MORMON SALVATION
EXPOSED TO THE LIGHT OF BIBLE
MORMON SALVATION
LDS teaching is that Christ's atonement only covers universal resurrection, although it does open the door to individual salvation. They go on to say that the right to forgiveness of personal sins has to be earned by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the LDS organization, plus virtuous living. Furthermore, salvation is available through their church alone, and then only if you have accepted Joseph Smith as God's true prophet:
It needs to be noted at this stage, that in previous years (when the editor was still a Mormon), the LDS regularly exhorted its followers from the pulpit, never ever to call themselves Christians. It was made clear to us that the teachings of Christianity were an abomination in the sight of God. But it seems that the LDS is entering into a new era. They are now pulling out all the stops to become recognized as a Christian denomination. (For more information on this, follow the link Mormonism's Claim to be a Christian Denomination .)
Part of the strategy in their new plan to blend in with the Christian church, is to be more subtle and to tone down on the exclusiveness of their teachings. Many of their latest teaching manuals have been amended accordingly to the extent of sometimes being deceptive. For instance, a false impression is given that Brigham Young only had one wife. And when it comes to their doctrines on salvation, in recent years I have come across some Mormons who have been under the delusion that their doctrines on salvation are the same as those written in the Bible. But this is most definitely not the case, and the LDS's basic doctrines remain exactly the same.
This confusion has been brought about by the fact that as an organization the LDS has cultivated the habit of making diametrically opposing statements, such as "Christ atoned for our sins," and "it's only right and proper that we should earn the right to the forgiveness of our own personal sins." (Their third Article of Faith also says that salvation is through obedience to the laws and ordinances of the [LDS] gospel.) This makes it possible for them to present their doctrines from whichever stance suits them at that moment in time.
A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF BIBLICAL SALVATION
"Salvation" as a biblical, New Covenant term, means being rescued or saved from both the penalty of sin and its power over us. So it covers the forgiveness of all our sins. And because our sins form an effective barrier between ourselves and a holy God, salvation from sin also has the effect of reconciling us to God, through Christ the Saviour. Added to this, hand in hand with forgiveness of sins is the gift of eternal life, for whosoever who trusts in Christ.
Biblical salvation is by grace through faith in Christ alone. In other words we don't have to earn the right to forgiveness of our personal sins. Christ earned that right on our behalf, by taking the punishment we deserve on Himself in His atonement on the cross at Calvary. He's already paid the price for our sins. The following are just some of the very many verses in the Bible that teach salvation from personal sin by grace, through faith in Christ:
SALVATION THROUGH A SUBSTITUTIONARY SACRIFICE
The Bible is a fascinating book. Concepts that aren't always all that easy to understand are explained by the use of types and "pictures." One such concept is salvation from sin through a substitutionary sacrifice.
Nowhere in the Bible has God ever told mankind that they would have to earn the right to forgiveness of their sins. Instead, in the Old Testament He instituted the substitutionary sacrifice. The sinner was required to take an unblemished animal to the altar. Then he had to place his hand upon its head to indicate that it was to be his substitute and would die in his place, to cover his sin (Leviticus 1:4, 4:29,33). This was a picture of the coming, promised Messiah who would sacrifice His life to pay the full penalty for the sins of those who indicate by faith, that He is their substitute sin bearer.
Scattered throughout the Old Testament, starting in Genesis, God gave His people a series of ongoing messianic prophecies. And in fulfillment of those prophecies, in the fullness of time the Lord Jesus Christ came down to earth to give Himself as the final, once-for-all substitutionary offering for sin. He selflessly and heroically took our place on the cross at Calvary and bore the shame, the disgrace and the punishment that we rightly deserve, because of our sins. As Eugene Peterson so aptly puts it in 'The Message,' "God put the wrong on him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God." (2 Corinthians 5:21)
BAPTISM PORTRAYS SUBSTITUTIONARY SACRIFICE
Besides being a public testimony of the believer's faith in Christ, Christian baptism is also a symbolic rite that portrays Christ's substitutionary sacrifice as it applies to the believer. For this reason it was the norm in the primitive church for believers to be baptized immediately after they had come to faith in Christ, and had been spiritually regenerated (Acts 2:41, 8:12, 16:15, 16:33, 18:18, 19:5.)
As the old hymn puts it, "I am His, and He is mine, forever and forever."
