After All We Can Do

It's super late. Wait did I just say that? It just seems really late, and I'm tired.

But I was feeling guilty that I hadn't updated in a bit. So I started looking at some of the topics that I said I would cover and narrowing down which ones I hadn't blogged about.

It was a tough choice between this topic and the one I said I would write on called Poor Paul. I'll have to cover that one quickly because I feel like it's closely related to this topic.

And, I must say that I am pretty terrified to even cover this topic, but it is an insightful one to me.

And, the relation of this topic to Poor Paul comes from the fact that I feel like it's Paul's fault that there is such a heated discussion on the topic.

I tend to just brush past it these days, because it just doesn't matter to me.

Anyway, the topic is comes from that famous LDS scripture 2 Nephi 25:23 which states:

For we labor diligently to write, to ^apersuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by ^bgrace that we are saved, after all we can ^cdo.

In my dealings with the Baptists this scripture was fought over a ton. Almost to a ridiculous point. Because the focus was always on that "after all we can do." It seriously was ridiculous because the whole chapter is amazing and sets the record straight for what it's talking about. But when you are talking to someone who is entirely faith and not works, it's difficult to get them to grasp the concept of both. That it's not an either or thing, it's a BOTH thing. Like scissors.

Verse 25 covers it perfectly: We have faith in Christ, but we also keep his commandments. Is that so difficult to grasp? It really was.

But needlessly we fought over the topic constantly, then one day in Sunday school I found this fantastic scripture that I was hoping would shut down the argument forever. (What was I thinking? If it were that easy, wouldn't everyone have joined the church by now?)

I really wish this was a little footnote, which for me it is, and I highly recommend writing it down in your scriptures.

The link is to Alma 24:11 which says: Looking at this now, it seems like a ridiculous thing to post, but maybe someone somewhere will appreciate the post and be more well equipped to battle it our with someone of another faith. (Which I entirely don't recommend. It's pointless.)

And now behold, my brethren, since it has been all that we could do, (as we were the most lost of all mankind) to repent of all our sins and the many murders which we have committed, and to get God to ^atake them away from our hearts, for it was all we could do to repent sufficiently before God that he would take away our stain—

Looking at this now, it seems like a ridiculous thing to post, but maybe someone somewhere will appreciate the post and be more well equipped to battle it our with someone of another faith. (Which I entirely don't recommend. It's pointless.)

But back to the point of the scripture, it's the connection I needed to show that we of the LDS faith don't believe that we have to work our way to Heaven. We acknowledge the fact that we have to rely on Christ and his merits to get us there. But, he's also given us commandments, which we don't just throw to the wayside and say we can do whatever.

Thanks Paul for making all of this necessary :) Truthfully, I love the man and his writing. He did write the majority of the New Testament. I just wish that his writings hadn't split the Gospel into so many different sects.

Sorry for the crazy ramblings. I'm off to bed.