the truth about salvation

A person’s view on the path of salvation is important in shaping this person’s religious beliefs. Salvation is defined as the deliverance from sin and its consequences. The LDS Church believes that there are multiple actions that must take place in order for a person to gain salvation. According to Mormon prophet, Joseph Smith, there are two parts to salvation.

The first is called general salvation. This part of salvation is given to all people, regardless of their personal belief in Christ. General salvation is also referred to as salvation by grace. Those who receive salvation by grace have the ability to enter into either the Telestial Kingdom or the Terrestrial Kingdom of Heaven.

The Telestial Kingdom is reserved for the wicked of the world.

The Terrestrial Kingdom is for honorable men who did not accept the Mormon religion.

The second part of salvation is individual. Man, through his actions and obedience, earns this individual salvation. Actions that must take include obedience to prophets as well as to the laws and ordinances of Mormonism.

Christians, however, have a contrasting view on salvation.

“For it is by grace that you are saved through faith- and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8

GRACE saves us through our faith. Mormons often use the James 2:17 to back up their argument that works are necessary.

“So faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” James 2:17

The argument that works are necessary for salvation is not Biblical for the following reasons.

The context of this verse is overlooked. In James 2, James is actually “criticizing those who profess to have faith but whose actions do not support this claim” (Johnson, Mckeever, Answering Mormon’s Questions, 154). In other words, James is writing about those who claim to be Christians, but do not actually live the life of a true Christian. A person’s deeds display their faith however the Bible does not say that they are necessary for salvation.

Isaiah 64:6 clearly states, “our righteous acts are like filthy rags” to God. Even if we were required to work our way into Heaven, there would never be enough “good” deeds for us to accomplish. No action would ever be good enough; no time spent in homeless shelters would make us worthy. Our good deeds are like filthy rags. That is why we need a savior, to make up for our imperfections.

If we could work for our salvation, we would not need a savior. Those who believe there are actions that must take place, guidelines to follow that earn our deliverance from Hell, have an inaccurate interpretation of the Gospel.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16

“ . . . if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 8:1

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do no set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing.” Galatians 2:20-21

A person is able to spend eternity in Heaven through their true faith in the Lord. Nothing more, nothing less.

           

the Nature of God

Photo Credit: Saddleback Poster Art

God is the center of each religion, whether it is Christianity, Judaism, or Mormonism. The concept of who God is creates the core, the very foundation, of this religion’s doctrines and customs. The Mormon Church believes that if you are able to live a perfect life in your human body, you then earn the ability to become a God of your own universe.

Thus Mormons introduce the idea that “the Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s” (D&C 130:32). In fact, founder Joseph Smith declared, “God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man.” However, this view on God does not coincide with that of Christianity.

“God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.” Genesis 1:27

The LDS Church teaches that this verse provides Biblical proof that God was once a man. Because Genesis 1:27 tells us that we are created in the image of God, some people assume that we physically look like God. However this theory would mean that God has a physical body.

John 4 tells us “God is Spirit.” There are many definitions of what exactly a “spirit” is however every definition can agree that the spirit does not include a physical body. From this we can conclude that we are not created in God’s physical image.

Similarly, Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 1:17, “now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God.” This verse holds many topics controversial to the Mormon concept of who God is.

“The King eternal”

If God was once a man, we must assume that He has not always been God thus He is not eternal.

“The King . . . immortal”

To be immortal means to “live forever; never dying or decaying.” While Mormons believe that God will live forever, if God was once a man then He had a decaying and dying body at one point in His existence.

“The King . . . invisible”

God cannot be seen because “God is Spirit” (John 4). Many Mormons argue that in Exodus Moses saw God thus meaning that He is not invisible however this is a debate to be discussed another time.

“The King . . . the only God”

Assuming that humans have the ability to become a God after their life on earth, it is reasonable to conclude that there are multiple Gods who have their own universe. However, Paul tells us that there is only one God. Who was God before this God became God?

The Hebrew root of the Latin phrase of “image of God” is imago Dei. This phrase means image, shadow or likeness of God. From this it is reasonable to assume that we reflect God’s qualities that are listed below:

            “God created the heavens and the earth . . .” Genesis 1:1

                        Humans are creative. We create paintings, buildings, writings, and ideas daily.

