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

Obedience is important in the Christian life but the motivation and approach are very different from Mormonism.

Mormonism and biblical Christianity both emphasize obedience. While obedience is important in the Christian life, the motivation and approach are very different from Mormonism. Let’s explore some of the differences in order to understand how obedience works in relation to God.  

Video Highlights:

  • What obedience meant as a Latter-day Saint. I was taught that obedience is what I had to do to please God to live with him in the celestial kingdom. My position in eternity depended on how well I obeyed. There was no slack: anything less than perfection was not good enough. The focus was on me and what I did or did not do, according to the laws and ordinances of the LDS gospel’s teaching. It was an obedience motivated by fear.
  • How the LDS view of obedience made me feel. I felt condemned and judged. It was hard, even impossible, for me at my young age. So many expressions of obedience that I was held accountable for depended on my parents. I was judged to be not as good as other Mormon youth. I was being compared to other people, and comparing myself to others. I felt that God wasn’t happy with me, and I wasn’t worthy of his blessings.
  • What obedience means to me as a Christian. I learned that salvation and eternal life are not dependant on my obedience or anything I do. My righteousness is all because of Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross. He offers the gift of grace, and asks me simply to believe.
    • Obedience is a response to what God has done. I realized that we were created for good works, not worthy because of our good works. God even gives us his Spirit to empower us to do it!

Ephesians 2:8-10 (NIV) For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

As a Latter-day Saint, I felt like I had to obey God. Now I want to obey God.

[Related: Living in Grace After Mormonism]

[Related: Is Obedience Better Than Sacrifice?]

[Related: Does Grace Mean I Can Do What I Want?]

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Key Points:

  • What Obedience Meant as a Latter-day Saint
  • How the LDS View of Obedience Made Me Feel
  • What Obedience Means to Me as a Christian

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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, what was your view of obedience? Do you relate to this woman’s experience, or not? Explain.
  4. How is a person’s view of obedience related to his or her view of God?
  5. How has your view of obedience – and your view of God – changed since you were LDS?
  6. Read Ephesians 2:8-10. What is the relationship between God’s grace, our faith, and our subsequent actions?
  7. How would you respond to the person who says, “I’m saved by God’s grace, so it doesn’t really matter if I sin or not.”
  8. Write a personal action step based on this conversation.