Knowing By the Spirit

In today’s post, I would like to address a question asked by one of my anonymous readers:

Anonymous said...

I have heard many Mormons make the comment about the Book of Mormon: "I have read parts of this book and prayed to God if it was true and I received a warm feeling in my heart that it was. I now know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God." They sound so sure of themselves from the little that they have read.

So my question is. Can you or any other Mormon who may read this say with that same firmness and assurety "I know that I am going to be in Heaven with God for eternity without a shadow of a doubt I know I will be there with him."

I know alot of Mormons who say I hope so, or if I have lived a good enough life I will. I have yet to meet one who can answer with an assured "Yes I will go to Heaven to be with God forever."

Why is that?

Dear Anonymous-

I would like to respond to your comments/questions in sections, addressing first the comment you started out with and then the question you finished with. And, as I do so, please bear with me, as I will be discussing principles that you may not have directly addressed, but that I feel apply to the discussion. Please feel free to ask for clarification or to share any of your thoughts on any part of this discussion.

Acquiring a Knowledge of any Truth

I would first like to address your initial comment about those of our faith knowing the Book of Mormon to be the word of God. I too know many people who have acquired for themselves a knowledge of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. Those who have read “parts of this book”, as you put it, can, indeed receive personal revelation as to the truthfulness of those parts of the Book of Mormon (see my post on personal revelation here). Through rules of deduction, one could then conclude that if “parts” of the Book of Mormon are true, then it would logically suffice to say that the entire book is true. However, I think it important to point out that we should be reading the entire book in order to assess if the entire book be true. In fact, as with any book, the more times you read it, the better you come to understand its principles.

In a similar vein, obtaining a personal witness of the truthfulness of a book can be applied to any book, not just to books of scripture. I personally want to always be seeking truth. In my mind, truth is truth. All knowledge, whether traditionally viewed as secular or spiritual is, in my mind, all spiritual. To me, there is no distinction. Either something is true or it is not. And, in my mind, all truth has depth to it. In other words, all truth can be studied and appreciated in deeper and deeper degrees of understanding as we seek more truth by applying that which we have already acquired. In other words, we build upon our working knowledge—this is what we call faith and it applies to principles traditionally seen as spiritual as well as those traditionally seen as secular (see my post on faith here).

So, as we study and search for truth, how do we filter through all the information out there to determine what is truth, what is partial truth, and what is falsehood? To me, one who thinks with an empirical mind, the scientific process is a great approach. We start with some truth we have already acquired, and use it to develop a hypothesis (an expected outcome). Then we apply the bit of information we are trying to understand to that hypothesis to see what happens. If our hypothesis is consistently confirmed, we assume that information to be truth. If our hypothesis is refuted, we accept that we have misunderstood the information and start the process over with a new hypothesis. This can be done with any principle, including those found in the Book of Mormon. We can apply them to our lives and see if they work. This is an organized way of approaching questions that appeals to my mind.

But, in the scientific community, it is said that a principle is never “proven”, only confirmed or disproven. So, in order to “prove” to myself if a principle is true, I like to combine this scientific approach with personal revelation (knowing by the Spirit)—this is the personal witness which you described as a “warm feeling”. It also has been described in many other ways including a “burning of the bosom”, a “quiet voice”, “a still small voice”, a “wave” over or through the body, as well as many other descriptions. In my mind, this kind of personal witness is additional empirical evidence to that discovered through the scientific process. It is a physical response—tactile evidence. I can use the knowledge I acquire through the scientific method to explain many things in logical language, but the spiritual witness I receive confirms those principles to me. Does that make sense?

It’s almost like when you are in school and your teacher gives you a problem to solve. You work through the problem and reason out the solution, then you ask your teacher for confirmation that your solution is correct. You teacher either confirms or refutes your answer. The “teacher” that provides us this “warm feeling” is what we call the “Holy Ghost”, also referred to as the “Holy Spirit”, “The Comforter”, as well as other names. He is quite literally a teacher to us. He confirms truth to us by giving us a personal witness through a physical response such as feeling a “warm feeling” or hearing a “still small voice”. (See *** at the end of this post for a side note on additional ways the Holy Ghost works in our lives.)

Can I Say That I “Know” I Will Live with my Father in Heaven for Eternity?

Now that we have addressed why people can say that they “know the Book of Mormon is the Word of God” and be so sure of that statement, let’s address the next part of your question: Can I “say with that same firmness and assurety ‘I know that I am going to be in Heaven with God for eternity without a shadow of a doubt I know I will be there with him.’" My initial reaction to this question was one of understanding for the responses you have received from other Mormon acquaintances. However, when I take a moment to really ponder and consider your question in my own life, and how I really feel about it, deep down inside myself, at this time I am assured that I WILL return and live with my Father in Heaven for eternity. In fact, I feel it so strongly, that it feels like a part of my core soul. I believe that part of my feeling this way is due to the fact that the Lord is already such a large part of my life. I converse with Him consistently throughout each day, as I face the difficulties and triumphs of life. I seek His guidance when I am unsteady, I seek His comfort when I am suffering, I seek His comfort for those suffering around me, and I express to Him my most sincere gratitude for the blessing He is always bestowing upon me and those with whom I am acquainted. I do not share these things to boast, for I commune with Him daily because I need His influence in my life. But rather, I simply share them to help reveal to you what my day-to-day life is like.