THE REASON FOR THE OLD AND THE NEW COVENANTS
Had they fully kept all God's laws and ordinances provided under the Old Covenant, the Israelites would have led a lifestyle that fulfilled God's requirements for righteousness. But the sad fact was that they were unable to do this. In spite of having God's laws, as well as His guidance and protection, they still kept falling into sin. The continuous pall of smoke arising from the sacrificial altar where they burned their sin offerings bore mute testimony to this fact.
The problem was not with God's laws, but with mankind. His laws are good, but we are a fallen people. And try as we may, we cannot live up to His standards of righteousness. Not for long, anyway. No matter how hard man has tried he has never ever been able to overcome his tendency to sin in thought, word and deed.
Reformation, education and social upliftment don't do the trick either, because the problem is not our environment, lack of opportunities or education; it is our fallen "selves." Pogo hit the nail on the head when he said, "We have met the enemy and he is us." And as Dr. McGee so aptly put it, "You can take the man out of the slum, but you can't take the slum out of the man." It is a sad fact of life that countries enjoying a high standard of living, low unemployment, and excellent educational opportunities, still have overflowing prison cells.
The apostle Paul described his frustrations at one stage with his own personal battle to live a holy life, complaining that he kept doing the things he knew he shouldn't do and really didn't want himself to do. And that although in his mind he knew that God's ways were good and right, he kept straying from them. (Romans 7:7-25).
The Bible makes it clear that because of our fallen natures we do not have it within ourselves to live according to God's standards of righteousness. In order to bring mankind to the realization of the gravity of his situation and the dilemma he faces, God put into effect the Old Covenant of Law. And as we have seen, even although the Israelites were God's chosen nation and enjoyed all the privileges and advantages that this entailed, they still failed miserably in their attempts to fully keep God's righteous laws.
That was because Laws and Ordinances didn't have the power to save anyone. They merely declared the holiness of God and revealed the depravity of mankind. But then they were never intended to save. The epistle of Galations explains that God merely used the Old Covenant of Law as a teacher, to show fallen mankind his utter inability to live according to His standards of righteousness. This in turn revealed his desperate need for a Saviour:
For this reason, in His wisdom and mercy, God has provided a way of salvation through Christ, under the New Covenant of Grace, that was tailor-made for the fallenness of man and caters for every eventuality and possibility. Solely because of God's undeserved mercy towards us, whosoever trusts in Christ will receive forgiveness of sins, freedom from guilt and reconciliation with God.
THE CONSEQUENCES OF MORMON SALVATION
In spite of the clear and consistent teachings in the Bible on the forgiveness of our sins through Christ's atoning sacrifice, the LDS Church has deliberately led their membership away from the way of salvation that God Himself has laid down for us, and has decreed that Mormons must earn the right to forgiveness of their own personal sins through the LDS church. And in spite of the fact that God has proved conclusively that man couldn't keep the Laws and Ordinances that they already had, the LDS has added more of their own. This is a direct rejection and a trampling underfoot of the salvation that God has provided for us, through Christ, at an astronomical cost to Himself.
Mormons need to ask themselves where their teaching came from, because it directly contradicts everything that God has taught us about salvation throughout the entire Bible. So it couldn't have come from Him.
Just as the apostle Paul knew, Mormons also know deep down in their hearts that their lives don't come up to God's holy standards. But they placate themselves with the knowledge that going to the second degree of glory after they die won't be so bad. After all, they have been taught that even the lowest degree of glory is more beautiful than anything they could ever imagine.
However, the LDS story of the three degrees of glory is not the way it's going to be. They are the deceptions of a false prophet. God never ever gives His prophets revelations that contradict what He has already revealed to us. He is not a God of confusion. His Word is truth, and the main ingredient in truth is its consistency. It never, ever changes. Nor is it contradictory. And God's Word, the Bible very clearly teaches that there are only two final destinations after we die. We will either go to the place where Christ and God are, which is called heaven, or else we will be consigned to eternal separation from both the presence and the influence of God in a place called hell.
Heaven will consist only of folk who have elected to follow God's ways, including His way of salvation from sin. Those in hell (Mormons call this "outer darkness,") will be folk who would rather do things their own way. And God will allow them this right, eternally, but not in His kingdom of heaven. After all, if those who insisted on doing things their own way instead of God's way were allowed into heaven, it would eventually become more like hell, wouldn't it?
It's not God's desire that anyone should be end up in hell. But if we choose to spurn His way of salvation in preference to our own ideas, then we will we will end up facing His judgment.
Mormons need to give serious thought to the unlikelihood of their being able to earn the right to the forgiveness of their own sins, in the light of what the Bible reveals; as well as to the eternal ramifications of their choice; bearing in mind that the Bible clearly teaches only two destinations after death — heaven or hell (outer darkness in Mormon terms).
