Tag: grace
The Book of Mormon on Grace
While the Book of Mormon, like the Bible, repeatedly calls upon man to repent and obey God, the charge to keep the commandments must be understood in terms of the…
“No Justice, No Faith”? The Danger of Misunderstanding God’s Justice
Today I was at Orlando’s most wonderful and magical attraction, the Orlando Temple. In many ways much better than that other Magic Kingdom place out here where the lines are…
The Role of Obedience and Endurance: Peter’s Perspective
It’s almost an article of faith in anti-Mormon literature that the LDS Articles of Faith rule us out as Christians. After all, they call for that most unchristian, unbiblical attribute,…
Abiding in Christ and the Tragedy of Pernicious Theology
I’ve had some wild experiences since moving to China. Some were worried about the risks I might be taking in the crazy streets of Shanghai (one of Asia’s most livable…
Saved By Grace, After All We Can Do? Inisghts from Paul in Ephesians 6
I’ve encountered many Christians whose theology makes them struggle with basic LDS views like the importance of keeping the commandments and the concern that we as Christians can fall from…
Light and Joyous, But Still a Yoke to Pull and a Burden to Bear
In the comments for my recent post recommending low standards (or expectations of others) for better happiness in the Church, Papa D offered an interesting insight. I’ll quote part of…
The Savior of the World, the Entire World: Grace Effective to Save All Men
Some critics have argued that the Latter-day Saint concept of moral agency (a.k.a. free agency) would make God no longer sovereign if we were really free to choose and follow…
Remembering the Words of Jesus
“Mormons don’t rely on Christ but think they can be righteous and worthy by keeping commandments.” This was one of the themes recently hurled in my face several times by…
Sarcasm or a Serious Plea? “If Thou Wilt Enter into Life, Keep the Commandments” in Matthew 19
A Protestant minister recently explained to me that we weren’t Christian because of our belief that we must strive to “keep the commandments” and obey God, for this means we…
Waking into Pain – and the Primacy of Charity
A young woman with critical injuries is in a local hospital. I feel such pain when I think what she will face when she awakens. One moment she was happy,…
