We Are Saved by Grace After All We Can Do

I know a young man that grew up in an LDS home where he was taught the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ but for reasons only he knows he chose not to live by those principles. He chose friends that that were the opposite of what he was taught. Living at home became to hard. He constantly fought with his parents and his siblings; he was miserable. Finally he could not stand living at home and left.

Finally free from his parents and their rules he thought he would be happy. He and his friends got involved in drugs, gambling and other things. They sold drugs to pay for their habits and eventually he was arrested and went to prison for a year. When he was released he was changed and he was for a while. Things seemed to improve and he married and had a baby girl. Life seemed to be going great, until some of his old friends got him back into some old habits and he was back to doing things that he knew were wrong. His marriage ended in divorce, and was sent back to prison after fleeing the state to avoid being arrested.

One day while visiting him in prison he told me that he did not believe that there was a God. After he explained what there could not be a God I finally looked at him and said: “I know that you know there is a God, your parents taught you to believe in God.” I continued: “The only reason that you do not want to believe in God is if there is no God, you are not accountable for all the things you have done that put you here.” After a few minutes he looked at me and said: “You are right, I know there is a God but how can I fix what I have done?”

We talked about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and his gift of Grace. I told him that he must not only believe IN Jesus Christ but we must BELIEVE Him. We need to believe that he suffered for all of our sins; those that we have done or ever will do. There is nothing that we can do that he has not already paid the price for us, if we completely, totally, and unconditionally give ourselves to him and seek his forgiveness and then CHANGE our lives and give up our sins to follow him and keep his commandments. The scriptures teach: “that we are saved by grace, after all we can do” (2 Nephi 25:23, emphasis added). What does after all we can do mean? Brad Wilcox speaking about how the gift of Christ’s grace and the principle of obedience work together:

“Christ asks us to show faith in Him, repent, make and keep covenants, receive the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. By complying, we are not paying the demands of justice—not even the smallest part. Instead, we are showing appreciation for what Jesus Christ did by using it to live a life like His. Justice requires immediate perfection or a punishment when we fall short. Because Jesus took that punishment, He can offer us the chance for ultimate perfection (see Matthew 5:48, 3 Nephi 12:48) and help us reach that goal. He can forgive what justice never could, and He can turn to us now with His own set of requirements (see 2 Nephi 2:7; 3 Nephi 9:20).

“Christ’s arrangement with us is similar to a mom providing music lessons for her child. Mom pays the piano teacher. How many know what I am talking about? Because Mom pays the debt in full, she can turn to her child and ask for something. What is it? Practice! Does the child’s practice pay the piano teacher? No. Does the child’s practice repay Mom for paying the piano teacher? No. Practicing is how the child shows appreciation for Mom’s incredible gift. It is how he takes advantage of the amazing opportunity Mom is giving him to live his life at a higher level. Mom’s joy is found not in getting repaid but in seeing her gift used—seeing her child improve. And so she continues to call for practice, practice, practice.” (“His Grace is Sufficient”, Brad Wilcox, BYU Devotional, July 2011)

True repentance brings a change in our lives. To have the full blessings of Christ’s Grace we must be born again and no longer desire the to live the sinner’s life. The first time the young man I know was released from prison he thought he was changed, but as soon as the temptations came back he gave in and went back to his old life. His repentance did not change him. He was not comfortable being around those who were keeping the commandments and serving God. Brother Wilcox explains it this way:

“But the older I get, and the more I understand this wonderful plan of redemption, the more I realize that in the final judgment it will not be the unrepentant sinner begging Jesus, “Let me stay.” No, he will probably be saying, “Get me out of here!” Knowing Christ’s character, I believe that if anyone is going to be begging on that occasion, it would probably be Jesus begging the unrepentant sinner, “Please, choose to stay. Please, use my Atonement—not just to be cleansed but to be changed so that you want to stay.”