The following articles explain the basics of the biblical way of salvation and the error in the LDS teachings on the three degrees of glory and eternal life:
What is Biblical Salvation?
Biblical Salvation and the way of Christ
The Three Degrees of Glory
Mormonism's False Teaching Concerning Eternal Life
You are welcome to contact the writer at the following email address:
reply@bibtruth.com
Copyright 2008 by Mormonism and Biblical Truth. All rights reserved.
LDS teaching is that Christ's atonement only covers universal resurrection, although it does open the door to individual salvation. They go on to say that the right to forgiveness of personal sins has to be earned by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the LDS organization, plus virtuous living. Furthermore, salvation is available through their church alone, and then only if you have accepted Joseph Smith as God's true prophet:
We believe that through the atonement of Christ all mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the [LDS] gospel (3rd Article of Faith). (Editor's emphasis)None of the above teachings will be found anywhere in the Bible. They are exclusive to Mormonism and actually contradict what the Bible teaches. Regardless of this fact, the LDS consistently uses biblical terminology when referring to their teachings, including those on salvation. But in order to fit these biblical terms in with their unbiblical doctrines, they have had to give them completely different meanings (which will not be found in any dictionary). For instance, they call universal resurrection, which they say does not cover forgiveness of sins, "salvation by grace."
There is no salvation outside The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (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.)
The first effect [of the atonement] is to secure to all mankind alike, exemption from the penalty of the fall [death], thus providing a plan of General Salvation. The second effect is to open a way for Individual Salvation whereby mankind may secure remission of personal sins. As these sins are the result of individual acts, it is just that forgiveness for them should be conditioned on individual compliance with prescribed requirements, obedience to the laws and ordinances of the [LDS] Gospel. (LDS Apostle James Talmage, Articles of Faith, page 87). (Author's italics)
After this instruction, you will be responsible for your own sins; it is a desirable honor that you should so walk before our heavenly Father as to save yourselves; we are all responsible to God for the manner we improve the light and wisdom given by our Lord to enable us to save ourselves. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, compiled by Joseph Fielding Smith, 1976, page 227)
Immortality is assured to all of us through the atonement of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. But eternal life is a personal responsibility we must earn and be worthy of. (LDS Apostle Delbert L. Stapley, Member of the Quorum of the Twelve, The Path to Eternal Glory, Ensign, July 1973, page 99.) (Emphasis inserted by editor.)
It needs to be noted at this stage, that in previous years (when the editor was still a Mormon), the LDS regularly exhorted its followers from the pulpit, never ever to call themselves Christians. It was made clear to us that the teachings of Christianity were an abomination in the sight of God. But it seems that the LDS is entering into a new era. They are now pulling out all the stops to become recognized as a Christian denomination. (For more information on this, follow the link Mormonism's Claim to be a Christian Denomination .)
Part of the strategy in their new plan to blend in with the Christian church, is to be more subtle and to tone down on the exclusiveness of their teachings. Many of their latest teaching manuals have been amended accordingly to the extent of sometimes being deceptive. For instance, a false impression is given that Brigham Young only had one wife. And when it comes to their doctrines on salvation, in recent years I have come across some Mormons who have been under the delusion that their doctrines on salvation are the same as those written in the Bible. But this is most definitely not the case, and the LDS's basic doctrines remain exactly the same.
This confusion has been brought about by the fact that as an organization the LDS has cultivated the habit of making diametrically opposing statements, such as "Christ atoned for our sins," and "it's only right and proper that we should earn the right to the forgiveness of our own personal sins." (Their third Article of Faith also says that salvation is through obedience to the laws and ordinances of the [LDS] gospel.) This makes it possible for them to present their doctrines from whichever stance suits them at that moment in time.
A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF BIBLICAL SALVATION
"Salvation" as a biblical, New Covenant term, means being rescued or saved from both the penalty of sin and its power over us. So it covers the forgiveness of all our sins. And because our sins form an effective barrier between ourselves and a holy God, salvation from sin also has the effect of reconciling us to God, through Christ the Saviour. Added to this, hand in hand with forgiveness of sins is the gift of eternal life, for whosoever who trusts in Christ.
