I am deeply grateful for the privilege of addressing you today. At the outset, I acknowledge why such a privilege has been extended to me. I am here not because I am an accomplished scholar, an experienced professional, or a noted statesman. I am here today only because I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, one who has been called and ordained to bear witness of His name (D&C 107:25; 124:139). In that sacred capacity, I speak to you today and do so most humbly. Today, I desire to speak of Christ's grace and the sufficiency of His grace to make us fit to sit with Him in His celestial kingdom.
Jesus Christ – "Full of Grace"
Of all the attributes of Jesus Christ, perhaps the most significant is that he is "full of grace" (John 1:14; 2 Nephi 2:6; Alma 5:48, 9:26, 13:9; D&C 93:11; Moses 1:6, 5:7, 6:52, 7:11). In the scriptures, the term "grace" is sometimes used to mean comeliness or physical beauty (see James 1:11, Esther 2:15-17). No doubt, Jesus is full of grace in this sense, given his possession of all virtue and virtue's beautifying effect on physical appearance. But in the scriptures, the term "grace" most often refers to the divine disposition and power to bless, bestow gifts, or otherwise act favorably towards man (see Acts 15:11; Romans 12:5; 1 Corinthians 15:10; Ephesians 4:7). The LDS Bible Dictionary puts it this way: "The main idea of the word [grace] is divine means of help and strength." "Grace" is "an enabling power"; it enables the recipient to do and to be what he cannot do and cannot be if left to his own means.
The Divine Expectation of Man
All of us are in need of such an enabling power. We are the sons and daughters of God (Acts 17:29; Romans 8:16; D&C 76:24). As such, we have the potential to become like Him (Genesis 3:22; Galatians 4:7; Revelation 3:21; D&C 88:107). Indeed, God desires that we be "partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4) and become like Him. As Jesus said to His disciples, "I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect" (3 Nephi 12:48; see also Matthew 5:48). And on another occasion, Jesus clearly set forth the divine expectation for man: "What manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am" (3 Nephi 27:27). Paul taught the same thing. He taught that Christ embodied the fullness of God (see Colossians 1:19, 2:9), and that men too should be "filled with all the fulness of God" (Ephesians 3:19). Indeed, Paul said this was the very purpose of the Church: to perfect the saints, to help them attain "unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12-13).
Man's Incapacity in Spirit and Body
While it may be expected that we achieve the "fulness of Christ," we simply cannot do so on our own. Each of us is made up of two things – an eternal spirit and a mortal body (Abraham 3:18; D&C 88:15). Our eternal spirit comes into the world a product of choices made in the pre-mortal world. These pre-mortal choices form our personality, character, and spiritual intelligence. Significantly, no two of our spirits is the same (Abraham 3:19). Each spirit possesses a different degree of spiritual intelligence, or light and truth (D&C 93:36), according to his or her pre-mortal choices. While each of our spirits may arrive in its mortal body at birth clean and pure, and even noble and great, no one of our spirits is yet perfectly developed unto the "fullness of Christ." Perfection of spirit may be pursued during the schooling of mortality and the additional experience of the spirit world (D&C 130:18-19; D&C 138:30-37, 58-59), but perfection of spirit is not finally accomplished until the resurrection.
In addition to the current imperfection of our spirits, our mortal bodies also are imperfect. As wondrous as they are, our mortal bodies are subject to decay, deterioration, and death and present desires, appetites, and passions previously unknown to us. Under such conditions, it is enormously difficult to fully subject the body to the will of the spirit. Too often, the spirit succumbs to the dictates of the body. Some of the greatest spirits who have come to earth have struggled to subdue their physical bodies. "[M]y heart sorroweth because of my flesh," cried Nephi. "I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me" (2 Nephi 4:17-18, 27). Paul cried out in a similar way: "O wretched man that I am!" (Romans 7:24). "I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will[,] is present with me; but how to perform that which is good[,] I find not. For the good that I would[,] I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. … I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my [body], warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my [body]" (Romans 7:18-19, 22-23).
