By Roy
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, inadvertently called the Mormon Church by some people, believes in the gift of resurrection for all, and in the gift of eternal life for those who repent and follow the Lord Jesus Christ. But there are still individuals who doubt the Savior’s resurrection and set this precious gift at naught. But the scriptures coupled with diligent study and fervent prayer reveals that this thing is true.
The word ‘resurrection’ means the reuniting of the spirit body to the physical body in perfection, which will never be separated again.
The spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame, even as we now are at this time; and we shall be brought to stand before God, knowing even as we know now, and have a bright recollection of all our guilt. Now, this restoration shall come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous; and even there shall not so much as a hair of their heads be lost; but every thing shall be restored to its perfect frame, as it is now, or in the body, and shall be brought and be arraigned before the bar of Christ the Son, and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, which is one Eternal God, to be judged according to their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil (Book of Mormon, Alma 11:43-44).
Evidence of the resurrection of the Lord is replete in all the scriptures. There have been many witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
One biblical testimony of the resurrection of the Savior in addition to the original apostles is the vision of Stephen, a righteous man and servant of God who saw the Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father.
But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God (New Testament, Act 7:55-56).
Stephen’s testimony also revealed that God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ are two distinct and separate Beings but united in purpose and in mission. Aside from Stephen’s vision, there are other occasions in the scriptures that illustrate this truth: the Lord’s baptism (New Testament, Matthew 3), the Transfiguration in the mount (New Testament, Matthew 17), the Lord’s visitation to the Book of Mormon Israelites in America (Book of Mormon, 3 Nephi 11), and the First Vision of the prophet Joseph Smith (Joseph Smith-History) in which God the Father testified of the divinity of His Son Jesus Christ, both of them appearing together as resurrected men.
Although all of us are entitled to the promise of resurrection, it is not a guarantee that one can live with God. Resurrection is a gift to everyone because of the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. This gift enables us to never experience death again, and then those who follow the Lord’s commandments will be able to dwell with God for eternities. “And, if you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God.” (Doctrine and Covenants, 14:7).
References:
1) Book of Mormon, Alma 11:43-44
2) New Testament, Acts 9:3-6
3) New Testament, Act 7:55-56
4) New Testament, Matthew 3; New Testament, Matthew 17; Book of Mormon, 3 Nephi 11; Joseph Smith-History
5) Doctrine and Covenants, 14:7
Additional References:
Mormon Beliefs and Testimonies
Beliefs and Practices of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints