Watch the video above and talk about it with a friend or mentor.

Grace is not freedom to live a sinful life, but the favor of God extended unconditionally to the people who need it most.

People transitioning out of Mormonism often struggle with both the concept of grace and the experience of grace. The LDS idea of grace is quite different from the biblical idea, can make grace a confusing topic.

[Related Topic: What Is Grace?]

[Related Topic: The Grace Narrative]

Video Highlights:

  • Grace is not a major topic in Mormonism. In Zac’s experience, other topics, like faith or the atonement, got far more emphasis. Grace was never really discussed, and certainly not connected to the atonement.
  • Biblically, grace is the attitude of God by which he gives his gifts freely. By grace, God gives his gifts without condition. This applies first of all to salvation. We don’t have to work for our salvation. It’s all about what God did on the cross for us, which he offers freely to us. Our part is to receive the gift by faith.
  • Grace answers the human condition. All people are fallen. Thus no one can become acceptable to God on our own. We cannot do it ourselves. That means that apart from God’s grace, we would have no hope of salvation. But if you don’t take sin seriously, it’s hard to take grace seriously.
  • Grace doesn’t mean we can live a sinful life. Charnae points out that when you accept god’s grace, you will no longer be happy in your sin. Romans 6 says that grace is not license to sin. In fact, grace is actually an incentive to live in obedience. As recipients of God’s free gift of grace, we find that we don’t want to sin anymore.

[Related Topic: Don’t Misunderstand God’s Grace]

[Related Topic: 7 Signs That You Might Be Cheapening Grace]

It can be hard to understand the concept of grace. But grace can also be tough to grasp on an emotional level. When you experience the amazing grace of God toward you, you realize you don’t have to keep striving to be worthy. God accepts you and saves you as an unconditional gift.

[Related Topic: Grace for Believers]

Read more
Read less

Key Points:

  • Grace Is Not a Major Topic in Mormonism
  • Grace Is the Attitude by Which God Gives His Gifts Freely
  • Grace Answers the Human Condition
  • Grace Doesn’t Mean We Can Live a Sinful Life

See Also: Tags

Talk About It
  1. Watch the video together or invite someone to summarize the topic.
  2. What is your initial reaction to this video? Do you disagree with any of it? What jumped out at you?
  3. When you were lDS, did your family and friends talk about grace much? What was the main message you heard about grace in Mormonism?
  4. What seems to be the main message you are hearing about grace in the churches you have attended since?
  5. Read Ephesians 2:8-10. What is the role of grace in our salvation?
  6. Is there anything about grace that you find hard to grasp? Explain.
  7. Talk about how grace answers the human condition.
  8. Read Romans 6:1-2. What reason does the Bible give why grace is not permission to go on sinning.
  9. Read Romans 6:15-16. Why is sin incompatible with God’s grace?
  10. Write a personal action step based on this conversation.

This is part of the Clarifying Salvation After Mormonism series.