Myths Refuted #6: We Are Saved by Grace Alone

So far in my study and summary of the Myths of Christianity that the Book of Mormon Refutes (see myth #1 here, myth #2 here, myth #3 here, myth #4 here, myth #5 here) the subjects I have tackled have been verily straight forward. This next myth hits at the very heart of the Gospel of Jesus Christ which is the divine atonement of Jesus Christ and the power that flows into our lives from it. The atonement is central to God’s plan for the salvation of his children and their happiness now and forever. Myth 6, “We Are Saved by Grace Alone,” is more nuanced and will take longer to uncover the misconceptions that have grown up around the teachings of grace.

The phrase “Saved by grace alone,” is not entirely false, but it is almost universally misunderstood. The reason I define it here as a myth is because the concepts of salvation and grace as taught commonly among Christians are shrouded in fundamental misunderstandings on the central points of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon refutes these teachings and provides greater light and understanding for how good works (obedience to the commandments of God) and grace (the enabling and strengthening power of the atonement) intertwine to bring us closer to Christ and change our natures.

The Christian Myth of Grace Alone

An increasingly popular teaching in Christianity today is that no matter what a person's "works" (their deeds and choices) believers are saved by an act of belief through "grace” alone. Significant proselytizing efforts have been devoted to the concept that if a person confesses with their mouth that Jesus is the Lord and believes in their heart that Jesus is God and their Savior, they are saved. (Romans 10:9) Some even teach that this salvation is eternally binding at the moment of confession and that it is an unconditional grace without repentance (sorrow for sin, restitution, and forsaking of sin) and regardless of future actions or sins.

Some Christian teachers go so far as to teach that repentance is not the act of turning from sin, and that it is not a meritorious work, but rather a change of mind. When one changes their mind about God and brings belief in Christ into their heart they have repented from the "natural man" (John 12:36) to a child of God. (Galatians 3:26) This profession of belief reflected in a sincere change of mind (or heart) is seen as the single action required by men to access the saving power of the atonement of Jesus Christ and be saved in the Kingdom of Heaven. Unfortunately, this teaching is taught out of biblical context and causes many believers to stumble as they throw off the demands of the law and believe that they are saved in their sins.

One of the oft repeated criticism of the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has centered on this concept. Years ago, while attending a religious pageant in Manti Utah, I was handed an anti-Mormon pamphlet and began reading a popular case made against this doctrine as taught in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. The primary case made in the pamphlet was that "Mormons" deny the power of Christ and his grace by teaching that good works are necessary for salvation. After reading the pamphlet I spent some time trying to learn what Christian churches were teaching about grace and works. I discovered that the teachings in the Christian world on the relationship between the two are complex and varied. I learned that not all Christian sects discard the works of the law in the matters of salvation, but I did find that the teaching of grace without works (obedience) is a very popular teaching and is found in some form in most Christian sects.

One reason that approaching this essay was less straight forward then some of the other teachings I placed in the myths of Christianity category in my study of the Book of Mormon is that I don’t entirely reject the concept that we are saved by grace alone. The Book of Mormon says something very similar in 2 Nephi 10:24 “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, reconcile yourselves to the will of God, and not to the will of the devil and the flesh; and remember, after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved.” I believe that there are myths that have grown up around what is essentially a truth misunderstood. The central point of misunderstanding is related to what grace is and how it works.

What the Book of Mormon helps us to understand is that belief alone is not the active principle in being saved by grace. Belief alone cannot save us because the grace of Christ is not bestowed on us fully through belief. Belief is a gift of grace and is an act of faith, but “faith without works is dead.” (James 2:17-18) If a believer does not move on from his belief and add to it works through faith then he will not receive “grace for grace, according to [his] works.” (Helaman 12:22-24) Obedience is the catalyst of our faith that activates the grace of God in our lives. (More on the nature of grace and its perfecting power to follow)

Good Works are Essential to Salvation

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that we begin to access the power of the atonement (grace) through the first four principles and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which are: 1) Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; 2) Repentance; 3) Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; 4) Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. These teachings are clarified in purity within the Book of Mormon. Book of Mormon prophets taught that these are the first steps in our journey home to our Father in Heaven, metaphorically they are the gate by which we enter the path that leads us home; but this is not all. Faith, repentance, baptism, and the Holy Ghost are the most critical steps but there is one more thing required of us, we must endure to the end in good works.

