2 Nephi 2:6

Lehi continued explaining to Jacob the role of the Messiah.  He emphasized that redemption comes through him because he is full of grace and truth.  The apostle John would begin his gospel telling us, “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth … For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:14, 17)

Nephi would later write:

And now, my brethren, I have spoken plainly that ye cannot err.  And as the Lord God liveth that brought Israel up out of the land of Egypt, and gave unto Moses power that he should heal the nations after they had been bitten by the poisonous serpents, if they would cast their eyes unto the serpent which he did raise up before them, and also gave him power that he should smite the rock and the water should come forth; yea, behold I say unto you, that as these things are true, and as the Lord God liveth, there is none other name given under heaven save it be this Jesus Christ, of which I have spoken, whereby man can be saved.

2 Nephi 25:20

Abinadi would teach King Noah and his priests:

Thus all mankind were lost; and behold, they would have been endlessly lost were it not that God redeemed his people from their lost and fallen state.

But remember that he that persists in his own carnal nature, and goes on in the ways of sin and rebellion against God, remaineth in his fallen state and the devil hath all power over him.  Therefore, he is as though there was no redemption made, being an enemy to God; and also is the devil an enemy to God.

Mosiah 16:4 - 5

Alma₂, contending with Zeezrom, answered his questions, responding:

Now Alma said unto him: This is the thing which I was about to explain.  Now we see that Adam did fall by the partaking of the forbidden fruit, according to the word of God; and thus we see, that by his fall, all mankind became a lost and fallen people.

And now behold, I say unto you that if it had been possible for Adam to have partaken of the fruit of the tree of life at that time, there would have been no death, and the word would have been void, making God a liar, for he said: If thou eat thou shalt surely die.

And we see that death comes upon mankind, yea, the death which has been spoken of by Amulek, which is the temporal death; nevertheless there was a space granted unto man in which he might repent; therefore this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God; a time to prepare for that endless state which has been spoken of by us, which is after the resurrection of the dead.

Now, if it had not been for the plan of redemption, which was laid from the foundation of the world, there could have been no resurrection of the dead; but there was a plan of redemption laid, which shall bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, of which has been spoken.

Alma 12:22 - 25

What is meant by the phrase “grace and truth” ?  Hugh Nibley answers that question for us.

What is the Only Begotten full of? "Mine Only Begotten who is full of grace and truth." These are the qualities of the Only Begotten Son. If you have these, this is everything … There are two great commandments. First, you love him, but you love your neighbor as yourself. Now that's another kind of love. That's charity or grace. "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." Of course if you keep these, you don't need to worry about the others. If you love the Lord that much and if you love your neighbor that much—thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not lie, thou shalt not commit adultery. You won't do any of those things if you keep the first two commandments, if they are in your heart. The Lord says on these two commandments hang all the laws and the prophets … They are grace and truth. And this is grace, with all thy heart, might, mind and strength. "The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth … light cleaveth unto light," etc.[1]

Grace is charity and equity, and truth is justice. Remember, the Lord is full of grace and truth. When you have those two you have everything.[2] 

In an epistle to Moroni, Mormon would explain, “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth.  Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him” (Moroni 7:46 - 47).

Hugh Nibley continues:

Does one person need repentance more than another? Until we have reached the shore, no one is home safe; a swimmer can drown fifty feet from the shore as easily as a mile from it; and in this life, none have reached the shore, for it is a probation right up until the last. Only one who is like the Son of Man, "full of grace and truth" (2 Nephi 2:6), may be exempt from repentance. While the great storm and earthquake were raging, the people were still given a chance to repent. "Wo unto the inhabitants of the whole earth, except they shall repent" (3 Nephi 9:2). "O ye house of Israel whom I have spared, how oft will I gather you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, if ye will repent. . . . But if not, O house of Israel, the places of your dwellings shall become desolate" (3 Nephi 10:6—7).[3]

It is the word alone that releases us and opens up a common universe of discourse. If we are full of grace and truth, we have the desire to seek truth and the grace to share what we have so that all can rejoice together.[4]

Lehi tells his son, "for he is full of grace and truth" (2 Nephi 2:6). That says everything: to be full of grace is everything good that you can possibly conceive of; it is a combination of love, charity, and joy—charis, gratia, and "cheer." It is everything to be cheerful about and grateful for, and it is boundless love without a shadow of mental reservation, self-interest, or ulterior motive, in short, of anything false or untrue; it is all real, for he is full of grace and truth.[5]

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[1] Lecture 66: Alma 48, Hugh W. Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed June 8, 2013.

[2] Lecture 86: 3 Nephi 6, Hugh W. Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed June 8, 2013.

[3] Last Call: An Apocalyptic Warning from the Book of Mormon, Hugh Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed June 5, 2013.

[4] Return to the Temple, Hugh W. Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed June 8, 2013.

[5] The Meaning of the Atonement, Hugh Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed June 8, 2013.