By Grace Are Ye Saved

BY GRACE ARE YE SAVED. BY FRED J. PACK, B. S. (m. E.), A. M.

One of the chief tenets of the Church of Jesus Christ of Lat- ter-day Saints is that good works are essential to salvation. While this doctrine may not be diametrically opposed to the orthodox idea of "saving by grace," it is sufficiently so that, whenever it is

taught, it invariably brings forth a great deal of opposition. The doctrine of justification by faith alone would permit the vilest sinner to enter the Kingdom of God upon one condition, — that he simply believe that Jesus is the Christ. This is evidenced nearly every day in the confession of convicted criminals. We do not be- lieve, however, that there is no salvation for such, but we do claim that it is impossible for them to go direct to the Kingdom of God without first demonstrating that they are willing to keep the com- mandments of God. If faith alone were sufficient, Satan himself would be among those who are to be rewarded with salvation. For it is said that "the devils also believe, and tremble" (Jas. 2: 19).

The Savior taught that works are essential to salvation. He said,"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven" (Matt. 7: 21). "If ye love me, keep my com- mandments. * * * * He that hath my command- ments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me; and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him" (John 14: 15, 21). In speaking of the justice of God's judgment, Paul says that he is a being "Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and im- mortality, eternal life" (Rom. 2: 6, 7). John's words are particu-

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larly explicit upon this subject: "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his words, in him is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith that he abideth in him ought himself also to walk, even as he walked" (John 2: 3 6). The instructions of James are likewise easy to understand: — "What doth my brethren, though a it profit,

man saith he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled: notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works. Thou believes t that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe and tremble. But wilt thou know, vain man, that faith without works is dead?

• *     *     *       Ye see then how that by works a man is
  

justified, and not by faith alone" (James 2: 14-20, 24). Many other passages could be added to the ones already cited, but these are so explicit that no unbiased person will call for others to prove the necessity of good works. But now directly to the subject at hand. If so many of the people of the world believe in the sufficiency of faith alone, how do they support their position? They very often quote the follow- ing from Paul, "For by grace are ye saved through faith: and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast" (Eph. 2: 8, 9). This passage has proved a stumb- ling block to some. A hasty consideration of it may give one the impression that there is a disagreement between it and some others already quoted. For instance, James says, "Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith alone," while Paul says, "Not by works, lest any man should boast." In order to get an explanation for this apparent contradiction, let us approach the matter from another direction. Suppose that we ask ourselves the question, Have we anv inherent power to save ourselves, no matter how pure our lives may be? This will doubt-

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less be answered in the negative. If, then, we cannot save our- selves by good works, will the doctrine of the necessity of works hold? On the other hand, who is it that rewards individuals with salvation? TV this we all answer that God alone can save. Now, then, is it not a correct opinion to hold that it is through the grace of God that we are to be saved, and that we cannot save our- selves? There appears to be but one answer: yes. How, then, about the doctrine of works? A simple illustration will make the matter clear: Nearly all of the large universities have the custom of award- ing scholarships and fellowships to a limited number of students each year. These are sought for very earnestly, because, in addi- tion to their possession being a great honor, they carry with them sufficient money to aid the student materially in his work. It is

well understood at all these institutions that the award of such an honor is absolutely a free gift. No student has any claim what- ever for one of them, and, further, no matter how hard the stu- dent may work to obtain one of these prizes, they still remain a free gift from the institution. But who are the students who receive these honors? Are they the ones whosit idly by, and simply believe that in the due

course of time that they themselves will receive such, or are they the ones who apply diligently, and thus prove to those in charge that they are worthy, and that the honor will not be misplaced when given to them? Yes; the universities are so careful, in re- gard to this matter, that they have councils who select from all

the applicants the ones who are particularly prepared for the en- joyment and appreciation of the honor. The bright hard-working student who labors from early morning until late at night is al-

ways recognized; the idler, never. The faith of the latter may be just as strong as that of the former, but a special preparation, based on toil and determination, is a prerequisite for the reception of this great blessing. And now let us ask the question, Does the honor come as a free gift? It certainly does. Are good works essential to the reception of such? Without question. If there is

doubt in the mind of any one as to the correctness of this answer, let him go to one of these institutions and seek such a fellowship his grief and disappointment will soon convince him.

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Now back to the subject of salvation in the Kingdom of God. Eternal glory will surely come about through the grace and love of God, —a free gift; but, like the awarding council at the univer- sity, God will never place a premium upon idleness. His rewards will go to those who keep his commandments. Therefore, the Lat-

ter-day Saints teach that it is absolutely imperative for all who expect to enter the glory of God to keep his commandments, and thus prepare themselves for the reception of eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven. "Ye see, then, how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith alone." In the awarding of the univer- sity fellowships, the council obtains all available information con- cerning the preparation of the applicants, and awards the prizes accordingly. At the final judgment, God will have a complete record of our entire lives, and from that record we are to be judged and rewarded. Describing that eventful time, John says, "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out' of those things that were written in the books, according to their works." (Rev. 20: 12).

Woods Cross, Utah.