Moroni 8:25

And the first fruits of repentance is baptism; and baptism cometh by faith unto the fulfilling the commandments; and the fulfilling the commandments bringeth remission of sins;

To receive full forgiveness of our sins and to have them remitted or canceled from our account requires obedience on our part. Christ has already paid the price. The cost of our ransom has been covered by his atoning sacrifice. He is prepared to set us free whenever we qualify. To which commandments must we be obedient to become eligible to be ransomed and released from guilt? Repentance and baptism. While the Lord gives us many commandments to guide our lives and teach us how to live as he lives, the two things we must do for forgiveness and justification are repent and receive baptism. The doctrine is simple enough for an eight-year-old to understand.

Mormon 5:2

But behold, I was without hope, for I knew the judgments of the Lord which should come upon them; for they repented not of their iniquities, but did struggle for their lives without calling upon that Being who created them.

Just as Mormon could not forsake his people, even though he had no hope for them, God never forsakes his children, even when they refuse to repent. He loves all his children eternally and wants every single one to return to him. To paraphrase Elder D. Todd Christofferson, God's love is eternal but not unconditional. The word "unconditional" does not appear in the scriptures. What we read there is that we must repent, keep the commandments, and love God and our fellow man. Otherwise, the mercy of Christ's Atonement can have no effect on us, and justice must take effect. God's love will not save us if we do not qualify for mercy. He knows the end from the beginning, and so he knows how the test of mortality will turn out for each of us, but he never gives up and never walks away. We may turn our backs on him, but he does not turn his back on us.

3 Nephi 24:7

Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of Hosts. But ye say: Wherein shall we return?

This is God's promise throughout the scriptures. When we turn to him, he turns to us. It is just that simple.

3 Nephi 23:5

And whosoever will hearken unto my words and repenteth and is baptized, the same shall be saved. Search the prophets, for many there be that testify of these things.

Salvation is free but not without stipulations and qualifications. We must learn and obey the commandments, receive the ordinance of baptism, and continually repent if we want salvation. It is not hard or complicated to understand, but it takes a lifetime and beyond to do it. The promise, however, is worth every effort.

3 Nephi 18:21

Pray in your families unto the Father, always in my name, that your wives and your children may be blessed.

Praying for others is an essential element of Christian discipleship. It is more than a suggestion or a good idea, it is a commandment. If our daily prayers do not include the seeking of blessings for others, our petitions for ourselves are in vain. Prayer is like ripples in a pool. They tend to start in the center with ourselves and then spread out in concentric circles to take in first those who are closest to us, then our extended family, neighbors and friends, our acquaintances, the broader community, our leaders (both secular and religious), the nation, and eventually even our enemies. Jesus teaches us here to begin with our immediate family and then work our way out. We pray in his name because we always try to pray his prayer -- the kind of prayer he would offer in our circumstance. When we learn that kind of prayer, nothing will be withheld from us.

3 Nephi 12:48

Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect.

Jesus commands us to be perfect. Now, we know that he gives no commandments unto the children of men save he prepare a way for them to keep the commandment with his help (see Nephi 3:7). We can therefore assume that he is ready to help us and that perfection is achievable. "Ask Heavenly Father to bless you with these attributes you cannot develop them without His help" (PMG p. 115).

What he does not give us in this commandment is a timeframe. He doesn't say when we have to reach perfection. He gives no deadline. It takes as long as it takes, and we each move along the path to perfection at our own pace. As long as we are striving to stay on the path and make progress through the grace of Christ, we are keeping this commandment. It does not matter whether we achieve the goal in this life or the next. We are judged by trajectory, not speed. We must have patience and not get discouraged and give up. Christ is in this with us for the long haul.

3 Nephi 12:20

Therefore come unto me and be ye saved; for verily I say unto you, that except ye shall keep my commandments, which I have commanded you at this time, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

We have to keep the commandments to be admitted into the heavenly kingdom where the Father and the Son dwell. But Christ knows we cannot do it on our own. So he invites us to come to him, lean on him, depend on him, draw strength from him, and accept his offer of redemption, justification, and sanctification. He will help us to qualify for eternal life. It is after all his work and glory. He can do almost everything for us except the one vital part of the equation -- we, and only we, can and must choose to come to him. If we will but make that one choice, he will do all in his infinite power to see to it that we succeed. No wonder the gospel is good news!

