How Can You Say You’re Saved Already?

This FAQ addresses the topics of “When does Heavenly Father Bestow Eternal Life” and “The Relationship of this Gift (Eternal Life) With Our Works”.

Not Until Judgment Day:

“If we use the word salvation to mean eternal life, none of us can say that we have been saved in mortality. That glorious gift can come only after the Final Judgment.” True to the Faith, page 153.

LDS doctrine proclaims a person cannot know if he or she has gained eternal life (exaltation) until that person’s every thought word and deed is reviewed in front of the world on Judgment Day. At this “Final Judgment” the person is evaluated and it is determined if the person has “done all he or she could have done”. All of the person’s works precede the possibility of eternal life. In the LDS view; the relationship of faith, works and eternal life is:

Faith  LDS Doctrine

Works  All You Can Do

Judgment  Judgment Day

Eternal Life(Maybe)

It is no wonder why the notion that a person gains eternal life immediately comes as a surprise.