What Is The Purpose of Life?

In this episode of Gospel First, join Joe Cirillo as he explores the profound question of life's purpose through the lens of the Plan of Salvation. Addressing misconceptions about life's goals, Joe emphasizes that the ultimate objective is to become more like God by understanding His nature and attributes. Key points discussed include the importance of receiving a pure body, gaining intelligence, developing godlike attributes, establishing eternal marriage and family, and coming unto Jesus Christ for perfection. This episode provides a deep dive into how knowledge of God's character guides us in fulfilling our life's purpose.

Transcription:

People around the world often ask the question, “what is the purpose of life?”  This question is virtually impossible to answer without the knowledge of the plan of salvation. 

There are various misconceptions about the purpose of life held by those who are unaware of the gospel plan. Some may believe that acquiring wealth or fame defines life's purpose, while others may view it simply as a pursuit of pleasure. Fortunately, through the prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord restored knowledge about the great plan of salvation, including the answer to our question regarding life's purpose.

While some may argue that the purpose of life is to "live with God again," this is merely one of the benefits resulting from the plan of salvation, not its primary objective. If our purpose was solely to reside with God, why did we leave our premortal existence in the first place?

What we are truly striving for goes beyond mere coexistence with God; our ultimate goal is to become like Him. That is the essence of life's purpose—to grow and develop, becoming more similar to God. Therefore, if we aspire to be like God, we must understand what characteristics define Him.

The Prophet Joseph Smith once said, “I want you all to know God, and to be familiar with Him.”  If we don’t know  or if we have an incorrect idea of what God is like, then it is very difficult to correctly become like Him.

If we believe that God is an immense, intangible entity, how can we emulate such a being? Similarly, if we hold a mistaken view of God as cruel and unmerciful, we cannot hope to attain the likeness of His true nature. It is imperative that we possess an accurate understanding of God's character, perfections, and attributes in order to have unwavering faith in Him.

Fortunately, the scriptures provide us with insight into our Heavenly Father's true nature.  

God has an immortal physical body:  According to Doctrine and Covenants 130:22, it is stated that God the Father possesses a physical body of flesh and bones, just as tangible as a human's. The same applies to God the Son (Jesus Christ). However, the Holy Ghost is described as a personage of Spirit without a physical body. This distinction is crucial because, without a physical body, the Holy Ghost can dwell within us.

When contemplating God, it is important not to envision Him as a formless spiritual entity or as an elderly and weary being. Instead, we should understand that God is a resurrected, glorified, and perfect being.
Considering that Jesus Christ, after His crucifixion, was resurrected and ascended to be with His Father, it stands to reason that God the Father also possesses a physical body of flesh and bones. This is supported by the idea that if Jesus regained His physical body, it follows that His Father would also possess a physical form.

God knows all things:  According to 2 Nephi 9:20, it is affirmed that God possesses comprehensive knowledge: "O how great the holiness of our God! For he knoweth all things, and there is not anything save he knows it." It is crucial to recognize that there is absolutely nothing that God is unaware of. His knowledge encompasses every aspect without exception.

God has divine attributes like love, kindness, patience, gentleness, mercy, and empathy:  According to Alma 26:35, God possesses divine attributes such as love, kindness, patience, gentleness, mercy, and empathy. The verse expresses the joy and admiration felt towards God, boasting in His greatness. It acknowledges that He possesses all power, wisdom, and understanding, comprehending all things. Furthermore, it emphasizes that God is a merciful Being, extending His mercy even to the point of granting salvation.

God is the father of our spirits:  In Romans 8:16, it is stated that the Spirit bears witness alongside our own spirit, confirming that we are children of God. This implies that if we are God's children, we are also children of "heavenly parents."  And lastly, 

God is perfect:  Matthew 5:48 instructs us to strive for perfection by saying, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." This verse encourages us to aim for the same level of perfection as our heavenly Father.

Understanding this aspect of God indeed provides an answer to the question of life's purpose. If our existence on Earth is centered around becoming more like God, then knowledge about Him guides us in our actions and character development.

In light of God's nature, the following five points outline significant tasks that assist us in fulfilling our life's purpose.
These five points are: 

Pont 1:  Receive a body and keep it pure:  The purpose of life includes the significant milestone of receiving a physical body through our birth. This achievement is a result of our faithfulness in the premortal existence, where we followed our Heavenly Father's plan. It is crucial to recognize that our presence here is a testament to our past faithfulness.

Surprisingly, someone harbors jealousy towards our bodies—the devil himself, as he lacks one. Due to this envy, Elder David A. Bednar taught:  “Because a physical body is so central to the Father’s plan of happiness and our spiritual development, we should not be surprised that Lucifer seeks to frustrate our progression by tempting us to use our bodies improperly.  One of the ironies of eternity is that the adversary, who is miserable precisely because he has no physical body, invites and entices us to share in his misery through the improper use of our bodies.  The very tool he does not have and cannot use is thus the primary target of his attempts to lure us to physical and spiritual destruction.”

Joseph Smith taught:   “We came to this earth that we might have a body  and present it pure before God in the celestial kingdom.”  Most sins are sins against the body:  immorality, murder,  drugs, alcohol,  physical violence,  tattoos or piercing, and immodesty, just to name a few.  One of the purposes of this life is to show God how much we respect our bodies  through obedience to His commandments—commandments that keep our bodies sacred and pure.

Point 2: Gain intelligence—light and truth:  Doctrine and Covenants 93:36 states that the glory of God is intelligence, which can be understood as light and truth. Additionally, Doctrine and Covenants 88:118 teaches us that we acquire this kind of intelligence through both study and faith.

