THE LDS DIMINISHES WHAT CHRIST ACHIEVED ON THE CROSS

Prior to the establishment of the LDS church, nobody had ever heard of their version of the atonement. There is no mention of it in ancient literature, and it is emphatically contradicted by the Bible. One can only conclude that it originated in the mind of Joseph Smith.

According to the LDS, all that Christ's atonement achieved was the reversal of the curse of death that came about because of Adam's sin, thereby ensuring resurrection from the dead for the whole of mankind, regardless of whether or not they have trusted in Christ. But the Bible reveals that the resurrection of the dead was an accomplished fact long before the atonement ever took place:

But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. (Matthew 22:31-32, KJV)

And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God (Job 19:26, KJV)

Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. (Isaiah 26:19, KJV)

As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness. (Psalm 17:15, KJV)

The Bible very clearly explains that Christ's atonement (on the cross at Calvary and not in the Garden of Gethsemane) ratified a New Covenant of grace that provided for the forgiveness of all the sins of whosoever trusts in Him for salvation. Adam's name doesn't even come into it. Nor does universal resurrection. Instead, forgiveness of all our sins by grace through faith in Christ, because of His atonement on the cross, on our behalf, is consistently proclaimed throughout the New Testament. So if the LDS wants to use the excuse that their atonement doctrine differs because the Bible is full of errors and omissions and has been incorrectly translated, they will have to throw out the entire New Testament. The following are just some of the examples of what the Bible teaches:

For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. (Matthew 26:28, KJV)

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:3, KJV)

And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses (Colossians 2:13, KJV) (Italics inserted by the writer.)

Who gave himself for our sins (Galations 1:4, KJV)

Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree (1 Peter 2:24. KJV)

And he is the propitiation for our sins (1 John 2:2, KJV)

Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood (Revelation 1:5, KJV)

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. (Romans 5:8-9, KJV) (Italics inserted by writer.)

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3, KJV)

Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood (Romans 3:24, KJV)

..... even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. (Galations 2:16, KJV)

So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many (Hebrews 9:28, KJV)

Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot (1 Peter 1:18-19, KJV)

To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. (Acts 10:43, KJV) (Italics inserted by writer.)

Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. (Acts 13:38,39 KJV) (Italics inserted by writer.)

In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace (Ephesians 1:7, KJV)

..... in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:15, NASB)

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. ..... He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:16-18, KJV)

THE LDS ATONEMENT DOES NOT COVER FORGIVENESS OF SINS

Because their version of Christ's atonement only covers Adam's sin and not those of the rest of mankind, the LDS maintains that it amounts to damnation:

Those who gain only this general or unconditional salvation will still be judged according to their works and receive their places in a terrestrial or telestial kingdom. They will, therefore, be damned (Mormon Doctrine, Bruce McConkie, page 669.) (Emphasis inserted by writer.)

In order to create the false impression that their teachings are biblical, the LDS has given dishonest meanings to biblical terms. For instance, although they teach that Christ's atonement amounts to "resurrection to damnation," they call it "salvation by grace" (or else "general salvation"), as though salvation and damnation are one and the same thing. So if you are unfamiliar with their teachings, you could easily be hoodwinked into believing that Mormonism is a biblical religion, when in reality it consistently opposes everything that the Bible stands for (apart from the morality question).

Although they will happily agree that Christ died for our sins, the LDS has a hidden qualification that isn't mentioned in the Bible. They maintain that Christ's death only made forgiveness of our personal sins possible, provided we earn the right to that forgiveness, through their church.

But we fall under the New Covenant, which the Bible says is far better than the Old (Hebrews 7:22, 8:6). And under the Old Covenant, God didn't tell the Israelites that they would have to earn the right to the forgiveness of their sins. Instead He provided the sacrificial system. The guilty man took a blemish free sacrificial animal to the altar. Then he placed his hand on its head to indicate that it was to be his substitute, and would die in his place to cover his sin (Leviticus 4:27-31, Numbers 15:22-26, etc.) This was a picture of the coming, promised Messiah, who would die once and for all, for the forgiveness of all the sins of those who identified themselves with Him by faith.

As a Jew, John the Baptist was familiar with the substitutionary sacrificial system, and consequently had been eagerly awaiting the appearance of the promised One. Pointing to the Lord Jesus, he said:

Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:29, KJV)

SALVATION FROM SIN IS ONLY THROUGH THE LDS CHURCH

LDS teaching is that salvation is restricted exclusively to members of the LDS church, provided they have put their faith in Joseph Smith as the true prophet of God:

There is no salvation outside The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (Bruce McConkie, "Mormon Doctrine," page 670).

There is no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith as a prophet of God, (Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. 1, page 188.)

