Accepting Christ’s Gift

by Autumn Dickson

I love when the scriptures give us more insights into how the relationship between the atonement of Jesus Christ and our works come together. I think it’s a relationship that needs to be studied thoroughly if we are to understand how to enjoy Celestial Glory. For while we believe in worthiness and the necessity of following after Christ, we also believe that we were given a gift. Here is a verse that can add another layer to our understanding of the relationship between grace and works.

Doctrine and Covenants 88:33 For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift.

Christ gives us a gift, but we have to utilize the gift. That is one way of describing the relationship between grace and works. Gifts are free. There are no strings attached. There are many who argue that we, as Latter-day Saints, do not believe in grace because we believe in the necessity of worthiness. I do not believe that grace and works are mutually exclusive, and this verse helps to describe it.

When someone gives you a gift at Christmas and you open it and utilize it, does that suddenly mean the gift wasn’t free because you had to work to use it? I’ve been accused of not being a Christian because if we believe in the necessity of works then I don’t truly believe that His gift is free. Believing in the concept of worthiness does not negate the fact that Christ gave His gift. If Christ had been unsuccessful in atoning, and I had still worked towards worthiness, I still wouldn’t have made it to the Celestial Kingdom. No one would. Christ gave a gift of atonement.

As for worthiness, this verse also describes it beautifully. When someone places a gift in your lap, you can be grateful and love that person for putting it in your lap. But who is going to be more grateful to the giver: the person who just stares at the beautifully wrapped gift or the person who opens it and utilizes it?

The gift is free, but salvation has multiple parts because heaven has multiple parts. You enjoy heaven because you’re perfectly clean, near the Savior, and you’re enjoying a heavenly society where love abounds.

The cleanliness (and therefore, the ability to be near God and the Savior) comes from Christ. You cannot stand in the presence of God without that cleanliness or you’ll get eaten alive by the fire that He dwells within. This is where the gift of Christ’s atonement comes into play. He just cleans us. Even if we worked and practiced, our works do not cleanse us. It is free.

But salvation is more than cleanliness. Even if Christ is continually cleaning you (because you don’t believe in worthiness; you didn’t have to change or shed natural man tendencies), you won’t experience salvation even if you’re standing in the location of heaven. You have to be perfectly clean (thank you gift of Christ’s atonement), but salvation is also about enjoying eternity. If you want to enjoy eternity, the works part is necessary.

There is innate unhappiness that comes with wickedness. Wickedness never was happiness. So even if Christ cleanses you continually so that you are capable of standing in heaven, you still won’t be able to enjoy heaven because you are still actively pursuing wickedness that brings in innate unhappiness. You didn’t even really touch your gift. You didn’t open it. It was free. It’s sitting in your lap, but it brought you no joy because you didn’t even use it.

There is another aspect of this verse that I think is really important for Latter-day Saints who overemphasize works. While we believe in worthiness, I believe that Christ is much more willing to save than we think He is. He worked so very hard, harder than we can comprehend, to place that gift in our laps. Fewer things bring Him more satisfaction than when we rejoice and trust in that gift.

He does not want us to be leery of that gift. He doesn’t want us to look at His gift and think, “Mmmm I just don’t know if He really wants me to have this.” HE DOES. Use it. Rejoice in it. Trust it. It was a gift. Rejoice in the fact that He has the power to cleanse over and over and over. Rejoice in the fact that if you’re willing to follow Him, He can work with that.

I’m not perfect. I am so not perfect. But I have found salvation. I have opened the gift and got excited about it. I wave it around for everyone to see. Look what Christ gave me. He gave it to me. I didn’t earn it. I’m getting better at using it. He is teaching me to use it, and that’s going to be enough.

I testify of a Savior who loves you and wants you to rejoice in His perfection. I testify that if you’re willing to follow Him, if you’re trying to do as He asks even if you fail repeatedly, He has the power to pull you along anyway. He can cleanse you until you’ve completely changed and figured it out. He can keep you clean, and you can enjoy the happiness that innately comes with striving to love God and love others. You can rejoice in your salvation.

 

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

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