Continuing from ‘Justification II’ (For the first post of this series, click *Justification) Yet because of our fallen natures, it was frankly impossible for human beings to keep all the terms of the old covenant. Therefore, at least from the perspective of Paul in the first century, God in his mercy has provided a new covenant, an agreement with terms we can keep. Jesus Christ is the one who redeems us from the curse of the law—from the demand of perfect performance—by offering new means of justification, not by law (keeping all the rules all the time), but by faith in Christ. Although it seems at times that many naïvely attempt justification by works, or self justification, such an attempt continues a false trail. Both the Bible and the Book of Mormon insist that justification cannot be gained in this way:
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, . . . but by the faith of [in] Jesus Christ, . . . that we might be justified by the faith of [in] Christ, and not by works of the law shall no flesh be justified. (Gal 2:16) And men are instructed sufficiently that they may know good from evil. And the law is given unto men. And by the law no flesh is justified; or, by the law men are cut off. . . . There is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be from the merits, and mercy and grace of the Holy Messiah. (2 Nephi 2:5-8)
To summarize then—we can’t justify ourselves on our own. We can’t earn our way into the celestial kingdom by keeping all the commandments. We could in theory but we can’t in practice, because neither you nor I nor anybody else can keep all the commandments. Think about it. We have already broken some commandment somewhere, so we cannot claim righteousness on the grounds that we keep the commandments. We are already disqualified! Can anyone besides the Savior keep all the commandments all the time? If our only hope in inheriting the celestial kingdom lies in keeping all the rules, obeying all the commandments, and living all the principles perfectly, then you and I blew our chances long ago. It is true that the gospel provides, forgiveness and atonement, but these are remedies for disobedience rather than rewards for obedience.
Many members of the Church confuse the long-term goal of individual perfection with the short-term necessity of perfection-in-Christ, mistakenly concluding that they must perfect themselves by their own efforts before they have hope of receiving the kingdom of God. Elder Bruce R. McConkie referred to this idea as one of the deadly heresies of the modern Church.3 If it were possible to perfect ourselves, to make ourselves worthy of the kingdom of God by our own efforts, we wouldn’t need Jesus Christ at all: “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if it is righteousness come by [keeping] the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” (Gal. 2:21.) If we could be justified by our own efforts, then we wouldn’t need a savior at all, and Christ’s infinite sacrifice would have been all for nothing.
~ Stephen E. Robinson, (Believing Christ, Deseret Book, Salt Lake City, 1992) 76-80 (Dwarsligger edition) continued
