How the Balance Between Grace and Works Works

Another profound quote from Elder Cornish's talk:

None of us can do this on our own power. None of us will ever be “good enough,” save through the merits and mercy of Jesus Christ, but because God respects our agency, we also cannot be saved without our trying. That is how the balance between grace and works works.

Because none of us can become perfectly righteous on our own, we need grace.

Because God won't carry any of us down the path of righteousness unless we choose to follow it, we need works.

Grace is not enough on its own because God will not force salvation onto those who don't choose it by their actions.

Works are not enough on their own because we cannot earn our own salvation after we've sinned.

And all of us have sinned.

We all have fallen short of the ideal of perfection, and we need the Lord's grace to intercede for us and forgive our sins, but to satisfy the terms of the Atonement, we must strive to repent and keep the commandments of the Lord. We need both grace and works. By our works, we can show the Lord that we are worthy of His grace which, in turn, makes up for the imperfections in our works. Without works, we cannot obtain grace, and without grace, no amount of works would suffice.

Thankfully, God is willing to grant us all the grace we need, provided that we bring forth our share of good works.