Calling & Election Made Sure

In the book of 2 Peter in the New Testament we read:

2 Peter 1:2-11

2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the ^aknowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,

3 According as his divine power hath given unto us ^aall things that pertain unto ^blife and ^cgodliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us ^dto glory and ^evirtue:

4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious ^apromises: that by these ye might be ^bpartakers of the ^cdivine ^dnature, having ^eescaped the ^fcorruption that is in the world through ^glust.

5 And beside this, giving all ^adiligence, add to your faith ^bvirtue; and to virtue ^cknowledge;

6 And to knowledge ^atemperance; and to temperance ^bpatience; and to patience ^cgodliness;

7 And to godliness ^abrotherly ^bkindness; and to brotherly kindness ^ccharity.

8 For if these things be in you, and ^aabound, they make you that ye shall neither be ^bbarren nor ^cunfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and ^aelection sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never ^bfall:

11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the ^aeverlasting ^bkingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

There verses are not to be taken lightly. They deal with the very important subject of making one's "calling and election sure."

What does this mean? For the Latter-Day Saint, this is the ultimate goal in life. It simply means that your place with God is assured. You have been given the assurance that you will not only be saved, because of the blood of Jesus Christ, but you will be exalted.

Notice that Peter is not talking to non-christians here. He is talking to members of Christ's true church. Some have the mistaken idea that they are a "saved" christian and that once they believe in Jesus Christ they are in a state of grace that they can never fall from. If this is the case, why would Peter tell his "Brethren" of the church to "give diligence to make your calling and election sure." ?

Once a person has been cleansed from their sins through the atonement of Jesus Christ, and has lived and entered into the first four principles and ordinances of the Gospel, they are on the path to eternal life.

But they have only begun. They need to keep pressing forward being faithful to Christ and His commandments until the end. This period of time beyond baptism is where a person goes through the process of sanctification with the help of the Gift of the Holy Ghost.

To be "Sanctified" means to be purified or free from sin: "Sanctify your hearts."

In other words, yes you have been forgiven and cleansed from your sins, but now you need to do the work of changing your very nature so that you no longer desire sin. (with the help of God.)

There are milestones on this journey of sanctification. They are the higher ordinances of the gospel. These ordinances are found in the temple of the Lord. With each ordinance comes a great amount of promised blessings if you stay faithful to the covenants you make with the Lord.

The ultimate blessing one can receive is that their calling and election are made sure. They are assured eternal life. Eternal life is not simply going to heaven. It is not simply the blessing of living forever. These blessings are only part of the blessing of eternal life.

To obtain eternal life is to obtain the same kind of life as the Eternal Father. Literally to live with Him forever. There is no greater happiness than this. You inherit all that He has. He shares it freely with you because He has complete trust in you. You will never replace God, of course! But you can live like God, and be like God as His child and live in His kingdom through the merits and mercy of Jesus Christ.

If you notice the scripture above, Peter gives a specific formula for someone to progress to this point.

The order according to Peter is to be diligent then to add faith, then add virtue, then add knowledge, and temperance, patience etc.

It is not enough to overcome sin, but you must add these specific attributes to your character. The ultimate attribute being charity. (just has Paul said faith, hope, and charity).

God is doing more with us than just saving us, he wants to change us. But He will not change us unless we are willing.

So if you ever ask a Latter-Day Saint if they are "saved" they might look at you a little perplexed. This is because in their minds they are thinking.. well, yes I am saved in that I will automatically be resurrected and I have been baptized so I do have the promise of eternal life if I stay faithful to the promises I've made with the Lord, but I'm not exalted yet. I'm not sanctified yet. I'm repenting and relying on the merits of Jesus as I try to change my heart with His help.

Please note here that Latter-Day Saints do not believe that will power alone will change their natures. We understand and know that it's through the power of God that this change takes place, but we also understand that God expects us to try. He wants us to do all we can while relying on the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I testify that there are greater blessings, enjoyment, and fulfillment found within the Church of Jesus Christ. I testify that our purpose is not to just meet together for social reasons. We are being led by the head of the church, even Jesus Christ towards our ultimate goal. That ultimate goal is to regain the presence of the Eternal Father and to become like Him.

I also testify that you can receive the assurance that your calling and election has been made sure. I invite you to start on the path by showing your faith in Jesus Christ, repenting, and being baptized.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

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