A Thoughtful Gospel Principles. Chapter 46: Final Judgement

(Personal note... sometimes when I have a first reading through the GP chapter I struggle. It's taught with an absolute certainty that I struggle with. On the other hand... I've accepted a calling to teach the LDS Gospel Principles class. I'm aware that I need to include excerpts from the lesson but won't always follow the exact structure of the manual. I include other quotes/scriptures, but only content that is either found on the church website or linked to from the church website).

https://www.lds.org/manual/gospel-principles/chapter-46-the-final-judgment?lang=eng

The Good News of the Nativity

Today’s lesson is on God’s Final Judgement. On the Sunday before Christmas we can celebrate the good news of the nativity and gift of the atonement that free us from the fear of judgement.

The Shepherds were encouraged to celebrate the birth of Saviour (Luke 2:8-14):

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.  12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.  13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,  14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

The first and third verses of a beautiful carol, O Holy Night, teach us why the Nativity is such good news:

O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!… 

Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!

The word “pining” means suffering from pain. A large effect of sinning and making mistakes is seeing the negative effects they have on us and on others. The pain of sin is experiencing and realising the distance our mistakes place between others and between us and God. The gift of Jesus Christ is to “break the chains” of this pain and help us to love one another and find peace.

Faith in Jesus Christ helps us be prepared for the Final Judgment. Through faithful discipleship to Him and repentance of all our sins, we can be forgiven for our sins and become pure and holy so that we can dwell in the presence of God. As we repent of our sins, giving up every impure thought and act, the Holy Ghost will change our hearts so we no longer have even the desire to sin (see Mosiah 5:2). Then when we are judged, we will be found ready to enter into God’s presence. (Gospel Principles, p270)

God’s judgement is just and balanced

We are often told in the scriptures that the day will come when we will stand before God and be judged. We need to understand how judgment takes place so we can be better prepared for this important event.The scriptures teach that all of us will be judged according to our works: “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works” (Revelation 20:12; see also D&C 76:111; 1 Nephi 15:32; Abraham 3:25–28). We will also be judged “according to the desire of [our] hearts” (D&C 137:9; see also Alma 41:3). (Gospel Principles, p269) 

The Prophet Joseph Smith said that the dead will be judged out of records kept on earth. We will also be judged out of the “book of life,” which is kept in heaven (GP, p270)

Joseph Smith also said:

“God judges men according to the use they make of the light which He gives them.” 

“Men will be held accountable for the things which they have and not for the things they have not. … All the light and intelligence communicated to them from their beneficent creator, whether it is much or little, by the same they in justice will be judged, and … they are required to yield obedience and improve upon that and that only which is given, for man is not to live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." 

“He holds the reins of judgment in His hands; He is a wise Lawgiver, and will judge all men, not according to the narrow, contracted notions of men, but, ‘according to the deeds done in the body whether they be good or evil,’ or whether these deeds were done in England, America, Spain, Turkey, or India. He will judge them, ‘not according to what they have not, but according to what they have’; those who have lived without law, will be judged without law, and those who have a law, will be judged by that law. We need not doubt the wisdom and intelligence of the Great Jehovah; He will award judgment or mercy to all nations according to their several deserts, their means of obtaining intelligence, the laws by which they are governed, the facilities afforded them of obtaining correct information, and His inscrutable designs in relation to the human family; and when the designs of God shall be made manifest, and the curtain of futurity be withdrawn, we shall all of us eventually have to confess that the Judge of all the earth has done right [see Genesis 18:25].”

We inherit a glory reflecting who we have become, not simply what we have done.

There is another record that will be used to judge us. The Apostle Paul taught that we ourselves are a record of our life… At the Final Judgment we will inherit a place in the kingdom for which we are prepared. The scriptures teach of three kingdoms of glory—the celestial kingdom, the terrestrial kingdom, and the telestial kingdom. (GP, p271)
In reality, every day is a day of judgment. We speak, think, and act according to celestial, terrestrial, or telestial law. Our faith in Jesus Christ, as shown by our daily actions, determines which kingdom we will inherit. (GP, p273)

Elder Richard G. Scott spoke of the impact of 'small things' in General Conference of April 2013:

Remember: little things lead to big things. Seemingly insignificant indiscretions or neglect can lead to big problems. More importantly, simple, consistent, good habits lead to a life full of bountiful blessings.

