Grace, Faith, Works, and Obedience

Lesson 1:

During a presentation this past week on BYU Broadcasting, the discussions about the scriptures concerned the Apostle Paul’s testimony of the mercy of God.  One of the leaders of this day’s discussion spoke about how Paul’s witness and teachings coincide with what is written in 2 Nephi 25:23 which states (at the end of the verse), “We know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.”

The speaker pointed out that, while it is true that we must strive for obedience to the commandments of God and that we must exercise faith in the power of God and His atonement, we require the mercy of God as we do all we can for ourselves.  It is not a sequential order but rather simultaneous order.  Christ’s atonement helps us during our efforts to become perfect (“as I Am”).  Just as in the image of Christ knocking upon the door of our heart, He comes to us before our “house” is fully clean.  He did not come as a physician to those who are whole.  Instead, He came to the “broken”.  He came to heal us and to make us whole.  We are saved by the grace of God while we are doing all in our power to improve ourselves.  We can’t wait until we have become perfect to invite Him in.  We must invite Him in now!  We must partake of His mercy every moment and obey His will throughout our lives to obtain eternal life.