Joseph Fielding Smith Jr. vs. the common abuse of Ephesians to support Sola Fide

Joseph Fielding Smith Jr (son of Joseph Fielding Smith and grandson of Joseph F. Smith, two presidents of the Church) wrote the following in 1959 against the common Protestant abuse of Paul’s epistles to the Ephesians, arguing that Paul is not condemning good works being meritorious when empowered by God’s grace but instead, is arguing against legalism and the works of the Law of Moses:

The words of Paul to the Ephesians are not quoted in enough detail by adherents of the doctrine of faith without works. The tenth verse reads:

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Paul was speaking to a class of people who believed that man could not be saved unless he subscribed to the Law of Moses. Such individuals were expected to save themselves, not comprehending the saving power of the atonement of Jesus Christ.

Essentially, Paul taught the Ephesians that salvation is “by grace through faith,” that “faithless works” of which one can “boast” will not save, and that “good works” which we are “created unto” by the power of Jesus Christ have real saving power.

Paul does not preach salvation without human effort. “We are created in Christ Jesus unto good works.” Genuine faith of the Savior leads to love-inspired works or good works. This faith is “not of ourselves,” but is a “gift of God.” It has come to us through “grace.”

Paul’s epistle to the Romans was written to members of the Church who had already accepted the ordinances and principles of the gospel. He admonished them to continue in their belief, “confessing with thy mouth the Lord Jesus.” One need only to read all Paul’s epistles to realize that he taught a complete gospel of faith and works. He reminded the Romans “of the righteous judgment of God who will render to every man according to his deeds.” (Rom. 2:5-6). He admonished Titus to preach “sound doctrine, .. . . in all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works.” (See Titus 2:1-8). (Joseph Fielding Smith Jr. Religious Truths Defined: A Comparison of Religious Faiths with the Restored Gospel [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1959], 267-68)

Interestingly, Eph 2:8-10, instead of supporting sola fide, actually refutes such a doctrine; instead, it teaches baptismal regeneration. As one critic of Protestantism noted:

Ephesians 2:8-9. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

This argument also fails. As I will now show, this argument fails because this verse is specifically talking about the initial grace of receiving water baptism. Water baptism is not a work “of yourselves,” but a sacrament instituted by God. No work you can do can substitute for the power of water baptism. This is said to “save” because it removes man’s original sin and puts him into the initial state of justification. The proof that Ephesians 2:8-9 is actually referring to water baptism is found when one compares the passage to Titus 3:5, and then to 1 Peter 3:20-21:

Look at this:

Ephesians 2:8-9—“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Titus 3:5—“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to the mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”

Notice that the two passages are extremely similar. They are talking about the same thing. They both mention being saved, and not of works which we have done. Ephesians 2:8-9 describes this as being saved through “faith”; Titus 3:5 describes it as being saved through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost. They are referring to the same thing.

Titus 3:5 is without doubt referring to water baptism. as even John Calvin and Martin Luther admitted. Ephesians 2:8-9 is also taking about water baptism is submitting to faith; it’s how one joins the faith, as Jesus makes clear in Mark 16:15 and Matthew 28:19: “Preach the Gospel to every creature . . .Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost,” Baptism is also described as “faith” in Galatians 3:

Galatians 3:26-27—“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”

We see that receiving baptism is synonymous with receiving “faith” in Christ Jesus. To further confirm that Ephesians 2:8-9 is about being saved by baptism, let’s expand the comparison:

Ephesians 2:8-9—“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Titus 3:5—“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to us mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”

1 Peter 3:20-21: “ . . . when they waited for the patience of God in the days of Noe, when the ark was a building: wherein a few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. Whereunto baptism being of the like form, now saves you also . . .”

This demonstrates that Ephesians 2:8-9 is referring to the initial grace of baptism. Ephesians 2:8-9 is not talking about the ongoing justification of those who have already been baptized, but simply about how people were initially brought out of original sin and given the grace of justification. No work which anyone can do could replace or substitute for water baptism and the grace it grants: the first justification and removal of original sin. But once a person enters the Church through baptism (which is God’s work), his deeds and works indeed become part of the justification process, and a factor which will determine whether he maintains justification. This is made clear from the abundance of passages (e.g., James 2:24) . . . . [Thus] the Protestant argument from Ephesians 2:8-9 is another one which doesn’t hold up to the context of Scripture. (Peter Dimond, The Bible Proves the Teachings of the Catholic Church [Fillmore, N.Y.: Most Holy Family Monastery, 2009], 67-68; emphasis in original)

Do note that, according to Fielding Smith Jr, faith is a gift from God, which refute the common caricature of "Mormonism" being raw works righteousness and Pelagianism on steroids, etc:

Faith is a gift of God. It is the power which lifts the soul heavenward and always works with God and not against God. It is a progressive principle, and cannot be obtained by inaction, indifference, or through passive belief. A desire for faith will not bring faith without action. It has been said that “practice makes perfect.” Man cannot become like God without active faith. (Fielding Smith Jr., Religious Truths Defined, 264-65)

In other words, LDS theology teaches synergism, something one finds explicitly in the Greek of James 2. On this, see:

Jeff Durbin on Luke 7:35, James 2, and Justification