“The miracle of the Atonement is not just that we can go home but that—miraculously—we can feel at home there. If Christ did not require faith and repentance, then there would be no desire to change. Think of your friends and family members who have chosen to live without faith and without repentance. They don’t want to change. They are not trying to abandon sin and become comfortable with God. Rather, they are trying to abandon God and become comfortable with sin. If Jesus did not require covenants and bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost, then there would be no way to change. We would be left forever with only willpower, with no access to His power. If Jesus did not require endurance to the end, then there would be no internalization of those changes over time. They would forever be surface and cosmetic rather than sinking inside us and becoming part of us—part of who we are. Put simply, if Jesus didn’t require practice, then we would never become pianists.”  (“His Grace is Sufficient”, Brad Wilcox, BYU Devotional, July 2011)

  

The Book of Mormon is full of examples of how the Grace of Jesus Christ changes people from sinners to saints with a disposition to no longer do evil. My favorite is Alma and the Sons of Mosiah. (See Mosiah 27). Alma and the four sons of Mosiah went about seeking to destroy the Church of Christ until an angel appears to them and tells them if they don’t stop they will be destroyed. The change they experience is so great Alma becomes one of the greatest leaders of the Church and the Sons of Mosiah go on a mission to the Lamanites and converted thousands. Those who were converted change completely that they buried their weapons of war and would not fight with the Nephites or their brethren. When the Lamanites that were not converted came against them to slay them, the king of the converted Lamanites responded:

Now there was not one soul among all the people who had been converted unto the Lord that would take up arms against their brethren; nay, they would not even make any preparations for war; yea, and also their king commanded them that they should not.

 Now, these are the words which he said unto the people concerning the matter: I thank my God, my beloved people, that our great God has in goodness sent these our brethren, the Nephites, unto us to preach unto us, and to convince us of the  ^atraditions of our wicked fathers.

 And now behold, my brethren, since it has been all that we could do (as we were the most lost of all mankind) to repent of all our sins and the many murders which we have committed, and to get God to ^atake them away from our hearts, for it was all we could do to repent sufficiently before God that he would take away our stain—

Oh, how merciful is our God! And now behold, since it has been as much as we could do to get our stains taken away from us, and our swords are made bright, let us^ahide them away that they may be kept bright, as a testimony to our God at the last day, or at the day that we shall be brought to stand before him to be judged, that we have not stained our swords in the blood of our brethren since he imparted his word unto us and has made us^bclean thereby.

And now, my brethren, if our brethren seek to destroy us, behold, we will hide away our swords, yea, even we will bury them deep in the earth, that they may be kept bright, as a testimony that we have never used them, at the last day; and if our brethren destroy us, behold, we shall ^ago to our God and shall be saved. (Alma 24:6-16) 

Until we allow the Grace of Jesus Christ to change us and “put off the natural man” (Mosiah 3:19) we will not be able to stand to live in the presence of our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Having felt that change in our lives will not guarantee that we will not sin again, we will. But when we do we turn to the Lord again with a broken heart we once again seek his forgiveness and the Lord has promised that “as often as my people repent will I forgive them” (Mosiah 26:30).

I am grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ, I know he has suffered for my sins as well as yours. There is nothing we can do that he has not already paid the price for and has already forgiven us if we have the faith to believe Him. If we do this we can be “saved by grace, after all we can do” (2 Nephi 25:23).

Your Comments and questions are welcome.

God’s Not Dead

Yesterday I watched the movie “God’s Not Dead”. It was a fun movie and one that I would recommend to everyone. It is about a college philosophy professor that starts his class asking the students to write God Is Dead on a piece of paper and sign it. If they will all do that then he tells them that he will not waist the classes time explaining why God is a myth and never has been real. One student, Josh Wheaton, refuses to do it and the professor says that if he won’t sign the paper or quit the class, then he must prove that there is a God to the class during the next three class periods. Josh feels that God want someone to defend him and believes C.S. Lewis’s statement “only a real risk tests the reality of a belief”. Josh goes to his minister about his situation and the minister has him look up two scriptures.

Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 10:32-33)

For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. (Luke 12:48)

When Josh asks the minister why he feels the need to do this, the minister says: “that it is the still small voice in you. That is the way the Holy Ghost communicates to us. All you have to do is decide if you will listen. It’s not easy, but it is simple”. Josh accepts the challenge even though it is against his girlfriend and parent’s wishes and the prospect of losing his opportunity for law school. At one point Josh asks the professor “What happened to you? Why do you hate God?” Continuing to press the professor reveals that when he was twelve years old his mother died even though he prayed to have God save her life. The professor says: “All I have is hate for God” to which Josh replies: “How can you hate someone that does not exist?”

