Now, there are many who suppose
that Salvation comes by moral precept alone. They say they believe that
everyone who is good and pure will receive that priceless gift, Eternal Life in
the Kingdom of God. This is not true. A life of goodness and purity may mark a
just and an upright person; the desire to do good may be the first showing of a
contrite heart. But neither goodness nor moral excellence will prepare one to
receive exaltation in the Kingdom of God.
One passage of Scripture often
quoted by those who believe that morals, alone, can save, is found in the
teachings of Micah: "He hath showed thee, O man, what is good, and what
doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk
humbly with thy God." (Micah 6-7) It must be remembered, however, that
"to walk humbly with thy God" means to go where He goes, and to do
the things which He has commanded.
The notion that there is
"saving grace" in goodness and piety alone, is wrong.
Who is good, and who is pure? Who of us can say; we do not know. Jesus said
that 'It is high to be a judge." Those who entertain such beliefs,
probably believe that there are many roads that lead to heaven, every one
choosing the path he will take. One might as well say that, "All roads
lead to London." They do not, and neither do all roads lead to the
"Holy City." It must not be forgotten, however, that good moral
precepts strengthen faith in Jesus Christ. (See Alma 25:16)
There are also those who have the idea
that only a few will receive a remission of their sins, and be saved in the
Kingdom of our Father. This belief, too, is not true. They think that it
matters not what one does, or what one does not do, if one is to be saved, it
is fate so to be. They believe that one is predestined to be saved, or
predestined to be damned. This conception of God's love and His grace is not
compatible with the teachings of Him before whom there is no inequality nor
preference. All men must walk the same path if they are to enter the
"Celestial Abode."
Centuries before the time of the
Savior's earthly ministry, the Prophet Nephi, in exhorting his brothers to
follow the way that had been marked for them, said, "Behold, hath the Lord
commanded any that they should not partake of his goodness? Behold I say unto
you, Nay; but all men are privileged the one like unto the other, and none are
forbidden." (2 Ne. 26:28)
Nephi also said to his brothers:
"Wherefore, do the things which I have told you I have seen that your Lord
and your Savior should do; for, for this cause have they been shown unto me,
that ye might know the gate by which ye should enter." And that gate, he
said, "Is repentance and baptism by water." (2 Nephi 31: 17)
Eternal Life is the reward of the
faithful. It is the heritage of them who keep the Lord's commandments, and of
them who endure to the end. Jesus said, "And whoso believeth in me, and is
baptized, the same shall be saved; and they are they who shall inherit the
kingdom of God." (3 Ne. 11:33) At almost the same time He said, "And
again I say unto you, ye must repent, and become as a little child, and be
baptized in my name, or ye can in nowise receive these things." (3 Ne.
11:37)
Why childlike? Because a little child is willing to learn. He is content with the arrangements of his father and mother, his teachers, his lawful governors, to whom he is bound by love, admiration, and respect. Because of this disposition he fits perfectly in his place in the family, the school, or in society. It is also true with those who have experienced repentance, been born anew, or "born again," and have become as a little child in their willingness to serve the Lord. They can have a place in the Kingdom. They are never rebellious. They are as a stone laid in its proper place in the structure reared on the "Eternal Rock." (See 3 Ne. 11:39) (George Reynolds and Janne M. Sjodahl, Commentary on the Book of Mormon, 7 vols. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1976], 2:204-5; this is important for understanding "after all we can do" in 2 Nephi 25:23)