Grace and works

Susie Becker said that Martin Luther swung the pendulum too far from works to grace as he declared that through grace alone we are saved. She reminds that it is by grace we are saved after all we can do (her emphasis), and that God does all He can to save us after we have done all that we can do by obedience. While Luther may have taken things to far I think Susie is mistaken in her emphasis. First of all, God has done all that He can do to redeem us before we (since the meridian of time) have even had the chance to do anything for our salvation. The real truth is that salvation requires our choices and God’s grace. God does His part of the equation but while He can redeem men despite their actions He cannot save them despite their intentions. If they intend to thwart God they will succeed as far as their own soul is concerned.

C.S. Lewis said that asking which is more important (grace or works) is like asking which blade in a part of scissors is more important. (Thanks for sharing that Susie.)

Is there a misconception that grace is a one-time event? That misunderstanding is the key to the wedge between the grace and works doctrines. Grace is an ongoing, repeated process. Having felt grace once doesn’t end the need for grace (“can ye feel so now?”) But serves as an example of what we will need to receive regularly going forward.

President Eyring described the culture of this ward as caring spiritually for each other. He went on to talk about blankets and food as examples of temporal caring but I think that blankets and food could be a good focal point for general personal caring for others.