Chapter 10a - Saved By “Grace” - Not By “Works”?
Before we talk about where we end up…
we need to understand what actually saves us.
Chapter 10a
Saved By Grace – Not By Works
Welcome to the Mormon Mann YouTube channel. I am Kendall, the Mormon Mann.
In this playlist “Joseph Smith and the Bible,” I am challenging over 80 of Joseph Smith’s teachings, and I am doing it using only the Bible.
In several previous videos, we’ve seen that Jesus Christ warned believers to beware of false prophets and false teachers. Considering that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only Christian church that claims a living prophet today, those warnings deserve careful attention.
Mark 13:21,22
21.And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not:
22. For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.
This calling out of the Mormon church is why I am doing this series. I am challenging 83 of Joseph Smith’s teachings with what only the Bible has to say about them.
Yes, I will be challenging the most difficult teachings like an additional book of scripture called The Book of Mormon. I will be challenging Joseph Smith’s teachings on polygamy, blacks and the priesthood, the magical Mormon underwear, and salvation vs exaltation, to name a few.
Make sure that you press the Subscribe button so that you can follow these challenges.
Today’s video is on the topic of being “Saved by Grace.” We will be investigating being “saved.” Or the “saved by grace” doctrine professed by many “saved” Christians.
This is not a simple subject, so I’ve divided it into two parts:
Chapter 10a:Saved by Grace – Not by Works
Chapter 10b:Saved by Grace – Requirements for Eternal Salvation
What Do “Saved Christians” Mean by Salvation?
A common Christian definition of salvation is:
Salvation is where every believer dwells eternally in the presence of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
It is received through faith in Christ alone—by grace, not by works—and delivers believers from sin and its consequences.
Many Christians believe that those who truly believe in Christ are “saved by grace.”
Many Christian religions follow the philosophy that “those who believe in Christ” are “saved by grace.” On a side note, in one way, I honestly believe that these “saved Christians” are right and will receive the eternal reward that they are expecting. I will expound more on this “eternal rewards” at the end of the second video, Chapter 10b.
A Shared Spiritual Witness
Now, let’s take a look at the “Born Again” Christians. Once they gain a spiritual belief through the Holy Ghost that Jesus Christ is their Savior, they are then “Born Again Christians.”
Once the Baptists gain a spiritual belief through the Holy Ghost that Jesus Christ is their Savior, they are then “Saved Christians.”
Once the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) receive a spiritual belief through the Holy Ghost that Jesus Christ is their Savior, they have then received a “testimony” that Jesus Christ is their Savior.
But the source is the same.
1 Corinthians 12:3
Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
What is important here to understand is that the “Saved Christians,” the “Born Again Christians,” the Mormons who have a “Testimony” that Jesus Christ is our Savior, plus all of the other Christian religions that profess Christ is their Savior, i.e. the Catholics, the Methodists, the Lutherans and etc…all have received a spiritual confirmation from the Holy Ghost that Jesus Christ is our Savior.
We all are “saved!”
Is Everyone Going to the Same Heaven?
Most Christians believe: “Salvation is where every believer will dwell in the same heaven in the presence of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
All Baptists, Evangelicals, Catholics, Lutherans, Mormons and etc., who believe in Christ will dwell in the same heaven! …
Not so fast!
We are going to learn here today, in this video that this definition of “salvation” is not so perfectly defined.
The apostle Paul’s teaching on “saved by grace” is the primary support for this “saved Christian” belief. Paul stated:
Ephesians 2:5-9
5.Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
6. And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
7. That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
8. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9. Not of works, lest any man should boast.
These are two other passages that state similar teaching: Romans 1:16 and Galatians 3:10-14.
At first glance, this seems straightforward:
Grace saves—not works.
But, is that the full picture?
Salvation from Sin
The prophet Joseph Smith taught that this “saved by grace through faith…not of works” is actually “salvation from sin.” This is where all men who lived on earth will be saved from mortal death, will be resurrected, judged, and then will live for the rest of eternity away from sin.
This “salvation from sin” is not the “eternal salvation in the kingdom of God.” You can find details of this eternal salvation in my:
Chapter 12a & b – Plan of Salvation – Post Mortal Life - Press the button below to go directly there.