The movie includes the stories of others that are struggling with their own questions of faith in God and trials with cancer and relationships. There is even a cameo from Willie Robertson from Duck Dynasty when a reporter asks a question about his faith he responds:

“All this stuff we have, fame, money, even this life is temporary. Jesus is eternal. Jesus said: “whoever will acknowledge me before men, I will acknowledge before the Father in Heaven and whoever will deny my before men, I will deny before the Father.”

Throughout the movie there are two basic themes that the atheist professor pushes: 1) The Big Bang Theory that the universe created itself and 2) if God did exist, why does he allow evil? In the end Josh wins over the class and the professor is silenced.

Can anyone prove that God does or does not exist? The answer to that question is no, you cannot prove absolutely either way. If someone could prove that God does exist, then faith would be dead. There would be no need for faith, we would all know it. What about all the witnesses in the New Testament and the Book of Mormon that said they saw Jesus Chris? I believe that they are telling the truth, but there is no one that was there that is alive today (except the Apostle John and the Three Nephites, but until they appear in public they don’t count). What about Joseph Smith’s first vision? I believe he also is telling the truth, but no one else was there. We have to take his word and those in the scriptures to the Lord to gain our own testimony and when we do, all we can do it testify of what we know, others will still have to have faith in our word and then  get their own testimonies.

Our Heavenly Father has given all his children agency and that includes the ability to believe in God or not. He will never force anyone to believe. But the promise is there that if we will ask with sincere faith, he will answer us (James 1:5-6). Once we have gained our own witness that God is real our faith is replaced by knowledge; however, even when we testify of what we know others still need to have faith and try it for themselves.

There is an account in the Book of Mormon of Korihor, an Anti Christ, that was preaching that there was no God and Christ would not come. Alma, the head of the church, questioned Korihor:

And now what evidence have ye that there is no God, or that Christ cometh not? I say unto you that ye have none, save it be your word only.

But, behold, I have all things as a testimony that these things are true; and ye also have all things as a testimony unto you that they are true; and will ye deny them? Believest thou that these things are true? (Alma 30:40-41)

At one point in the movie, Josh says to the professor: “It is not enough that you don’t believe, you want everyone here to not believe as well”. This is the problem with most atheists, they are not satisfied until they destroy everyone’s faith and our ability to worship God openly and freely. One of the problems I occasionally deal with as a bishop of a student ward is a member that is questioning their faith because one of their professors, like the atheist professor in the movie, has challenged their belief in God. There are a few professors that feel the need to question a student’s faith, their belief in traditional marriage, and moral standards. Fortunately, these professors are a minority and there are many who are strong individuals of faith that help build their students, not tear them down. One of the reasons we have student wards and stakes is to help strengthen our member’s faith and combat the philosophies of men that are taught as truth on our campuses.

I did disagree with one principle in the movie and that was that an expression of belief in Jesus Christ can save us from a life time of sin and wickedness. Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, all mankind will be resurrected. The Apostle Paul taught: "for as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive" (1 Corinthians 15:22). Though the resurrection is a free gift to all, what glory we are resurrected to is dependent on the gift of the grace of Jesus Christ and how we live our lives. The Book of Mormon teaches that we are saved by "grace, after all we can do" (2 Nephi 2:23). There is too much to discuss this week what this means, so this will be my topic next week.

At the end of the movie the lead singer of the Christian rock band, The Newsboys, challenged the 10,000 people at their concert to text everyone of their contacts with the message: “God’s Not Dead”. He said if everyone had at least 100 contacts, that would be 1,000,000 testimonies that God is not dead.

I want you to know that I have gone to the Lord in prayer many times to know if God is real and if Jesus Christ died and was resurrected as the scriptures say and I have my own witness that God does live, Jesus is the Christ, we have living prophets on the earth today (Thomas S. Monson), the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, was translated by the prophet Joseph Smith, and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the restored Church of Jesus Christ. One day Jesus Christ will return to the earth and at that day all shall see him and every knee shall bow and everyone will confess that he is Jesus Christ. Until that day comes everyone will have to have faith and gain their own witness.

