Grace Defined

A few years ago I had a discussion with an evangelical minister who did not believe that the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon was the primary distinguishing factor between evangelicals and Saints. Although I do not agree with this, he did state that our definitions of grace differed. I did agree with that, but at the time I could not pinpoint a definition for grace. Since then I have done a lot of research and now feel that I understand grace much better and can define it much more clearly from a Saint's perspective.

The two best discourses I have ever heard or read on grace is in the book Believing Christ by Stephen Edward Robinson (in the chapters Saved by Grace and Misunderstanding Grace) and a general conference talk by the Apostle, Elder David A Bednar titled In the Strength of the Lord.

Here is how I would simply define grace - a gift of God's enabling power. There is a question of whether this is deserved or undeserved - it can be both. In a previous post I discussed the Pattern of Grace that I have discovered. That answers the question more clearly. It may be helpful to read that before continuing.

This is helpful to understand how we get grace but that does not define grace. Every word in the definition that I have given is still pretty vague. Here are a few examples that I would use to practically define grace:

The Creation (including the earth and everything on it, as well as our bodies)
Our Agency (our ability to choose and make our own choices and not be forced to do something)
Knowledge (including His commandments and instructions)
The Atonement of Christ (enabling us to change and correct poor decisions and empowering us beyond our mortal abilities)
Mercy (including forgiveness for breaking His laws and the necessary time to fix those mistakes through the Atonement)
The Priesthood (God's authority and power given and delegated to men, including His church and ability to return to Him)
Eternal Life (including its intermediate levels which include the witness of the Holy Ghost and the gift of the Holy Ghost)

Questions about grace:

Is grace equal to salvation?

Grace can equal salvation (what I put as eternal life). But it is much more than just salvation. It does cancel out sin, in this case grace equals mercy not necessarily full salvation. Grace also enables us to repent from sin (through the grace of Christ's Atonement), this is part of redemption.

Is grace free?

The answer to this question is not simple. The answer of yes is true but, as stated, misunderstood. Following the pattern that I presented some grace is unconditionally free. God gave us our agency; this is a grace that required no merit from us whatsoever. We were sent to earth and given the ability to use the materials on it; this is a grace that requires no merit from us whatsoever. God may choose to give us a revelation through whatever means that he feels necessary and this grace may be given with no merit on our part.

But as you follow the pattern further down, other graces are conditional. Some would say that if it is conditional on any action on our part then it is not free because it is then merited. This is not true. If God chooses of His own will to give us a revelation (no merit), He does expect us to act on it. If we do, then we are prepared to receive the next grace, which we receive only if He chooses to give it. In every case it is His decision to give it, whether we fulfilled any conditions or not. Full salvation is a grace that is built upon other graces, both given of no merit and acquired by growing "from grace to grace." We receive "grace for grace" by acting on one grace and receiving another.

There are differing degrees for different graces. Some are lower graces and others are higher. Some require us to act on previous graces to receive them and others do not. If we receive a grace and we choose not to act on that grace then we do not receive the next grace that required our action; but, God is a merciful God and will continue to give us those graces that do not require our action, or those conditional graces for which we have already taken action. There are degrees of salvation, there are degrees of mercy, there are degrees of knowledge and so on. All of these are "grace".

Where does baptism fit into the definition of grace? Is it required for salvation?

Baptism fits under the priesthood because it is an ordinance performed by the power of the priesthood. Baptism is therefore a grace and it is grace that saves us. This grace of baptism includes a covenant, and God enables us to fulfill our part of that covenant - this enabling power is also a grace. But we must choose to do our part - this ability to choose is also a grace. But, even though we are enabled by the atonement of Christ, we must actually use that agency to act on the grace of baptism in order to receive the grace of salvation. This act some call works and is required for salvation when able to do so. But, in so stating, it is not works that save us, but grace alone.

Agency is a grace that grows as we grow "from grace to grace." This is like knowledge which grows as we grow "from grace to grace." This is consistent with the pattern of grace. There is a degree of agency before which baptism is not required for salvation. The grace of Christ's atonement has covered for those who have not attained to a certain degree of grace, agency included. In these cases, specifically in children, the grace of baptism is not required before the grace of salvation is given.