Introduction
"Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life." - John 6:68
The Lord Jesus Christ has been empowered by the Father to seal individuals up to eternal life. This process is called having your calling and election made sure. Peter was, in one sense, referring to the Savior's promise of eternal life when he said that the Savior had the words of eternal life. That his statement is also true in a broader sense is evident when you consider that the only way an individual obtains and fulfills that promise is by following the other words of Christ.1 The Lord said that "He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life."2
The Lord revealed to us the process of obtaining the words of eternal life:
And I now give unto you a commandment to beware concerning yourselves, to give diligent heed to the words of eternal life. For you shall live by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God. For the word of the Lord is truth, and whatsoever is truth is light, and whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ. And the Spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world; and the Spirit enlighteneth every man through the world, that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit. And every one that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit cometh unto God, even the Father. And the Father teacheth him of the covenant which he has renewed and confirmed upon you, which is confirmed upon you for your sakes, and not for your sakes only, but for the sake of the whole world. (D&C 84:43-48)
The Father is the one who possesses the words of eternal life. That collection of his word is delivered through Jesus Christ3 (and optionally through angels and men) to us line upon line to the degree that we receive it. As we infuse those words into our spirit by receiving them, and then subdue our bodies to obey them, we rise to another plane of existence. When followed to the end, this process always ends with eternal life.4
Footnotes
- 1. For example, consider what the Lord told Oliver: "Behold, thou art Oliver, and I have spoken unto thee because of thy desires; therefore treasure up these words in thy heart. Be faithful and diligent in keeping the commandments of God, and I will encircle thee in the arms of my love." (D&C 6:20) ↩
- 2. John 5:24 ↩
- 3. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me. (John 14:24) ↩
- 4. "It was the credence they gave to the testimony of their fathers-this testimony having aroused their minds to inquire after the knowledge of God. The inquiry frequently terminated, indeed, always terminated when rightly pursued, in the most glorious discoveries and eternal certainty." (Lectures on Faith 2:56) ↩