It may come as a surprise to those outside of the Mormon church that Mormons believe in Jesus Christ. The official name of the church is "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints". As a member of the church I fully believed I was saved through Jesus Christ's atonement but was also taught there were certain things I needed to do to be worthy of that. The 3rd article of faith in the Mormon church says "We believe that through the atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel" For most of my life the focus has been on keeping the commandments, being temple "worthy", enduring to the end. In contrast, I have loved learning about the doctrine of Grace and am starting to understand the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless Love of God (beautiful song by Corey Abury) Most people within the church that I've shared my journey with immediately respond with, "There has to be some works", "We can't just say we're saved by Grace" , "There's more to it than just Grace" The thing is, there isn't...His Grace is sufficient. He's already paid the price, He's already won the race. There isn't anything we do that brings salvation. There's actually a really great Mormon conference talk by Dieter F Uchtdorf "The Gift of Grace" In it he says, "Salvation cannot be bought with the currency of obedience; it is purchased by the blood of the Son of God". I love this! The church needs more talks and lessons that focus on the gift of Grace. Too often church members think it's "after all we can do" before Grace kicks in. When we are doing anything thinking it is something that will help bring about our salvation, we are no longer doing it for the Lord. In Timothy Keller's book, "The Prodigal God" He shares an apocryphal story that shows the difference between results oriented works and works that are born of love for the Lord.
"One day Jesus said to his disciples: “I’d like you to carry a stone for me.” He didn’t give any explanation. So the disciples looked around for a stone to carry, and Peter, being the practical sort, sought out the smallest stone he could possibly find. After all, Jesus didn’t give any regulation for weight and size! So he put it in his pocket.
Jesus then said: “Follow Me.” He led them on a journey.
About noontime Jesus had everyone sit down. He waved his hands and all the stones turned to bread. He said, “Now it’s time for lunch.”
In a few seconds, Peter’s lunch was over. When lunch was done Jesus told them to stand up.
He said again, “I’d like you to carry a stone for me.”
This time Peter said, “Aha! Now I get it!” So he looked around and saw a small boulder. He hoisted it on his back and it was painful, it made him stagger. But he said, “I can’t wait for supper.”
Jesus then said: “Follow Me.” He led them on a journey, with Peter barely being able to keep up.
Around supper time Jesus led them to the side of a river. He said, “Now everyone throw your stones into the water.” They did.
Then he said, “Follow Me,” and began to walk.
Peter and the others looked at him dumbfounded.
Jesus sighed and said, “Don’t you remember what I asked you to do? Who were you carrying the stone for?”
Ouch, right? I don't know about you, but when I first read this story, I was convicted by the spirit, I had been doing things for the wrong reasons. We had recently moved our young family to Hawaii and were struggling to find work where we could make ends meet. We had a home on the mainland that had been on the market for months and wasn't selling. I was serving as the Primary President (oversaw the children ministry for our Mormon congregation) and was balancing Sundays with four young kids on my own (Matt had to work Sundays for the entire first year we lived there). I felt like we had made great sacrifices for the Lord and I fully expected him to bless us in return. I was beginning to feel frustrated that things weren't falling into place as quickly as we expected them to. Reading this was like a gut punch to the stomach...Who was I carrying the stone for? I was definitely carrying it for me! Keller says "If like the elder brother, you believe that God ought to bless you and help you because you have worked so hard to obey him and be a good person, then Jesus may be your helper, your example, even your inspiration, but he is not your Savior. You are serving as your own Savior".
As we come to understand that we are saved by Grace, a free gift of Jesus Christ, our lives become centered on Him, the works come naturally! When we recognize that we are saved by Grace, and understand the cost, the price that was paid by Jesus Christ, we will gladly carry any stone he asks. Not because of anything it will do for us but because of our love for Him. We are no longer carrying the stone for ourselves, we are carrying for the Lord.
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