# What Does 2 Nephi 25:23 Mean (After All We Can Do)? > 2 Nephi 25:23 says it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do. The church’s grace page says that enabling power is received by obeying the gospel. Ephesians 2:8–9 says salvation is the gift of God, not of works. - Canonical: https://apologetics.wiki/latter-day-saints/2-nephi-25-23-after-all-we-can-do - Religions: Latter-day Saints - Denominations: none - Beliefs: none - Tags: latter-day-saints, grace, book-of-mormon - Updated: 2026-10-13 - Author: [Paul Ambrose](https://apologetics.wiki/author/hi-its-paul) ([GitHub](https://github.com/hi-its-paul)) 2 Nephi 25:23 says it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reads that line as grace and obedience together: grace is God’s enabling power, and a person receives it by living the gospel. [Ephesians 2:8–9](/bible/ephesians/2/8) [(3)](#ref-3) says you are saved by grace through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works. Jesus is God. The phrase “after all we can do” is the dispute. ## Key Points - [2 Nephi 25:23](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/25?lang=eng&id=23) [(1)](#ref-1) says, “for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” - The same verse says they labor to persuade their children to believe in Christ and to be reconciled to God. The sentence names Christ and grace, and then “after all we can do.” - [Gospel Topics, Grace](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/grace?lang=eng) [(2)](#ref-2) says grace is divine help through the Atonement, and that everyone will be resurrected. To receive the enabling power of forgiveness, it says, we must obey the gospel for the rest of our lives. - That page’s third note lists [Ephesians 2:8–9](/bible/ephesians/2/8) [(3)](#ref-3), James 2:17–22, 2 Nephi 25:23, and 2 Nephi 31:20 together. - [Ephesians 2:8–9](/bible/ephesians/2/8) [(3)](#ref-3) says salvation is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. [Romans 11:6](/bible/romans/11/6) [(4)](#ref-4) says if it is by grace, then it is no more of works. - [James 2:17](/bible/james/2/17) [(6)](#ref-6) says faith without works is dead. That is living faith, not a ladder that finishes and then receives grace. ## The Sentence in 2 Nephi 25:23 [2 Nephi 25:23](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/25?lang=eng&id=23) [(1)](#ref-1) is Nephi’s word in the Book of Mormon, as the church prints it: > For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do. The line says “by grace.” It also says “after all we can do.” Readers who hold this book treat both halves as one sentence. [The Book of Mormon](/latter-day-saints/the-book-of-mormon) is that book on this site. [What Do Mormons Believe?](/latter-day-saints/what-do-mormons-believe) sets this verse beside Ephesians 2. The verse is doing two things at once: it points to Christ, and it puts grace after the person’s effort. 2 Nephi 25:26, the next sentences on that chapter page, says they talk of Christ, rejoice in Christ, preach of Christ, and prophesy of Christ. The concession is in the verse itself. It is not a line that never mentions grace or Christ. The words that carry the argument are “after all we can do.” ## Grace in the Church’s Manual [Gospel Topics, Grace](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/grace?lang=eng) [(2)](#ref-2) defines grace as the divine help or strength given through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Through that grace, everyone who has lived will be resurrected. The Lord also enables those who live his gospel to repent and be forgiven. The page says the word refers primarily to enabling power and spiritual healing. It then says no one can return to the presence of God without divine grace, and that through the Atonement we can be forgiven. The condition is the next sentence: > To receive this enabling power, we must obey the gospel of Jesus Christ, which includes having faith in Him, repenting of our sins, being baptized, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and trying to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ for the rest of our lives. Note 3 under that sentence cites Ephesians 2:8–9, James 2:17–22, 2 Nephi 25:23, and 2 Nephi 31:20. The manual puts “not of works” and “after all we can do” on the same footnote. The sentence above tells a person to obey, and to keep trying, in order to receive the enabling power. That is grace as help for the person who is already doing the gospel. [Ephesians 2:8–9](/bible/ephesians/2/8) [(3)](#ref-3) calls salvation a gift, not a wage that arrives after the work is done. ## Grace in Ephesians and Romans [Ephesians 2:8–9](/bible/ephesians/2/8) [(3)](#ref-3) says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” [Romans 3:28](/bible/romans/3/28) [(4)](#ref-4) says a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. [Romans 11:6](/bible/romans/11/6) [(4)](#ref-4) says, “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace.” [Titus 3:5](/bible/titus/3/5) [(5)](#ref-5) says, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us.” “After all we can do” makes the gift wait on the work. Romans 11:6 says the two do not share the definition. If it is grace, it is not works. If it is works, it is not grace. The Christian confession is that Jesus, who is God, saves. The faith that receives him is not a completed list of deeds. [What Does Grace Mean in the Bible?](/christianity/grace-meaning-in-the-bible) [What Does the Bible Say About Salvation?](/christianity/what-does-the-bible-say-about-salvation) [James 2:17](/bible/james/2/17) [(6)](#ref-6) says faith, if it has not works, is dead, being alone. James is talking about a faith that does not act, which is not faith. He is not saying justification begins once a person has done everything possible. The church’s note lists James 2 beside 2 Nephi 25:23. The two lines are not the same sentence. One says a dead faith is no faith. The other says we are saved by grace after all we can do. