There are no other means or conditions; there is no other way to be saved. Notice all the references to “God” and “the Lord.” He, not we, must be center stage in this drama of life, or else we miss our most important cues, and when the final curtain is dropped, there will be no ovation of any eternal consequence.
“There is none other salvation save this which hath been spoken of”—“We are hardly at liberty to pick and choose among various redemptive plans. While it may have been true in the ancient world that all roads led to Rome, it was equally true that there was but one entrance to the Holy of Holies. There is and can be only one salvation, and thus there is and can be only one Savior.” 16
These verses contain gospel doctrine in its purest form. They describe how to be spiritually born of God, how to get closer to God, and how to overcome the world and personal weaknesses. They specify the conditions of salvation: “Believe in God” and “repent of your sins.” After having helped the Saints, both then and now, understand what must be understood and then done to obtain a remission of our sins, Benjamin turned to what can be done to retain a remission of our sins: Remember your nothingness (“acknowledge your unworthiness before God at all times”; Alma 38:14), be humble, pray daily, “be filled with the love of God,” and “grow in the knowledge” of God (especially through scripture study and temple worship). Then you can “retain a remission of your sins,” and here is a splendid lesson in human relations: “Ye will not have a mind to injure one another, but to live peaceably.” When you are spiritually reborn and have his Spirit with you, the natural result is wanting to hurt absolutely no one and wanting to live in peace with everyone perpetually. There is a surefire way to determine if you have been spiritually reborn: Look at the way you treat others.
“There Is None Other Salvation Save This Which Hath Been Spoken Of”
There are no other means or conditions; there is no other way to be saved. Notice all the references to “God” and “the Lord.” He, not we, must be center stage in this drama of life, or else we miss our most important cues, and when the final curtain is dropped, there will be no ovation of any eternal consequence.
“There is none other salvation save this which hath been spoken of”—“We are hardly at liberty to pick and choose among various redemptive plans. While it may have been true in the ancient world that all roads led to Rome, it was equally true that there was but one entrance to the Holy of Holies. There is and can be only one salvation, and thus there is and can be only one Savior.” 16
These verses contain gospel doctrine in its purest form. They describe how to be spiritually born of God, how to get closer to God, and how to overcome the world and personal weaknesses. They specify the conditions of salvation: “Believe in God” and “repent of your sins.” After having helped the Saints, both then and now, understand what must be understood and then done to obtain a remission of our sins, Benjamin turned to what can be done to retain a remission of our sins: Remember your nothingness (“acknowledge your unworthiness before God at all times”; Alma 38:14), be humble, pray daily, “be filled with the love of God,” and “grow in the knowledge” of God (especially through scripture study and temple worship). Then you can “retain a remission of your sins,” and here is a splendid lesson in human relations: “Ye will not have a mind to injure one another, but to live peaceably.” When you are spiritually reborn and have his Spirit with you, the natural result is wanting to hurt absolutely no one and wanting to live in peace with everyone perpetually. There is a surefire way to determine if you have been spiritually reborn: Look at the way you treat others.