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.

Ether 4:19

And blessed is he that is found faithful unto my name at the last day, for he shall be lifted up to dwell in the kingdom prepared for him from the foundation of the world. And behold it is I that hath spoken it. Amen.

The message of conditional salvation is repeated over and over. Salvation is a gift. We are lifted into heaven; we don't climb in on our own power. But the gift is given to those who are faithful. We don't have to be perfect, just true, constant, trustworthy keepers of covenants.

Ether 3:12-13

And he answered: Yea, Lord, I know that thou speakest the truth, for thou art a God of truth, and canst not lie. And when he had said these words, behold, the Lord showed himself unto him, and said: Because thou knowest these things ye are redeemed from the fall; therefore ye are brought back into my presence; therefore I show myself unto you.

When we truly know that God does not and cannot lie, when we know for ourselves that he has worked out the atonement for us personally, and when we believe him when he says he can save and exalt us, we will be redeemed from the fall like Moriancumr, Enos, Nephi the first, Nephi son of Helaman, and a host of others. We can have our calling and election made sure by the testimony of Jesus Christ himself through personal revelation. The experiences of the prophets in the scriptures are not to taunt us with unattainable goals, but to testify that such goals ARE attainable. Christ does not want to save us just in the hereafter, but in the here and now. This life is not just the time to prepare to meet God, it is the time to receive a proper introduction.

Mormon 9:27

O then despise not, and wonder not, but hearken unto the words of the Lord, and ask the Father in the name of Jesus for what things soever ye shall stand in need. Doubt not, but be believing, and begin as in times of old, and come unto the Lord with all your heart, and work out your own salvation with fear and trembling before him.

Salvation is an individual thing. No one else can work out my salvation for me. Ultimately, I cannot rely on anyone's testimony but my own. I cannot ride on the faith of others. I must be baptized for myself, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost myself, receive my own temple endowments, be sealed to my spouse, and keep the commandments. My parents' conversion is not my conversion. My wife's charity is not my charity. I can learn from the good example of others, but I cannot depend on their works to bring me to Christ and sanctify me. I must come to Christ for myself, repent for myself, exercise my own faith. Working out my salvation does not mean that I save myself. Only Christ can save me. But I have to apply to him for salvation, and that application must be personal.

Mormon 9:21

Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth.

If we want power from God, we begin with belief in Christ, as evidenced by our submitting to the first principles and ordinances of his gospel, which are faith and repentance, followed by baptism and the conferring of the Holy Ghost by one holding the proper authority.

We must trust with our whole heart and soul in Christ. He holds our very salvation and eternal life in his hands. When we trust him, we do not try to wrestle our salvation away from him as if we can save ourselves. No, we do not doubt in the least that he can and will redeem us.

With that trust and faith in Christ, we go to the Father in his name and ask for the help we need to strengthen and increase our faith. We ask him to change our hearts and minds from the squalor of the natural man to the humility of a disciple of Christ. Such a prayer will God always, always answer.

And his answer will be a miracle, for it is only by the miracle of the Christ's Atonement that a sinner can be washed clean and spotless.

God excludes no one from the promise of hope in this formula, to the ends of the earth and the end of time. Everyone can receive his grace. If we do not, it is only because we exclude ourselves by trying to get it some other way than how God has prescribed. He has the right to set the conditions by which we come to him. We have the choice to accept or reject those conditions. We do not, however, have the right to override the consequences of our choices.

Mormon 9:11

But behold, I will show unto you a God of miracles, even the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and it is that same God who created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are.

The greatest miracle of God is Christ's Atonement and the plan of salvation. God must be a God of miracles to pull off our salvation. If we don't think God does miracles, then we don't think he can save us. And if that were the case, what good is he, and what good is life itself?

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.

Helaman 15:3

Yea, wo unto this people who are called the people of Nephi except they shall repent, when they shall see all these signs and wonders which shall be showed unto them; for behold, they have been a chosen people of the Lord; yea, the people of Nephi hath he loved, and also hath he chastened them; yea, in the days of their iniquities hath he chastened them because he loveth them.

Because God loves us, he does all he can short of taking away our agency to get us to repent and come to him. Ideally he sends us specific correction through personal revelation from the Holy Ghost.  To get us to the point where we can hear his voice through the Spirit, he may send general correction through his servants the prophets. When we don't listen to the prophets, he may send us correction through personal and general trials and afflictions. As I have said many times, not every trial is the result of sin, but unrepented sins will surely bring affliction of one kind or another. As I have also said before, afflictions are not punishments. They may be tests, opportunities to grow, or wake-up calls, but God is generally not in the punishment business. Eternal justice will deliver punishment. God's whole work is to try to save us from justice, if we will let him.

