Dear Mom,
I know I cannot adequately express all the many thoughts and feelings I have had on the topic of grace, but since it has been something that lately I just haven't been able to stop thinking about, I thought I would write to you a few of the thoughts I have had. I became so interested in the topic after hearing a talk given by Brad Wilcox which can be found here: http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=1966.
Grace is one of those things that is so powerful, yet so mysterious. What is it? How does it work? Why does it matter? Do I actually understand it the way I should?
I have be praying for answers, and I feel I have received some.
These are some of my jumbled thoughts....
The grace of God is completely was saves our souls in eternity. We could never do enough to earn salvation, salvation is given to us completely out of grace, but that doesn't mean that what we do doesn't matter. My favorite quote from Brother Wilcox talk was, "I have born-again Christian friends who say to me, “You Mormons are trying to earn your way to heaven.” I say, “No, we are not earning heaven. We are learning heaven. We are preparing for it (see D &C 78:7). We are practicing for it.” They ask me, “Have you been saved by grace?” I answer, “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?” They are so excited about being saved that maybe they are not thinking enough about what comes next. They are so happy the debt is paid that they may not have considered why the debt existed in the first place. [We] know not only what Jesus has saved us from, but also what He has saved us for."
The grace of God allows us to choose exactly where we will end up in the eternities. The grace of God is there and it is infinite and as much grace as we choose to use and receive will determine where in heaven or hell we end up. Grace can take us to God, but only if we choose for it to, God will not force His grace upon us to save us. We must be change by that grace. What does, "We are saved by grace after all we can do "(2 Nephi 25:23) then mean? Possibly the doing is referring to the choices we make. Our "works" aren't necessarily then the actual thing that we do, but rather the choices we make and whether these choices help us attain more of Gods grace or not. We are completely saved by grace, but unless we are changed by grace and therefore use our agency to choose grace, we will not be saved. It is by grace that God then allows us to choose where exactly in heaven or hell we will end up. And our actions matter, because an unclean thing will not feel comfortable dwelling in the presence of God. His grace is sufficient to save us all, but part of that grace is that He has given us the choice, and will allow us to choose.
The grace of God is that a way was set up for us to return to God (the atonement) so we are saved completely by that grace, and in choosing to accept that gift, we are then changed by grace.
A thought was shared in Sunday school at Church today that really struck me. This thought is that our efforts can never bring us to heaven or to God, but our efforts (works) can bring us to Christ, and then in turn Christ will bring us to heaven and to God. That is grace. We are then saved completely by grace through Christ, but that grace does not bring us to Christ, that is where we have to DO something. We have to get to Christ and stay with Him, and then He will do the rest to bring us to God. "We are saved by grace after all we can do (2 Nephi 25:23)."
I love you mom.
Love,
Jenepher Kaye
I know I cannot adequately express all the many thoughts and feelings I have had on the topic of grace, but since it has been something that lately I just haven't been able to stop thinking about, I thought I would write to you a few of the thoughts I have had. I became so interested in the topic after hearing a talk given by Brad Wilcox which can be found here: http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=1966.
Grace is one of those things that is so powerful, yet so mysterious. What is it? How does it work? Why does it matter? Do I actually understand it the way I should?
I have be praying for answers, and I feel I have received some.
These are some of my jumbled thoughts....
The grace of God is completely was saves our souls in eternity. We could never do enough to earn salvation, salvation is given to us completely out of grace, but that doesn't mean that what we do doesn't matter. My favorite quote from Brother Wilcox talk was, "I have born-again Christian friends who say to me, “You Mormons are trying to earn your way to heaven.” I say, “No, we are not earning heaven. We are learning heaven. We are preparing for it (see D &C 78:7). We are practicing for it.” They ask me, “Have you been saved by grace?” I answer, “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?” They are so excited about being saved that maybe they are not thinking enough about what comes next. They are so happy the debt is paid that they may not have considered why the debt existed in the first place. [We] know not only what Jesus has saved us from, but also what He has saved us for."
The grace of God allows us to choose exactly where we will end up in the eternities. The grace of God is there and it is infinite and as much grace as we choose to use and receive will determine where in heaven or hell we end up. Grace can take us to God, but only if we choose for it to, God will not force His grace upon us to save us. We must be change by that grace. What does, "We are saved by grace after all we can do "(2 Nephi 25:23) then mean? Possibly the doing is referring to the choices we make. Our "works" aren't necessarily then the actual thing that we do, but rather the choices we make and whether these choices help us attain more of Gods grace or not. We are completely saved by grace, but unless we are changed by grace and therefore use our agency to choose grace, we will not be saved. It is by grace that God then allows us to choose where exactly in heaven or hell we will end up. And our actions matter, because an unclean thing will not feel comfortable dwelling in the presence of God. His grace is sufficient to save us all, but part of that grace is that He has given us the choice, and will allow us to choose.
The grace of God is that a way was set up for us to return to God (the atonement) so we are saved completely by that grace, and in choosing to accept that gift, we are then changed by grace.
A thought was shared in Sunday school at Church today that really struck me. This thought is that our efforts can never bring us to heaven or to God, but our efforts (works) can bring us to Christ, and then in turn Christ will bring us to heaven and to God. That is grace. We are then saved completely by grace through Christ, but that grace does not bring us to Christ, that is where we have to DO something. We have to get to Christ and stay with Him, and then He will do the rest to bring us to God. "We are saved by grace after all we can do (2 Nephi 25:23)."
I love you mom.
Love,
Jenepher Kaye
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