Jesus says of Himself, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). Spiritual light comes in different forms. It can be information that enlightens our minds; it can be an increased portion of His Spirit; it can also be a change of our own hearts, our very natures.
“And that same sociality which exists among us here (now) will exist among us there (in heaven), only it will be coupled with eternal glory (light), which glory we do not now enjoy (D&C 130:2).
To go to heaven and be exalted in God’s presence includes receiving a fullness of light. Right now we can only receive part of that glory, but it still brings joy.
1. Light We Receive
The Lord told Joseph Smith,
“…my voice is Spirit; my Spirit is truth; truth abideth and hath no end; and if it be in you it shall abound.
“And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things.
“Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God…” (D&C 88:66-68).
Or, as the sacrament prayers remind us, if we always remember Him, we will have His Spirit to be with us. The more we focus on Christ and His glory in our mind, the more His light comes into our whole being.
Our actions, thoughts, feelings, speech, and interactions with others in general all affect what portion of light (or influence of His Spirit) we receive. With each increase in that light, we also receive power and invitations to act. If we follow these promptings, we receive even more light and knowledge, and even more promptings and power to act on them.
“And that which doth not edify is not of God, and is darkness.
“That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day” (D&C 50:23-24).
Doctrine and Covenants Section 88
Joseph Smith referred to the revelation in the eighty eighth section of the Doctrine and Covenants as “the ‘olive leaf’…plucked from the Tree of Paradise, the Lord’s message of peace to us” (see the section heading). It teaches expansive doctrines, especially about how we are to gain more light. What exactly IS heaven? Yes, it is a somewhere, but it is also a condition of being, what we are, a function of what we receive.
Section 88 teaches that Jesus “comprehendeth all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth;
“Which truth shineth. This is the light of Christ. As also he is in the sun, and the light of the sun, and the power thereof by which it was made.
“As also he is in the moon, and is the light of the moon, and the power thereof by which it was made;
“As also the light of the stars, and the power thereof by which they were made;
“And the earth also, and the power thereof, even the earth upon which you stand.
(But it is not only the visible universe that His power touches.)
“And the light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth you eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your understandings;
“Which light preceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space—
“The light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God…” (D&C 88:6-13).
So His light, His power, His glory, emanate from Him and reach everywhere. This “light” holds the physical universe together and helps us comprehend things. Why are we not all enraptured in bliss all the time, then? Is heaven everywhere?
D&C 88 goes on to explain that we each receive a portion of His light, according to our behavior. There are different levels of behavior, and corresponding levels of light we can receive.
Abiding by celestial law results in receiving a portion of celestial light; abiding the next lowest law (terrestrial) results in receiving some terrestrial glory; behaving in the next lowest way (telestial) results in receiving a portion of telestial glory.
If we die with a portion of celestial light in us we will be resurrected with a fullness of celestial glory.
What does it mean to abide by a celestial law? The Lord teaches us about how we can do this by pointing out the behavior of the earth itself. The earth fills the measure of its creation—it simply does what God designed it and commanded it to do. Therefore it receives a portion of celestial glory, and one day it will be completely glorified:
“For after it hath filled the measure of its creation (done its job) it shall be crowned with glory, even with the presence of God the Father;
“That bodies who are of the celestial kingdom may possess it forever and ever…” (D&C 88:19-20).
When we fulfill the measure of our creation, the same thing happens to us; we are resurrected into a fullness of His glory.
How do we receive more of this glory, even while we are in this fallen state called mortality? By keeping His law, “the law which I have given unto you, even the law of Christ…” (v. 21).
The premortal Messiah was Jehovah, who gave the Ten Commandments and Law of Moses in the Old Testament; He gave new commandments, as recorded in the New Testament; He gave commandments later as the resurrected Messiah in the New Testament and Book of Mormon, and modern revelation in the Doctrine and Covenants. We receive God’s rules about how we should live through Christ.
“Ye who are (now, here in mortality) quickened by a portion of the celestial glory shall then (in the resurrection) receive of the same, even a fulness” (D&C 88:29).
But how can any of us hope to approach complete obedience to celestial laws? God give us grace and empowers us to obey, makes it possible to be forgiven and continue to receive light.
Receiving a greater portion of His light increases our joy; losing His light causes misery.
“…despair cometh because of iniquity” (Moroni 10:22).
Again, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy…” (D&C 11:13).
