Are Latter-day Saints Saved by Grace “After All They Can Do?

Hey guys, so we’ve talked in the past about the Latter-day Saint perspective on grace and works, and I’m sure we’ll talk more about it in the future. But today, I just wanted to hone in on the single-most popular scripture from the Book of Mormon that gets brought up during this discussion — 2 Nephi 25:23, “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.”

Many people interpret this verse to mean that Christ’s saving grace is secondary to our own works — that we have to do all we can to save ourselves, and then Christ steps in. Is that what this verse is really saying, and is that what Latter-day Saints actually believe? Let’s talk about it.

Alright, “it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” Being a little confused by this verse is not unjustifiable. It can be and has been interpreted in different ways by different members and leaders of our faith. In 2015 President Dieter F. Uchtdorf asked a very valid question: “I wonder if sometimes we misinterpret the phrase ‘after all we can do.’ We must understand that ‘after’ does not equal ‘because.’ We are not saved ‘because’ of all that we can do. Have any of us done all that we can do? Does God wait until we’ve expended every effort before He will intervene in our lives with His saving grace?”

But if after, in this case, does not mean because, what does it mean? In this video, I’m going to make the argument that, in this case, “after all we can do” should be interpreted as “despite all we can do” or “in spite of all we can do.” In other words, 2 Nephi 25:23 is not in favor of works-based salvation. Quite the opposite. It points out that after or despite all we can do, it is still through the grace of Christ that we are saved.

To read the entire article: Saints Unscripted/Faith&Beliefs