For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8
Did you know that Cain was a Mormon? Yes, that Cain, the first son of our first parents, the child who Eve at first believed was a man she had gotten from the Lord (Genesis 4:1). Cain was the first holder of the primary doctrine of the Mormon religion, that of God’s grace being applied after we do all that we can do toward our own salvation. In fact, the Book of Mormon has a verse, 2 Nephi 25:23, that plainly states that we are saved by grace <I>after all that we can do</I>. Isn’t that what we see Cain doing, as he stands beside his little altar burdened down with fruit and vegetables looking for all the world like a first-prize entry in an agricultural show? Cain knew he had to receive God’s approval for his sacrifice, but he was not going to depend on the worth of a substitute like his brother was doing. No, he had worked diligently to produce his produce; it represented the very best of his efforts, and so he wasn’t going to need as much grace as his brother was going to need. And if that isn’t the attitude of a devout Mormon, I don’t know what is. But it fails to grasp the nature of God’s grace.
When was the last time you walked into a gift store and the clerk handed you one of the pieces of the store merchandise free of charge? Gift stores do not sell gifts, they sell items that you can buy to give as gifts to others. A gift is not purchased; a gift by its nature is free of all price or obligation. Even Christmas gifts are not truly gifts, because they are usually given in anticipation of receiving a gift in return. But the grace of God is a true gift. It cannot be purchased, and it cannot be mingled with works, or else it loses its character as a gift. Grace is defined as unmerited favour. It means God extends His salvation to those who have no right or claim to it, or who deserve it in any way. Those of us who have trusted Christ rejoice that we never need to worry about whether we have done all that we need to do to please God. No, we simply look to our Saviour and know that He did all that was necessary to please His Father.
The grace of God applies much more than to the Salvation that rescues us from hell and takes us to Heaven. That assurance was received the moment we believed. But our Salvation also includes our daily Salvation, that protection and encouragement and guidance that the Holy Spirit provides to each child of God each day of our lives. This aspect of our salvation is also not something that we deserve or earn because we could never be good enough to deserve it nor work hard enough to earn it. No, God grants his daily Salvation to us as a free gift, from His great heart of love.
We are trophies of God’s grace, and are dependent every moment of our lives on that grace. And not of ourselves. -Jim MacIntosh