If you’ve talked with an LDS friend about being saved by grace through faith and not by works, you’ve probably felt the conversation get tangled quickly.
A Christian says, “We’re given eternal life by faith, not by works.” The Latter-day Saint responds, “But faith without works is dead.” Both may be quoting the Bible, but they are not necessarily using the same words in the same way.
That is one of the biggest challenges in witnessing to LDS. Mormons use many of the same religious words Christians do, such as grace, faith, and salvation. But in LDS teaching, those words are often defined differently.
Even the question, “Do you believe we’re saved by faith?” can be heard differently. A Christian may mean, “Do you receive eternal life by trusting in Christ’s completed work apart from your own obedience?” A Latter-day Saint may hear, “Do you receive eternal life by believing in Jesus, following his teachings, keeping his commandments, and enduring faithfully?”
That is why conversations about faith and works can become confusing so quickly. To understand what Mormons believe about faith and works, you first have to understand how LDS teaching defines faith.
How Do Mormons Define Faith?
In LDS teaching, faith in Jesus includes personal action and obedient effort. That is why a Latter-day Saint can say, “Yes, we receive eternal life by faith,” and still mean something very different from what a biblical Christian means.
Elder Kevin W. Pearson taught, “Faith is a principle of action and of power. It requires us to do, not merely to believe.” He also said that faith “comes from a consistent pattern of obedient behavior and attitudes” (“Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ,” April 2009 General Conference).
So when a Mormon hears the question, “Do you obtain eternal life by faith?” they may hear something closer to, “Do you obtain eternal life through your knowledge of Jesus and your obedience to his commands?”
Biblical Christians may hesitate here because true faith certainly produces change in a believer’s life. But that change is the fruit of faith, never its cause or root. Obedience follows faith, but it isn’t faith; it doesn’t create faith nor does it serve as the source of faith’s strength. True faith is created and strengthened by the Holy Spirit through the Word, as he directs us again and again to Christ and his promises.
Why Does the Mormon Teaching on Faith and Works Matter?
When the lines between faith and works are blurred, grace itself is at stake.
Paul presents grace and works as two opposing ways of being justified before God. “If by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace” (Romans 11:6). He explains that a worker receives wages as something earned, but God credits righteousness to the person who “does not work but trusts God” (Romans 4:4–5). Paul even warns that those who seek to be justified by obedience to the law have “fallen away from grace” (Galatians 5:4).
Works may follow faith, but they cannot be added to Christ’s work as another basis for eternal life.
That is why Christians need to listen carefully when Latter-day Saints say they obtain eternal life through faith in Jesus. The same words may be used, but LDS teaching often places faith in Christ and obedience to laws side by side as conditions on which eternal life depends.
Former LDS Church president Russell M. Nelson clearly connected obedience with receiving eternal life:
“Put Jesus Christ first because your eternal life is dependent upon your faith in him and in his Atonement. It is also dependent upon your obedience to his laws.” (Russell M. Nelson, “Think Celestial!,” October 2023 General Conference.)
In LDS teaching, eternal life usually means more than resurrection or going to heaven. It is connected to exaltation and the highest blessings God offers.
Some Latter-day Saints may prefer to say they are “learning,” not “earning,” heaven. But if eternal life depends on becoming increasingly obedient, faithful, and worthy, the concern remains. A student may learn all semester, but the final grade still reflects performance. In the same way, the question is not whether someone uses the word “earn.” The question is whether confidence before God rests entirely on Christ’s finished work or partly on our progress.
The biblical gospel places our confidence entirely in Christ’s completed work. Obedience is the fruit of eternal life received through faith, not an additional requirement for obtaining it.
How Do I Explain the Difference Between Faith and Works to My Mormon Friend?
If you have the opportunity to explain the difference between faith and works to your LDS friend, begin with Ephesians 2:8–10. This section of Scripture is one of the clearest passages for showing the proper relationship between salvation and good works because the order is unmistakable.
Ephesians 2 can help untangle the question that caused the confusion in the first place: Are works part of receiving eternal life, or are they the fruit that follows because eternal life has already been received by faith?
First, we are saved by grace through faith (v. 8), not by works (v. 9). Then, as people already created anew in Christ, we do the good works God has prepared for us (v. 10).
Faith receives salvation. Works follow as its fruit.
That same order also helps when your LDS friend brings up James 2. James is not teaching that works complete Christ’s saving work or become part of the basis for eternal life. He is showing that living faith produces visible fruit. In other words, James does not overturn Ephesians 2. He describes what faith looks like after it has received God’s gift. For a fuller explanation, see our article on Faith and Works in James 2:14–26.
After reading Ephesians 2, you can also turn to Jesus’ picture of the vine and branches in John 15. Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit” (John 15:5).
A branch does not produce fruit in order to become connected to the vine. It bears fruit because it is already receiving life from the vine. In the same way, Christians do not obey in order to obtain life from Christ. They bear fruit because they are already in Christ and receiving everything from him.
The branch does not receive the credit for the grapes. The life and power come from the vine.
That is the comfort your LDS friend needs to hear. Faith is not confidence that, with God’s help, we can do enough. Faith is confidence that Jesus has already done enough.
Keep Pointing to Jesus
Faith and works conversations with Latter-day Saints can get complicated quickly, especially when both sides are using the same words in different ways. But the goal is not to win a vocabulary debate. The goal is to help your LDS friend see where true confidence before God is found.
Good works are beautiful in their proper place. They are the fruit of faith, not the foundation of eternal life. They show that faith is alive, but they do not complete what Jesus has already finished.
So keep bringing the conversation back to him. Jesus is not merely the one who helps us do enough. He is the one who has done enough. He is the vine. He is the life. He is the righteousness sinners need.
That is why faith rests in him alone, and why works flow from him.