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What Does “after all we can do” Mean? In the verse, it is the clause after “saved.” [Gospel Topics, Grace](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/grace?lang=eng) [(2)](#ref-2) reads the gift as enabling power that a person receives by obeying the gospel for the rest of life. The words put the person’s “all” before the saving. ### Does the Verse Deny Grace? The verse says “by grace” and names Christ. It also says “after all we can do.” [Ephesians 2:8–9](/bible/ephesians/2/8) [(3)](#ref-3) says the gift is not of works. The dispute is that “after,” not whether the word grace appears. ### How Does James 2 Fit? [James 2:17](/bible/james/2/17) [(6)](#ref-6) says faith without works is dead. That is a test of whether faith is alive. It is not a statement that grace starts when effort is finished. The church’s footnote cites James 2 and 2 Nephi 25:23 together. Paul, in Romans 11:6, keeps grace and works from defining each other. ## Keep Reading - [The Book of Mormon](/latter-day-saints/the-book-of-mormon) - [What Do Mormons Believe?](/latter-day-saints/what-do-mormons-believe) - [What Does Grace Mean in the Bible?](/christianity/grace-meaning-in-the-bible) - [What Does the Bible Say About Salvation?](/christianity/what-does-the-bible-say-about-salvation) - [Do Mormons Believe They Will Become Gods?](/latter-day-saints/do-mormons-believe-they-will-become-gods) ## Passages Quoted on This Page ### Romans 11:6 King James Version. > And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. ### James 2:17 King James Version. > Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. ### Romans 3:28 King James Version. > Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. ### Titus 3:5 King James Version. > Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; ## Sources Numbered to match the HTML References list. Item 1 is `#ref-1` under `#references`. Scripture links to the King James Version on this site. 1. [Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 25:23](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/25?lang=eng&id=23) (English text on churchofjesuschrist.org. Saved by grace after all we can do.) 2. [Gospel Topics, Grace](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/grace?lang=eng) (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Grace is enabling power. Note 3 cites 2 Nephi 25:23 with Ephesians 2:8–9 and James 2.) 3. [Letter to the Ephesians, 2:8–9](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/ephesians/2). King James Version 4. [Letter to the Romans, 3:28; 11:6](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/romans/3/28). King James Version 5. [Letter to Titus, 3:5](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/titus/3/5). King James Version 6. [Letter of James, 2:17](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/james/2/17). King James Version ## See Also - [Who Wrote the Book of Mormon?](https://apologetics.wiki/latter-day-saints/who-wrote-the-book-of-mormon) — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints says ancient prophets wrote the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith translated it by the gift and power of God, with a seer stone. He says he returned the plates. - [Are Mormons Christians?](https://apologetics.wiki/latter-day-saints/are-mormons-christians) — Latter-day Saints worship Jesus Christ and use his name. Their teaching of God, of Jesus, and of salvation is not the Nicene confession, so they are not a denomination inside Trinitarian Christianity. - [Do Mormons Believe God Was Once a Man?](https://apologetics.wiki/latter-day-saints/do-mormons-believe-god-was-once-a-man) — The Lorenzo Snow couplet says, “As man now is, God once was.” The King Follett sermon says God was once as we are now, and is an exalted man. Isaiah 43:10 says no God was formed before or after the LORD. - [Do Mormons Believe in the Trinity?](https://apologetics.wiki/latter-day-saints/the-godhead-in-latter-day-saint-teaching) — No. Latter-day Saints teach that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are three separate beings, one in purpose. That is not the Nicene confession of one God in three persons. - [Do Mormons Believe They Will Become Gods?](https://apologetics.wiki/latter-day-saints/do-mormons-believe-they-will-become-gods) — Gospel Principles says exaltation is the kind of life God lives. The King Follett sermon says God was once as we are now, and that the faithful must learn to be gods. Isaiah 43:10 says no God was formed after the LORD.