Biblical salvation is by grace through faith in Christ alone. In other words we don't have to earn the right to forgiveness of our personal sins. Christ earned that right on our behalf, by taking the punishment we deserve on Himself in His atonement on the cross at Calvary. He's already paid the price for our sins. The following are just some of the very many verses in the Bible that teach salvation from personal sin by grace, through faith in Christ:
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:14-15, KJV)As will be seen, the above scriptures invalidate the following LDS claims regarding salvation:
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. (Ephesians 2:8-9, KJV)
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us ..... (Titus 3:5, KJV)
In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: (Colossians 1:14 KJV)
Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3, KJV)
God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them ..... (2 Corinthians 5:19, 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; 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). (Italics inserted by writer.)
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)
That we have to earn the right to forgiveness of our personal sins;
That we have to believe that Joseph Smith is the true prophet of God;
That we have to obey the laws and ordinances of the LDS Church; and
That salvation is only available through the LDS Church.
SALVATION THROUGH A SUBSTITUTIONARY SACRIFICE
The Bible is a fascinating book. Concepts that aren't always all that easy to understand are explained by the use of types and "pictures." One such concept is salvation from sin through a substitutionary sacrifice.
Nowhere in the Bible has God ever told mankind that they would have to earn the right to forgiveness of their sins. Instead, in the Old Testament He instituted the substitutionary sacrifice. The sinner was required to take an unblemished animal to the altar. Then he had to place his hand upon its head to indicate that it was to be his substitute and would die in his place, to cover his sin (Leviticus 1:4, 4:29,33). This was a picture of the coming, promised Messiah who would sacrifice His life to pay the full penalty for the sins of those who indicate by faith, that He is their substitute sin bearer.
Scattered throughout the Old Testament, starting in Genesis, God gave His people a series of ongoing messianic prophecies. And in fulfillment of those prophecies, in the fullness of time the Lord Jesus Christ came down to earth to give Himself as the final, once-for-all substitutionary offering for sin. He selflessly and heroically took our place on the cross at Calvary and bore the shame, the disgrace and the punishment that we rightly deserve, because of our sins. As Eugene Peterson so aptly puts it in 'The Message,' "God put the wrong on him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God." (2 Corinthians 5:21)
To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. (Acts 10:43, KJV)
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)
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree ..... (1 Peter 2:24, KJV)
[John the baptist, who was God's prophet] seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:29, KJV)
BAPTISM PORTRAYS SUBSTITUTIONARY SACRIFICE
Besides being a public testimony of the believer's faith in Christ, Christian baptism is also a symbolic rite that portrays Christ's substitutionary sacrifice as it applies to the believer. For this reason it was the norm in the primitive church for believers to be baptized immediately after they had come to faith in Christ, and had been spiritually regenerated (Acts 2:41, 8:12, 16:15, 16:33, 18:18, 19:5.)
Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:3-4, KJV)As a believer, in undergoing baptism by immersion I symbolically re-enact Christ's death and resurrection. It's my way of publicly acknowledging that Christ is my Saviour. To free me from the condemnation of my sin, He became my substitute and took the punishment due to me on Himself, on my behalf. So when He died, it was the same as if I had died — He represented me, so "in Him" I died too. As I go under the waters of baptism, it portrays my death "in Him" to the penalty of the Law, as well as to the sinful fleshly life. When He arose from the grave, He arose as my substitute: It was the same as if I had arisen. So as I rise up out of the water, it portrays my resurrection "in Christ," to a new life, "in Him." This is what is known as the exchanged life. Paul describes it as follows:
Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. 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 2:12-13, KJV)
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galations 2:20, KJV)From the moment of his salvation (i.e. his regeneration or new birth), the life of the believer is intrinsically intertwined with that of His beloved Savior.
As the old hymn puts it, "I am His, and He is mine, forever and forever."
THE REASON FOR THE OLD AND THE NEW COVENANTS
Had they fully kept all God's laws and ordinances provided under the Old Covenant, the Israelites would have led a lifestyle that fulfilled God's requirements for righteousness. But the sad fact was that they were unable to do this. In spite of having God's laws, as well as His guidance and protection, they still kept falling into sin. The continuous pall of smoke arising from the sacrificial altar where they burned their sin offerings bore mute testimony to this fact.
The problem was not with God's laws, but with mankind. His laws are good, but we are a fallen people. And try as we may, we cannot live up to His standards of righteousness. Not for long, anyway. No matter how hard man has tried he has never ever been able to overcome his tendency to sin in thought, word and deed.
Reformation, education and social upliftment don't do the trick either, because the problem is not our environment, lack of opportunities or education; it is our fallen "selves." Pogo hit the nail on the head when he said, "We have met the enemy and he is us." And as Dr. McGee so aptly put it, "You can take the man out of the slum, but you can't take the slum out of the man." It is a sad fact of life that countries enjoying a high standard of living, low unemployment, and excellent educational opportunities, still have overflowing prison cells.
