SALVATION?????

Salvation. As people of faith, we love this word, we want this word, and we desire to have it in our lives. So if this is something that is wanted, what does salvation mean? "Salvation means to be saved from physical and spiritual death. All people will be saved from physical death by the grace of God, through the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Each individual can also be saved from spiritual death as well as by the grace of God, through faith in Jesus Christ. This faith is manifested in a life of obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel and service to Christ." (PMG Pg. 59)

In this life our search for salvation causes us to build a very personal relationship with Jesus Christ. "Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth." (2 Nephi 2:6) This personal relationship is built by prayer and a love for and of God. The personal line we have with God works to assist us in salvation but must work in balance and harmony with the commandments of God. Therefore, we have a personal line and an authoritative line for salvation.

The authoritative line is called the priesthood, or God's authority given to man to act in His name on earth for the benefit and salvation of mankind. This priesthood authority is what governs the church and that government is established by Jesus Christ through His prophets and apostles by revelation and taught as council and commandments to the people of the church. This doctrine creates a problem to many people in the world today, because this is organized religion.

"During His earthly ministry, Jesus Christ conferred the authority of the priesthood that bears His name and He established a church that also bears His name. In this last dispensation, His priesthood authority was restored and His Church was reestablished through heavenly ministrations to the Prophet Joseph Smith. This restored priesthood and this reestablished Church are at the heart of the priesthood line. The priesthood line is the channel by which God has spoken to His children through the scriptures in times past. And it is this line through which He currently speaks through the teachings and counsel of living prophets and apostles and other inspired leaders. This is the way we receive the required ordinances."(Two Lines of Communication, Dallin H. Oaks)

This authority is key in the workings of salvation and this is where many people seem to build up walls of rejection because they feel that their personal line is being broken up. The personal line can not be broken, but must have the support of the priesthood. If organized religion and authority seem to be a problem then you may have forgotten that it is Christ who sets the way, not you.

"Those who reject the need for organized religion reject the work of the Master, who established His Church and its officers in the meridian of time and who reestablished them in modern times.
Organized religion, established by divine authority, is essential, as the Apostle Paul taught:
'For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ'" (Ephesians 4:12–13). 

"I feel to add two cautions we should remember in connection with reliance on the vital priesthood line. First, the priesthood line does not supersede the need for the personal line. We all need a personal testimony of truth...Second, like the personal line, the priesthood line cannot function fully and properly in our behalf unless we are worthy and obedient. Many scriptures teach that if we persist in serious violations of the commandments of God, we are 'cut off from his presence' (Alma 38:1). When that happens, the Lord and His servants are seriously inhibited in giving us spiritual help and we cannot obtain it for ourselves...We must use both the personal line and the priesthood line in proper balance to achieve the growth that is the purpose of mortal life. If personal religious practice relies too much on the personal line, individualism erases the importance of divine authority. If personal religious practice relies too much on the priesthood line, individual growth suffers. The children of God need both lines to achieve their eternal destiny. The restored gospel teaches both, and the restored Church provides both."(Two Lines of Communication, Dallin H. Oaks)

I know that salvation is possible for all people no matter who they are. I know that Jesus Christ lives and has placed his church on the earth today, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I know that the principles that I talked about are true and I know that anyone can begin the journey of salvation and it begins by putting pride on a shelf. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.