The Grace of Christ - Do Mormons Believe in it?

The Marvelous Grace of Christ

Research by Kerry A. Shirts

We Mormons are taken to task for something that bewilders us, quite frankly. It is this, that Mormons do not acept or believe in the Grace of Christ. I have thought about this often, and have been re-reading the New Testament asking myself, do I believe this? Do I believe that? Well what of the Grace of Jesus Christ to us lowly mortals? Do I personally believe it? I have to answer, in all honesty, yes I do believe it and believe in it. Consider that marvelous chapter 2 of Ephesians.

We see right off the bat that we are dead in trespasses and sins (vs1). Yet, Christ has quickened us. The Greek term for trespasses being "paraptoma" meaning a lapse or deviation from truth and uprightness, a sin and a misdeed.

In other words, we simply fall short. We already knew this anyway, but Paul keeps reminding us. At Colossians 1:21 we see that. "And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works..."

So it's a miserable condition to be sure. Yet Paul assures us that "yet now hath he reconciled." (Col. 1:21).

The Greek term for reconciled is an interesting one...."apokatallasso, to reconcile completely, to reconcile back again, bring back a former state of harmony."

So there is a way to be reconciled back to Christ, even for us Mormons. And how is that? Paul never misses the mark on this. He says "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us. Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved). And hath raised us up together... for by grace ye are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:5-6,7,8).

This is absolutely marvelous stuff. "Salvation in all its forms, kinds and degrees comes by the grace of God... men are thus saved by grace alone, in the sense of being resurrected...How else could salvation possibly come? Can man save himself? Can he resurrect himself? Can he create a Celestial Kingdom and decree his own admission thereto? Salvation must and does originate with God, and if man is to receive it, God must bestow it on him, which bestowal is a manifestation of grace." (Bruce R. McConkie, "Doctrinal New Testament Commentary," Vol. 2, p. 498f).

"The power that exalted the Son is the same power that exalts God's elect. Pertaining to man, this power may be summed up in one word: grace. The gospel, "the power of God unto salvation" (Romans 1"16), is the message of grace. By pure grace, mankind is redeemed from physical death (1 Cor. 15:20-23). By qualified grace (grace by covenant), the sinner is redeemed from his sins; he is justified (Romans 5:1,9, 6:3-11).

Grace is graciousness, kindness, generosity, charity, and is centered on Christ's atonement.

Paul's phrase, "not of works, lest any man should boast" is pertaining to those works involved in the Law of Moses. The Jews erred in seeking salvation wholly through the killing letter of a lwa centered in the symbolic blood of animals, rather than the redeeming blood of Christ. (Rodney Turner, "Grace, Mysteries, and Exaltation", in Studies In the Scripture," Vol. 6, Acts to Revelation, Robert Millet, ed., 1987, p. 110). So it is not the works of the Law (of Moses) whereby we are saved. It is through Christ's grace. This is the Mormon doctrine I was raised on.

Consider further this context of Paul preaching to the misled Jews and the Gentiles who thought they would be saved through their false ordinances. Paul is de-emphasizing their own works for salvation, as they didn't center in Christ and his Atonement. It is honestly that simple. Hence we find Paul saying "Not of works, lest any man should boast." It was not the slaughtering of 1,000 animals of one guy as opposed to another who only slaughtered 50 as to who was getting more saved at all. They were completely missing the issue. When we read the Bible, especially the New Testament, we see that no one commanded works more firmly than Jesus himself. He emphasized this at the close of his most urgent sermon, with the warning that hearing without doing will bring destruction (Matt. 7:26f). And when we read the entire book of Ephesians, we note the emphasis on grace in the first three chapters, while the last three emphasize works! The two join in conjunction, they are not antagonistic with each other. Paul preached that neither one alone would save man, neither grace alone, nor works alone. We need to seek to be strengthened daily by the Holy Ghost in our efforts (Ephesians 3:16).

It is most interesting that most, if not all, Christians miss Paul's words after his famous "Not of works, lest any man should boast." This is immediately followed by a challenge of works in their new Christian life! "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works." (Eph. 2:10). The new church members have performed baptism (Eph 4:5), and have received the Holy Spirit of promise (Eph. 1:13), but they are wanred "grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption." (Eph. 4:30). How can they grieve the Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost? This warning is among the commandments for a righteous life.

Another interesting thing most Christians fail to grasp in Paul: He said that good works for pre-ordained! Eph. 2:10 says "...created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" (NKJB). This is related to the premortal terminology in Ephesians 1, where the Greek term "proetoimazo" rendered "prepared in advance" in the NIV, is the verb foloowed by a Greek purpose clause indicating that God's premortal preparation had "good works" as its objective for mortal life. (Richard Lloyd Anderson, "Understanding Paul," 1983, p. 273f).

So, yes, we Mormons most certainly DO believe in that marvelous grace of God and Christ.