The apostle Paul described his frustrations at one stage with his own personal battle to live a holy life, complaining that he kept doing the things he knew he shouldn't do and really didn't want himself to do. And that although in his mind he knew that God's ways were good and right, he kept straying from them. (Romans 7:7-25).
The Bible makes it clear that because of our fallen natures we do not have it within ourselves to live according to God's standards of righteousness. In order to bring mankind to the realization of the gravity of his situation and the dilemma he faces, God put into effect the Old Covenant of Law. And as we have seen, even although the Israelites were God's chosen nation and enjoyed all the privileges and advantages that this entailed, they still failed miserably in their attempts to fully keep God's righteous laws.
That was because Laws and Ordinances didn't have the power to save anyone. They merely declared the holiness of God and revealed the depravity of mankind. But then they were never intended to save. The epistle of Galations explains that God merely used the Old Covenant of Law as a teacher, to show fallen mankind his utter inability to live according to His standards of righteousness. This in turn revealed his desperate need for a Saviour:
Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. (Galations 3:21-25, KJV)As Lehman Strauss says in his 'Doctrine of Salvation,' "The idea of attaining salvation through self-effort and good works is a fundamental characteristic of human nature. But try as hard as one will, he cannot remove the guilt and penalty of his own sins."
For this reason, in His wisdom and mercy, God has provided a way of salvation through Christ, under the New Covenant of Grace, that was tailor-made for the fallenness of man and caters for every eventuality and possibility. Solely because of God's undeserved mercy towards us, whosoever trusts in Christ will receive forgiveness of sins, freedom from guilt and reconciliation with God.
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, (Romans 8:1, KJV)
THE CONSEQUENCES OF MORMON SALVATION
In spite of the clear and consistent teachings in the Bible on the forgiveness of our sins through Christ's atoning sacrifice, the LDS Church has deliberately led their membership away from the way of salvation that God Himself has laid down for us, and has decreed that Mormons must earn the right to forgiveness of their own personal sins through the LDS church. And in spite of the fact that God has proved conclusively that man couldn't keep the Laws and Ordinances that they already had, the LDS has added more of their own. This is a direct rejection and a trampling underfoot of the salvation that God has provided for us, through Christ, at an astronomical cost to Himself.
Mormons need to ask themselves where their teaching came from, because it directly contradicts everything that God has taught us about salvation throughout the entire Bible. So it couldn't have come from Him.
Just as the apostle Paul knew, Mormons also know deep down in their hearts that their lives don't come up to God's holy standards. But they placate themselves with the knowledge that going to the second degree of glory after they die won't be so bad. After all, they have been taught that even the lowest degree of glory is more beautiful than anything they could ever imagine.
However, the LDS story of the three degrees of glory is not the way it's going to be. They are the deceptions of a false prophet. God never ever gives His prophets revelations that contradict what He has already revealed to us. He is not a God of confusion. His Word is truth, and the main ingredient in truth is its consistency. It never, ever changes. Nor is it contradictory. And God's Word, the Bible very clearly teaches that there are only two final destinations after we die. We will either go to the place where Christ and God are, which is called heaven, or else we will be consigned to eternal separation from both the presence and the influence of God in a place called hell.
Heaven will consist only of folk who have elected to follow God's ways, including His way of salvation from sin. Those in hell (Mormons call this "outer darkness,") will be folk who would rather do things their own way. And God will allow them this right, eternally, but not in His kingdom of heaven. After all, if those who insisted on doing things their own way instead of God's way were allowed into heaven, it would eventually become more like hell, wouldn't it?
It's not God's desire that anyone should be end up in hell. But if we choose to spurn His way of salvation in preference to our own ideas, then we will we will end up facing His judgment.
Mormons need to give serious thought to the unlikelihood of their being able to earn the right to the forgiveness of their own sins, in the light of what the Bible reveals; as well as to the eternal ramifications of their choice; bearing in mind that the Bible clearly teaches only two destinations after death — heaven or hell (outer darkness in Mormon terms).
The following articles explain the basics of the biblical way of salvation and the error in the LDS teachings on the three degrees of glory and eternal life:
What is Biblical Salvation?
Biblical Salvation and the way of Christ
The Three Degrees of Glory
Mormonism's False Teaching Concerning Eternal Life
You are welcome to contact the writer at the following email address:
reply@bibtruth.com
Copyright 2008 by Mormonism and Biblical Truth. All rights reserved.