No man or woman in this dispensation will ever enter into the celestial kingdom of God without the consent of Joseph Smith... every man and woman must have the certificate of Joseph Smith, junior, as a passport to their entrance into the mansion where God and Christ are... [Joseph Smith] reigns there as supreme a being in his sphere, capacity, and calling, as God does in heaven. (Prophet Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Volume 7, [pages 289-291)

Redemption from personal sins can only be obtained through obedience to the requirements of the [Mormon] gospel, and a life of good works ..... The Sectarian Dogma of Justification by Faith Alone has exercised an influence for evil (Mormon Apostle James Talmage, Articles of Faith, pages 478-479).

The LDS has taken it upon themselves to overrule and trample underfoot the way of salvation by grace that God in His mercy has decreed, through Christ, at tremendous cost, because it doesn't suit their own agenda. One gains the impression that they believe that Joseph Smith is above both God and Christ, in that he has more rights, more authority, more say, more power and more control over our eternal destinies than Almighty God does Himself.

Baptism by immersion is the first LDS requirement for salvation, as that is how one becomes a member of their church. They say that this washes away our sins that were committed prior to that moment in time, but from then on we are accountable to God for every sin we commit. The next step is through living in obedience to LDS laws and ordinances, plus a life of virtue right to the end. So there is nothing definite about it at all, and Mormons can never be sure whether or not they will ultimately make the grade.

On the other hand, the Bible teaches that salvation is by grace and that it applies to all who have faith in Christ, or in other words, those who have entrusted themselves to Christ. Church membership of any select group, or faith in anyone or anything else doesn't come into it. Christ earned the right to be the vehicle of our salvation by taking our sins upon Himself personally, and by suffering and dying in our place, as our substitute, on the cross at Calvary. For this reason the Bible asserts with great clarity, that salvation is through Him alone:

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6, KJV)

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12, KJV)

Not only does the LDS insist that they alone have the power to facilitate the forgiveness of sins, they also believe that they have the right to rescind that forgiveness. Appended below is an extract from a letter written by the local LDS Bishop and typed on an official LDS letterhead, confirming the resignation of the writer from the church. You'll notice that the forgiveness for past sins, which they maintain was previously attained through their baptism, was cancelled by the Mormon authorities upon termination of the writer's LDS membership:

"Further, I am bound to inform you that this action cancels the effects of baptism and suspends temple sealings and blessings."

The LDS church is under the delusion that they have more to do with our forgiveness than does the Lord Jesus Christ's atonement on the cross at Calvary. What they have effectively done is to emasculate Christ, downplay His atoning work on the cross on behalf of mankind, and then elevate Joseph Smith and their church, giving themselves the credit and the glory that belongs to Christ. But it was Christ who courageously paid the horrific price necessary to earn our salvation, not Joseph Smith or the LDS Church; and so it is Christ who will receive all the credit and the glory, regardless of any amount of false claims made by the LDS. (See the link provided at the bottom of this page, leading to the article "The Glory of God as Revealed in Christ Jesus.)



THE CONSEQUENCE OF ALL SIN IS [ETERNAL] DEATH

The LDS version of the atonement would make more sense if Adam was the only person who had ever sinned. But we have all sinned, and the consequence of everyone's personal sin is [eternal] death. So being saved from the consequences of Adam's sin doesn't help us in any way at all. We weren't condemned because of Adam's sin, but because we ourselves are guilty of sin.

For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23, KJV)
If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:10, KJV)
..... the soul that sinneth, it shall die. (Ezekiel 18:4, KJV)
For the wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23, KJV)

THE LDS ATONEMENT IS UNIVERSAL

LDS teachings explain that their version of the atonement is universal and infinite in that it applies to every single person, regardless of whether or not they believe in or have faith in Christ. It even covers idolaters and the like.

All men are saved by grace alone without any act on their part, meaning they are resurrected. (Apostle Bruce McConkie, "What the Mormons Think of Christ," page 28)

Conversely, the Bible teaches that Christ's atonement, covering genuine salvation from sin, applies only to those who put their trust in Him:

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. ..... He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:16, 18 KJV)

In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace (Ephesians 1:7 KJV)

THE LDS ATONEMENT TOOK PLACE IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE

The LDS detracts from the real meaning of Christ's sacrificial death on the cross even further, by wrongly teaching that His atonement took place in the Garden of Gethsemane, and that the cross merely signalled its completion:

Where and under what circumstances was the atoning sacrifice of the Son of God made? Was it on the Cross of Calvary or in the Garden of Gethsemane? It is to the Cross of Christ that most Christians look when centering their attention upon the infinite and eternal atonement. And certainly the sacrifice of our Lord was completed when he was lifted up by men; also, that part of his life and suffering is more dramatic and, perhaps, more soul stirring. But in reality the pain and suffering, the triumph and grandeur, of the atonement took place primarily in Gethsemane. (Apostle Bruce McConkie, "Doctrinal New Testament Commentary," 1:774)

Mormons classify the time Christ spent praying in the Garden of Gethsemane and agonizing over His forthcoming crucifixion, as "an atoning sacrifice." It is difficult to understand how they reached this conclusion, seeing it's not what the Bible teaches. They are intimating that Christ suffered and sacrificed more whilst He was meditating and praying in the Garden of Gethsemane than He did when he was actually being crucified on the cross at Calvary.

