Apparently keeping the outward commandments is not enough to be saved. Those who keep the law of tithing, follow the word of wisdom, stay morally clean, keep the Sabbath day holy, and attend church faithfully cannot be saved without the three virtues of faith, hope, and charity. These former commandments are the “Law of Moses” commandments of the latter-days. We keep them because we have been commanded to, not because obedience qualifies us for salvation, for salvation doth not come by the law alone (Mosiah 13:28). This is just as true today as it was for the Law of Moses. Abinadi continues, and were it not for the atonement, which God himself shall make for the sins and iniquities of his people, that they must unavoidably perish, notwithstanding the law of Moses.
It is faith, hope, and charity which bring the power of atonement into full force in our lives. Without these three, all of the rest is inadequate.
M. Russell Ballard
“No matter how hard we work, no matter how much we obey, no matter how many good things we do in this life, it would not be enough were it not for Jesus Christ and His loving grace. On our own we cannot earn the kingdom of God—no matter what we do.” (Ensign, Jun 1998, “Build Bridges of Understanding”)