The war between spirit and body referred to by Paul is made all the more difficult by another fact of mortality. Our physical bodies are constructed of the materials of a "fallen" world, which gives Satan a particular "power to captivate" (2 Nephi 2:29). Interestingly, Mormon observed that, for the three Nephites to tarry on earth and continue their ministry, a "change [was] wrought upon their bodies" so that "Satan could have no power over them, that he could not tempt them" and "that the powers of the earth could not hold them" (3 Nephi 28:36-39). This suggests that absent such a change, Satan does have power over our bodies and the powers of the earth can hold us. Perhaps for this reason did Brigham Young make the following observation: "Do not suppose that we shall ever in the flesh be free from temptations to sin," he said. "Some suppose that they can in the flesh be sanctified body and spirit and become so pure that they will never again feel the effects of the power of the adversary of truth. Were it possible for a person to attain to this degree of perfection in the flesh, he could not die neither remain in a world where sin predominates. … I think we shall more or less feel the effects of sin so long as we live, and finally have to pass the ordeals of death” ( In Journal of Discourses, 10:173).
The Divine Power of Grace
As imperfect spirits housed in mortal bodies, we cannot possibly acquire the full stature of Jesus Christ on our own. We need a divine power that can transform our souls with all of our current weaknesses and deficiencies into gods with all of the accompanying strengths, virtues, and capacities. Gratefully, such a divine power exists (see 2 Peter 1:3); it is God's grace. Only through the endowment of God's grace are we "added upon" (Abraham 3:26), such that, in time, we attain the "fullness of Christ." Indeed, this is exactly how Christ attained his fullness.
While Christ may be "full of grace," He has not always possessed the fullness of his present glory. In a remarkable revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith, found in Section 93 of the Doctrine and Covenants, Jesus taught the following concerning Himself, by quoting a lost record of John:
"John saw and bore record of the fulness of my glory, ... and he bore record, saying: I saw his glory, … And I, John, saw that he received not of the fulness at the first, but received grace for grace; … he received not of the fulness at first, but continued from grace to grace, until he received a fulness; And thus he was called the Son of God, because he received not of the fulness at the first.
"And I, John, bear record, and lo, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Ghost descended upon him in the form of a dove, and sat upon him, and there came a voice out of heaven saying: This is my beloved Son. And I, John, bear record that he received a fulness of the glory of the Father; And he received all power, both in heaven and on earth, and the glory of the Father was with him, for he dwelt in him" (D&C 93:6-7, 12-17).
Please note that Jesus continued from "grace to grace" until he received a fullness and for this reason is called the Son of God. And note too that Jesus' fulness came after his receipt of the Holy Ghost and that the power he received was the Father's. Because the Father is also "full of grace" (D&C 66:12), it makes sense that Christ would receive grace from the Father.
Why did Jesus provide us this insight concerning Himself? He answers that question in the same revelation:
"I give unto you these sayings that you may understand and know how to worship, and know what you worship, that you may come unto the Father in my name, and in due time receive of his fulness. For if you keep my commandments you shall receive of his fulness, and be glorified in me as I am in the Father; therefore, I say unto you, you shall receive grace for grace" (D&C 93:19-20).
Please note that Jesus gave us these lost portions of John's testimony so that we would "know how to worship" and "know what [we] worship." In other words, Jesus wants us to know Him, and we know Him by knowing how He came to be who He is. Further, when we know how He came to be who He is, we begin to understand how we might do the same thing He did to become who He is. Indeed, Jesus wants us to pursue the same path he walked, so that we may become what He is. He wants us to know that we too can receive "grace for grace" as He did and that we too can receive of the fulness of the Father just as Jesus did.
