The Bridegroom

Even worse than facing the Savior some day and not knowing or recognizing him would be to reach him and have him declare that he never knew us.  The words in Matthew are sobering:

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity" (Matthew 7:21-23).

Jesus is clearly telling us that it takes more than just declaring that he is our Savior.  We must do his Father's will.  He likens those that profess without doing to a man who built his house upon the sand.  We all remember the song from our childhood, "the rains came down and the floods came up...and the house on the sand washed away."  The simple but powerful message that even a child can understand is that we need to build our house on the rock.  The Book of Mormon prophet, Helaman taught his sons this important message, saying:

"And now my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when then devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall" (Helaman 5:12).

More than just professing his name it is by doing his will that he becomes our rock.  After his resurrection he appeared to his apostles, broke bread with them and instructed them.  He also appeared to his disciples on the American Continent and uttered these words,  

"This is my doctrine, ...whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved...and whosoever buildeth upon this, buildeth upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them" (3 Nephi 11:32, 39).  His will is that we come unto him, accessing his atonement so that we may be cleansed from all sin through his great sacrifice.  He has asked us to repent in faith and then to publicly seal our devotion to him through the sacred order of baptism.  It is not unlike the promise that a man and woman make when they decide to formalize their love through the marriage ordinance.  Such an act entails a higher level of commitment and teaches us more fully of our relationship with Him, he who is our bridegroom.

Baptism is just the beginning of our relationship with the Lord.  Day by day as we seek to know his will and do it, we walk with him, we talk with him, we know him.