A doctor must first attend medical school. School is finite and much shorter than medical practice; but (If opportunities are grasped), that which is learned at school may have “permanent” and beneficial effects on the large future beyond.

Thus the benefits of medical school are best grasped when the student knows he is destined for a long professional practice.

Thus we are meant to be confident in our salavation, confident that we resurrect and go to Heaven after this life. Confidence is correct.

-thus Bruce Charlton. I was tempted to excerpt the whole thing, so you might as well go read it, it’s short.

A student could be motivated in medical school by the fear of failing and not becoming a doctor. Their ultimate motivation would still be becoming a doctor, but in an abstract and remote way. Getting through medical school would just be another hoop to jump through. Cheating would begin to look attractive. And if something came up to prolong their education, perhaps some remarkable new explosion of effective medical knowledge they needed to learn they would be angry. Haven’t I already worked hard? they would say.

On earth some might work toward heaven as an abstract and remote goal. There are these things called commandments and these things called ordinances, you must compile a sufficient resume of them to earn your reward. If you had this point of view, if someone offered you a shortcut to heaven where you didn’t have to do anything, you would be excited and jump on it. Cheap grace, we’ll call it.

Or if you were beavering away at the commandments and all the rest and a prophet came along and suggested tithing your herbs and carrying the soldier’s cloak an extra mile and adding a whole new mindset and attitude on top of what you were already doing, you might scream in frustration. Works, we’ll call it.

Or a student could go to medical school because they wanted to be a doctor and could study hard because they needed to know this stuff. The student would be puzzled by cheating and a by a shortcut that promises to jump all the learning and take them straight to the degree. What would be the point? If you don’t know the material, you need to learn the material. If there were an explosion of new medical knowledge the student needed to stick around a little longer to learn, the student would be excited. That much a better doctor! would be their attitude.

The key is to be destination-minded.

For a long time the whole debate between grace and works hasleft me cold. It all seemed to be a category error, both sides of the debate. I read Latter-day Saint apologists explaining ‘by grace ye are saved after all ye can do’ and they seemed to entirely miss the point, though what the point was I could not say.

But now I think I could say. The point is being destination-minded. Its the same mental revolution I underwent when I realized that for most important purposes, sinning and simply failing are all the same thing.

It doesn’t matter why you are unfit as yet for the kingdom of heaven. It matters that you are.

It doesn’t matter what exact mix of your own efforts and Christ’s grace you will need to return to His presence. It matters that you need both, and He has assured you that with both you will return.