What does the scripture mean? God has a plan. That plan is not only to enable us to live again, but to live again in his presence. This is what we call "The Work of Salvation". This work of salvation includes member missionary work, convert retention, activation of less-active members, temple and family history work, and teaching the gospel.
This work of salvation is special to me. I have been serving as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for 11 months. It is very exciting to be able to share the gospel with others. I have been able to see so many people accept the gospel and experience change in their lives. We know that baptism is necessary in order to return to our Heavenly Father's presence. I have seen a few people be able to receive the cleansing power that comes only through baptism. Their faith in Jesus Christ is strengthened, and they were able to be forgiven of their sins and be baptized by proper authority.
But what about people who have never been able to even hear about Jesus Christ? Well, that's part of Gods plan too. Russell M. Nelson said, "Too often we tend to split the Lord’s work into parts that seem unrelated. Whether it is preaching the gospel to nonmembers, serving with new converts, reactivating less-active members, teaching and strengthening active members, or performing family history and temple work, the work really is indivisible. These efforts are not separate. They are all part of the work of salvation."
So what do Mormons do in temples? On Mormon.org it says, "Because all who have lived on the earth have not had the opportunity to be baptized by proper authority during life on earth, baptisms may be performed by proxy, meaning a living person may be baptized in behalf of a deceased person. Baptisms for the dead are performed by Church members in temples throughout the world."
Because God loves us, he has provided a way that those we love have an opportunity to accept the gospel past this life. They too can be baptized and receive eternal life with Heavenly Father. There is a place called the spirit world. We go to this place after we die. In this place, there are people teaching the gospel to those who didn't have a chance to hear it. This is a very merciful part of God's plan. It makes everything fair. Everyone will be on an equal level of their opportunity to hear about Jesus Christ and his teachings.
I am grateful for the work that continues on past this life. It is real. This has been confirmed to me over and over again. We must have faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ. As we act on that faith and repent, we will have a desire to be baptized so that we can be cleansed of our sins. After we are baptized, we will be given the gift of the Holy Ghost. With this gift, we can continue to endure to the end and work hard so that we can live with our Heavenly Father and our families again.
Have any more questions about Heavenly Father's plan for us? Check out: http://www.mormon.org/beliefs/plan-of-salvation.
More questions? You can chat with a missionary here: http://www.mormon.org/chat
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