Aaron – When you misquote your sources it makes you come off as a… well… liar.

Cute, RT.

My quibble is with your use of the word “free”. I can accept it the way you are using it though because you clearly don’t really mean free. You mean salvation is available upon conditions. In your case you define the condition vaguely as “wanting it”. Of course if we polled everyone in the world I think that nearly everyone would repoert that they want salvation instead of damnation, so that nebulous definition is clearly not going to cut it. Thankfully the scriptures have a sure test of whether someone really wants salvation or not — that is if they actually repent or not. Those that repent may take full advantage of the atonement and those that don’t must pay for their own sins (see D&C 19).

So perhaps we agree after all on the subject? What you call free, I call repentance (aka work).

My point is that exaltation happens if we want it. That’s what we have to do–want it. I think that God does a lot. I think He changes us if we don’t interfere. I think he’s payed for this gift and all we have to do is accept it. I think that’s why the scriptures say salvation is free (bearing in mind that the scriptures often use “salvation” to mean “exaltation”).

I know Geoff wants to earn his exaltation. Best of luck! My experience of what God wants, expects, and offers is different.

My quibble with what RT was saying is that free means it happens whether we want it or not. The other point I was trying to make was that while God enables us to change the moment we choose to do so, that is not the same as him magically turning us into exalted beings or “gods” at the end of this life. I think that this process of God helping us repent as soon as we choose to will continue after this life — or in other words that there is the possibility of progression between kingdoms. Thus we should not expect a free ride to exaltation that is any different than the process you just described.

It could take a long time with the “enabled repentance” process until we really are just like Christ, but hey, we’re eternal in nature right? Time is one thing we have plenty of. Exaltation cannot be cheap no matter how much we wish it to be so sometimes.

We could be quibbling over what constitutes repentance. I know when I exhibit the slightest, the very slightest notion to rehabilitate myself, it seems like God falls all over Himself trying to help me. If I pray and even THINK I could do one thing better, there He is next to me urging me on.

It’s all individual, according to our motives and experience. My salvation is not based on what you do, on what you’ve been through, it’s entirely my own. So God may deal differently with me than you. :) Eat your hearts out.

(If profits were required for continued business I suspect there would be no Web for us to have this discussion on. Businesses often run in the red for years on end before becoming profitable.)

You seem to be extending the meaning of those King Benjamin verses far beyond what they actually say. Nothing there says exaltation is free. Rather it points out that our Father in Heaven has offered us a sweetheart deal to give us every opportunity and incentive to progress through our own choices and effort. He gives us every thing (tuition, room and board as Nibley put it) and then every time we make a correct choice he immediately rewards us further. He asks that we put off our natural inclinations and choose to become like him. King Benjamin does make it clear that we are shockingly well-paid for our service to God (perhaps because we are His children?), but he never says exaltation is free. No repentance = no reward.