            “God is spirit . . .” John 4:24

Each human possesses spiritual capacities; we are more than just our physical bodies. Our spiritual nature is unseen, just as God is an invisible spirit.

“God said, ‘Let there be light’” Genesis 1:3

We communicate the same way God communicates, through speaking. Additionally, humans have the ability to understand other ways God is able to communicate with us. Whether it is through our circumstances, our surroundings, or the people in our lives. We are able to communicate with God because we communicate the same ways.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23

God shows His goodness and love for us through His Son, His joy in when the Heavens rejoice when His children come home, forbearance, self-control, and gentleness in his patience toward our sinful nature, and His faithfulness through the fulfillment of His promises. We also contain these qualities, some more than others. Nonetheless we still have some sort of love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control in our lives.

Based on these verses, it is reasonable to conclude that God does not have a physical, tangible body. God is invisible, eternal, and is Spirit. We reflect Him through our characteristics and qualities; we do not physically look like The Lord.

difference in definitions

My wonderful high school pastor made copies of some papers/research he had from college concerning the differences between the Mormon religion and what is stated in the Bible. One page he gave me is titled 'Terminology Differences' and is written by Sandra Tanner(The author of The Bible and Mormon Doctrine). It wasn't until only a few minutes ago I began reading through this page and I thought it would be a great starter-post to lay down the foundation of this blog. Here are a few of the definitions provided on this page.

Pre-Existence

LDS: Teaches that everyone pre-existed
Bible: Only Christ pre-existed, not man.
"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" John 8:58
"He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together." 1 Col. 1:17
"The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual." 1 Cor. 15:46

The Fall

LDS: Teaches that it brought mortality and physical death, not fallen nature, and believe that Adam was given two conflicting commandments and was supposed to fall.

Bible: God tempts no one and man is sinful because of man's sinful nature.

"We are all infected and impure with sin." Isaiah 64:6

"When tempted no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, not does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, but his own evil desire, he is dragged away enticed." James 1:13-14

Sin

LDS: Consists of specific acts, not man's nature.

Bible: We are in spiritual rebellion until conversion. We do not just commit sins, we are sinful.

"For we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23

            

Salvation

LDS: Christ's death brought release from the grave and universal resurrection. Salvation by grace is universal resurrection, beyond this man must earn his place in heaven.

Bible: Salvation is not universal, but based on belief of each individual.

"For it is by grace you have been saved,  through faith- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

Redeemed

LDS: We are redeemed from mortal death only- not sinful rebellion or spiritual death.

Bible: Christ redeems from more than mortal death, He redeems us from spiritual death.

"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins." Ephesians 2:1 

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23

Gospel

LDS: The Mormon Church system and doctrines.

Bible: The message of Christ's death and resurrection as atonement for our sins. 

"By this Gospel you are saved. . . that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures." 1 Cor. 15:2-4 

Eternal Life

LDS: Exaltation in Celestial Kingdom- the ability to bear children- and must have a Temple marriage.

Bible: Not limited to certain ones in heaven, no mention of parenthood or temple marriages but is given to ALL Christians.

"He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." 1 John 5:12-13

Heaven

LDS: Divided into three kingdoms-Celestial, Terrestrial, and Telestial. 1 Corinthians 15:40-41 is misused to support this idea.

Bible: Only mentions two conditions- everlasting punishment or life eternal.

Matthew 25:31-46

Hell

LDS: Hell as an institution is eternal however inmates come and go as in jail. One only stays in hell until their debt to God has been paid, they do not spend eternity in hell.

Bible: No mention of people getting out of Hell.

"This is how it will be a the end of the age. The angels will come an separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Matthew 13:49-50

Godhead

LDS: Father God is a resurrected man with a physical body, Christ is a separate resurrected man with a physical body, and the Holy Ghost is a separate man with a spiritual body. The godhead is made up of three totally separate Gods.

Bible: God is not a man, there is only one God, and the Father is Spirit and invisible.

