My Thoughts on Grace

My Thoughts on Grace

Ever since I became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints one of the most common questions I’ve come across is “why do Mormons think that they can work their way to Heaven? Don’t you understand that that it is “by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God?” (Ephesians 2:8). There are many responses that a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints could give to this, the easiest and most straightforward being this simple truth—of course we don’t believe that we can work our way to Heaven. The next question would be—then why do you put so much emphasis on all of these rules? It seems like you’re trying to earn grace, but grace can’t be earned. Romans 10:9 states “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

This is a topic that I have spent many hours pondering on, and these are some of my thoughts on it. I will say before I go any further that I in no way speak for the LDS Church. With that said, here are some of my personal thoughts on Grace.

First of all, it is important to recognize that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints believe that agency, or the freedom to choose, is an essential gift that God has given to us, His children. Without understanding this, you can’t understand why striving to keep the commandments is so important to us. If you believe that we do not have free will, then this won’t make much sense to you. For us, the right and ability to choose is a vital part of our eternal salvation, and something that informs much of what we do. “Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward.” (Doctrine and Covenants 58:28)

Next, I feel that it is important to try and take the scriptures as a whole. Jesus taught constantly during His ministry the importance of keeping the commandments. “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.” (John 15:10) “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment’ And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31) “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” (John 13:34) “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15) “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:19)

These are only a few of the words of The Christ, the Son of God, the Savior of the World, on this subject. In fact, the Sermon on the Mount is one great treatise given by Christ on the importance of commandments. Many of the existing commandments He takes a step further, turn the other cheek, if you lust after another person you have committed adultery in your heart, if a man takes your coat give him your cloak also, if someone asks you to go a mile with them go two, and so forth. When it comes to the teachings of Christ it seems clear that He invites all of His children to keep the commandments. Why then does Paul seem to focus so much on Grace, and why has much of Christianity decided that keeping the commandments isn't an essential part of salvation in the kingdom of God?

The answer to this question lies in a few places. First of all, it is important to recognize context. One of the purposes of an apostle or a prophet is to keep the doctrines pure. Many of the writings of Paul as found in the New Testament are letters that he is addressing to different members of the church in different areas of the world. These Christians are brand new in the faith, and most of them grew up Jews. In fact they likely still considered themselves Jews, and for much of their lives the importance of ritual was stressed constantly. Paul saw a need to address this issue, and focus on the importance of Jesus Christ as the source of salvation. Some 1500 years later Martin Luther saw a similar trend in the Catholic Church, specifically spurred on by the practice of indulgence, or the paying of money in order to be forgiven for sins. These God-inspired men saw that the pendulum had swung too far to the side of works, and I feel stressed the opposite side, the side of grace, in order to hopefully bring things back to center.

Where am I going with this you may ask? There is a common misconception that Mormon’s believe that there is some checklist, that if we mark off all of the steps to salvation then bam, we’re in. Some of the items on the list include being baptized, reading our scriptures, going to the temple, praying, attending church every Sunday, obeying the Word of Wisdom, not having sex before marriage, and so forth. There is indeed a perception that we are trying to work our way to Heaven, and denying Christ’s grace. The reality couldn’t be further from the truth.

Nephi, a prophet from the Book of Mormon, teaches something similar to Paul, only with a bit more added insight. He states, “…for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” (2 Nephi 2:25) Ahah! You may say. There it is! The evidence that you are denying grace, because you think that you can earn it! Grace isn’t grace if there are conditions placed upon it right? Wrong. You see, God’s grace is always extended to us, however receiving that grace requires action on our part.

Take for instance the accepting of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. For much of the Christian world this is all that is required in order to gain salvation. Herein lies the first key: as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints we do not deny the absolute necessity of accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Redeemer. I know that Christ died for me. That He suffered for my sins, and made it possible for me to return to live with Him. I will praise His name forever for His great and marvelous sacrifice. For members of the LDS Church though, this is only the first choice that we make, the first acceptance of God’s grace as it were, on a life’s journey of grace.

The Bible Dictionary in the LDS edition of the scriptures reads: “The main idea of [grace] is divine means of help or strength, given through the bounteous mercy and love of Jesus Christ…This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts.”

Take for instance the principle of forgiveness. Jesus Christ is very clear on the importance of forgiveness. He often would speak and teach in parables, but in Matthew 6:14-15 He teaches as plainly as He ever did, “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” But how does that jive with Paul’s teachings on Grace? Because it seems pretty clear here that God will not forgive if we do not forgive. Simply accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and Redeemer does not automatically mean that we will forgive those that have trespassed against us. Forgiveness is a choice, just as accepting Jesus Christ into our lives is a choice. It is another opportunity to receive Grace.

Let me explain with a hypothetical situation. I have accepted Jesus as my Savior. I have felt His influence in my life, and know that He is my Redeemer, but I am still struggling to forgive some of the people from my past who have hurt me. I know that Christ has commanded us to forgive others, but I have been so terribly abused by these individuals that I simply can’t let go and forgive. The scars are too deep, and they haven’t healed yet. Now, if I believe that my sins have all been washed clean through the blood of the Lamb (who is Christ) then I may feel justified subconsciously in holding onto my anger, simply because I believe that my sins have been forgiven, not understanding that it is impossible to forgive another, or even yourself, without leaning on the Lord’s Grace. It is also impossible to forgive another, or yourself, without deciding to do so.

Keeping the commandments, any of the commandments, is an opportunity to receive grace every day, and hinges upon our choices. I have come to believe that the commandments are stepping stones. Christ says “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) The decision to become perfect as our Father is perfect is one that requires daily effort. I have to make a choice to keep the commandments, but it is impossible for me to fully keep them without God’s grace. I have come to believe that I cannot truly, completely forgive another or myself, without the grace of God, but the decision to forgive must be made by me. He is not going to force me to do so, even after I have accepted His son as my Redeemer. There are other commandments that I have tried to keep on my own, but due to my own human nature I simply cannot, until I turn to God and receive His grace.

To me, accepting Jesus Christ as my Savior and Redeemer is only the first step in receiving divine grace from the Almighty in a lifetime of receiving His grace. Accepting Him as your Savior and Redeemer is a choice, it is an action, and it is work. Even if you only believe that you must accept Him, you still believe in the principle of being saved through your works, because you must choose Him, you just believe in being saved by fewer works. That is all that work is, deciding to do something. What follows is only the fruit of that decision. Obeying the Word of Wisdom, being devoted to my spouse, attending church on Sunday’s, going to the temple, and all of the other commandments that we stress as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are simply opportunities that God has given us to lean on Him, to gain His grace, and to become ever more like Him. This life to me is about becoming. It is not about a check list, nor is it about accepting God’s grace once. It is about striving to be in constant communion with His grace. That is why I strive to keep the commandments, and that is one of the many reasons I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.