Those who live with God forever “enjoy” the fullness of God’s presence, His glory and light. Imagine the peace, joy, and love that come today when we feel the Spirit, multiplied many times. We speak of “three degrees of glory” as though they were mainly geographical locations, but look again: “degrees.” This word implies magnitude.
Heaven and hell are proper places, but they are also portable conditions.
Having an eye single to the glory of God means our whole bodies will be filled with light; obeying His rules means we receive a foretaste of heaven, a “portion” of celestial glory. And if we are deeply humble, we will be baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost.
When we follow the promptings from the Holy Spirit, we receive more light, and come nearer to God.
2. Light We Have
We are made of light and truth. We have always existed as conscious entities in some form or other.
“Ye were also in the beginning with the Father; that which is Spirit, even the Spirit of truth;
“And truth is a knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come…
“And no man receiveth a fulness unless he keepeth his commandments.
“He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things…
“…And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers” (D&C 93:23-24, 27-28, 39).
“If you keep not my commandments, the love of the Father shall not continue with you, therefore you shall walk in darkness (D&C 95:12).
Light, truth, spirit, glory—all are equated. We do not just have light; we are “light and truth” at the core of our being.
The human spirit is native to truth. We “taste” (detect) the goodness in principles (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 355; see also Alma 32:28). We are not just learning something new when we hear the Gospel preached; we also, in a measure, recognize it.
3. Light We Give
The planetary bodies give and receive light from each other; the same applies to people.
“…let your light so shine before this people, that they…may glorify your Father who is in heaven” (3Ne. 12:16).
The Lord gives us light; we are native to light and truth; we also share light with each other.
Missionary work involves receiving as much light as possible (through Temple ordinances and massive amounts of personal scripture study) and then sharing that light.
The more we share, the more God gives us.
“And ye see that I have commanded that none of you should go away, but rather have commanded that ye should come unto me, that ye might feel and see; even so shall ye do unto the world; and whosoever breaketh this commandment suffereth himself to be led into temptation” (3Ne. 18:25). In sharing our light, we receive more light; this means greater protection from evil for us.
“You have not taught your children light and truth, according to the commandments; and that wicked one hath power, as yet, over you, and this is the cause of your affliction” (D&C 93:42).
We are also forgiven of our sins when we share our light, our testimonies, with others:
“For I will forgive you of your sins with this commandment—that you remain steadfast in your minds in solemnity and the spirit of prayer, in bearing testimony to all the world of those things which are communicated unto you” (84:61).
Also,
“Nevertheless, ye are blessed, for the testimony which ye have borne is recorded in heaven for the angels to look upon; and they rejoice over you, and your sins are forgiven you” (D&C 62:3). Yes, some degree of worthiness before preaching is a prerequisite, but we are forgiven of our sins also as we share the Gospel with others.
If we do not share the Gospel, the light and truth we have received, we are in danger.
“But with some I am not well pleased, for they will not open their mouths, but they hide the talent which I have given unto them, because of the fear of man. Wo unto such, for mine anger is kindled against them.
“And it shall come to pass, if they are not more faithful unto me, it shall be taken away, even that which they have…
“…And in this place let them lift up their voice and declare with loud voices, without wrath or doubting, lifting up holy hands upon them. For I am able to make you holy, and your sins are forgiven you” (60:2-3, 7).
At some point we have enough light and truth that if we refuse to share what we have, we begin to lose it. The Lord invests in us so we can build others.
“Behold, that which you hear is as the voice of one crying in the wilderness—in the wilderness, because you cannot see him—my voice, because my voice is Spirit; my Spirit is truth; truth abideth and hath no end; and if it be in you it shall abound.
“And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things” (D&C 88:66-67).
Giving More; Getting More
We are not just receptacles of light; we are more appropriately conduits of His light, meant to share it with others. The more open the OUT channel is (our sharing light with others), the more can flow through our IN channel (receiving light from God). Some say, “Until I have my own testimony, I cannot teach the Gospel,” but we will never gain a full-fledged testimony, even with essential personal study, fasting, and prayer, unless we share the Gospel with others.
“Behold, [God] changed their hearts; yea, he awakened them out of a deep sleep, and they awoke unto God…their souls were illuminated by the light of the everlasting word…
“And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?” (Alma 5:7, 14).
When we receive more light from God, it becomes apparent to others, in our countenances, our words, our actions. This is not about boasting or putting on an act; we rightly attribute our successes to God.
If we are living right, we receive more light, and this spills over into everything about us; we can then share that light with others in a natural way. We do not need polish or veneer; what we are simply shines through, naturally.