"God is not a man, that He should lie. . ." Numbers 23:19

"Before me no God was formed, nor will there be one after me." Isaiah 43:10

"God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." John 4:24

"Now the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever an ever."   1 Timothy 1:17

I hope seeing some of these evident differences help see the distinct line between what is taught in the LDS Church and what is clearly stated in the Bible. Through out the next couple of weeks I hope to go deeper into some of these issues, reading more into the context of the arguments between the different religions and analyzing each side. 

I would love to hear what you have to say, what thoughts you may have about some of these interesting definitions! Please don't hesitate to leave a comment below!

& so it begins

hello everyone! my name is Bailey and I'm just going to tell you a little bit about who I am and the purpose of this blog. to start off, here are just a few fun facts. . .

1. I hate capital letters, so I avoid them in informal writing.

2. I always put spaces between my periods. ex: ". . ."

3. I am seventeen years old, aka a senior in high school(go eagles!).

4. I plan on going into ministry in my future.

5. I still love the Jonas Brothers.

6. I suck at grammar, it's never made sense to me.

7. Winter is my favorite because sweaters.

8. I have no clue how to run a blog, so bear with me as I learn.

Okay, so maybe those weren't so fun, but you might feel slightly more educated. Any who, lets get to the part where we talk about the purpose of this blog. Over the last few years I have been growing in my faith, I am a Christian(just to set the foundation of this blog) and I believe what is written in the Bible. This past spring I began to feel called to ministry, specifically what in ministry I had absolutely no idea. As time went on I began to explore my interests, my passions. There was always music, but that never really felt like a career path for me but simply a hobby. Over time, however, I began to notice my passion for the Gospel, my passion for talking about it with others and discussing how God reveals Himself. Eventually I began to notice a specific interest, I couldn't help but wonder what this whole Mormon thing was. Through out the past five years or so I have met more people of the Mormon faith than ever before. 

It's safe to say that the Mormon population is exploding here in north Texas, and I couldn't contain my curiosity. This started about a year ago when the Church I attend went through a series titled 'World Religions.' I would be lying if I told you that I didn't remember everything about that Sunday morning, it flipped my world upside down. For years I assumed Mormonism was simply another denomination of Christianity, I thought that they were Bible-believing Christians who had slightly different views than I myself did. Unfortunately, that was not the fact. I was in complete shock by the differences revealed to me that Sunday, I had no idea what to think about it. 

Naturally, I began to do more research. And then more research. Then even more. Eventually I began to notice a pattern. I had developed a strange passion for learning about the differences and similarities between the Mormon faith and Christianity. There was a passion placed inside of me for exploring God's truth. From this I decided that I whatever field of ministry I choose to go into, I want to be able to shine the light of the true Gospel to those who are apart of the Mormon Church. I want them to know that their beliefs are not the only ones out there, I want them to know that there are multiple sides to every story, and that they have the right to explore these with an open mind. More than anything I hope to represent Christ in the midst of darkness. Whether this means planting Churches or working with ex-mormons, I have no idea.

So why the blog? Recently I have been reflecting on this call on my life and I have just been overjoyed and anxious to do work for the kingdom. I kept telling myself that I cannot wait to go to college so that I could get a move on this thing. Still, I couldn't shake the thought that there has to be something I can do now. I was discussing an essay that I am currently writing with one of my friends, during this conversation he he brought up the idea that I should post the essay(which discusses whether or not the Mormon religion is supported by the Bible) online and thus provided the idea of creating a blog.

I did not decide to create this blog to encourage or create arguments and disputes, while I am open to questions and discussion(and I highly encourage those things because talking about religion is seriously my favorite). My hope is to educate people of the internet on unseen issues revolving around some religious beliefs. To be specific, the beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in comparison(and contrast) to that of Christians. I know many of you are thinking to yourselves "well aren't Mormons Christians too?" Ultimately, that is up for you to decide your own personal opinion however I promise one day there will be a whole separate post regarding that question. But that is for another day and another time. 

My hope and prayer is that this blog will provide truth, that it will spark other people's curiosity. That it will start conversations, that it will lead people to form their own opinions as opposed to what they grew up learning. As I stated before, I do not wish to start arguments however I am open to discussion. 

(and just as a disclaimer I will most likely post random personal stuff as well)

Thank y'all for reading! More updates are hopefully coming soon!