Dear Abigail, this is the first in a series of biology lessons that will help prepare you for your life after your mission while at the same time keeping you focused on your current work at hand.
“Life is made out of cells”
They might be giants, 2009
The cell is the smallest unit of life. While there are many types of cells, with different structure and function, there are a few things they all have in common. One of them is known as the
Cell membrane
aka, plasma membrane
aka, cytoplasmic membrane
This is the extremely thin layer that separates the cytoplasm (mostly intracellular fluid) from the extracellular environment. How thin is it? Essentially it is only two molecules thick (or just a few nanometers). But its chemical properties allow it to effectively control what comes in and goes out. It is a semi-permeable membrane.
Now let’s consider the inside of the cell (or cytoplasm) as mortal life and the cell membrane as the veil that separates us from the hereafter. The cytoplasm is made up mostly of water, which is a polar molecule, meaning that it has a slight positive charge on one end and a slight negative charge on the other. We’ll say that this represents opposition in all things. In mortality we are able to experience good and evil, joy and sorrow, faith and doubt, etc.
“For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things.”
2 Ne 2:11
The cell membrane is composed of a phospholipid bilayer as pictured above. The phospholipids have one head and two tails. The head is hydrophilic, or water-loving, because it is polar and is attracted to other polar molecules (such as water). Whereas the two tails are hydrophobic, or water-fearing, and are nonpolar.
Let us think of polar molecules as representing the temporal and physical and nonpolar molecules representing the spiritual. With that in mind, let’s consider what it takes for a molecule to pass through this membrane. Here’s an explanation from quora.com:
“Any molecule to penetrate [the cell membrane] has to be well adapted to a hydrophilic environment, be more attracted to a hydrophobic environment and then be even more attracted to a hydrophilic environment. Most molecules cannot change their attitudes in that way in order to pass that barrier without help through other mechanisms... For charged, polar or large molecules the bilayer is a strong border.” (https://www.quora.com/Why-does-the-cell-membrane-need-to-be-hydrophobic)
Now comparing to the gospel. On the one hand we need to be well adapted to our hydrophilic (temporal) environment. That is, we need to learn to take care of ourselves and others even in the face of natural opposition. But to have an eternal perspective, we must be attracted to a hydrophobic environment, or seek after holier things. Ultimately we all pass through the veil into the spirit world, which we can think of as the inner (hydrophobic or nonpolar) part of of the lipid bilayer, where we may rest from our pain and the trials of mortal life.
“Now there must needs be a space betwixt the time of death
and the time of the resurrection.”
and the time of the resurrection.”
Alma 40:6
Ultimately, at the time of resurrection our bodies are restored to our spirits and we will enter our kingdom of glory, or the extracellular space. As mentioned above, molecules cannot generally change their natures in this way on their own (once to be attracted to the hydrophobic environment and then again to the hydrophilic environment). Similarly, our resurrection is only made possible through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Only He had power to break the bands of death, and He has provided a way that we may change our natures in the necessary way.
In Exodus 40 we see that the tabernacle (or temple) was anointed with oil, which represents holiness. As those who were being ordained to the priesthood entered the temple, they were first washed with water, which is hydrophobic, representing cleansing from the worldly and temporal, and then anointed with oil.
Thus, just as molecules need to pass through hydrophilic and hydrophobic layers with the assistance of an external mechanism in order to pass to the extracellular space, we need to be washed from our sins and blessed by our Savior in order to enter into the Kingdom of God.
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