The Nephites and all others who sought to live the law of Moses with exactness-who endeavored to understand the symbolic message behind the law and strove thereby to live the religion beyond the ritual-these persons pleased the Lord and were rewarded accordingly. Elder Bruce R. McConkie has written: “Just as our conformity to gospel standards, while dwelling as lowly mortals apart from our Maker, prepares us to return to his presence with an inheritance of immortal glory, so the Mosaic standards prepared the chosen of Israel to believe and obey that gospel by conformity to which eternal life is won.” (Promised Messiah, p. 416.)
Further, “To gain the celestial kingdom, the Lord says: Ye must be ’sanctified through the law which I have given unto you, even the law of Christ, ’ which law is the fulness of the gospel. The revealed word specifies that ... those who ... obtain [celestial glory] must be ’able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom.’ (D&C 88:21-24.) In other words, salvation in the celestial kingdom will come to all who are able to live the full law of Christ, even though they did not have opportunity so to do in the course of a mortal probation. Thus, all those who kept the law of Moses, who lived the law of the preparatory gospel to the full, thus establishing that they were able to live the Lord’s law, will in due course gain a celestial inheritance.” (Mortal Messiah 1:74; italics added)