Moroni’s formula for spiritual rebirth is to “deny ourselves of all ungodliness” and “love God with all your might, mind, and strength” so that “by his grace we may be perfect in Christ.” Since ungodly thought and behavior only drags us deeper into the “natural man,” keeping moral laws and commandments helps to stabilize our lives and environment so we can begin to love at the soul level. This type of love for God is impossible when our attention is focused on sin (the Prodigal Son) or on our status, worthiness, and success in external obedience (the Elder Son). It is only possible as one learns the practices of the inner path, such as meditation and contemplative prayer, where one communes spirit to spirit with God. It is this communion that gives us access to the purifying influence of the grace of God that perfects us or restores our soul nature.

Philip G. McLemore, Hindering the Saints: Taking Away the Key of Knowledge