How We Receive Grace
How then might we receive grace? To answer that question, we first must understand how grace is granted. Simply put, it is granted "grace for grace" (John 1:16; Helaman 12:24; D&C 93:13, 20). In other words, the divine power of grace is extended to us incrementally. The Lord has said, "I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little" (2 Nephi 28:30). God extends His blessings to us in this manner to "try ... and prove" us (D&C 98:12). If we receive a blessing and live according to it, then "greater things [are] made manifest" unto us (3 Nephi 26:9; see also Alma 12:10). As the Lord told Joseph Smith, "he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day" (D&C 50:24). But if we treat casually, set aside, or even ignore the gracious blessings we receive from the Lord, then "greater things [are] withheld" from us (3 Nephi 26:10). In such circumstances, we receive the "grace of God in vain" (2 Corinthians 6:1) and eventually "fall from grace" altogether (D&C 20:32; see also Galatians 5:4; Mormon 2:15).
The Lord's incremental endowment of grace is enormously important for us to understand. The enabling power of grace does not come to us all at once. We do not overcome our mortal weaknesses and deficiencies overnight. We are not perfected and do not achieve the full stature of Christ in a day. Rather, the divine power of grace is given to us here a little and there a little. We "grow in grace" (D&C 50:40; 2 Peter 3:18), meaning that perfection and the full stature of Christ is achieved only "after many days" (D&C 101:62), "in the process of time" (Moses 7:21), and in the Lord's "own due time" (D&C 35:25; see also D&C 93:19). All this suggests that we must learn patience and perseverance – patience with ourselves and others in our current weaknesses and imperfections, and perseverance in the unavoidably gradual process of growth unto perfection. The Lord of the vineyard is certainly patient and persevering as he nurtures the trees of his vineyard towards their full maturation (see Jacob 5:65-66). He certainly understands that only "by and by" can the fruit of his trees be harvested (see Alma 32:42). We would do well to be more like the Lord of the vineyard in our efforts to “grow in grace.”
Exercise Faith
Understanding how grace is granted helps us understand how grace can be claimed. The principles are several. First, we must exercise faith in Jesus Christ. As Paul told the Romans, "By [our Lord Jesus Christ] we have access by faith into [his] grace” (Romans 5:1–2; see also Ephesians 2:8). We cannot lay claim to the enabling power of grace if we do not believe that Jesus Christ lives, that He is "full of grace," and that He is willing and able to deliver to us His grace. At a minimum, we must have hope in the "exceeding riches of his grace" (Ephesians 2:7; see also 1 Timothy 1:14). If we have hope, then we will be moved to act. And when we act on hope that is founded on truth, we will most assuredly receive, in due course, confirming witness. Truth, hope, action, and confirming witness are the essential elements of faith and are the pathway to receiving the Lord’s grace.
Consider, for example, Peter’s experience of walking on the water to the Lord. Like our lives at times, Peter and the disciples were in the midst of a tempestuous sea. Jesus came to them, walking on the water and bidding them to come to Him. Seeing their Master on the water, the disciples were troubled. "Be of good cheer,” said Jesus. “[I]t is I; be not afraid" (Matthew 14:27). With hope, Peter came down out of the boat into the boisterous sea and walked towards the Lord. His hope in Christ, coupled with determined action, permitted him to receive the power of walking on the water. But, looking at the storm around him, Peter doubted and began to sink. "Lord, save me,” he cried. In response, the scripture records that “immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand, and caught him" (Matthew 14:30-31). When Peter fixed his eyes on the Lord and acted in faith, he had power to do what he could not do on his own – walk on the water. But when Peter took his eyes off of the Lord and doubted, Peter severed himself from that power, was left to his own, and began to sink. Note well the response of the Lord to Peter's cry for help. "Immediately" did the Lord extend His hand to save him. Such is the availability of the Lord’s grace in time of need.
