Neither Can They Without Us Be Made Perfect

By Elder Artur J. Miranda

Area Seventy

Modern revelation teaches us that the “perfecting of the saints” can only come through gathering Israel on both sides of the veil.

The apostle Paul taught us that the Lord established His church: “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God” (Ephesians 4:12–13). The Lord again restored His Church to bless all God’s children in this the last dispensation of the gospel with the ordinances and covenants necessary for the “perfecting of the saints”.

President Russell M. Nelson expanded the “perfecting of the saints” to the greater concept of gathering Israel on both sides of the veil. As we strive to walk the covenant path by making and keeping covenants with the Lord and help gather Israel on both sides of the veil, we perfect both ourselves and our families involved in this work here on earth as we help perfect our ancestors in the spirit world.

Modern revelation teaches that the perfecting of the saints can only come through this work of gathering Israel: “For we without them cannot be made perfect; neither can they without us be made perfect. Neither can they nor we be made perfect without those who have died in the gospel also” (Doctrine & Covenants 128:18).

This revelation tells us why we need to keep searching for our ancestors in a great genealogically expanded family tree so that we have many of our ancestors’ names to take to the temple where we can act as proxies for their salvation and exaltation. How does this perfect us?

As promised in the scriptures and by living prophets, as we search out our ancestors the promise of Malachi will be fulfilled in our lives—the hearts of the fathers will be turned to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers (See Malachi 4:6).

As we immerse ourselves in this, we will know that they lived and that they are real. We will increase our testimonies and our faith and knowledge of the great plan of redemption. This will come through the many sacred experiences you and I will certainly have with them as we engage in this work, perfecting them and ourselves in the process, and fulfilling Isaiah’s words:

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!” (Isaiah 52:7)

We will receive the blessings Nephi promised: “And blessed are they who shall seek to bring forth my Zion at that day, for they shall have the gift and the power of the Holy Ghost; and if they endure unto the end they shall be lifted up at the last day, and shall be saved in the everlasting kingdom of the Lamb; and whoso shall publish peace, yea, tidings of great joy, how beautiful upon the mountains shall they be” (1 Nephi 13:37).

I leave this my testimony as an Area Seventy and special witness to His name: that He, the Lord Jesus Christ lives, that He loves us, and that He prepared the way for our perfection and that of our families through His atonement and the restoration of His Church and gospel with the consequent ordinances and covenants for the salvation and exaltation of mankind on both sides of the veil in these the latter days. May we “let God prevail”¹ in our lives and have eternal life in Him and with Him, our Saviour!

Of these things I witness, in the sacred name of Jesus Christ our Redeemer, Amen.