Life on Earth -Why am I Here?

In the beginning, before God created man, He had a plan. He had
many spirit children with Him in heaven, but they did not yet have
bodies; hence, they could not progress. There would be no purpose of
existing if we could not progress. What joy is there in remaining
exactly the same forever? So God created a plan that would enable us to
progress both physically and spiritually.

We are here to gain a body.

In Genesis 1:27 it explains "So God created man in his own image, in
the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." God
gave us physical bodies, and there are many things we can do now that
we have bodies that we could not do while we were only spirits. We are
separated from God for a time to learn and do the things necessary to
progress and return to Him some day, worthy to dwell in His presence
forever. When we die our spirit and body separate, but thanks to the
resurrection of Jesus Christ, they will join again. We too will be
resurrected, never to part with our bodies again.

We are here to be tested.

But gaining a body is not the only reason we are here. In God's eye,
our time on earth is short, with eternity existing always before and
forever after. This short period of time on earth can be viewed as a
sort of test or trial time. The wonderful and merciful thing is that it
is an open-book test, and we learn the answers along the way. We can
receive lots of help through the scriptures, prophets, and even
directly from God as we approach Him in humble, personal prayer, then
look and listen for His soft answers.

We are here to become like God.

What is the purpose of this test? The ultimate purpose of the test of
life is to progress to become like God. Does this seem overwhelming?
Then let's look at the key word in this: progress. It won't happen all
at once, but remember, we have the answers before us, or at least
places to look and search out the answers (see above).

Rather than viewing this as one big test, let's look at it as a series
of small quizzes. The Lord presents us with an opportunity or
challenge. If we choose the right, we progress; if we don't, we move
backward. We cannot stay in one place. We are constantly moving either
forward or backward. Thus, it is the little things, the daily
decisions, which keep us on the right path leading to God. And why do
we want to become like God? So we can return to live with Him after we
die.

How Can I Know the Truth?

There are many different ideas and theories
in the world about deity. The one sure way to know who God is and what
He would have us do is to ask him.

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men
liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." (James 1:5).

When we approach God in prayer desiring to know the truth, He will help
us find it by helping us to feel what is right through His Spirit.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

"Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." (Galatians 5:22-23)

God Speaks Through Prophets

Since the beginning of the earth, God has chosen to speak to us
through prophets. We read of such prophets in the scriptures such as
Abraham and Moses. God has declared that "Surely the Lord God will do
nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets."
(Amos 3:7). As we see in the scriptures, many people rejected the
prophets. We see patterns of wickedness and righteousness in the
people's behavior throughout the centuries. When the people were wicked
enough and killed the prophets, they fell into dark times and precious
truths were lost to them, not because there truths weren't there, but
because the people didn't care and would not accept the truth. So, when
the people were ready again, God would send prophets to teach them. The
apostles in the early church warned against a falling away from the
truth (see 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3)

Are there prophets in our day? Do we need prophets? We certainly live
in perilous times, and there are many opinions in the world about who
God is, what is right, and so forth. Would God leave us without a
prophet if we are searching for the truth?

Everyone Gets to Decide for Themselves.

What happens to the good people of the earth who never knew God while
they lived here? Is it just that they be condemned for something they
didn't have the chance to find out about? Paul makes an interesting
remark in 1 Corinthians 15:29 that helps shed some light on the subject
as he was trying to express that we would be resurrected:

"Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead
rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?"

To what is Paul referring to? Why would the dead need to be baptized?
Well Jesus, answering a question posed by Nicodemus, gives us an idea:

"Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born
of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."
(John 3:5)

Agency and Accountability

We have been given a wonderful responsibility and opportunity from
our Heavenly Father. We have been given agency. There is both good and
evil in the world, and God has given us the power to choose. In 2 Nephi
2:11, it says, "For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in
all things. If not so, … righteousness could not be brought to pass,
neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad…"
Although we are faced with much temptation, God will help us along the
way. The Holy Spirit will inspire us and prompt us to choose the right.

After Life -Where am I Going?

After we die, our spirit and our body separate. Our body is buried
in the ground, and our spirit goes to a place called the spirit world.
It is here that we wait for the day of resurrection. As part of God's
plan, everyone will be resurrected thanks to the atonement, sacrifice,
and resurrection of the Savior. When we are resurrected, our spirit and
body will be reunited.

While in the spirit world, we do much more than simply wait. There is
much teaching going on. Those who died without being introduced to the
gospel will have a chance to hear and accept it after death. Many
faithful followers of God will participate in the teaching.

After death we will also be judged for the life we lived on earth. Each
person will be treated fairly and receive a just reward for his/her
life. We will then spend the rest of our existence in a place with a
degree of glory dependent on they type of life we lived and the
condition of our heart. 1 Corinthians 15:40-42 explains that "There are
also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the
celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is
one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory
of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So
also is the resurrection of the dead . . ." Whether we are given a
glory representative of the sun, moon, or star, we will feel
comfortable where we are sent because we will be surrounded by those
similar to us.