Repent
Repentance is the second principle to claiming the Lord's grace. Alma proclaimed that "whosoever repenteth shall find mercy" (Alma 32:13), which is a form of God's grace. Mormon taught the same thing: "[B]lessed are they who will repent and hearken unto the voice of the Lord their God; for these are they that shall be saved. And may God grant … that men might be brought unto repentance and good works, that they might be restored unto grace for grace, according to their works" (Helaman 12:23-24). From these verses of scripture, it is clear that a repentant heart and good works are pre-conditions to the receipt of grace.
Consider the example of Alma the Younger. He, along with the sons of Mosiah, were the "very vilest of sinners" (Mosiah 28:4). When the angel of the Lord appeared unto Alma, he was confronted with all his sins and iniquities of his life. In that moment, he became "racked with eternal torment" (Alma 36:12). "[T]he very thought of coming into the presence of my God," he said, "did rack my soul with inexpressible horror" (Alma 36:14). But Alma remembered that his father had spoken concerning the coming of Jesus Christ to atone for the sins of the world. This recollection moved him to cry out in his heart, "O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me" (Alma 36:18). Immediately, he “could remember [his] pains no more” and “was harrowed up by the memory of [his] sins no more" (Alma 36:19).
Alma's soul-wrenching repentance unleashed a power that cleansed and transformed him into a new creature (Mosiah 27:24-26, 28-29). No longer did he seek to destroy the Church of God. Rather, for the balance of his life Alma labored to build up the Church by working to help others repent and receive the Holy Ghost (Alma 36:23-24). Alma the Younger's conversion from the vilest of sinners to prophet of God is a dramatic example of the power of the Lord's grace to both justify and sanctify every one of us (D&C 20:30-31; Moroni 10:33; 2 Nephi 10:24-25).
Be Humble
The third principle to claiming the Lord's grace is be humble. James wrote, “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble” (James 4:6; see also 1 Peter 5:5). The Lord taught the same thing to Moroni. "[M]y grace is sufficient for the meek, … [M]y grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them" (Ether 12:26-27). Making weak things become strong is the work of grace.
If humility is necessary for us to claim the Lord's grace, we might well ask what humility is. Briefly stated, humility is the submission of one's own will to the will of God and giving Him the honor for what is accomplished. In this regard, Jesus Christ is our greatest example. During His mortal ministry, Jesus always acknowledged that His strength came because of His dependence on His Father. Said Jesus, “I can of mine own self do nothing: … I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me” (John 5:30).
Christ's humility and submissiveness were perfectly manifested during his atoning sacrifice. "O my Father," Jesus prayed, "if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt" (Matthew 26:39). If humility precipitates God's grace, then it is no wonder that Christ’s perfect humility on this occasion unleashed the fullness of God's grace, thereby enabling Him to finish the work God gave Him to do.
Do All You Can Do
Doing all you can do is the fourth principle to obtaining the Lord's grace. As Nephi taught his people, “it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do” (2 Nephi 25:23). Some may read this scripture to mean that God's grace is withheld until we have given our best efforts. I do not read it this way. There are simply too many examples of God's grace being extended to man without him doing anything for me to accept that narrow reading. The power of the resurrection, for example, is given to all by the grace of God (2 Nephi 10:24-25), irrespective of individual effort. I understand Nephi’s “all we can do” language to mean that God's grace is extended to us when we expend our own best efforts. As Elder Bruce C. Hafen has written, “The Savior’s gift of grace to us is not necessarily limited in time to ‘after’ all we can do. We may receive his grace before, during, and after the time when we expend our own efforts” ( The Broken Heart [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1989], 155). In other words, doing all we can do is necessary to receiving grace; it is simply not a chronological pre-condition to receiving it.
Consider the example of the brother of Jared. He was instructed to build barges and use them to cross the ocean. Step by step, the brother of Jared followed the Lord's instructions. As he completed the barges, the brother of Jared became concerned about the darkness in the barges and asked the Lord to provide light. While the Lord could have readily provided the brother of Jared with a solution, the Lord asked instead, "What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels?" (Ether 2:23). In response, the brother of Jared prepared sixteen stones, presented them to the Lord, and asked that He touch them so "that they may shine forth in darkness" (Ether 3:1-4).
