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We believe that Christ died on the cross so that all mankind may be resurrected and thus saved from physical death. (body reunited with spirit) The second part of His sacrifice is His atonement in the Garden of Gethsemane where Christ atoned for the sins of all mankind which saves our souls from spiritual death along with our own repentance for our sins. The resurrection of the body is a gift to all, no matter their faith or works. The Atonement, through which we may gain eternal salvation, is conditional on our works and repentance. In this way we believe that Christ satisfied the demands of justice, extending us mercy and allowing us to repent. Whether or not we repent is our own choice. The Atonement has already been performed by Christ, it is up to us whether or not we will utilize it and repent so that we may achieve salvation. In this way, we can only achieve salvation through the atonement of Jesus Christ. As far as the grace of God is concerned, "Grace is a gift from Heavenly Father given through His Son, Jesus Christ. The word grace, as used in the scriptures, refers primarily to enabling power and spiritual healing offered through the mercy and love of Jesus Christ. Everyone on earth experiences physical death. Through the grace of Jesus Christ, all will be resurrected and will live forever (see 1 Corinthians 15:20–22; 2 Nephi 9:6–13). Because of personal choices, everyone also experiences the effects of sin (see 1 John 1:8–10; Mosiah 16:4). These effects are called spiritual death. No one can return to the presence of God without divine grace. Through the Atonement, we all can be forgiven of our sins; we can become clean before God. To receive this enabling power, we must obey the gospel of Jesus Christ, which includes having faith in Him, repenting of our sins, being baptized, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and trying to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ for the rest of our lives (see Ephesians 2:8–9; James 2:17–22; 2 Nephi 25:23; 31:20)." Sorry for the long post, but all in all, I guess to directly answer your questions. 1) yes, we are saying that in order to be saved spiritually, we must make the decision to believe in Christ, be baptized, and obey His commandments. 2) We believe that without Jesus Christ's atoning sacrifice we cannot be saved, but that we are not saved by grace alone, we must repent and have good works--believing is not enough (although I would pose the question that if we truly believe in Jesus Christ, would this not motivate us to have good works?)

Patriarchal blessings are personal guidance and blessings from our Heavenly Father revealed through a patriarch of proper authority.