When Your Mormon Friend Says “Grace Is Too Easy”
One of the most common objections Christians hear when sharing the gospel with members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) is this: “Grace can’t be that easy.”
To the Mormon mindset, salvation requires a lifetime of striving—keeping commandments, fulfilling church obligations, and proving oneself worthy. Grace, if mentioned at all, is often described as God making up the difference “after all we can do” (2 Nephi 25:23). But this is a very different gospel from the one the Bible proclaims.
In a recent presentation to a group of youth in Utah, I had the privilege of addressing this very issue. The question we tackled was: How do you bring a Mormon friend to the end of the LDS gospel law requirements so that they recognize their need for grace alone in Christ?
The Problem with the LDS Gospel of Works
At first glance, Mormonism may appear similar to Christianity—it uses familiar terms like “grace,” “atonement,” and even “Jesus Christ.” But when you look closely at LDS teaching, grace is redefined. Instead of being God’s free and complete gift through Christ’s finished work on the cross, grace becomes a supplement to human effort.
Mormon leaders have long emphasized this idea:
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“We are saved by grace after all we can do.” – Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 25:23
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“To enter the celestial kingdom, one must keep all the commandments of God.” – Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation
The result is a treadmill religion: endless effort, never knowing if you’ve done enough.
But the Bible paints a very different picture.
What the Bible Really Says About Grace
Grace isn’t “too easy”—it’s God’s way of salvation. The gospel is simple not because it’s cheap, but because Jesus paid the full price on our behalf.
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Ephesians 2:8–9 – “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
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Romans 11:6 – “But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.”
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John 19:30 – On the cross, Jesus declared, “It is finished.” Nothing more needed.
Salvation is not grace plus works—it is grace alone, received by faith. Our works are the fruit of salvation, not the root of it (Titus 3:5–7).
Helping Mormons See Their Need for Grace
When sharing with Mormon friends, it’s important to gently help them see the impossibility of keeping the LDS gospel requirements. The law was never meant to be a ladder to climb to heaven—it was meant to show us our inability and drive us to Christ (Galatians 3:24).
That’s why I often use the tract “Are You Prepared to Meet God?” (download here). This resource takes a Mormon through the LDS standard of perfection and exposes the weight of trying to live up to it. It lovingly points them to the reality that only Jesus can meet that standard for us.
Another helpful tool is the “Is the Mormon Jesus the Same Jesus of the Bible?” card (download here). This shows how the LDS Jesus is fundamentally different from the eternal Son of God revealed in Scripture. If your foundation is the wrong Jesus, even sincere faith won’t save.
Why “Grace Alone” Matters
The heart of the gospel is not about what we do for God, but what God has done for us in Christ. Mormonism teaches that eternal life is a reward for the worthy; Christianity proclaims it is a gift for the undeserving.
This isn’t “easy grace.” It’s costly grace—costly to Christ, who bore our sins on the cross, but free to us because He has already finished the work.
As Paul wrote:
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Galatians 2:21 – “If righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.”
If keeping commandments could save us, Jesus’ death was unnecessary. But because no one can fulfill God’s law perfectly, Christ’s perfect obedience and sacrifice are our only hope.
Conclusion
When a Mormon friend says, “Grace is too easy,” they are echoing the age-old temptation to add human effort to God’s plan. But the Bible assures us: God’s way really is that simple. Not because salvation is cheap, but because Jesus has paid it all.
Our role is to lovingly guide them to see that endless striving will never bring peace, but resting in Christ’s finished work will.
If you’d like practical tools to help you share this truth, check out these free resources:
The gospel of grace isn’t “too easy.” It’s the only way.