The brother of Jared had not completed all that the Lord had given him to do, but the Lord extended His power nonetheless in behalf of the brother of Jared, touching each of the stones and causing them to produce the light needed for the anticipated voyage. In so doing, the Lord showed His willingness and readiness to extend His divine powers to us as we do the best we can, even though our work is not yet fully done.
Keep the Commandments
The fifth principle for claiming the Lord's grace is keep the commandments. “If you keep my commandments," said the Lord, "you shall receive grace for grace” (D&C 93:20). Moroni puts it this way: "[D]eny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if you deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind, and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ” (see Moroni 10:32–33).
Without diminishing the Lord's injunction to keep the commandments or Moroni's injunction to deny ourselves of all ungodliness, we should understand that grace is not necessarily dependent on our perfect compliance with them. If grace were dependent on perfectly keeping the commandments or perfectly denying ourselves of all ungodliness, our persistent imperfection in mortality would forever preclude us from acquiring grace. Grace is intended, after all, to enable us to more perfectly keep the commandments and pursue a godlier walk, until we attain the full stature of Christ.
The Lord's injunction to keep the commandments and Moroni's injunction to deny all ungodliness must be understood as doing these things the best we can. While our actions are important, more important are the intentions of our heart (see Moroni 7:6-7). Thus, if we are less than perfect in keeping the commandments or in being godly, we may still be blessed if we are earnestly trying. Take for example the bestowal of spiritual gifts. The Lord has said that "they are given for the benefit of those who love me and keep my commandments, and him that seeketh so to do" (D&C 46:9). This is consistent with the Lord’s teaching that He “will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts" (D&C 137:9; see also Alma 41:3-5).
Receive the Holy Ghost and Seek the Gifts of the Spirit
The final principle for claiming God's grace is receive the Holy Ghost and seek the gifts of the Spirit. The Book of Mormon records that as Alma the Elder baptized in the waters of Mormon, they who were baptized “were filled with the grace of God” (Mosiah 18:16). Indeed, we are filled with the grace of God when we receive the Holy Ghost, for it is the Holy Ghost who distributes and delivers to us God’s sanctifying, enabling, and perfecting powers. In this regard, Elder Parley P. Pratt taught the following:
“The gift of the Holy Ghost ... quickens all the intellectual faculties, increases, enlarges, expands, and purifies all the natural passions and affections, and adapts them, by the gift of wisdom, to their lawful use. It inspires, develops, cultivates, and matures all the fine-toned sympathies, joys, tastes, kindred feelings, and affections of our nature. It inspires virtue, kindness, goodness, tenderness, gentleness, and charity. It develops beauty of person, form, and features. It tends to health, vigor, animation, and social feeling. It invigorates all the faculties of the physical and intellectual man. It strengthens and gives tone to the nerves. In short, it is, as it were, marrow to the bone, joy to the heart, light to the eyes, music to the ears, and life to the whole being” ( Key to the Science of Theology and a Voice of Warning, p. 61).
Such blessings come to us as we receive the Holy Ghost following our baptism and confirmation. Elder Orson Pratt taught that “whenever the Holy Ghost takes up its residence in a person, it not only cleanses, sanctifies, and purifies him, in proportion as he yields himself to its influence, but also imparts to him some gift, intended for the benefit of himself and others. No one who has been born of the Spirit, and who remains sufficiently faithful, is left destitute of a spiritual gift. …These spiritual gifts are distributed among the members of the Church, according to their faithfulness, circumstances, natural abilities, duties, and callings; that the whole may be properly instructed, confirmed, perfected, and saved” ( Masterful Discourses and Writings of Orson Pratt, comp. N Lundwall [1953], 571).