Bear in mind that this was the worst form of horrendous suffering that could be inflicted on anyone. Prior to crucifixion the victims were tied to a stake and brutally lashed. Then before having iron spikes hammered through major nerves in their hands and feet, their torn, bruised and bleeding bodies were stripped naked so that they were forced to die as a public spectacle, for all to see their shame, in the most agonizing and degrading manner. But the fact that Christ willingly suffered all that and more, in order to earn our salvation, is deliberately downplayed by the LDS.

The only achievement of the LDS's unbiblical teaching is that it detracts from what our Lord so graciously, heroically and selflessly suffered on behalf of fallen mankind, in order to earn the forgiveness of our sins, in our place, when He won the victory over Satan, sin and death on the cross at Calvary (c/f Colossians 2:13-15). And one can't help but wonder what the LDS's motive was in introducing this false teaching, considering that it's in direct contradiction of what the Bible teaches.



THE ATONEMENT, AS UNDERSTOOD IN BIBLICAL TIMES

Christ's substitutionary suffering and death on behalf of sinful mankind was much more meaningful and easier to understand for folk who lived at that time, than it is for us today. When a man was unable to pay his debt, he was faced with the penalty of the Law and sold into slavery to pay off his debt. However, a kinsman was permitted to redeem him, provided that he paid the amount of the debt in full. To qualify to be our kinsman so that He would have the right to redeem us both from slavery to sin and from our debt to God (because all sin is against God), the Lord Jesus took on a human body and lived among us, as one of us. Then He paid the Law's full penalty for sin on behalf of those who identified themselves as being "in Him."



WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES ABOUT CHRIST'S ATONEMENT

In accordance with the long list of scriptures provided near the start of this article, the Bible teaches that whilst we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8), Christ vicariously (acting as our substitute, on our behalf) suffered and died on the cross in our place, in order to pay the full cost of the forgiveness of all our sins, provided we put our faith in Him. Notice that there is no other stipulation required, only faith in Christ. And if Christ has paid the ultimate penalty for the forgiveness of all our sins and we are trusting in and following Him, what right does the LDS church have to withhold that forgiveness, rescind it, or insist that we still have to earn it?

The late John Reisinger explained Christ's substitutionary or vicarious atonement like this:

The word vicarious means "acting on behalf of or as representing another," or "something performed or suffered by one person with the results accruing to the benefit or advantage of another." The key idea is representation in such a way that one party literally stands in the place of another and is actually treated as if they were the other person. The classic text is 2 Corinthians 5:21:

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:21, KJV)

If Christ actually stood in my place and bore my sin then I can never be punished for that sin. If Christ literally stands as a substitute in the place of any particular individual then that individual must be brought to salvation and be eternally saved. Substitutionary, or vicarious, atonement must actually secure a real salvation for all for whom Christ died or else it is not truly vicarious ("Doctrine of the Atonement," by John G. Reisinger)

CHRIST'S ATONEMENT COVERS THE FORGIVENESS OF ALL OUR SINS

And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you ALL trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross Colossians 2:13-14, KJV) (Emphasis inserted by the writer.)

My dictionary defines the word "all" as "the whole extent or number, without exception, without limit, past, present and future, infinitely and completely."

Because Christ's atonement provided for the forgiveness of future, as well as past and present sins, the apostle John explained in his letter to the church that whenever we repent and ask for forgiveness for any sin that we've become aware of, God will grant us that forgiveness and cleanse us because as indicated above, Christ has already paid the price for the forgiveness of all our sins, in full:

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9, KJV)

However, Mormons should not get the wrong idea. For a Christian it is a very serious matter to have to ask for forgiveness, as the picture of Christ suffering on that cruel cross to pay the ultimate penalty for "my" sin is ever before him.

Christian churches generally display a cross in a prominent position, to remind the congregation of who they were (condemned sinners) and what Christ has done for them (set them free from guilt, judgment and condemnation), and what it cost Him (the ultimate in suffering and shame). The fact that the LDS will not permit a cross to be displayed anywhere on their premises speaks volumes to Christians, as it clearly tells them that Mormons don't understand either the meaning or the purpose of Christ's crucifixion.

The way of salvation that God has laid down for us in the Bible is explained more fully in the various articles listed on the home page of this site, under the heading, "Salvation.")

The following link leads to an article that explains where the LDS has erred in maintaining that God's glory is His intelligence, and why Christ alone deserves all the credit for the forgiveness of our sins:

The Glory of God as Revealed in Jesus Christ


Copyright 2007 by Mormonism and Biblical Truth. All rights reserved.