"An increasingly popular teaching in Christianity today is that no matter what a person's "works" (their deeds and choices) believers are saved by an act of belief through "grace” alone. Significant proselytizing efforts have been devoted to the concept that if a person confesses with their mouth that Jesus is the Lord and believes in their heart that Jesus is God and their Savior, they are saved. (Romans 10:9) Some even teach that this salvation is eternally binding at the moment of confession and that it is an unconditional grace without repentance (sorrow for sin, restitution, and forsaking of sin) and regardless of future actions or sins."
This teaching taken to its end makes obedience of no material importance in the eternal salvation of the souls of men, thus, lending weight to the myth that Christ came to save men "in" their sins. This teaching appears to be a willful omission of important scriptural discourses from the New Testament and the context with which they were given. Those who teach that Christ saves us because of our belief alone make the gospel of Christ one of ease and comfort rather than the struggle of discipleship it was meant to be. These teachers use Paul's teachings on grace to prop up their assertions. Sadly, Paul’s teachings on grace were not meant to make obedience to the law irrelevant. This can be demonstrated quite clearly from a full reading of his Epistles which contained lengthy sermons on the laws of the gospel and passionate calls to repentance.
The prophets of the Book of Mormon took on such teachers of religion, men who sought to convince the followers of Christ that they could "Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us." (2 Nephi 28:7) The Book of Mormon is full of extensive teachings on the doctrines of Christ and His redemption through faith, repentance, and baptism and extensive teachings laying forth the relationship between grace and works and the way by which we can access the sanctifying power of Christ until we are transformed into new creatures and become like Christ.
In the book of Alma, the writings of one Book of Mormon prophet, he said: "I say unto you again that [Christ] cannot save them in their sins; for I cannot deny his word, and he hath said that no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore, how can ye be saved, except ye inherit the kingdom of heaven? Therefore, ye cannot be saved in your sins." (Alma 11:37)
Some Christian teachers today would respond to Alma by saying that is is a great blasphemy to say that Christ "cannot" do something, for surely he can do all things. Others would say that Christ will cleanse the sinner before his entrance into heaven, regardless of his state prior to death. Alma answered both of these ideas. He refuted the latter when he explained that one of the great purposes of this life was to grant unto the children of God time to do the work of repentance and prepare themselves. He taught:
"For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.
"And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinatethe day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed.
"Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world.
(Alma 34:32-34)
In response to the first rebuttal, that there is nothing Christ cannot do, it may be more correct to say that he "won't" save them in their sins, but in order to understand why Christ will not do this the Book of Mormon prophets gave many important discourses on the nature of God, his mercy and justice. Alma taught his son Corianton essential truths about the nature of God that explain why he cannot save men in their sins. (See Alma 42) Simply, Alma teaches that, "The plan of redemption could not be brought about, only on conditions of repentance of men in this probationary state, yea, this preparatory state; for except it were for these conditions, mercy could not take effect except it should destroy the work of justice. Now the work of justice could not be destroyed; if so, God would cease to be God."
"For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.
"And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinatethe day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed.
"Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world.
(Alma 34:32-34)
In response to the first rebuttal, that there is nothing Christ cannot do, it may be more correct to say that he "won't" save them in their sins, but in order to understand why Christ will not do this the Book of Mormon prophets gave many important discourses on the nature of God, his mercy and justice. Alma taught his son Corianton essential truths about the nature of God that explain why he cannot save men in their sins. (See Alma 42) Simply, Alma teaches that, "The plan of redemption could not be brought about, only on conditions of repentance of men in this probationary state, yea, this preparatory state; for except it were for these conditions, mercy could not take effect except it should destroy the work of justice. Now the work of justice could not be destroyed; if so, God would cease to be God."
The Book of Mormon teaches us not to deny the justice nor the mercy of God. It teaches us that God is both just and merciful and that one quality does not rob from the other. It teaches us to aspire continually to good works and put our trust in Christ that his grace might sanctify and perfect our natures. We learn that we cannot be saved in our sins, but we most certainly can and will be saved from our sins and be made perfect in Christ if we exercise faith in Christ, repent of our sins, and strive to be holy as he is holy.
In Helaman 5:10-12, we learn what is meant by this distinction between being saved "in" sin and being saved "from" sin.
"The Lord surely should come to redeem his people, but that he should not come to redeem them in their sins, but to redeem them from their sins.
"And he hath power given unto him from the Father to redeem them from their sins because of repentance; therefore he hath sent his angels to declare the tidings of the conditions of repentance, which bringeth unto the power of the Redeemer, unto the salvation of their souls.
"And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.
Taken in full, the neither the New Testament nor the Book of Mormon dismiss the laws of Christ or the need for works. The bible is clear, our Lord desires us to be holy, His plan is to provide the way for us to become a “holy nation” unto him. (1 Peter 2:9) To accomplish this, the grace that flows from the atonement of Christ must reach much farther into our lives then just as a cleansing power from sin, more than the absolution of sin, it must work in us until our very natures are transformed and we have “no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.” (Mosiah 5:2) In this way the work of Christ in the hearts of men is to perfect them, to root the sin out of their lives and hearts and make them new, born again to life eternal.
"The Lord surely should come to redeem his people, but that he should not come to redeem them in their sins, but to redeem them from their sins.
"And he hath power given unto him from the Father to redeem them from their sins because of repentance; therefore he hath sent his angels to declare the tidings of the conditions of repentance, which bringeth unto the power of the Redeemer, unto the salvation of their souls.
"And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.
Taken in full, the neither the New Testament nor the Book of Mormon dismiss the laws of Christ or the need for works. The bible is clear, our Lord desires us to be holy, His plan is to provide the way for us to become a “holy nation” unto him. (1 Peter 2:9) To accomplish this, the grace that flows from the atonement of Christ must reach much farther into our lives then just as a cleansing power from sin, more than the absolution of sin, it must work in us until our very natures are transformed and we have “no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.” (Mosiah 5:2) In this way the work of Christ in the hearts of men is to perfect them, to root the sin out of their lives and hearts and make them new, born again to life eternal.
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