It's crucial to recognize that fulfilling the plan of salvation goes beyond academic achievements or simply gathering information from the internet. Merely obtaining a high grade on a history test or relying solely on web searches does not lead to true intelligence. As 2 Timothy 3:7 suggests, it can result in a constant pursuit of knowledge without ever attaining the truth.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks emphasized that not all knowledge holds the same value. Some knowledge is more important than others, including what we commonly refer to as spiritual knowledge.  

Doctrine and Covenants 93:39 teaches us that the acquisition of light and truth, which represents true intelligence, can only be attained through obedience. Consequently, faithful individuals who demonstrate obedience and are filled with the Spirit possess greater "intelligence" than wicked individuals. When it comes to gaining intelligence, our primary objective is to obtain spiritual knowledge encompassing light and truth.

It's important to note that light and truth extend to all areas of knowledge. Truth can be found in various academic subjects such as science, history, geology, and art. This understanding is one of the reasons why the Lord instructed us in Doctrine and Covenants 88:79 regarding what to study. He emphasized the importance of gaining knowledge about various aspects, including heavenly and earthly matters, past events, present occurrences, future events, local and global affairs, wars, national dilemmas, and judgments. Acquiring knowledge about different countries and kingdoms was also highlighted.

Modern prophets emphasize the significance of education and encourage us to prepare and strive for it. They advise us to diligently work and make sacrifices if necessary, maintaining a lifelong enthusiasm for learning. Recognizing that God possesses intelligence reinforces the understanding that education plays a vital role in Heavenly Father's plan to help us become more like Him.

Elder John A. Widtsoe, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, highlighted the paradox of individuals willingly dedicating daily time for many years to learn a specific science or art, while expecting to acquire knowledge of the gospel—comprising all sciences and arts—through superficial glances at books or sporadic listening to sermons. He emphasized that studying the gospel should be approached with greater intensity and dedication than any subject studied in school or college.

Point 3: Develop Godlike attributes:  John 14:7-9 clarifies the purpose of Jesus' earthly mission, which was to reveal the nature and character of God the Father, demonstrating how He would act and behave. Thus, when we strive to be more like Jesus, we are also striving to be like our Heavenly Father. This requires overcoming our natural inclinations and resisting evil tendencies, governing our appetites, and mastering our passions such as anger, hatred, jealousy, and immorality.

The most significant attribute we can develop is love, as stated in 1 John 4:8, "God is love." In fact, the two greatest commandments revolve around love. When asked about the greatest commandments, Jesus responded in Matthew 22:37-39, saying, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."

Service presents a remarkable opportunity to demonstrate love towards God. It is through service that we can cultivate this attribute. As mentioned in Matthew 23:40, Jesus affirmed, "Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

When engaging in acts of service, do we do it out of obligation or genuine desire? While both are commendable, serving others out of love for them is the ideal approach. When we serve because we genuinely care and love those we are assisting, it holds greater significance and impact.

Point 4: Establish an eternal marriage and family:   The family proclamation  states clearly that  “the family is ordained of God.  Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan.”

It logically follows that if our purpose is to become more like our Eternal Parents, then we must also fulfill the roles of fathers and mothers by being sealed to our spouse for eternity. In Matthew 16:19, the apostles were given the authority to bind in matters of marriage. Jesus said, "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

According to the scriptures, having an eternal marriage and being sealed to a spouse in the temple are essential for exaltation and becoming like God. Doctrine and Covenants 131:1-4 explains that in the celestial glory, there are three degrees, and in order to obtain the highest degree, a person must enter into the order of the priesthood, which refers to the new and everlasting covenant of marriage. Without entering into this covenant, one cannot obtain the highest degree of exaltation.

Julie B. Beck, the General Relief Society President, emphasized that when we speak of qualifying for the blessings of eternal life, we are referring to qualifying for the blessings of eternal families. She stated that without these blessings, the purpose of the earth is wasted, and without the family, there is no plan and no reason for it.  And,

Point 5: Come unto Jesus Christ and be perfected in Him:  The commandment to be perfect like God is something we cannot achieve on our own. However, through the atonement of Jesus Christ, we have the opportunity to be made perfect and holy.

What does this mean? It means that we must have faith in Christ, repent of our sins, and make and keep covenants with Him throughout our lives. Through these sacred covenants, we are united with Christ and can be perfected through Him, thus enabling us to become like God.

Some may wonder why we face temptations if God desires us to become like Him. To explain this, I find it helpful to use the analogy of life as a spiritual shopping spree. God allows both good and evil, righteousness and sin, to exist on the earth. Whatever we choose to put in the cart of our lives reflects our true desires. For instance, if we pass up alcohol, drugs, pornography, and sin, and instead fill our lives with moral purity, it shows God what we truly desire.

Similarly, when we choose modest clothing over immodest attire, it reveals our true desires. 

When the time comes for the final judgment, and we approach the checkout line, God will examine the contents of our spiritual cart. Whatever we have filled it with will reflect our genuine priorities and character. It's important to remember that if God didn't allow temptations, we wouldn't have the freedom to make choices.

One might ask,  what is the hardest test or trial to go through?   President Boyd K. Packer said:  “for some people, the hardest spiritual tests aren’t tragedies, but “ease and luxury.  During our times of supposed “prosperity,” let us not forget God and succumb to pride, and fall into sin.  By always remembering God and being humble, we can pass the hardest spiritual test of all—ease and luxury!

We have reached the conclusion of our lesson in this section of ACT 2. The next lesson, titled "Agency: Our freedom to choose!" will be our focus.

If you have any questions about the gospel, please don't hesitate to leave us a message in the comments section below, and please remember to subscribe and share so that we can spread the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ together.