Alma 41

“I know that this restoration of bodies is confusing,” Alma continued explaining to his son Corianton. “Some people go astray by misunderstanding the scriptures, so let me make it clear. The restoration of the body is an essential aspect of God’s justice because everything needs to be restored to its proper order. According to Jesus Christ’s resurrection it is essential that the soul of man be restored to his complete body, down to the last detail. It is also an essential part of the justice of God for men to be judged in accordance with how they lived their lives. If they led good lives they will be restored to goodness. If they led evil lives they will be restored to evil. Everything will be restored to its proper order and mortality will be transformed to immortality. People will be raised from death to endless happiness in the kingdom of God, or will be raised from death to find themselves in endless misery in the kingdom of the devil.

“Good will be rewarded with good, and evil will be rewarded with evil. People will be their own judges as they pass through life, and choose whether to do good or evil. These are God’s unalterable decrees. A pathway is prepared for everyone.

“My son, do not risk any more offenses against God. Don’t imagine for a moment that you can be restored from sin to happiness. Sinful behavior is never happiness. Men that live for sexual fulfillment live in bitter sinfulness, and are without God. They live in a way that is inconsistent with the nature of happiness. Restoration does not mean that men will be raised from one state and placed in an opposite state. Restoration means bringing back evil to evil, sexual to sexual, good to good, just to just, and merciful to merciful. So see to it that you are merciful to your fellow men, deal justly with the world, live righteously, and continually do good. If you do these things you will receive your reward, and be restored to goodness. What you send out will return to you. Restoration condemns, rather than justifies the sinner.” [74 BC]