In addition to the role my Father in Heaven plays in my life, His Son, Jesus Christ also plays a huge part in my life. I consistently see the workings of Christ’s atonement in my life. I recognize my imperfections and diligently work to improve and allow the Savior’s atonement to take root in my life. And, finally, I strive always to keep the Holy Ghost as my constant companion. I feel the very raw sensation when His presence withdraws from me, when I am in circumstances that would drive Him away. With all three members of the Godhead being such a core part of my existence now, I cannot imagine being without my Father in Heaven in the eternities and, because I am always striving to live as He would have me live even though I am imperfect, at this point in time, I can say that I do know, without a shadow of a doubt, that I will return to live with Him in the eternities.

What do Mormons Mean when They Respond to your Question that They “Hope So”?

But, let me now return to my initial reaction to your comment, so that you might better understand the foundation of the responses you have received by the Mormons you have asked this question of in the past, such as “I hope so” or “if I have lived a good enough life I will”. Obviously, I don’t know these individuals personally, but their responses stem from the principles of agency, choice, and accountability as taught by passages from both the Bible and the Book of Mormon; and these principles directly relate to the interplay of grace, works, and mercy.

In the book of 2^nd Nephi, found in the Book of Mormon, chapter 31, versus 17-20, Nephi, an ancient prophet, is teaching his people:

“17 Wherefore, do the things which I have told you I have seen that your Lord and your Redeemer should do; for, for this cause have they been shown unto me, that ye might know the gate by which ye should enter. For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost.

18 And then are ye in this straight and narrow path which leads to eternal life; yea, ye have entered in by the gate; ye have done according to the commandments of the Father and the Son; and ye have received the Holy Ghost, which witnesses of the Father and of the Son, unto the fulfilling of the promise which he hath made, that if ye entered in by the way ye should receive.

19 And now my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.

20 Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the words of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father; Ye shall have eternal life.”

In the Bible, the books of Psalms and Proverbs teach us

Proverbs 31:30-31 . . . a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.

Proverbs 24:12 . . . and he that keepeth thy soul . . . shall not he render to every man according to his works?

Pslams 62:12 Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work.

These sacred scriptures teach us that it is not enough to repent and be baptized. We must continue to “press forward, feasting upon the words of Christ, and endure to the end” in order to obtain eternal life with our Father in Heaven. Our “works” in this life combined with the atonement of Christ and His mercy toward us as well as God’s grace, work together to satisfy the demands of justice that determine whether or not we qualify for eternal life with our Father in Heaven.

Our Father in Heaven sacrificed His first born Son, Jesus Christ, who has atoned for our sins, so that our agency and imperfections in this life would not prevent us the opportunity to return to Him in the eternities. Our agency, allows us to become more like God, as we learn to make correct choices based on true principles. Because we are quite literally “children” of our Heavenly Father, we are still learning and we make mistakes along the way. This is why an atonement was necessary. Without an atonement, there could be no mercy to satisfy justice, and we would need to pay for our own sins. But, without repentance, the atonement cannot take effect on our salvation. So, although Christ has suffered for our sins, we are still held accountable for our own actions—for our “works” in this life. Of course, the interaction of all these principles has so much depth that it really should be a post of its own.

So, when Mormons say they “hope” they will return to live with God for eternity or that they will “if they have lived a good enough life”, they are simply expressing their understanding that living with God for eternity is conditional upon their own choices and actions, not that they don’t actually “expect” to live with God for eternity. This, however, does not take away from the fact that the atonement, mercy, and grace all also play crucial parts in our salvation. They are all part of our Father’s Plan of Salvation for us that allows us the agency necessary for our growth and learning in this life. For, without growth, what would be the purpose of our life here on earth? So, we see that the above responses to your question are not a condition of despair, but one of hope. Those individuals know that they, themselves, have agency in the matter. Our loving Father in Heaven wants us to return to Him and has prepared a way for us to do so, but He will not force us to, if we choose not to.

I know that this information is rooted in many principles that should be discussed in further detail, but I didn’t want to overwhelm you with too much information. Please feel free to ask any questions about any topic I have addressed today (or in past posts). I hope that I have answered your questions completely. Please let me know if I have not. Thank you for initiating this discussion.

*** In addition to confirming truth, this kind of physical evidence can also guide and direct you to act when you otherwise would not have, due to your limited knowledge. For example, someone you may know may be in need of your service or assistance, but you may be completely unaware of that person’s need. The Spirit can put thoughts in your mind that you should help that person in some given way, just as your teacher may initially tell you how to solve a problem, before leaving you to solve more on your own. This personal witness may be the only evidence you have of that person’s need. This has happened to me many times throughout my life. The Spirit tells me I need to call a certain friend, or stop by someone’s house or drop off dinner, or offer to babysit, whatever. And, when I act on those feelings, that person tells me something to the effect of, “I was just praying for the Lord to help me figure out how to get dinner on the table today” or “I was so depressed and your call helped me realize someone loves me” or “I am so sick, the Lord must have sent you here to help.” As we receive and heed these promptings, we become better able to recognize them, more attune to them, just as a musician becomes more attune to his instrument the more he plays it.