Lately I’ve been seeing discussions online about:

‘What does it mean to be a Christian? How do you define what a Christian is or is not?’

While I thought this was a fairly easy question to answer, apparently many people find it is not.

So, what is a Christian? Many state that being a Christian means believing in Christ and you will receive all the blessings promised. No further action is required. (“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life…” John 3:36).*  If you believe in Christ, then you are saved and you will go to heaven.

Others state that being a Christian means you believe in Christ and you have been baptized into a Christian church. (“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved…” Mark 16:16).

Yet others say that you are a Christian not just by faith but based upon your actions. If you want to get to heaven, you need to show your faith by what you do. Believe on Christ, repent, be baptized, and do good works. (“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” 2 Cor 5:10).

I saw a comment by an LDS member stating that faith and works are not sufficient to get to heaven if you are not baptized by one who has priesthood authority, suggesting that you are not truly Christian without the proper ordinance administered by the proper authority.

What I share now is, and I emphasize this, only my opinion. As I read it, there are two separate questions being addressed in the above remarks: one, define what a Christian is; and, two, who will gain entrance to heaven.

I believe the first question, what is a Christian, has a very straight forward answer. If you recognize that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Eternal Father, that He was born of a divine father and a mortal mother, that He atoned for our sins, and was crucified and rose from the dead, then you are a Christian. If you do your best to walk in His footsteps and to follow His example in your everyday life, then you are a Christian. There are many, many people both affiliated with Christian churches and those not affiliated with a particular church that believe in Jesus Christ and try to live as He did. They are Christians.

Now the second question, who gets into heaven, is another matter. First of all, we need to define heaven, what it is in a broad sense and what it is more specifically, in order to understand some of Christ’s teachings.

When most people speak of heaven, they picture a place of beauty and ease, and imagine a paradisiacal resting place. There is a such a place where the righteous will be after death, and will remain there until resurrection (a gift all who have lived on earth will receive-when body and spirit are joined together and will not be separated again) and judgement (see Alma 40:11-14, D&C 77:2 and 2 Nephi 9:13). After judgement we will be placed in another ‘heaven.’

Prophets have taught that this heaven has many ‘degrees’ or, if you will, many kingdoms. We are not all placed in the same kingdom although even the lowest kingdom is still so much more beautiful and filled with the Spirit than what we experience here on earth. Our Heavenly Father loves us and wants us to be happy so he has prepared a place where each of us will be happiest after we leave this world. (“For behold, this is my work and my glory–to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” Moses 1:39 PoGP)

Here are a few scriptures that refer to the different heavenly environments:

“I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.” 2 Cor 12:2

“And there are many kingdoms; for there is no space in the which there is no kingdom; and there is no kingdom in which there is no space, either a greater or a lesser kingdom.” (D&C 88:37)

“There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead…” (1 Cor 15:40-42)

“For he who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory. And he who cannot abide the law of a terrestrial kingdom cannot abide a terrestrial glory. And he who cannot abide the law of a telestial kingdom cannot abide a telestial glory; therefore he is not meet for a kingdom of glory. Therefore he must abide a kingdom which is not a kingdom of glory.”

The Lord taught that, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat” (Matt 7:13). He was emphasizing that there are definite actions needed to get to heaven. As a Latter-day Saint, I believe that our Fourth Article of Faith outlines the bare requirements necessary to get to the highest or celestial kingdom:

“We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Articles of Faith, #4, PoGP) And latter-day prophets have added that it is crucial to endure to the end.

If your goal is to reach the highest kingdom and to live in God’s presence, then this would be where you start. However, the enduring to the end is key. It is the process through which we allow the Lord to prevail in our lives, as President Nelson has encouraged us to do, and to allow Him to refine us. That will only happen as we prayerfully petition the Lord each day, study (not just read, but STUDY His word and the words of His prophets) and follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost each day.

Let’s support each other in this crazy, wonderful and challenging journey back to our Lord.

Wishing you peace in Christ,

Audrey

*Note: All scripture quotations are taken from the King James version of the Bible, Doctrine and Covenants (D&C), and The Pearl of Great Price.