God gave his Son for me. But how does Christ’s amazing grace really work in my life?
Amazing grace—how sweet the sound—
That saved a wretch like me!
(“Amazing Grace,” Hymns for Home and Church, no. 1010)
I truly wish to rejoice with John Newton. But sometimes I don’t understand. What is grace?
In his April 2015 general conference talk, “The Gift of Grace,” President Dieter F. Uchtdorf says, “I have tried to understand the Savior’s Atonement with my finite mind, and the only explanation I can come up with is this: God loves us deeply, perfectly, and everlastingly.” Because of Christ’s Atonement, grace is our reality.
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President Uchtdorf goes on to explain how grace—“the divine assistance and endowment of strength by which we grow from the flawed and limited beings we are now into exalted beings”—is evidence of God’s love:
1. Grace Unlocks the Gates of Heaven
Though we alone could never attain the perfect worthiness required to be in God’s presence, Christ’s grace gives us the opportunity to repent and become more like him. As the Book of Mormon missionary Amulek puts it, “He shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice” (Alma 34:15). President Uchtdorf emphasizes that the whole point of this life really is to live “with a heart’s desire to be changed.” Life’s not about perfection—it’s about learning, failing, and changing because of God’s love.
2. Grace Opens the Windows of Heaven
God will give us, through his grace, “blessings of power and strength, enabling us to achieve things that otherwise would be far beyond our reach.” In this way, our change can be progressive. Full of hope, President Uchtdorf explains that although “we all have weaknesses, we can overcome them. Indeed it is by the grace of God that, if we humble ourselves and have faith, weak things can become strong.”
Just as John 3:16 puts it, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Read the rest of President Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s message, and learn with me how we can rejoice in God’s beautiful, unmerited, amazing grace: “The Gift of Grace.”
Source: ChurchofJesusChrist.org
—Anna Eastmond, Latter-day Saint Insights
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Find more insights:
For one of the best lessons on grace, see Mosiah 2 in the Book of Mormon.
See also McKenna Tolman’s article from Latter-day Saint Insights, “Accessing the Enabling Power of Jesus Christ,” for specific guidance and further understanding of grace.
Consider reading “‘After All We Can Do’ (2 Nephi 25:23)” by Jared W. Ludlow for interesting insights into a somewhat controversial scripture when it comes to the concept of grace.