The Pillars of Eternity Are the Human Experience

Bruce R McConkie taught in a BYU Devotional in 1981 the following:

"The three pillars of eternity, the three events, preeminent and transcendent above all others, are the creation, the fall, and the atonement. These three are the foundations upon which all things rest. Without any one of them all things would lose their purpose and meaning, and the plans and designs of Deity would come to naught."

As I pondered over these key events after a recent visit to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple, I realized that we emphasize the pillars of eternity because they are a representation of our own lives and include a pattern we must follow.

Creation Is a Spiritual Birth
The creation of the Earth is its birth and is a critical event, for without it, the future events would not be possible. The journey of discipleship begins when one is baptized, a spiritual rebirth. This is the "creation" of a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints because covenants are made to follow the Savior and take His name upon oneself. I propose that the weekly partaking of the Sacrament is a weekly "creation" as we renew our covenants and are spiritually born again.

The Fall is Personal Sin
Despite our best intentions as disciples of Jesus Christ, we sin and fall short of the glory of God. None of us can maintain the state of purity in which we arise from the baptismal waters or obtain through repentant participation in the Sacrament. Sin is not something God can tolerate and the consequences are inevitable as they are just. It leaves us in a fallen state, distanced from God and unable to make amends on our own. We find ourselves falling short weekly, even daily.

The Atonement of Jesus Christ Saves Mankind from the Fall and Us from Personal Sin
Just as Christ's Atonement saves mankind from many of the consequences of the Fall, it also saves us personally from the consequences of our own personal sins. When I sin, I know that I can receive forgiveness and be cleansed through the grace of Jesus Christ. The Savior's Atonement is infinite and should help us every time we fall short, even daily.

Conclusion
These three personal pillars of eternity are the foundation upon which all things rest in our own lives. This mortal existence loses its meaning if we do not choose to follow Christ and make repentance a part of our life throughout our journey of discipleship. We must do our best to avoid sin, but when we do make mistakes, let us recognize them as opportunities to grow closer to our Savior through sincere repentance and reliance on Him.

I personally believe this parallel is a key reason we are reminded of the pillars of eternity so powerfully in our temple worship. The process of partaking of the Sacrament weekly, of making mistakes constantly, and of relentlessly repenting is the process of sanctification and becoming perfect (eventually). This is the human experience.

Lovest Thou Me More Than These?

After the death and resurrection of the Savior, some of the Apostles returned to what they were doing when the Savior first found them - fishing. Peter and the other fishermen loved fishing, which is presumably why they chose to make a career of it. Maybe they imagined their ministry had concluded, so they could "retire" and go back to their love of fishing. It's hard to know.

The resurrected Savior found them fishing and felt the need to drive a point home to them while gathered around a campfire cooking, yes you guessed it, fish. Jesus motioned to the fish and asked Peter, "Lovest thou me more than these?"

I'm sure that Jesus was disappointed to find the Apostles fishing instead of helping Him with his work and glory. They could have been out strengthening the struggling disciples, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, and serving their fellowmen. Had they forgotten and moved on so quickly?

"Do you love me more than the things of the world? More than your vocation, hobbies, and passions?" was the question.

With sincerity the answer came "Yes, Lord", to which the Master responded three times "Feed my lambs... feed my sheep... feed my sheep."

The Lord was very clear that the priority of his disciples should not be entertainment or employment. The top priority and focus of our lives should be ministering to his lambs and sheep and building His Kingdom.

Do you love God more than these things?

On the Road to Emmaus

Two Disciples walk and dine with the resurrected Lord as recorded in Luke 24:13-35. What can we learn from this account?

What were these disciples doing at the time they encountered Jesus?
The disciples were discussing and pondering the events of and leading up to the Savior's crucifixion. This is why the Lord "drew near and went with them." As we talk of and ponder about the Savior, we invite him to draw near to us as well.

How did Jesus teach them?
First, he has asked a good open-ended question that allowed the disciples to share what they knew. Then, he met them where they were and expounded the scriptures unto them. He taught the prophesies of the prophets concerning His resurrection and helped them to understand. Our own teaching should be patterned after the Savior; teach people not lessons by starting where they are.

