2 Nephi 25:23

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Reference Search: 2 Nephi 25:23

23 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.

Quotes for Discussion

Grace & Works

The Savior’s blood, His atonement, will save us, but only after we have done all we can to save ourselves by keeping His commandments.

Harold B. Lee, Ye Are the Light of the World, p. 245

All mortals have been saved from the permanence of death through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:22). As to salvation from sin and the consequences of sin, our answer to the question of whether or not we have been saved is “yes, but with conditions.” Our third article of faith declares our belief: “We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel” (Articles of Faith, 1:3)….The New Testament frequently refers to the grace of God and to salvation by grace (e.g., John 1:17; Acts 15:11; Eph. 2:8). But it also has many specific commandments on personal behavior, and many references to the importance of works (e.g., Matt. 5:16; Eph. 2:10; James 2:14-17). In addition, the Savior taught that we must endure to the end in order to be saved (see Matt. 10:22; Mark 13:13).

Dallin H. Oaks, Ensign, May 1998, p. 55

Salvation—which is exaltation or eternal life—comes through the merits and mercy and condescensions of God: it comes by grace. It is a divine gift made available through the love of the Father and the selfless sacrifice of the Son. There are many things which are simply beyond the power of man to bring to pass. Man can neither create nor redeem himself; such activities require the intervention of beings greater than he…

There are those who contend that man is saved by grace alone, and that no works of any kind are of value. Such persons might reconstruct Nephi’s language as follows: “We are saved by grace; after all, what can we do?”…On the other hand, there are those who become so obsessed with their own “works-righteousness,” with their own goodness, that they do not look to Christ….It is only after a person has so performed a lifetime of works and faithfulness—only after he has come to deny himself of all ungodliness and every worldly lust00that the grace of God, that spiritual increment of power, is efficacious….

“Salvation is free (2 Nephi 2:4). Justification is free,” wrote Bruce R. McConkie. “Neither of them can be purchased; neither can be earned; neither comes by the law of Moses, or by good works, or by any power or ability that man has….Salvation is free, freely available, freely to be found. It comes because of his goodness and grace, because of his love, mercy, and condescension toward the children of men.” Continuing, Elder McConkie explained, “Free salvation is salvation by grace. The questions then are: What salvation is free? What salvation comes by the grace of God? With all the emphasis of the rolling thunders of Sinai, we answer: All salvation is free; all comes by the merits and mercy and grace of the Holy Messiah; there is no salvation of any kind, nature, or degree that is not bound to Christ and his atonement” (Promised Messiah, pp. 346-347).

R. Millet & J.F. McConkie, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, 1:294-5

One of the most fallacious doctrines originated by Satan and propounded by man is that man is saved alone by the grace of God; that belief in Jesus Christ alone is all that is needed for salvation….One passage in the Book of Mormon, written perhaps…to stress and induce appreciation for the gracious gift of salvation offered on condition of obedience…is particularly enlightening: “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; italics added)….

…However good a person’s works, he could not be saved had Jesus not died for his and everyone else’s sins. And however powerful the saving grace of Christ, it brings exaltation to no man who does not comply with the works of the gospel.

Of course we need to understand terms. If by the word salvation is meant the mere salvation or redemption from the grave, the “grace of God” is sufficient. But if the term salvation means returning to the presence of God with eternal progression, eternal increase, and eventual godhood, for this one certainly must have the “grace of God,” as it is generally defined, plus personal purity, overcoming of evil, and the good “works” made so important in the exhortations of the Savior and his prophets and apostles.

Spencer W. Kimball, Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, pp. 70-71

The two major hazards of pitting faith against works as though they were competitors are (1) antinomianism and (2) do-it-yourself salvation. Antinomianism is the scholars’ word for the talk without the walk—the belief that grace removes from us any obligation to do good works or that merely saying “Christ is Lord” will guarantee salvation even for wicked and unfaithful Christians. Do-it-yourself salvation is my term for the belief that we save ourselves, that we “work out our own salvation” without grace and without being justified through faith in Christ. Theologically we walk a tightrope between these two equally disagreeable extremes. The finished product of the covenant relationship, neither all grace nor all works, is a faithful Christian saved in the kingdom of God through the grace of Christ. Without the grace of Christ there is no salvation. But without our faithfulness there is no salvation either. Like two blades of the scissors, to borrow C. S. Lewis’s analogy, both grace and works must b e part of the process. That is why the relationship is described in the scriptures as a covenant rather than a gift of grace alone or a reward for works alone. The saved are involved in the salvation process and contribute to it because they are involved in the covenant and must “keep:” it. Leave out grace or leave out our own efforts and desire, and you are left with only one half of the scissors—not enough to do the job. Latter-day Saints do not reject the proposition that we are saved by grace. We do, however, reject the proposition that grace can save us against our will or without our consent or while we rebel against Christ.

Stephen E. Robinson, Following Christ: The Parable of the Divers and More Good News [salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1995], 91

Stephen E. Robinson tells the “parable of the bicycle,” illustrating how grace and works function in concert to qualify one for salvation. His little daughter wanted a bicycle. He told her that if she saved all her money she would someday have enough to buy a bike. After several weeks she had saved sixty-one cents and wanted to go to the store. At the bike shop she saw the price of the bike she wanted and realized with great disappointment that she might not ever have enough money.

Her father told her, “’You give me everything you’ve got, the whole sixty-one cents, and a hug and a kiss, and this bike is yours.’”

“…She gave me a big hug and a kiss and handed over the sixty-one cents….It occurred to me that this was a parable for the atonement of Christ.

“…We want the kingdom of God….But the horrible price—perfect performance—is hopelessly beyond our means….At some point…we realize what the full price of admission into that kingdom is…and then we despair.

“But…when we finally realize our inability to perfect and save ourselves…the Savior steps in and says, ‘So you’ve done all you can do, but it’s not enough. Well, don’t despair….You give me…all you can do, and I will provide the rest.”

Stephen E. Robinson, Believing Christ, 32-33