“After ye have repented of your sins, and witnessed unto the Father that ye are willing to keep my commandments, by the baptism of water, and have received the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost… He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.” (2 Nephi 31:15-21)

As believers and followers of Christ we are subject to the laws of God which he has placed over us and naturally this brings us under the condemnation for the broken law. In our fallen state there is no way to avoid this, we simply are unable to obey the laws of God perfectly. We sin and “fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) For this reason our Father in Heaven prepared a way for our escape. He sent his Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the price of the broken law for all who would repent (change) and follow (obey) Christ. Through the power of His atonement we are pardoned of our sins and justified under the law, as if Christ stood in our place, condemned for our sins so that we can be made clean.

Paul’s teachings on grace were not meant to make obedience to the law irrelevant. This can be demonstrated quite clearly from a full reading of his Epistles which contained lengthy sermons on the laws of the gospel and passionate calls to repentance. He taught that the law was the “schoolmaster” that brings us unto Christ (Galatians 3:24) and he spoke powerfully about obedience, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Romans 6:16). The apostle James taught the Church that, “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.” (James 2:17-18)

Taken in full, the New Testament does not dismiss the laws of Christ or the need for works. The bible is clear, our Lord desires us to be holy, His plan is to provide the way for us to become a “holy nation” unto him. (1 Peter 2:9) To accomplish this, the grace that flows from the atonement of Christ must reach much farther into our lives then just as a cleansing power from sin, more than the absolution of sin, it must work in us until our very natures are transformed and we have “no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.” (Mosiah 5:2)

What is Grace?

Though the Book of Mormon and the teachings of the restored gospel taught in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints provides all the clarity needed to come to a correct understanding of grace and works and to access fully the power of the atonement, this does not mean that members of the Church have a perfect understanding of these things. Our spiritual immaturity, lack of knowledge, and understanding are stumbling blocks in our ability to access the power of the atonement (grace) in our lives.

Nephi, a prophet of the Book of Mormon taught, "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) As a young woman, I memorized this verse in seminary and the words “after all you can do” became a stumbling block to me. Even though I had a sincere desire to repent of my sins and forsake them and to be obedient I continued to struggle. I felt caught in a discouraging cycle of repeated failures. I became very disappointed with myself and began to think bad thoughts about myself. I felt that I was failing my family and my Father in Heaven and that I would never be able to forsake my sins or overcome my weaknesses. After doing “all that I could do,” it just wasn’t enough.

During those painful years I wrongly believed that it was my part to forsake my sins and to be obedient through sheer willpower and grit. Wasn’t this the “all you can do” part of 2 Nephi 25:23? What I hadn’t fully come to understand yet was that it is grace that makes the “all we can do” possible. The power to justify us, to reconcile us to God, is the first critical step in Christ’s atoning work for God’s children, but the power of the atonement is more than just the power to justify us and pardon our sins. The grand objective of the Savior’s gospel was summarized succinctly by President David O. McKay (1873–1970): “The purpose of the gospel is … to make bad men good and good men better, and to change human nature.” [David O. McKay, in Conference Report, Apr. 1954, 26.] Thus, the purpose of Christ’s atonement is to enable us to become good, to live from grace to grace, until they become “perfect in Christ.” (Moroni 10:32-33)

Elder David A. Bednar, an apostle in the Church, gave an address at a BYU devotional that provides powerful clarity on grace, or the power of the atonement, applied in our pursuit of good works through obedience. Elder Bednar called the Book of Mormon “our handbook of instructions as we travel the pathway from bad to good to better and strive to have our hearts changed.” He pointed to King Benjamin’s teachings, “For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord” (Mosiah 3:19). Elder Bednar said, the phrase “becometh a saint” is the second phase after we put off the natural man through repentance. In this second phase “bad men are made good, and good men are made better… this second part of the journey, this process of going from good to better, is a topic about which we do not study or teach frequently enough nor understand adequately.” Clearly this is true in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as Christianity as a whole.

It is this second part of the atoning power of Jesus Christ that the scriptures are often referring to when the word grace is used. Elder Bednar defines grace as “the strengthening and enabling power of the atonement,” and says that if we were to substitute this phrase for the word grace when we read the scriptures our understanding of what grace is, and how it works in us to change our natures, would be transformed. For me this has been true. Applying this definition of grace to 2 Nephi 25:23 has the effect of clearing up my stumbling blocks of my youth. "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 [strengthening and enabling power of the atonement of Jesus Christ] that we are saved, after all we can do."

