I have been asked often about my beliefs concerning "Grace" and how The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints views the concept. I have always had a difficult time explaining it in a way that satisfied my true feelings about it. Then, I came across a talk given at BYU in 2011 by Brad Wilcox from the Sunday School General Board. A bell went off! He explained it just how I feel. I will use some of his words here when they are more eloquent and precise. I will also quote scriptures and add my own experiences and perception. Hopefully, after reading this, you will gain a better understanding about this topic, my beliefs, and the expressed views of the Lord's Church.
The song, "Amazing Grace" has been one of my favorite all-time songs to sing. It speaks to the feelings of my soul that I have felt while singing in Jerusalem, as well as the quiet moments when I give thanks to my God for miracles in my life and the miracle of forgiveness I have experienced personally.
People have hinted that I belong to a church of works, and that those works make the Atonement impotent. They intimate that somehow my obedience to the Lord's commandments and instruction negates His ability to "save" me completely, or that I somehow believe He cannot do so without my help.
I agree that it is true that some members of the church do not understand this principle very well. There are some who are members of the church for social reasons, or who truly believe, but have not developed the personal relationship with their Savior that He desires. Additionally, the focus is our return to our Heavenly Parents through the Son, Jesus the Christ. This in no way takes away from the amazing grace of the Son.
Brother Wilcox was discussing this concept with a BYU student when he said, “Jesus doesn’t make up the difference. Jesus makes all the difference. Grace is not about filling gaps. It is about filling us.”
I loved that!
Jesus paid the ENTIRE price of our debt! He paid it all! It is finished!
He asks us to show faith in Him, repent, make and keep sacred covenants, receive the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. Our obedience is not a payment! How could we pay even the smallest part? It is impossible! Only He can do that. Only He was qualified. We are showing appreciation for what Jesus Christ did by using our agency to choose to follow His example and to obey his commandments.
I love the parable of the piano lessons Brother Wilcox used, so I will quote it here:
Christ’s Grace Is Sufficient to Transform Us
Christ’s arrangement with us is similar to a mom providing music lessons for her child. Mom pays the piano teacher. How many know what I am talking about? Because Mom pays the debt in full, she can turn to her child and ask for something. What is it? Practice! Does the child’s practice pay the piano teacher? no.
Does the child’s practice repay Mom for paying the piano teacher? no. Practicing is how the child shows appreciation for Mom’s incredible gift. It is how he takes advantage of the amazing opportunity Mom is giving him to live his life at a higher level. Mom’s joy is found not in getting repaid but in seeing her gift used—seeing her child improve. And so she continues to call for practice, practice, practice.
If the child sees Mom’s requirement of practice as being too overbearing (“Gosh, mom, why do I need to practice? none of the other kids have to practice! I’m just going to be a professional baseball player anyway!”), perhaps it is because he doesn’t yet see with mom’s eyes. He doesn’t see how much better his life could be if he would choose to live on a higher plane.
In the same way, because Jesus has paid justice, He can now turn to us and say, “Follow me” (Matthew 4:19), “Keep my commandments” (John 14:15). If we see his requirements as being way too much to ask (“Gosh! none of the other Christians have to pay tithing! none of the other Christians have to go on missions, serve in callings, and do temple work!”), maybe it is because we do not yet see through Christ’s eyes. We have not yet comprehended what He is trying to make of us.
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President Kimball explained that "the repenting sinner must suffer for his sins, but this suffering has a different purpose than punishment or payment. Its purpose is change.”
We are not "earning" heaven, we are "learning" heaven. We are practicing for it, we are trying to internalize the characteristics of a changed soul and implementing that change in the way we live our lives.
Brother Wilcox makes this point: "When people ask if I have been saved by grace, my answer is, 'Yes. Absolutely, totally, completely, thankfully—yes!' Then I ask them a question that perhaps they have not fully considered: 'Have you been changed by grace?'”
Christ's suffering gift is not just a huge favor, it is an investment! He expects us to be changed souls, reborn to become new creatures through His grace and through the price He paid. Otherwise it was all for naught! Now, that would be ungrateful!
He asks certain things of us. By our obedience with exactness and honor, we can actually pierce the veil and draw upon the powers of heaven in ways we never thought possible. Through our undeviating course, the Lord is invited to place His hand on our shoulder and whisper amazing truths to us, and bestow blessings upon us and our children forever. If we are not changed, we will not feel comfortable in His presence. It would be hell, not heaven!
Everyone on this planet chose to go along with the Father's plan; we wanted Jesus to be the Christ. Some faught for that plan valiantly. Today, our agency is still intact, and some choose the Lord's plan, while others do not. I will not tell Jesus that He can no longer speak through prophets, as He always has done. I will not tell the Lord what is allowed and what is not! I will not presume to tie His hands, those hands......
Brother Wilcox continued, "When we understand grace, we understand that God is long-suffering, that change is a process, and that repentance is a pattern in our lives. When we understand grace, we understand that the blessings of Christ’s Atonement are continuous and His strength is perfect in our weakness (see 2 Corinthians 12:9)."
I testify with all my heart that "Christ is not waiting at the finish line once we have done “all we can do” (2 Nephi 25:23), He is with us every step of the way!"
So grace is not a booster engine that kicks in once our fuel supply is exhausted.
Rather, it is our constant energy source.
It is not the light at the end of the tunnel but the light that moves us through the tunnel.
Grace is not achieved somewhere down the road. It is received right here and right now.
It is not a finishing touch; it is the Finisher’s touch (see Hebrews 12:2).
In the LDS Hymn, “Come, Come, Ye Saints,” the phrase reads, "Grace shall be as your day”—what an interesting phrase. We have all sung it hundreds of times, but have we stopped to consider what it means? “Grace shall be as your day”: grace shall be like a day. As dark as night may become, we can always count on the sun coming up. As dark as our trials, sins, and mistakes may appear, we can always have confidence in the grace of Jesus Christ. Do we earn a sunrise? No. Do we have to be worthy of a chance to begin again? No. We just have to accept these blessings and take advantage of them. As sure as each brand-new day, grace—the enabling power of Jesus Christ—is constant.
Conclusion
The grace of Christ is sufficient—sufficient to cover our debt, sufficient to transform us, and sufficient to help us as long as that transformation process takes. The Book of Mormon teaches us to rely solely on “the merits, and mercy, and grace of the holy messiah” (2 Nephi 2:8). as we do, we do not discover—as some Christians believe—that Christ requires nothing of us. Rather, we discover the reason He requires so much and the strength to do all he asks (see Philippians 4:13). Grace is not the absence of God’s high expectations. Grace is the presence of God’s power (see Luke 1:37).