Spread the word – God’s Not Dead. I welcome your comments and questions. 

Motherhood - A Divine Calling

Today in the United States, and 80 other countries around the world, is Mother’s Day a day for us to remember and express appreciation for our mothers. Nearly all countries celebrate Mother’s Day, some today, others on days other than the second Sunday in May. This holiday began here in the U.S through the efforts of Anna Jarvis when she wanted to recognize her mother’s efforts in caring “for wounded soldiers on both sides of the Civil War” in 1908:

“Due to the campaign efforts of Anna Jarvis, several states officially recognized Mother's Day, the first in 1910 being West Virginia, Jarvis’ home state. In 1914 Woodrow Wilson signed the proclamation creating Mother’s Day, the second Sunday in May, as a national holiday to honor mothers. In a thank-you note to Wilson Jarvis wrote of a “great Home Day of our country for sons and daughters to honor their mothers and fathers and homes in a way that will perpetuate family ties and give emphasis to true home life.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother's_Day)

The greatest example we have about the importance of our mothers is shown by the Lord Jesus Christ and the love he had for his mother. As he hung on the cross his mother was there with others and she was weeping. In the midst of his own pain and suffering he wanted to make sure his mother was cared for. The scriptures show how much he loved his mother:

 26 When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!

 27 Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.

Jesus loved his mother and was concerned about her welfare after he was gone and made sure that she would be cared for. What have we done to make sure that our mothers have their needs provided for or are we still thinking what our mother is going to do for us?

My mother is 88 years old and most of her day is spent serving her grandchildren and great grandchildren. He whole life is still spent serving others when she really deserves to be pampered and taken care of. Her selfless service exemplifies the Savior’s love and I appreciate and love her for it.

  

Sister Julie B. Beck, Relief Society General President in 2007, spoke about mothers. She said:

“Mothers who know do less. They permit less of what will not bear good fruit eternally. They allow less media in their homes, less distraction, less activity that draws their children away from their home. Mothers who know are willing to live on less and consume less of the world’s goods in order to spend more time with their children—more time eating together, more time working together, more time reading together, more time talking, laughing, singing, and exemplifying. These mothers choose carefully and do not try to choose it all. Their goal is to prepare a rising generation of children who will take the gospel of Jesus Christ into the entire world. Their goal is to prepare future fathers and mothers who will be builders of the Lord’s kingdom for the next 50 years. That is influence; that is power.” (“Mothers Who Know”, Julie B. Beck, General Conference, October 2007)

I would like to share a short video that typifies what guys think of the job our wives have as mothers of our children. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did:

Even though it was humorous, the father at the end was honest in his feelings for the hard work it is to be a mother. Being a full-time mother at the same time as being a full-time wife and often supporting a full-time job is not easy and we need to recognize what we can do to lessen the stress and contribute equally in our duties in the home and be a full-time father that she will appreciate and your children will know of your love as well. Speaking of the impact a righteous mother has on her family Elder M. Russell Ballard said:

“Sisters, we, your brethren, cannot do what you were divinely designated to do from before the foundation of the world. We may try, but we cannot ever hope to replicate your unique gifts. There is nothing in this world as personal, as nurturing, or as life changing as the influence of a righteous woman.” (“Mothers and Daughters”, M. Russell Ballard, General Conference, April 2010)

Here is another two-minute video titled “Every Time a Child Is Born, So Is a Mother”

Here is another two-minute clip about the divine calling of motherhood:

Not only am I grateful for my mother, I am grateful for the mother of my four children. I am grateful for the sacrifice she made to bring our children into this world, to teach them to love God and the power of prayer. I am grateful that she is still making those sacrifices with our nine grandchildren. There is no other calling greater than that of a mother. In “The Family: A Proclamation To The World” is states:

“Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. “

I would like to wish my mother, my wife and all mothers a happy mother’s day. I hope it will be one filled with love and gratitude for all you do. I would like to share one final video. It is a Mother’s Day Special program of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s Music & The Spoken Word from May 11, 2014.