It is the Mormon belief that, being “saved,” being “born again,” and “receiving a testimony”…of the divinity of Jesus Christ and His being our Savior is the first step in the development of our spiritual and eternal lives. This is where this doctrine gets to be real sensitive!
Peter’s Warning About Paul!
Did you know that the apostle Peter warned the saints about Paul’s teachings on salvation?
The point that must be made here is:
Peter is warning all saints or members of the church, that Paul was hard to understand when teaching about the topic of salvation. Peter warned the members that are “unlearned” and “unstable” who follow Paul’s teaching, it could lead to their own destruction. Peter’s warning states:
2 Peter 3:15-17
15. And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
16. As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
17. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness.
A Tension in Paul’s Teachings
Consider this:
An example of Paul’s teachings being hard to understand is where Paul taught the members in Galatia:
Galatians 6:7,8
7. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
8. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
Paul is teaching “for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
What a man soweth…is the amount of works that he put into it!
This is the exact opposite of being “saved by grace through your faith…not of works.”
So, which of Paul’s teaching is correct here?
We now we have a question:
Are we saved by grace alone?
Or do our actions matter?
This tension is exactly why Peter warned us.
Let’s look at the other apostle’s teachings about this topic of being “saved by grace, not of works.”
Peter consciously gives the saints of Christ a very strong and specific warning that if they are not careful in correctly understanding Paul’s teachings about salvation, they will then “be let away with the error of the wicked,” and “fall from their own steadfastness,” “unto their own destruction!”
Therefore, it is critical that everybody understand this warning before studying about salvation and specifically the “saved by grace” philosophy.
Clarifying Key Terms
In order to ensure that we are not falling into the “error of the wicked” it is important to define several of the Biblical terms when dealing with “salvation.”
To avoid confusion, we need to define three key terms:
Faith
Salvation from Sin
Eternal Salvation
The Bible talks about faith in two different contexts. So, what does the word “faith” actually mean in the different contexts?
1. Faith.
The Random House Dictionary defines “faith” in the following manner:
A. Faith as a Belief that is not based on proof. A belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion.
Scriptural support for this definition is:
Ephesians 2:8-9
8.For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; 9. Not of works, lest any man should boast.
B. A system of religious belief: the Jewish faith.[3]
The second definition is faith as a religious institution. This definition of faith is harder to recognize in some of the passages. It is also the cause of much misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the passages concerning faith. Here are three references that are referring to the faith, as in Christ’s church.
1 Corinthians 16:13
Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.
“Stand fast in the faith” is referring to Christ’s church.
Ephesians 4:5
One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
Paul is very clear when he states that there is only “one Lord, one faith” (or Christ’s church), and only “one baptism” (into Christ’s church). Any other church or baptisms are not part of the true “faith” or the actual Church of Jesus Christ.
Paul is continuing his epistle to the Galatians, and he asked them if they received the Spirit by the “works of the law” (Mosaic Law, or Jewish church), or if they received it through “the hearing of faith?” or did they hear it through Christ’s church, the teachings of the apostles?
Galatians 3:2
This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Here, “faith” refers to Christ’s church—not just belief.
This distinction is crucial—and often misunderstood.
2. Salvation from Sin
What does it mean to be “saved”"?
Matthew 1:21
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
Here, Matthew defined “saved” as “people are being saved from their sins.”
Luke also supports this definition in the following passage:
Luke 1:77-79
77. To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,
78. Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
79. To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
So salvation includes:
Forgiveness of sin
Deliverance from death
Who Is Saved from Death?
Matthew and Luke do not specify who all are “saved from sin and death.” To learn who all is included in being “saved from sin and death” we must listen to the teachings of Jesus Christ and His other apostles. Paul is specific about who is saved from death when he stated:
1 Corinthians 15:22
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
That’s a universal statement.
All will be resurrected.
There Is An Order To This Universal Resurrection
1 Corinthians 15:23
But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
Question: Is this a prejudiced judgement in the resurrection, where one person may receive more than another person?
Question: Is Paul hinting that, with the first fruits, there is a hierarchy in the resurrection?
