The work and glory of God

The first of the scripture mastery verses that the youth of the church study along with the Old Testament is actually found in the Pearl of Great Price.  It is a verse written by the prophet Moses, and is found in Moses 1:39:

39 For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

In this verse, Moses learned from Jehovah (Christ) that His work is two fold:
1)To bring to pass immortality for mankind
2)To bring to pass eternal life for mankind

What?  Aren't those the same thing?  No, there is a definite difference between the two.  Christ has given as a free gift to all who have ever lived, or who will live here on earth the gift of the resurrection.  It does not matter if they even believe in Him or not.  They do not have to repent, or do anything other than be born to receive that gift.  We will all be resurrected, and receive a glorified, immortal body.  That is the gift from God of immortality. This will happen sometime before the final judgement. (We believe that those who are righteous and believe in Christ will be resurrected first, and those who are not will have to wait until much later to be resurrected)  There is a good summary of the first and last resurrections in the Guide to the Scriptures:

All people will not be resurrected to the same glory (1 Cor. 15:39–42; D&C 76:89–98), nor will all be resurrected at the same time (1 Cor. 15:22–23; Alma 40:8; D&C 76:64–65, 85). Many Saints were resurrected after Christ’s resurrection (Matt. 27:52). The righteous will be resurrected before the wicked and will come forth in the first resurrection (1 Thes. 4:16); the unrepentant sinners will come forth in the last resurrection (Rev. 20:5–13; D&C 76:85).

The second great work of Christ that is mentioned is eternal life.  Christ gives eternal life only to those that repent and follow Him.  Eternal life is defined as returning to His presence to be able to dwell there eternally.  That is the greatest gift that He has for us.  Christ defined for us eternal life in his great intercessory prayer to the Father while he was in the Garden of Gethsemane (John 17:2-3):

 2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.

 3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Alma teaches his people who were preparing to join the church by baptism what is need in order know God as Christ taught, and to receive eternal life (Mosiah 18:8-9):

 8 And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;

9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—

Let us help Christ with his great work.  Let us strive to live our lives in such a way that we can receive from Him both immortality and eternal life!  Let us serve others, and comfort and help them, just as Christ would have us do!