The Book of Mormon

Moroni 10:32

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Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in no wise deny the power of God.

Influences

2 Corinthians 12:9 (KJV)
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Colossians 1:28 (KJV)
Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
1 Corinthians 15:10 (KJV)
But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

Changes

Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in no wise deny the power of God.

Simple English

Come to Christ. Be made perfect in him. Stop doing all ungodly things. If you stop doing all ungodly things and love God with all your strength, mind, and power, then his grace is enough for you. By his grace you can be perfect in Christ. If by God’s grace you are perfect in Christ, you cannot reject God’s power.

Paraphrase

Come to Christ and be made perfect in him. Turn away from everything ungodly. If you turn away from all ungodliness and love God with all your might, mind, and strength, then his grace is enough for you. By his grace you can be perfect in Christ. And if by God’s grace you’re perfect in Christ, you can’t deny God’s power.

Notes

10:32

On page 39 of the Preparing for Exaltation Teacher’s Manual (1998), it states: "All people, regardless of their level of righteousness, will be saved from death because of the Resurrection of Christ. However, in order to attain the highest degree of glory in the resurrection, we need to “come unto Christ, and be perfected in him” (Moroni 10:32). We come unto Christ by having faith in him, repenting of our sins, being baptized, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, receiving other saving priesthood ordinances, obeying the commandments, and keeping the covenants we make with our Heavenly Father. How we live does make a difference."

In the October 2006 issue of the Ensign, BYU professor Clyde J. Williams wrote the following: "The perfect relationship between the atoning grace of Christ and the obedient efforts of mankind is powerfully stated by Nephi: “We know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do” (2 Nephi 25:23). Furthermore, we are invited to “come unto Christ, and be perfected in him.” When we deny ourselves “of all ungodliness,” then and only “then is his grace sufficient” for us (Moroni 10:32)." (“Plain and Precious Truths Restored,” Ensign, October 2006, p. 53)

In an Ensign article titled, “Earthly Choices, Eternal Consequences,” Chad D. Richardson, an area seventy, wrote, "Moroni beautifully concludes the Book of Mormon by inviting all to ‘come unto Christ, and be perfected in him’ (Moroni 10:32). To do so, we must deny ourselves of all ungodliness, especially unchecked carnal appetites. We must love God with all our might, mind and strength, putting him above worldly approval. We will then be sanctified through the grace of Christ." (Ensign, July 2004, p. 21. Italics in original.)

See 2 Nephi 25:23 for additional statements on the relationship between grace and works.