Christians believe that they will one day live with God in heaven. Unfortunately, they believe this irrespective of the measure to which they have reconciled themselves to how they believe God to be. Those who do not live as God would in their place are cut off from the presence of God.3 No one who willingly deviates from the example of God in how they live can dwell in the presence of God.4 To do so would overwhelm you with guilt beyond anything you can even imagine in this life.5 The only way6 to access God’s presence is through following the example of God, as far as you understand him to be, in your own life.560
Footnotes
- 1. Now this Moses plainly taught to the children of Israel in the wilderness, and sought diligently to sanctify his people that they might behold the face of God; But they hardened their hearts and could not endure his presence; therefore, the Lord in his wrath, for his anger was kindled against them, swore that they should not enter into his rest while in the wilderness, which rest is the fulness of his glory. (D&C 84:23-24) ↩
- 2. If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple....So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26, 33) ↩
- 3. ...Inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord. (Alma 9:13) ↩
- 4. Wherefore, if ye have sought to do wickedly in the days of your probation, then ye are found unclean before the judgment-seat of God; and no unclean thing can dwell with God; wherefore, ye must be cast off forever. (1 Nephi 10:21) ↩
- 5. Therefore if that man repenteth not, and remaineth and dieth an enemy to God, the demands of divine justice do awaken his immortal soul to a lively sense of his own guilt, which doth cause him to shrink from the presence of the Lord, and doth fill his breast with guilt, and pain, and anguish, which is like an unquenchable fire, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever. (Mosiah 2:38) Prepare your souls for that glorious day when justice shall be administered unto the righteous, even the day of judgment, that ye may not shrink with awful fear; that ye may not remember your awful guilt in perfectness, and be constrained to exclaim: Holy, holy are thy judgments, O Lord God Almighty—but I know my guilt; I transgressed thy law, and my transgressions are mine; and the devil hath obtained me, that I am a prey to his awful misery. (2 Nephi 9:46) Or otherwise, can ye imagine yourselves brought before the tribunal of God with your souls filled with guilt and remorse, having a remembrance of all your guilt, yea, a perfect remembrance of all your wickedness, yea, a remembrance that ye have set at defiance the commandments of God (Alma 5:18) ↩
- 6. Keep my commandments continually, and a crown of righteousness thou shalt receive. And except thou do this, where I am you cannot come. (D&C 25:15) ↩