The mission of Christ and degrees of glory

(D&C 76 continued)

This is Christ's mission, and the gospel that we are to preach: Christ came into the world to be crucified for the world, and to bear the sins of the world, and to sanctify the world, and to cleanse it from all unrighteousness. (v. 41)

I can't think of any other verse off the top of my head that so completely illustrates Christ's mission. He came to atone for our sins, that we may enter God's presence again. He came to "bear," (I think share) our sins, and to truly empathize with us. The sanctification spoken of is, to me, the personal process we all must undergo to become Christlike. I think it refers to the sanctification of our hearts. Cleansing the world from unrighteousness is more along the lines of destroying the wicked at the 2nd Coming. I suppose this could also refers to cleansing unrighteous people, making them righteous. (That sounds harsh, but I can't find words to say it differently.)

The nest verses list the qualities of those who will be in the celestial kingdom, then the terrestial. Referring to the latter, vs. 76-77 says, "These are they who receive of his glory, but not of his fulness. These are they who receive of the presence of the Son, but not of the fulness of the Father." -->What does that mean? Maybe those who accept Christ as their Savior, but not the entire gospel that the Father has set up? I guess since there are people like that on earth, and our character remains the same, there will be people like that in heaven.


vs. 81-89 talk about the telestial kingdom. While these people are those who do not receive the gospel or testimony of Christ, they did NOT deny the Holy Ghost. (Earlier in the section they are described as sons of perdition.)


I'm going to have to figure out how it's possible to have been in spirit prison, have the gospel preached to you, and still not accept it.