Helaman 4:12-13

And it was because of the pride of their hearts, because of their exceeding riches, yea, it was because of their oppression to the poor, withholding their food from the hungry, withholding their clothing from the naked, and smiting their humble brethren upon the cheek, making a mock of that which was sacred, denying the spirit of prophecy and of revelation, murdering, plundering, lying, stealing, committing adultery, rising up in great contentions, and deserting away into the land of Nephi, among the Lamanites—And because of this their great wickedness, and their boastings in their own strength, they were left in their own strength; therefore they did not prosper, but were afflicted and smitten, and driven before the Lamanites, until they had lost possession of almost all their lands.

While at least some of our afflictions come upon us because of our pride and disobedience, it is not always a one-to-one relationship. On an individual basis the consequences of sin seem to be more random. Wicked, greedy, selfish people may prosper financially and in other measurable ways, while righteous people seem to suffer in many ways. It must be this way or we could not exercise faith. But on a societal level and over long periods of time, the axiom proves true over and over: if ye (plural) keep God's commandments, ye (plural) shall prosper in the land, but if ye (plural) keep not the commandments, ye (plural) shall be cut off.

Alma 57:21

Yea, and they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and even according to their faith it was done unto them; and I did remember the words which they said unto me that their mothers had taught them.

We defeat the adversary through exact obedience. We must trust that we are receiving good instructions, and then we must do all in our power to follow those instructions. We call this being diligent in keeping the commandments. It us our only sure defense. We do not keep commandments to earn points or to buy our way into heaven, but to minimize the damages of mortality and to protect ourselves from the constant attacks of Satan from the outside and the traitorous natural man on the inside. Christ saves us and redeems us, but he can work only with a willing heart that can be taught by the Holy Spirit. Blessings are predicated on obedience to law. When we keep the commandments, we qualify ourselves to receive the Holy Ghost, who teaches us how to come unto Christ and receive salvation from his hand.

Alma 50:23

But behold there never was a happier time among the people of Nephi, since the days of Nephi, than in the days of Moroni, yea, even at this time, in the twenty and first year of the reign of the judges.

Our happiness is not dependent on external circumstances. The Nephites were in terrible danger, surrounded by enemies, and threatened on every side, but they were still happy because they were keeping the commandments.

Mosiah 13:28

And moreover, I say unto you, that salvation doth not come by the law alone; and were it not for the atonement, which God himself shall make for the sins and iniquities of his people, that they must unavoidably perish, notwithstanding the law of Moses.

No set of commandments will save us. First, we cannot keep every commandment perfectly, so if we depend solely on our obedience, we will fail. Second, we each have unique circumstances, which require unique responses. Therefore, personal revelation is needed. God cannot list everything on paper for us all individually in advance. Salvation comes through the atonement and is directed by the Spirit. The atonement allows us to make mistakes, learn from them, repent, and improve without being permanently cast off and separated from God. Christ can justify us and make us worthy in the end. The flight may be bumpy, but Christ can smooth out the landing and ensure that we walk into the Father's arms unscathed.

Mosiah 13:13-14

And again: Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generations of them that hate me; And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.

We choose how God reacts to us. He loves all his children, but he treats us differently depending on how we treat him.

Mosiah 2:4

And also that they might give thanks to the Lord their God, who had brought them out of the land of Jerusalem, and who had delivered them out of the hands of their enemies, and had appointed just men to be their teachers, and also a just man to be their king, who had established peace in the land of Zarahemla, and who had taught them to keep the commandments of God, that they might rejoice and be filled with love towards God and all men.

The result of keeping the commandments is rejoicing and an outpouring of love. True happiness can be found in no other way.

Mosiah 1:7

And now, my sons, I would that ye should remember to search them diligently, that ye may profit thereby; and I would that ye should keep the commandments of God, that ye may prosper in the land according to the promises which the Lord made unto our fathers.

The Nephites are promised over and over that they will prosper in the land if they keep the commandments. To prosper is to grow materially and succeed. It does not always mean financial growth. We can grow in righteousness, in peace, in love, in charity. We can succeed in raising righteous families, in coming unto Christ, and in receiving the grace of the atonement in our lives. "In the land" means in mortality. It is true that financial means often find their way into the hands of righteous individuals, but riches are a byproduct. Faith and salvation are the true prosperity.