The past several weeks, I have thought a lot about how our choices, and actions are tools helping us reach salvation. Throughout my life I have read and heard the doctrine "We are saved by grace after all we can do." I've thought about this battle between grace and works, and finally this week, I hit a breakthrough. To me, it did not make sense that we would be saved without being good people, without having righteous works. Our actions have consequences, otherwise why would we be here? On the other hand, how could we possibly earn our way into heaven. That didn't make sense to me either. We are nothing compared to God. How could we ever live lives that are good enough to earn salvation? The answer is, we cannot. So where is the balance between grace and works? Which saves us? The answer: Grace does. The Grace of our Savior. He is the only reason we can be saved. However, in order for Him to save us, we need to come unto him. We come unto him through faith-filled works. That is how His Grace and our works are connected. And THAT makes complete sense to me. Christ suffered for us, so that we could be redeemed from our sins. He did what no one else could. It is only through Christ that we can be made clean, and "no unclean thing can enter the kingdom of God." However, Christ cannot do it alone. We have to allow Him to wash away our sins.

D&C 19:16-17

16 For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent;

 17 But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;

To be made clean, we must repent from our sins so that we are made worthy to enter the kingdom of God. But we cannot do that alone. Only through Christ and His Grace, can we be made whole.