People like to set up a false dichotomy of whether we are saved by grace or by works. There's plenty enough scriptures on grace that if you can just convince people that Mormons believe something differently, then we look unbiblical and unchristian. As many Apostles have explained far more eloquently than I can here, "Mormons" are not "working our way into heaven."
We do not get to the Celestial kingdom off of merit, we get there on faith (faith can be construed as a form of merit, but it is very different than a "pay tithing, receive heaven" mentality. We didn't come to earth because we payed some form of pre-existent tithing enough times; we were granted the privilege to come here because we wanted it, and wanted to support our Father and Savior, and wanted the opportunity, and, I imagine, we were willing to "pay the price," whatever that may have been in the pre-existence.
The whole point of the plan of salvation is to unravel your desires, your essence, what you really want from the universe. And then to give it to you, whether that's celestial or below, we get what we want.
There is much truth to the phrase "heaven won't be heaven unless we ourselves are heavenly." The celestial kingdom is a place of law, such that if we are not prepared to live there, living there would be worse torture than living in Hell (Mormon 9:4). You have to do home teaching. You have to forgive. You have to set your ego aside a bit. We underestimate just how overwhelming and uncomfortable life with God could be. You have to practice for this. God doesn't demand you have 20 talents to enter his kingdom. He asks that you work to multiply yourself.
Even on Earth, Laman and Lemuel inherited a different and lesser kingdom than their righteous counterparts. It is true, they both obtained the promised land, and they accomplished this because of their obedience. Laman and Lemuel were obedient. They didn't die in Jerusalem because of that. But, the promised land never yielded its abundance unto them. They did not become, as the Nephites did, tillers and workers of the earth, but instead became wild, living upon only meat. The Book of Mormon explains that their civilization was savage in comparison to the Nephites, and is it not a strong motif in many movies that though men may try to civilize the savage, this is a difficult task? The "wild life" is what they are comfortable with. Leaving behind the jungle is hard for all of us, and worse, we often do not understand the purposes of many things done by "higher civilization."
God gave us this Earth knowing we would sin, because the opportunity to grow was worth it. I believe in similar fashion, we will not be perfect in the Celestial kingdom, but if we are willing to sacrifice all, that is the end of the price. The rest is paid in blood.
- Compass -
“I see no faults in the Church, and therefore let me be resurrected with the Saints, whether I ascend to heaven or descend to hell, or go to any other place. And if we go to hell, we will turn the devils out of doors and make a heaven of it. Where this people are, there is good society.” -Joseph Smith
"God Almighty Himself dwells in eternal fire; flesh and blood cannot go there, for all corruption is devoured by the fire," but a resurrected being, "flesh and bones quickened by the Spirit of God," can. (Tpjs, pp. 326, 367)
For intelligence cleaveth unto intelligence; wisdom receiveth wisdom; truth embraceth truth; virtue loveth virtue; light cleaveth unto light; mercy hath compassion on mercy and claimeth her own; justice continueth its course and claimeth its own; judgment goeth before the face of him who sitteth upon the throne and governeth and executeth all things. (D&C 88:40)
"Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?" (Isa 33: 14).
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