How did the disciples respond to His teachings?
As Jesus was about to depart, "they constrained him, saying, abide with us." They sought for Him to be with them. Do we seek for the Savior to stay with us? Do we make every effort to keep Him with us?

How did they feel when with the Savior?
The scripture describes it best: "Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?" This burning of their heart is a manifestation of the Holy Ghost, which testifies of truth and testifies of Christ, who is truth. The Holy Ghost can be manifested in many ways, but it is commonly described as a burning within. When we study the scriptures or have spiritual experiences, the Holy Ghost testifies to us of truth, and we feel it inside.

What were they doing when the Savior revealed Himself to them?
Their eyes were opened, and they realized it was the Savior when he "took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them." Similarly, the Savior will reveal Himself to us as we worthily partake of the sacrament each week. We'll feel his love and know that he is there.

What did they do after learning it was the Savior?
The disciples "rose up that same hour, and returned to Jerusalem" to tell the other disciples and the Apostles that they had seen the resurrected Lord. They had gained a testimony and needed to share it with others. As we are converted to the Lord, we also have a desire to share our testimony with others and to help them become converted.

Why was the Savior's Atonement Necessary?

A Fallen World 
We live in a fallen world from which we will not escape unscathed by sin. Because of the Fall of Adam and Eve, the natural man of flesh will ensure that all of us make poor choices and commit sin during our mortal sojourn. The only one to ever walk this earth free of sin is Jesus Christ.

The Demands of Justice
The law of justice is an eternal law of consequences that cannot be avoided or nullified. Every action demands a reaction. Every choice we make demands a corresponding consequence. The most harmful consequence of sin is that it distances us from God. On our own, there is no way back to God until justice is satisfied with a punishment we're incapable of paying.

Distanced from God
A fullness of joy and inner peace will only be found when we are close to God. We cannot be truly happy when sin distances us from our Heavenly Father. This applies in the eternities as well. We strive to someday return to God's presence and receive all that he has in store for us, yet we cannot to so if the chasm of sin divides us from Him. The scriptures make it clear that God cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance and that in a sinful state we would rather hide ourselves from Him than come into his presence.

The Need for a Mediator
We all sin and fall short of qualifying to be in God's presence. We cannot bridge the gap on our own, which is why a Savior was prepared for us from before the foundation of the world. God knew we would sin and prepared a merciful way forward, a mediator to shield us from the eternal consequences of our mistakes and become our Lord. Rather than answer to the buffeting of Satan and his enslavement in sin, Jesus Christ has stepped in as our mediator, savior, and master.

The Atonement of Jesus Christ
Because justice must be paid, Jesus Christ came to earth as a sinless offering to satisfy the demands of justice for the redemption of all those who will repent and believe on His name.

THIS IS A BIG DEAL!

Without this infinite and eternal sacrifice, we would be lost forever. No event so significant ever has or ever will transpire on this planet! Every prophet since Adam prophesied of and looked forward to the coming of the Messiah. Every prophet since that time has also testified of that sacred event.

What Is Asked of Us?
The Savior simply asks that we repent and believe on Him, that we offer up a broken heart and a contrite spirit. He has already paid the price for our redemption. Now we just need to follow Him.

A Free Gift
Because Jesus broke the bands of death, we too will be resurrected. All of us. This is a free gift for everyone. I believe it's a reward for our choosing to follow Christ before this life. Nobody will be left behind in the grave - we all will have our body and spirit reunited to be brought before the bar of God.

His mercy goes one step further. For those who die before they've reached accountability or who live a lifetime without mental capacity for accountability, Christ's atoning sacrifice saves them. They never willingly transgressed the commandments and therefore need no repentance. Jesus satisfied the demands of justice for them.

It's my testimony that these things are true. I've made many mistakes and have felt the redeeming power of Jesus Christ's atonement in my own life time and time again.

(See 2 Nephi 2:5–10, 17–26; 9:5–26; Alma 34:8–16; 42:9–26.)