Grace and Works

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

It has been suggested that the doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is not compatible with the preceeding scripture. This is not true. LDS church members agree that we are saved by grace through faith and not by our own works. What is true, is that LDS doctrine is incompatible with contemporary Christianity's interpretation of the scripture. We do not believe that a simple confession, whether spoken, written, or thought, is an adequate demonstration of faith. Instead, we believe that the following biblical scripture is completely compatible with Paul's statement to the Ephesians.

"Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
Thou believest that there is one God, thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?" (James 2:17-21)

Paul, being an apostle of Jesus Christ, had some understanding of the Atonement and the laws of justice and mercy. He understood that, because God is just, men had to pay the price for breaking the law--for disobeying His commandments. He also understood that, because God is merciful, He paid that price for us. No matter how hard we try, we will fall short of perfection. And so none of us can be saved by our own works. We are saved by a merciful God when we accept the Atonement of Christ--we are saved by grace. And so in this principle we are fully in agreement with contemporary, mainstream Christianity. The confusion arises when we interpret how we go about accepting the Atonement of Christ. When we accept the Atonement of Christ, when we are saved by grace, we are "born again."

Latter-Day Saints believe that being born again is a powerful and personal spiritual experience. Being "saved" is not simply an event that takes place when one announces that they have accepted Christ as their savior, guaranteeing their place in the kingdom of God. It is an ongoing process of progression and refinement. One who has not been compelled by faith to obey the principles and ordinances of the gospel does not have faith sufficient for the grace of Christ to take hold on their hearts.

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 7:21)
"For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do." (2 Nephi 25:23)
"And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters;
And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God." (Mosiah 27:25)
"We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel." (Articles of Faith, v. 3)

Many mainstream Christians attempt to nullify the place of works in our salvation, preaching that if one believes in Christ he will be saved despite his disregard for the ordinances and commandments that Christ gave us. They attempt to prove this false and vain claim with an incorrect interpretation of Paul's words in Romans 3:26-28: "To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law."

As explained previously, men are commanded to do certain things. All will fall short. Justice demands that a price be paid for our sins--a price we are unable to pay. And so by the law of works, no man can be saved. But Christ paid the price for us. And so we are saved by grace through the law of faith. Does this mean that works don't matter? Some would have us think so. But they forget that "faith without works is dead." They put emphasis on the phrase "man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law." The word "without" is translated from a Greek word meaning "apart from" or "without intervention of." Paul is telling us that if our salvation were left up to our works, none of us could be saved. But the Atonement satisfies the demands of justice when we accept it through faith. What does faith consist of ? Belief, repentence, and works. For "faith without works is dead."

Either way, members of the LDS church are in great shape, for they profess to believe in Jesus Christ and in His saving grace, and they demonstrate that faith through repentence, baptism, and obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

"The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it." --Jospeh Smith, Sr.