How to Gain Eternal Life

Christ continues to teach the Nephites. He declares Himself the law and the light.

"Behold, I am the law, and the light. Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life." (3 Nephi 15:9)

One way that He is the law is that He is the only way to get back to Heavenly Father and have eternal life. He overcame obstacles that make it impossible to get there on our own. Making use of the atonement He made for us allows us to get past those obstacles. Our bodies are mortal and will one day die. The only way we could live again with perfected, resurrected bodies is because Jesus gave His life and took it up again, overcoming physical death. That is a gift to all. More importantly, He overcame spiritual death by providing us a way to repent of our sins. We all come to this earth and have to learn line upon line, precept upon precept. We are all fallible and will make mistakes and sin. The ONLY way to overcome sin is through repentance and making use of the atonement.

One way that Christ is the light is that He shines as a great example, the perfect example, of who we are and what we should be. When we don't know what to do, we can follow a phrase that has been popular over the years, "What would Jesus do?" Whenever we are faced with a choice, if we would honestly ask ourselves that simple question, and then strive our best to live out the answer to that question, we will do OK. We will still make mistakes and missteps and need to repent. But largely our lives will be in line with the commandments and the Gospel.

If we look to the Savior, not just for a moment, but "endure to the end", as He taught the Nephites, we will be given eternal life.

The way Jesus speaks of that reward, that He will "...give eternal life" brings up an excellent point. We do not earn eternal life through our own merits. There's no way we could do it on our own. We need the Savior. We need His atonement and example, and then, after all we can do (doing our best throughout our lives), it is by grace that we are saved.

Thanks be to God for the matchless gift and life of the Savior. I am forever in Their debt and have desire to serve them until the end. It is a lifelong pursuit, and hopefully I can constantly look for ways to do better and improve.