Helaman 12:8-23

For behold, the dust of the earth moveth hither and thither, to the dividing asunder, at the command of our great and everlasting God. Yea, behold at his voice do the hills and the mountains tremble and quake. And by the power of his voice they are broken up, and become smooth, yea, even like unto a valley. Yea, by the power of his voice doth the whole earth shake; Yea, by the power of his voice, do the foundations rock, even to the very center. Yea, and if he say unto the earth—Move—it is moved. Yea, if he say unto the earth—Thou shalt go back, that it lengthen out the day for many hours—it is done; And thus, according to his word the earth goeth back, and it appeareth unto man that the sun standeth still; yea, and behold, this is so; for surely it is the earth that moveth and not the sun. And behold, also, if he say unto the waters of the great deep—Be thou dried up—it is done. Behold, if he say unto this mountain—Be thou raised up, and come over and fall upon that city, that it be buried up—behold it is done. And behold, if a man hide up a treasure in the earth, and the Lord shall say—Let it be accursed, because of the iniquity of him who hath hid it up—behold, it shall be accursed. And if the Lord shall say—Be thou accursed, that no man shall find thee from this time henceforth and forever—behold, no man getteth it henceforth and forever. And behold, if the Lord shall say unto a man—Because of thine iniquities, thou shalt be accursed forever—it shall be done. And if the Lord shall say—Because of thine iniquities thou shalt be cut off from my presence—he will cause that it shall be so. And wo unto him to whom he shall say this, for it shall be unto him that will do iniquity, and he cannot be saved; therefore, for this cause, that men might be saved, hath repentance been declared. Therefore, blessed are they who will repent and hearken unto the voice of the Lord their God; for these are they that shall be saved.

God has power over all physical creation and all the elements. Man also has limited power over physical elements,  but man's power is different from God's. Man's power depends on force and coercion.  Man can move a mountain,  but it takes time, physical exertion, tools, machinery, and explosives. God moves the mountain by his word alone. His voice is sufficient. He speaks his will and the elements obey. They move of their own accord without coercion or compulsion. Whatever man can do, God can do better, bigger, faster, easier, and he has done it first.

At the end of this long list of powers is the one power that man cannot emulate or usurp.  That is God's power to save us. God may delegate many powers to man through the priesthood, including the power to seal up into eternal life, but only God can grant eternal life. Only he can save our immortal souls through the atonement of Jesus Christ.

Helaman 8:18

Yea, and behold I say unto you, that Abraham not only knew of these things, but there were many before the days of Abraham who were called by the order of God; yea, even after the order of his Son; and this that it should be shown unto the people, a great many thousand years before his coming, that even redemption should come unto them.

The existence of the restored priesthood is proof that salvation is achievable. Why would God grant men authority to perform saving ordinances if salvation were not obtainable? Why would he grant men power to heal illness and afflictions if we just die and rot in the grave? Why would he give us the temple if exaltation in the celestial kingdom is out of reach?  The very fact that we have the priesthood is a sign of hope from God.

Helaman 5:11

And he hath power given unto him from the Father to redeem them from their sins because of repentance; therefore he hath sent his angels to declare the tidings of the conditions of repentance, which bringeth unto the power of the Redeemer, unto the salvation of their souls.

Of all the powers given to Jesus, the power to redeem us is the greatest. Through this power Christ can right every wrong, repair every injustice, heal every wound, and remove every sin. He can bring equality to all who have suffered the inequalities of mortality. He has the power to make us an exalted seat right next to his on the throne of heaven, as if we were his equals. That is power indeed!

Helaman 5:10

And remember also the words which Amulek spake unto Zeezrom, in the city of Ammonihah; for he said unto him that the Lord surely should come to redeem his people, but that he should not come to redeem them in their sins, but to redeem them from their sins.

To be redeemed, we have to leave our sins behind. We have to do all we can to put them away. We may not be able to do it perfectly by ourselves, but we have to turn ourselves in the right direction, which is the root of the word repentance. Only then can Christ redeem us. He can buy us back from the demands of justice only when we have made the effort to begin the transformation that he will finish. He is, after all, the Finisher of our faith. He will not save us against our will. We demonstrate our sincere desire for salvation by sincerely repenting. Every repentant sinner will be forgiven and rescued from justice. Those who knowingly turn their backs on God today with expectations that he will swoop in and save them at the last second will be sadly disappointed tomorrow when he doesn't show up. I reiterate, Christ will save every single person who truly and honestly wants to be saved in his kingdom. We cannot save ourselves, and we cannot buy a seat in heaven, but we have to prove our desires by our actions, however imperfect they may be.

Helaman 5:9

O remember, remember, my sons, the words which king Benjamin spake unto his people; yea, remember that there is no other way nor means whereby man can be saved, only through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, who shall come; yea, remember that he cometh to redeem the world.

