From Adam S. Miller’s book “Original Grace”:
In Believing Christ (Stephen E.) Robinson turns the problem of grace on its head. The problem isn’t that God is unwilling to offer the grace I need. The problem is that I’m unwilling to receive the grace God is giving.
“Often the reason some people can’t fully accept the blessings of the gospel is because the weight of the demand for perfection has driven them to despair. They mistakenly feel that in order for the Atonement to work in their lives, they must first become perfect through their own efforts.”6 When we think this way, Robinson argues, our logic is backwards. We’ve confused cause and effect. We’ve gotten the order wrong. “Anyone who could meet this requirement would not need the Atonement at all, for such a person would already be reconciled to God, having achieved the celestial standard on his or her own without needing Christ and His Atonement—and this is not possible.”7
This way of thinking about religion is, as Robinson sees it, the grimmest sort of folly. “Let me emphasize again, the good news is not that people can be reconciled to God, but that imperfect people can be.” He continues, “Whenever I hear someone say that they are going to perfect themselves, I cringe. I want to ask, ‘Do you really think that exaltation is a matter of reaching down into your guts and pulling out the energy and determination you need to live a perfect life? If so, you don’t want a savior, you want to do it all yourself.'”8
The good news is not that “perfect” people can be saved. The good news is that people can be saved.
The good news, if we’re willing, is grace: “What the Lord is saying here is this: It doesn’t matter what you did. Whatever it was, no matter how horrible or vile, is not the issue. The issue is that whatever your sin was or is, I can erase it, I can clean you up and make you innocent, pure, and worthy, and I can do it today; I can do it now.'” Despite the costs of sin, there is always a way to begin again. ~Adam S. Miller, Original Grace (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2022) 13-14