Significantly, as we receive the gifts of the Spirit, we become “partakers of the divine nature.” We take on the attributes, characteristics, strengths, and powers of God himself. Elder Orson Pratt continued to teach, “The only plan which Jesus has devised for the accomplishment of [the perfecting of the Saints] is through the medium of the spiritual gifts. When the supernatural gifts of the Spirit cease, the Saints cease to be perfected, therefore they can have no hopes of obtaining a perfect salvation.” It is for this reason, among others, that we are expected to seek earnestly the gifts of the Spirit (D&C 46:8; 1 Corinthians 12:31). As Elder Dallin H. Oaks has said, the gifts of the Spirit “compensate for our inadequacies and repair our imperfections” ( Ensign, September 1986, p. 72).
How do we obtain the enabling and perfecting gifts of the Spirit? Simply put, we ask the Lord for them. President George Q. Cannon once said, “If any of us are imperfect, it is our duty to pray for the gift that will make us perfect. Have I imperfections? I am full of them. What is my duty? To pray to God to give me the gifts that will correct these imperfections. If I am an angry man, it is my duty to pray for charity, which suffereth long and is kind. Am I an envious man? It is my duty to pray for charity, which envieth not. So with all the gifts of the gospel. They are intended for this purpose. No man ought to say, ‘Oh, I cannot help this; it is my nature.’ He is not justified in it, for the reason that God has promised to give strength to correct these things, and to give gifts that will eradicate them” ( Millennial Star, 23 April 1894, p. 260).
President Cannon’s counsel is the same as Moroni’s. Concerning how we might acquire the Christlike attribute of charity, Moroni simply said, “[P]ray with all of the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son Jesus Christ” (Moroni 7:48). Moroni also stated that this is how we “become the sons of God.” As we are endowed with charity and all other godly gifts, the day will come that “when [Jesus Christ] appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” and be “purified even as he is pure” (Id.).
The Sufficiency of God's Grace
My brothers and sisters, I have taught today that Jesus Christ is "full of grace." I have taught that Christ acquired the "riches of his grace" from His Father and did so "grace for grace." I have taught that in like manner we may receive "grace for grace," and indeed are expected to do so. I have taught that if we pursue this course, we will be enabled to overcome every weakness and deficiency of the soul and be endowed with every attribute and characteristic of God. Finally, I have taught that this enabling and perfecting power of grace is available to all who are faithful, repentant, humble, diligent, obedient, and seeking of the Spirit and its gifts.
If you understand what I have taught, then you will appreciate the Lord’s repeated promise to all of His followers from the beginning of time to the present hour: “My grace is sufficient for you” (D&C 17:8, 18:31, 88:78; Ether 12:27; 2 Corinthians 12:8-9). Yes, the Lord’s grace if sufficient to lift you up from death and sin and to endow you with eternal life. It is sufficient to change you, transform you, and perfect you. It is sufficient to enable you to fully realize your divine potential as a son or daughter of God. The Lord told Adam, and all of us who are Adam’s children, you have a right to God’s throne, not of yourselves, but through His own grace (Moses 7:59). We should, therefore, feel free to “come boldly to the throne of grace” (Hebrews 4:16) and receive of the riches of God’s own grace. Ask Him for His gracious power to do and to be what you cannot do and cannot be on your own. Then do your very best. Do this, and you will surely receive His grace and, in due course, qualify yourself to enter into God’s celestial glory. Of those who are so blessed, the Lord has said, “They are they into whose hands the Father has given all things—they are they … who have received of his fullness, and of his glory; … they are gods … they see as they are seen, and know as they are known, having received of his fullness and of his grace; And he makes them equal in power, and in might, and in dominion” (D&C 76:55-56, 58, 94-95). Indeed, my brothers and sisters, the Lord’s grace is sufficient for you and me to obtain every needful thing.
Therefore, may the grace of God the Father, of His Son Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Ghost be with you, until the perfect day (see Romans 16:20, Ether 12:41), I pray, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.