Family members in Taiwan looking at old photograph albums.
What will happen to the billions of Heavenly Father’s children who lived and died without the opportunity to hear of Jesus Christ or accept authorized ordinances in His name? The Apostle Peter taught that Jesus Christ preached the gospel in the spirit world after His death, making the blessings of the gospel available to all of Heavenly Father’s children. This lesson will help you explore ways to assist the Savior in His work of redeeming the dead.
A perplexing question
Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said:
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Portrait of Elder D. Todd Christofferson. Photographed in March 2020.
Christian theologians [scholars] have long wrestled with the question, What is the destiny of the countless billions who have lived and died with no knowledge of Jesus?
How might you respond to someone who asked you this question?
Elder Christofferson continued:
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Portrait of Elder D. Todd Christofferson. Photographed in March 2020.
With the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ has come the understanding of how the unbaptized dead are redeemed and how God can be “a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also” [Alma 42:15].
While the knowledge of salvation for the dead was restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Bible contains passages that show us that those truths were understood and taught by the early Apostles. For example, the Apostle Peter taught about what Jesus Christ did for those who died without a knowledge of the gospel.
Read 1 Peter 3:18–20; 4:6 to see what Peter taught about how Jesus Christ continued His work to save our Heavenly Father’s children, even after His death. Note how these verses differ in the Joseph Smith Translation (see 1 Peter 3:20, footnote a, and 1 Peter 4:6, footnote a).
1 Peter 4:6 is a doctrinal mastery passage. Consider marking doctrinal mastery passages in a distinctive way so you can locate them easily.
What do these verses teach you about the Savior’s ministry in the spirit world?
According to 1 Peter 4:6, why is the gospel preached to those who are dead?
How does the doctrine of salvation for the dead demonstrate God’s love and mercy for His children?
Modern revelation about the spirit world
Modern revelation can help us learn more about what the Savior did while He was in the spirit world.
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Portrait of Joseph F. Smith
As President Joseph F. Smith (1838–1918) read and pondered these same verses in 1 Peter, he received a vision of the Savior’s ministry among the dead. This revelation is recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 138 and includes details that were previously unknown to Church members. Consider writing a cross-reference or linking 1 Peter 4:6 to Doctrine and Covenants 138 in your scriptures.
1. Answer the following questions in your study journal:
What did you learn from your study of Doctrine and Covenants 138 that you felt was especially important? Why?
How can understanding what takes place in the spirit world influence your experiences in doing temple and family history work?
What evidence of Jesus Christ’s love and mercy do you see in these verses?
Our responsibility
Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke of the responsibility we have to assist the Savior in His work of redeeming the dead. You may want to watch the video “Family History and Temple Work: Sealing and Healing,” located on ChurchofJesusChrist.org, from time codes 3:01 to 3:47, or read the following statement:
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Official portrait of Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, January 2016.
As Church members, we do have a divinely appointed responsibility to seek out our ancestors and compile family histories. This is far more than an encouraged hobby, because the ordinances of salvation are necessary for all of God’s children. We are to identify our own ancestors who died without receiving the ordinances of salvation. We can perform the ordinances vicariously in temples, and our ancestors may choose to accept the ordinances. We are also encouraged to help ward and stake members with their family names. It is breathtakingly amazing that, through family history and temple work, we can help to redeem the dead.
How has participating in family history and temple work affected your life or the lives of others? If you have not yet participated in it, how do you think it might affect your life?
Take some time right now to participate in or learn more about the work of salvation for the dead. Depending on time and available resources in your area and language, choose one or more of the following options for this activity:
Visit FamilySearch.org or use the FamilySearch Family Tree app. See if you can find the names of ancestors who still need to receive priesthood ordinances. You could either reserve these names and take them to the temple yourself or submit the names to the temple so someone else can perform the ordinances for them. The Ordinances Ready feature could be used to help you quickly identify ancestors who are in need of priesthood ordinances. (For directions on how to use this feature, see “Family Tree App: Ordinances Ready,” New Era, Jan. 2019, 45.)
Visit the “Family History” section in Gospel Topics (topics.ChurchofJesusChrist.org) to find explanations, scriptures, general conference messages, and videos about family history.
Visit the “Family History” video collection in the Media Library (videos.ChurchofJesusChrist.org) to find inspirational videos about participating in temple and family history work.
Make a list of questions about your ancestors that you could ask your parents or other relatives. At a convenient time, ask your questions and discuss how your family can participate in temple and family history work together.
In the space below, describe which option you chose and what you learned or felt as you did this activity.
2. In your study journal, describe which option you chose and what you learned or felt as you did this activity.
Optional: Want to Learn More?
What is my responsibility to my deceased ancestors?
Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:
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Official portrait of Elder Quentin L. Cook. Called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on 6 October 2007.
The doctrine of the family in relation to family history and temple work is clear. The Lord in initial revelatory instructions referred to “baptism for your dead” [Doctrine and Covenants 127:5; emphasis added]. Our doctrinal obligation is to our own ancestors. This is because the celestial organization of heaven is based on families. The First Presidency has encouraged members, especially youth and young single adults, to emphasize family history work and ordinances for their own family names or the names of ancestors of their ward and stake members. We need to be connected to both our roots and branches.
(Quentin L. Cook, “Roots and Branches,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2014, 45)
President Thomas S. Monson (1927–2018) taught:
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Official portrait of President Thomas S. Monson, 2008.
The Lord has never, to my knowledge, indicated that His work is confined to mortality. Rather, His work embraces eternity. I believe He is hastening His work in the spirit world. I also believe that the Lord, through His servants there, is preparing many spirits to receive the gospel. Our job is to search out our dead and then go to the temple and perform the sacred ordinances that will bring to those beyond the veil the same opportunities we have. …
My brothers and sisters, I testify that the Lord will bless us as we accept and respond to this challenge.
How can I get involved in temple and family history work?
To see what Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles teaches about this important work, watch “The Time Is Now” (3:19), available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
President Russell M. Nelson declared:
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Official portrait of President Russell M. Nelson taken January 2018
Anytime you do anything that helps anyone—on either side of the veil—take a step toward making covenants with God and receiving their essential baptismal and temple ordinances, you are helping to gather Israel. It is as simple as that.
(Russell M. Nelson and Wendy W. Nelson, “Hope of Israel” [worldwide youth devotional, June 3, 2018], supplement to the New Era and Ensign, 15, ChurchofJesusChrist.org)
How can temple and family history work bless me?
In his April 2018 general conference message, Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles listed many of the blessings we can receive from participation in temple and family history work. Watch this excerpt or read the entire message (Dale G. Renlund, “Family History and Temple Work: Sealing and Healing,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 46–49).
Watch “Redeeming the Dead Redeemed Me” (4:57), available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org, to see how one man was blessed by engaging in this work.