One of President David O. McKay's favourite sayings illustrated how habits and small choices around the little things lead to what our true character is:

“We sow our thoughts, and we reap our actions; we sow our actions, and we reap our habits; we sow our habits, and we reap our characters; we sow our characters, and we reap our destiny.” (C. A. Hall, The Home Book of Quotations, New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1935, p. 845.)

Elder Delbert Stapely, speaking in General Conference in 1974, repeated this quote and then taught that life is an opportunity to make choices that help to develop the best habits:

We are not born into this world with fixed habits. Neither do we inherit a noble character. Instead, as children of God, we are given the privilege and opportunity of choosing which way of life we will follow—which habits we will form.Confucius said that the nature of men is always the same. It is their habits that separate them.

All of the covenants we make and the commandments we keep are opportunities to develop the best possible habits. For example, obedience to the covenants made at baptism develops good character through the habits of service, supporting others and showing compassion (Mosiah 18:8-10). This is the deep value and gift of commandments and covenants. They provide a framework and motivation to establish character forming habits. We will be judged based on what we have done because what we do will define what we become.

Judge others generously today and show the mercy you hope to receive tomorrow

Joseph Smith encouraged us to avoid judging each other when he said:

“While one portion of the human race is judging and condemning the other without mercy, the Great Parent of the universe looks upon the whole of the human family with a fatherly care and paternal regard; He views them as His offspring, and without any of those contracted feelings that influence the children of men, causes ‘His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.’”

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said: “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” (Matt. 5:7)

Commenting on this verse, Elder Uchtdorf gave one of the most powerful talks on mercy and avoiding being judgmental in April 2011 General Conference:

Of course, these words seem perfectly reasonable—when applied to someone else. We can so clearly and easily see the harmful results that come when others judge and hold grudges. And we certainly don’t like it when people judge us. 

But when it comes to our own prejudices and grievances, we too often justify our anger as righteous and our judgment as reliable and only appropriate. Though we cannot look into another’s heart, we assume that we know a bad motive or even a bad person when we see one. We make exceptions when it comes to our own bitterness because we feel that, in our case, we have all the information we need to hold someone else in contempt. 

This topic of judging others could actually be taught in a two-word sermon. When it comes to hating, gossiping, ignoring, ridiculing, holding grudges, or wanting to cause harm, please apply the following: 

Stop it! It’s that simple. 

We simply have to stop judging others and replace judgmental thoughts and feelings with a heart full of love for God and His children. God is our Father. We are His children. We are all brothers and sisters. 

I don’t know exactly how to articulate this point of not judging others with sufficient eloquence, passion, and persuasion to make it stick. I can quote scripture, I can try to expound doctrine, and I will even quote a bumper sticker I recently saw. It was attached to the back of a car whose driver appeared to be a little rough around the edges, but the words on the sticker taught an insightful lesson. It read, “Don’t judge me because I sin differently than you.”

Celebrating the message of the Nativity

And so we return to the reason for celebrating this season.

Joy to the world, the Lord is come;Let earth receive her King!Let ev'ry heart prepare him room,And Saints and angels sing (Hymns 201) 

In a Sep 2013 Ensign article, Brad Wilcox taught that in the face of Judgement, Christ’s Grace is sufficient:

The miracle of the Atonement is not just that we can live after we die but that we can live more abundantly (see John 10:10). The miracle of the Atonement is not just that we can be cleansed and consoled but that we can be transformed (see Romans 8). Scriptures make it clear that no unclean thing can dwell with God (see Alma 40:26), but no unchanged thing will even want to. 

The miracle of the Atonement is not just that we can go home but that—miraculously—we can feel at home there. If Heavenly Father and His Son did not require faith and repentance, then there would be no desire to change.
Grace is not a booster engine that kicks in once our fuel supply is exhausted. Rather, it is our constant energy source. It is not the light at the end of the tunnel but the light that moves us through the tunnel. Grace is not achieved somewhere down the road. It is received right here and right now. 

Jesus’s grace is sufficient. It is enough. It is all we need. Don’t quit. Keep trying. Don’t look for escapes and excuses. Look for the Lord and His perfect strength. Don’t search for someone to blame. Search for someone to help you. Seek Christ, and, as you do, you will feel the enabling power and divine help we call His amazing grace.

And so we join the heavenly throng in celebrating the gift of a Saviour:

Sing, choirs of angels,Sing in exultation;Sing, all ye citizens of heav'n above!Glory to God,Glory in the highest; 

Oh, come, let us adore him;Oh, come, let us adore him;Oh, come, let us adore him,Christ, the Lord. (Hymns 202)