Are you saved by grace?
"For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do." 2 Nephi 25:23
Some would take that "...after all we can do" and say "I can't do it. It's too hard." Others would ask "Are you saved by grace?"
Yes, we are completely saved through the atonement of Jesus Christ. He paid the entire price of our salvation. We do not earn our way to heaven. It is through the grace of Christ that we are saved. Then why do we need to do anything if he has already paid the price?
A mom pays for piano lessons so that her child can learn to play the piano. She paid the whole price. Because she paid, she has the right to ask her child to practice. The child's practice doesn't pay the mom or the teacher. That price has already been paid. Their practice brings about change and improvement. Mom is rewarded by seeing her child change. The child's practice shows appreciation for that payment.
Christ paid the whole price of our salvation. He paid justice completely. Now he is asking us to "practice" in following Him. As we do, we become changed, improved. We become the sons and daughters He would have us to be.
The scriptures say no unclean thing can enter heaven. No unchanged thing will want to be there. Heaven will not be heavenly if you haven't chosen to become heavenly. Mom does not expect the piano student to be perfect. She expects them just to keep trying.
Are you saved by grace?
The prophet Nephi made an important contribution to our understanding of God’s grace when he declared, “We labor diligently … to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” (2 Nephi 25:23; emphasis added).
ReplyDeleteHowever, I wonder if sometimes we misinterpret the phrase “after all we can do.” We must understand that “after” does not equal “because.”
We are not saved “because” of all that we can do. Have any of us done all that we can do? Does God wait until we’ve expended every effort before He will intervene in our lives with His saving grace?
Many people feel discouraged because they constantly fall short. They know firsthand that “the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41; see also Romans 7:19) They raise their voices with Nephi in proclaiming, “My soul grieveth because of mine iniquities.” (2 Nephi 4:17)
I am certain Nephi knew that the Savior’s grace allows and enables us to overcome sin. (See 2 Nephi 4:19-35; Alma 34:31) This is why Nephi labored so diligently to persuade his children and brethren “to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God.” (2 Nephi 25:23)
After all, that is what we can do! And that is our task in mortality!
--"The Gift of Grace," President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, General Conference, April 2015