Under the Christian definition of “saved by grace,” this statement of Paul’s, that “all men shall live,” is also an actual contradiction to Paul’s statement, “all who believe will be saved.” This is one of the things Peter was alluding to when he said “Paul was hard to understand!”
Some of the other apostle’s teachings will also shed some light on this “saved by grace” concept. Luke taught that “all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” Again, this is in total contradiction to the “saved Christian” definition of “saved by grace.”
Luke 3:6
And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
Reading John’s teaching will also shed more light on “salvation.” John teaches about how God sent His Son to “save the world.” (Slide 20)
John 3:17
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Question: Does this mean the entire population of the world will “see the salvation of God,” as it obviously states?
These passages suggest something broader than “only believers.”
Everyone is Resurrected
The interpretation by some of the “saved Christians” means “only those that believe.” But when compared to the teachings of Matthew, Luke, John, and Paul, it does take on the inclusion of the entire population of the world, since it was created.
John puts the final clarification on the Christian’s misunderstanding of the “saved by grace” theory for believers only when he teaches about who will be resurrected.
John 5:25
Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
John 5:28,29
28. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
29. And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
John is very clear:
all the dead “will hear the voice,” and
“they that have done good will be resurrected unto life,” and
“they that have done evil will be resurrected unto damnation.”
It does state that all people will be resurrected and will live some kind of eternal life!
Even the Dead Hear the Gospel
John also says “those who hear his voice will live.” Here we have a specific definition of the “saved by grace” misinterpretation. All persons, living on earth will be resurrected. This means their spirits will be reunited with their bodies. All persons will live eternally, some in the presence of God and Christ, and some not in the presence of God and Christ, which is a form of eternal damnation.
To confirm what Peter, Paul, Luke, and John have taught about both believers and unbelievers being “saved,”
Peter again mentions the occasion when Christ actually went and preached His Word to the “spirits in prison.” Thereby giving the “unjust” and “disobedient” a chance “to live according to God in the spirit.”
1 Peter 3:18-20
18. For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
19. By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
20. Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
1 Peter 4:6
For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.
After reading that Christ will teach His gospel to the dead, particularly the spirits in hell, we can understand how “every knee will bow and every tongue confess,” that Christ is our savior.
Isaiah 45:23
I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.
Romans 14:11
For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
Philippians 2:10,11
10. That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Key Conclusion: Salvation from Sin
It is evident from these teachings that every person born on this earth, whether in this life or after this life, will hear the gospel of Christ. In the end, all will bow and confess that Christ is Lord and they will live eternally as a resurrected being. Therefore, they will all obtain “salvation from sin.”
From these teachings of Christ and the apostles, we will use the following definition to describe “salvation from sin.”
“Salvation from Sin” Defined – Through Christ’s grace, sacrifice, atonement and resurrection, all people that have been born on the earth and received a body of flesh and bone will live eternally.
3. Eternal Life. (A Different Question)
John expounds on the definition of “eternal life” as:
John 17:3
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
A Key Distinction
Not all eternal existence is the same.
All are resurrected
All live forever
But not all experience the same relationship with God
Joseph Smith’s Interpretation
Joseph Smith defines “Eternal Salvation” as where man may live in the presence of God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ, in the actual kingdom of God.
Closing
And this raises an even bigger question…
If grace and works both play a role—
then where do they actually lead?
We’ll answer that when we get to the post-mortal life.
We have reached the halfway point in this topic “Saved by Grace.”
I will be ending this video here and continuing the topic in the video “Chapter 10b - Saved by Grace – Requirements for Eternal Salvation.”
You can go directly to it by clicking on the box that will appear shortly. It is also filed under my Playlist – “Joseph Smith and the Bible.”
Remember to hit the subscribe button below so that you can keep up with the Bible challenge to over 83 of Joseph Smith’s teachings.
I will see you real soon in the next video!
[1] R. Philip Roberts, Mormonism Unmasked, 1998, Broadman & Holman Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, page 133.
[2] Ibid., page 181.
[3] The Random House College Dictionary, the Unabridged Edition, 1980, Random House, Inc., New York.