It is only through Christ's intervention that we are delivered from the grasp of justice. We cannot save ourselves. Nothing we can do is sufficient unless we turn our hearts over to God. Christ redeemed the whole world, not just the elect. Every single individual can choose salvation through Christ. No one has to be excluded. We may choose to exclude ourselves, but God's desire is for all his children to come back to him. He knows not everyone will choose him, but he offers everyone the opportunity through Christ's infinite and eternal atonement.

Alma 57:26

And now, their preservation was astonishing to our whole army, yea, that they should be spared while there was a thousand of our brethren who were slain. And we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God, because of their exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe—that there was a just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his marvelous power.

Faith is the key to power. When we have faith in God's power, we unlock his power in our lives. 

Now,  Helaman points out that thousands of patriotic and righteous Nephites died in battle while the two thousand stripling warriors all survived. Surely God did not love the Nephites less than the Lamanite youths. Yet he demonstrated his power on their behalf to a greater degree than he did on behalf of the fallen Nephites. The difference must have been in the nature of the faith of Helaman's boys. Their faith drew down the powers of heaven in a way that the Nephites' faith could not. Captain Moroni obviously had great faith and personal righteousness. His army had the faith to follow him,  but they may have had more faith in Moroni than in God. They had faith that God would bless and prosper the army but not themselves personally. The young warriors, however, had faith that God would preserve them personally and individually.

God can be as specific in his power as we are in our faith. If we have specific faith, God will manifest specific power.

The lesson of the stripling warriors is that God has the power to save us. He can protect us from the enemy of our souls, even if others around us seem to be succumbing. If we have faith in him, even though we may be wounded, he will heal us through the atonement of Christ and bring us home safely to him.

Alma 57:25

And it came to pass that there were two hundred, out of my two thousand and sixty, who had fainted because of the loss of blood; nevertheless, according to the goodness of God, and to our great astonishment, and also the joy of our whole army, there was not one soul of them who did perish; yea, and neither was there one soul among them who had not received many wounds.

Christ can save every single obedient individual who has faith in him and goes to battle for him. Not a single one of us needs to be lost. We will surely receive many wounds from our sins and mistakes, but Christ can heal them all. He will not lose us if we don't want to be lost.

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 39:15

And now, my son, I would say somewhat unto you concerning the coming of Christ. Behold, I say unto you, that it is he that surely shall come to take away the sins of the world; yea, he cometh to declare glad tidings of salvation unto his people.

Alma was certain that Christ would come. He would "surely come." Nothing would stop him or hinder him in his mission to save the world from death and all who would repent from hell. Christ would bring the happiest of news -- that we would not be left to our mortal fate and natural weaknesses without help. He would surely come, without fail, and bring ransom, rescue, deliverance and salvation with him. For those who were discouraged he would bring hope. For those who were in despair he would bring renewal. For those who had failed he would bring another chance. For those who sorrowed and grieved he would bring peace and joy. His coming would be the best news and the gladest tidings of all.

Alma 34:31

Yea, I would that ye would come forth and harden not your hearts any longer; for behold, now is the time and the day of your salvation; and therefore, if ye will repent and harden not your hearts, immediately shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you.

Repentance can immediately put the plan of salvation to work in our lives. God does not let us dangle helplessly over the pit of hell, hanging desperately by our fingernails for eons before he finally forgives us. He is a merciful, loving God who welcomes us back instantly when we genuinely humble ourselves and approach him with a broken heart and contrite spirit.

That does not mean, however, that we avoid all temporal consequences of our sins. Addiction still produces withdrawals. Damages still have to be repaid. Restitution is still required. Destroyed relationships may not be easily repaired. Trust may not be easily re-won. But eternal consequences have already been settled, and God's love is quick and sure. He never turns his back when we want to come to him. He never locks the door when we want to come home.

Alma 34:17-18

Therefore may God grant unto you, my brethren, that ye may begin to exercise your faith unto repentance, that ye begin to call upon his holy name, that he would have mercy upon you; Yea, cry unto him for mercy; for he is mighty to save.

Faith, repentance, and baptism are prerequisites for salvation. We must do one more thing, however, to qualify for salvation. We must ask for it. When we want it, when we act like we want it, and when we ask for it, the Lord is quick to respond. He runs to us like the father ran to meet the prodigal son when he was yet a long way off. 

Alma 34:16

And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice; therefore only unto him that has faith unto repentance is brought about the great and eternal plan of redemption.

Redemption is free but not without qualifications. Anyone who has faith in Christ and repents can be redeemed. Faith and repentance do not, however, buy redemption. No price can be placed on saving grace. We can never pay for salvation. We do not earn a place in heaven with all the good works in the world. It is a free gift for which we owe nothing, for we having nothing of value to exchange for the greatest of all the gifts of God. But we do have to qualify for it. God will give us the gift if we want it more than anything else. We demonstrate our desire by our faith and repentance.