Elder Bednar said, “Most of us clearly understand that the Atonement is for sinners. I am not so sure, however, that we know and understand that the Atonement is also for saints… We may mistakenly believe we must make the journey from good to better and become a saint all by ourselves, through sheer grit, willpower, and discipline, and with our obviously limited capacities… Individual willpower, personal determination and motivation, effective planning and goal setting are necessary but ultimately insufficient for us to triumphantly complete this mortal journey. Truly, we must come to rely upon “the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah” (2 Nephi 2:8). It is through the grace of the Lord that individuals, through faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance of their sins, receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means. 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.” [The Atonement and the Journey of Mortality, by Elder David A. Bednar]

What the Book of Mormon Teaches Us About Grace

In the pages of the Book of Mormon, in its sermons and stories, disciples of Christ receive greater light and instruction for how we can better access the atoning power (grace) of Jesus Christ and how that power changes our natures and perfects us. One of my favorites is Helaman 12:22-24,“Therefore, blessed are they who will repent and hearken [listen and follow] unto the voice of the Lord their God; for these are they that shall be saved. And may God grant, in his great fulness, that men might be brought unto repentance and good works, that they might be restored unto grace for grace, according to their works.” Here we see that it is by grace that we are moved to repentance, that it is through grace that we are restored to good works. We see that grace is present in every step we take in coming to Christ, and it is for this reason that it is not false to say that we are saved by grace alone. The Book of Mormon doesn’t change the definition of Grace, rather, it adds depth and understanding that unites in harmony the requirements of the law under which the believer is subject with the mercy and divine aid of Jesus Christ in reaching our potential as children of God.

We are taught that God gives us weakness (not sin) that we might be humbled, but with this comes an extraordinary promise: “My grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.” (Helaman 12:27) The Book of Mormon is full of examples of how this grace works upon the humble to make them stronger than they are. The examples of this principle in the lives of the characters of the Book of Mormon are too numerous to provide here, but one of my favorites is the life of Nephi. In Nephi’s youth he responds in faith when asked to accomplish seemly impossible tasks. His understanding of the strengthening and enabling power of the atonement is clearly manifest in how he responded, he said:

“I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.” (1 Nephi 3:7)

Nephi lived from grace to grace and was given the strength to accomplish the commands of the Lord and was given power over his weaknesses. Of course, he was not perfected while in this life, but he was well on the path. I am comforted by his words that reveal his struggle that is so much the story of all believers who struggle to follow.

“O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities. I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me. And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted. My God hath been my support… He hath filled me with his love… he hath given me knowledge… I waxed bold in mighty prayer before him… And upon the wings of his Spirit hath my body been carried… O then, if I have seen so great things, if the Lord… hath visited men in so much mercy, why should my heart weep and my soul linger in the valley of sorrow… and my strength slacken, because of mine afflictions? And why should I yield to sin, because of my flesh? Yea, why should I give way to temptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my peace and afflict my soul?

“Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul. Rejoice, O my heart, and cry unto the Lord, and say: O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the rock of my salvation. May my heart is broken and my spirit is contrite!... O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen.” (2 Nephi 4)

The prophets of the Book of Mormon have given us tangible relatable examples of how to engage fully in the struggle against sin and weakness by acting in faith and humbly trusting in Christ in our desires to be obedient. They meet all the challenges of life with this strengthening power. Those who regularly experience the strengthening and enabling power of the atonement and have been sustained in good works by grace will not and cannot boast in their own strength, they know that it is through Christ that they have power to do all things. This is seen throughout the Book of Mormon, here are some of my favorites:

“I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things…” (Alma 26:12)

“The Lord God showeth us our weakness that we may know that it is by his grace, and his great condescensions unto the children of men, that we have power to do these things.” (Jacob 4:7)

“Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God. And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.” (Moroni 10:32-33)

It is my firm testimony that faith without works is dead, and that teaching obedience to the laws of God as a necessary part of salvation in God’s Kingdom is a witness to the power of grace, so long as we understand that it is through the strengthening and enabling power of Christ that we are sustained in good works and strengthened to bridle our passions and overcome our weakness. The gospel of Christ, understood fully, has no need to discard any part of Christ’s word. We can live under the law because of Christ’s grace. The Book of Mormon does not deny the grace of Christ but is a walking breathing witness of Christ’s power over sin in the lives of those who have been drawn to Christ because of its precepts.