Chapter 4: Grace and SalvationWhy Salvation Cannot Be Earned

In brief

Do Latter-day Saints believe in salvation by grace? Yes. Seaich shows that the Bible and the Book of Mormon agree that salvation is free (Ephesians 2:8-9; 2 Nephi 2:4). Fallen man is like a “dead battery” and cannot supply even “61 cents” toward a supernatural rebirth. Grace, however, brings an obligation: the saved must use God’s righteousness to perform the good works for which they were created.

This page summarizes Chapter 4 of Understanding Mormonism: The Restored Gospel of Christ and Its Biblical Foundations in Latter-day Saint Belief by Eugene Seaich (2026 Annotated Edition, edited by Eric Hendrickson). The summary is quoted from the book’s “In brief” and is editorial material, not the author’s words. The full chapter, with its notes and argument, is in the book.

Independent scholarship by Eugene Seaich. Not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.