“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.”

Sigh. It is not your fault, 2 Nephi 25:23. It really isn’t.

Whose fault is it that the last five words usually get all the emphasis? I’m not sure. Probably missionaries and missionary culture or a long-dead general authority who wanted to argue a point against a form of grace that Christianity hardly preaches anymore.* I’m sure they meant well.

But don’t worry. We can get past it. Here are some ways of doing that.

1 Reverse-engineer the verse

“After all we can do, it is only through grace that we are saved.” Grammatically it is basically the same sentence, but different emphasis. However, this approach is kinda dismissive and doesn’t really address the history behind this unfortunately loaded verse.

2 Reference another verse nearby in the same book by the same writer that is similar**

2 Ne 10:24:

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, reconcile yourselves to the will of God, and not to the will of the devil and the flesh; and remember, after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved.

This verse says that after ye are reconciled, remember that it is not your reconciliation that saves you, but the grace. But it can still convey a similar sentiment. Maybe we can do better.

3 Point out that grace gives us something we don’t earn at all

Grace is how we are resurrected. But all of us are, whether it be to evil and damnation or goodness and everlasting life. So to a degree, grace is in place before we’re even born, regardless of our choices.

2 Ne. 9:8:

O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace! For behold, if the flesh should rise no more our spirits must become subject to that angel who fell from before the presence of the Eternal God, and became the devil, to rise no more.

4 Reference a powerful story that clearly contradicts the spirit that this verse was originally given in

Let’s examine the story of how Alma the younger repented.

Alma 36:11-16:

And the angel spake more things unto me, which were heard by my brethren, but I did not hear them; for when I heard the words—If thou wilt be destroyed of thyself, seek no more to destroy the church of God—I was struck with such great fear and amazement lest perhaps I should be destroyed, that I fell to the earth and I did hear no more. But I was racked with eternal torment, for my soul was harrowed up to the greatest degree and racked with all my sins. Yea, I did remember all my sins and iniquities, for which I was tormented with the pains of hell; yea, I saw that I had rebelled against my God, and that I had not kept his holy commandments. Yea, and I had murdered many of his children, or rather led them away unto destruction; yea, and in fine so great had been my iniquities, that the very thought of coming into the presence of my God did rack my soul with inexpressible horror. Oh, thought I, that I could be banished and become extinct both soul and body, that I might not be brought to stand in the presence of my God, to be judged of my deeds. And now, for three days and for three nights was I racked, even with the pains of a damned soul.

Sounds like the worst time of your life. Imagine talking about thing in your life you feel worst about. Would you sound like that?

And now verse 17-21:

And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world. Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death. And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more. And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain! Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy.

Now imagine your happiest moment. Imagine feeling like that immediately following your worst moment. That’s what happened after Alma begged Jesus for mercy.

Did Alma do some great thing here? Is it works? Did he earn it? Is his spiritual journey over, or was this just a first step on a journey?

5 Show grace in action and effect

It was a journey, of course. “After all we can do” being implied as only after a certain point is pretty silly, as God’s mercies and grace attends us at all stages of life. Grace is not some principle you earn and is not the equivalent of “having one’s calling and election made sure”.

Here’s another spot showing that journey, coming from Alma the Elder’s life (remember: Alma the Elder was a sinner who led away God’s children to iniquity too. Like father, like son eh?).

Check out Mosiah 18, when Alma the Elder baptizes at the Waters of Mormon, where a spiritual journey is beginning. Verse 16:

And after this manner he did baptize every one that went forth to the place of Mormon; and they were in number about two hundred and four souls; yea, and they were baptized in the waters of Mormon, and were filled with the grace of God (emphasis added).

And for those who are in the middle of the journey, we have verse 26:

And the priests were not to depend upon the people for their support; but for their labor they were to receive the grace of God, that they might wax strong in the Spirit, having the knowledge of God, that they might teach with power and authority from God (emphasis added).

The labor sustains and keeps us worthy and desirous of grace, perhaps, but it does not give us any room to boast, and it is not required to receive it in the beginning. Repentance is a decision. It is not a successful and convincing demonstration of improved behavior though that is always desirable when you can get it. You can only improve on so many things at a time, after all. Some things take longer than others.

I think of what our evangelical friends might quote at me from Paul:***

Ephesians 2:8:

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.

1 Corinthians 15:10:

But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

Romans 11:6:

And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

Romans 12:3:

For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith .

I don’t really think there’s a big disagreement here.

If it’s still confusing you can still try number 6. But any rate, I think there’s a good case that we should use 2 Ne. 25:23 in other ways and turn our focus elsewhere.

6 Refer to a commentary

Last idea: Believing Christ by Stephen Robinson is easy to understand but still explores the issue of grace, works, and the atonement in an intelligent and brief manner.







*That is, if it was ever that strong in the first place.

**Though not the same speaker. I think many people forget that 2 Ne. 6-10 is Jacob. We get an introduction to the actualy guy before the book of Jacob itself. It adds a lot of depth to Jacob and Nephi’s relationship. It isn’t simply that they wrote about each other, it’s that Nephi has a passage where he writes what Jacob says that Nephi told him to say. That has to add something.

*** They’d probably use a different translation than the KJV, but whatever.