In the opening pages of The Miracle of Forgiveness, President Spencer W. Kimball noted that some people "chart their courses, make wise, right decisions, and in large measure achieve their goals and reach their happy destinations. In doing this they are cooperating with the Creator in His stated purpose of life: `For behold, this is my work and my glory - to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.' " (Moses 1:39.)
President Kimball wrote: " . . . since immortality and eternal life constitute the sole purpose of life, all other interests and activities are but incidental thereto. And since those objectives are the work and glory of God, they are the proper work of man also and are the major reason for his coming to earth. Of the two elements, the one great blessing - immortality - comes to man without his effort, as a gift from the Almighty. The other - eternal life - is a cooperative program to be developed by the Lord and His offspring on earth. It thus becomes the overall responsibility of man to cooperate fully with the Eternal God in accomplishing this objective. To this end God created man to live in mortality and endowed him with the potential to perpetuate the race, to subdue the earth, to perfect himself and to become as God, omniscient and omnipotent."Our Father then sent to the earth a line of prophets to keep man in remembrance of his duties and his destiny, to warn him of dangers, and to point the way to his total victory. It appears that the spiritual perceptions of many peoples have been inadequate to a full understanding of God's purposes, and He has accordingly had them taught at lower levels. This is apparently what Alma meant when he said:
" `For behold, the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach his word, yea, in wisdom, all that he seeth fit that they should have. . . .' (Alma 29:8.)
"Unfortunately, God's people have too often rejected His way, to their own destruction. But the Lord has never permitted such people to be destroyed, nor permitted them to fail to reach their goal, without having taught them and warned them."
