Admittedly, we run a risk here of over-simplification. Debates about what salvation means are as old as Christianity itself, and a 600-word response on a blog hardly does it justice.

Born-again Christians often talk of being "saved" as a specific moment in time when they recognized and accepted Jesus Christ as their personal savior. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) tend to see salvation as being a process of a lifetime, though it may certainly have a beginning based on a single, defining moment. Catholics essentially hold that the Roman Catholic Church is the universal sacrament of salvation.

So, primarily with the New Testament as a guide, here's a summary of how I think most Latter-day Saints view the topic.

• Mere declaration of belief is not enough to merit salvation. There also has to be action. "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. " (Matt. 7:21)

• Good works should be part of a permanent lifestyle, not a series of occasional actions. So what are good works? Certainly they are the obvious things – service to others has been described as the highest ideal ever given. But they are also the less obvious. Good works include keeping our minds clean. They are the entertainment to which we choose to expose ourselves. They are how we speak to our children and spouse. They are the degree of patience we show in the face of provocation. They are a reflection of our personal integrity. "And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." (Luke 9: 23).

• Those who are truly converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ will do good works as a result of that conversion, and will not be content with anything less. "If ye love me, keep my commandments." (John 14: 15).

• A religious faith that is only about personal salvation seems to me to be extraordinarily selfish. "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." (James 1:27).

• Despite all this emphasis on the need for good works, no one can earn themselves into heaven by checking off items on some sort of spiritual "to do" list. No amount of good works could merit the blessings that the Lord has in store for the faithful. We need to do our best, but His grace is essential at every step. "We know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do." (Book of Mormon: 2 Nephi 24: 23)

Joseph Smith taught that "a man filled with the love of God, is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 174). He also suggested, "a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has the power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation."

For more detailed treatments on the Latter-day Saint position on the relationship between faith, repentance, baptism and good works, see here and here.