From Stephen E. Robinson (deceased), his book ‘Believing Christ’:
Those who plan to enter the Kingdom of God on their own merits do not understand how perfection comes or where the credit of it must go. They glory in their own efforts and attribute themselves the role of savior. Moreover the Prophet Zenock warns us in the Book of Mormon that we may incur the anger of God by failing to appreciate his mercy and grace: “Thou art angry, O Lord, with this people, because they will not understand thy mercies which thou hast bestowed upon them because of thy Son. (Alma 33:16.)
Of course archetype for those who want to exalt themselves and take credit for what only the Savior can do is Satan himself. In Moses 4:1 we are told that Satan insisted, “Surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor.”I suggest that those who fail to appreciate their dependence upon the Savior and who insist they are working out their own salvation are guilty of the same satanic attitude. Much better to be the sinful publican relying in humility upon the mercy of God than the self-righteous Pharisee trusting in his own good works to save him, for the former has at least learned that he needs the Savior and is ready to accept and repent, while the latter is not. (Of course, an even better alternative would be to combine the broken heart and humility of the publican with the obedience of the Pharisee.”
My Yoke is Easy
Some people reject the idea of grace because it seems too easy. They want being saved to be harder than it is. There is a comfort in saying, “Salvation is so hard that I just couldn’t make it, so I don’t really need to try.” This provides a convenient excuse for not trying at all. This reminds me a little bit of a young woman who kept turning down a date from a young man who just as persistently shot her excuses down one by one. Finally she was forced to admit the truth, “Look, I’m out of excuses, so I’ll give it to you strait. I just don’t want to go out with you.”
Some of us try similar evasive tactics with the Lord when He invites us into His kingdom. We give excuse after excuse why we can’t enter in. ~ Stephen E. Robinson, Believing Christ (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2019), 137-139 Dwarsligger® (continued. . . )
