldon Tanner, “Celestial Marriages and Eternal Families,” Ensign (Conference Edition), May 1980, p.15).

• “Mortality is a period of testing, a time to prove ourselves worthy to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father” (Thomas S. Monson, “Looking Back and Moving Forward,” Ensign (Conference Edition), May 2008, p.90. See also Church News, November 1, 2008, p.2).

• “The Father’s plan also required all who had kept their first estate to be tried and tested in a mortal or second estate. In this environment, we are required to act for ourselves and prove to ourselves and to God whether we would keep all of His commandments and overcome sin and opposition” (Elder Christoffel Golden Jr., “Our Father’s Plan,” Ensign (Conference Edition), November 2001, p.30).

• “And they who keep their first estate [that is to be obedient in the premortal existence] shall be added upon; . . . and they who keep their second estate [that is, to be obedient during mortal life] shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever” (Richard G. Scott, “Truth Restored,” Ensign (Conference Edition), November 2005, p.78. Ellipses and brackets in original).

• "Mortality is the testing or proving ground for exaltation to find out who among the children of God are worthy to become Gods" D of S Vol. I, p. 69

[edit] Notes

1. ↑ "This pamphlet summarizes standards from the writings and teachings of Church leaders and from scriptures. The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve have reviewed, accepted, and endorsed this pamphlet, which is printed at their request and with their approval for the information, guidance, and blessings of the youth of the Church." Available here: http://www.lightplanet.com/mormons/youth/strength_youth.html
2. ↑ J. Reuben Clark, Jr., Conference Report, October 1951, Second Day—Morning Meeting, p.57
3. ↑ Eldred G. Smith, "Do Not Procrastinate!", Ensign, November 1974, p.25
4. ↑ J. Keith Melville, "The Reflections of Brigham Young on the Nature of Man and the State", BYU Studies, vol. 4 (1961-1962), Num. 3 and 4 - Spring and Summer 1962, p.256
5. ↑ http://www.lightplanet.com/family/children/salvation_children.html

[edit] See also

• Worthiness

[edit] External links

• God Created Us for His Glory, by John Piper