Question: When I read your beliefs on your web page and then the questions and answers on the link for LDS, I was amazed to find out that most of what I have come to believe on my own, are also what your church believes in. One of the things I have a problem with though is the word "earn" when it comes to eventually returning to my Father in heaven. I don't believe anyone has to "earn" anything to return to Him but perhaps I am misunderstanding. I do believe everyone must answer for what they do here on earth. Please help me to understand better.
Response: You asked if I could help you understand better how we must earn the right to live with God through the eternities. Since we read in the scriptures that it is by grace that we are saved. Putting it specifically are the words from the Book of Mormon: "For it is by grace we are saved after all we can do." The point being that confessing Christ as our personal Savior is not enough to gain the salvation we seek. Probably the best reference in the Bible to that is found in James 2:14-20. As you can see from that particular verse there are things that must be done, things that are expected by our Savior. Additionally, from Matthew 7:21-23 notice the line "But he that doeth the will of my Father". Again I repeat that all we can do does not nearly begin to approach the great blessing that the grace of Christ is in our lives, but He does in fact tell us that among the things we must do include being baptized in His name, receiving the Holy Ghost, keeping the commandments, and living Christ-centered lives by the way we treat others and care for the needs of others.
If it were not so then people could just confess Christ as their personal Savior, but then go about doing all sorts of evil, commandment-breaking deeds and still inherit the same place in Christ’s kingdom as those who spent a lifetime doing righteousness. I hope this is helpful to you.
