Greetings to you in the name of Jesus. The name above all names! I felt led this afternoon to write this article in hopes it will help Christians to better understand the Mormon doctrines but more so that it might help truth seeking Mormon’s to find a path back to Christ alone. Even as I write this article, I am praying for Mormons that I have specifically talked to. 

It is a common misunderstanding that Mormons fall under the umbrella as Christian. Most think they are just another denomination but as we will see in this writing, that is simply not true.

The first concern I wanted to bring up is their belief and following of Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith claims to have had visions and conversations with God. Joseph claimed that God had shown him the location of golden plates that contained new information regarding God’s plan for his people. Smith translated the plates not by looking directly at the plates but rather through a transparent seer stone. Mormons believe that Joseph was sent to be the next prophet of God to speak to the church. Reading on their website, they claim that just like God spoke to His people in the Old Testament through prophets, that God still does the same today. Let’s see what the Bible says about this. Reading in Hebrews 1:1-2  God, who at many times and in many ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,  (2)  has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds. So we see here that while it was normal in the Old Testament for God to reveal new truths to prophets who would then speak to the people, in terms of new information, this has ended with Jesus. If it is completely fine for new prophets to rise up with new information, how shall we then know who to believe? It would be utter confusion indeed.

Furthermore, we read in Galatians 1:6-9  I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:  (7)  Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.  (8)  But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.  (9)  As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. In the Book of Galatians, Paul is dealing with a very serious problem, “the perversion of the real gospel”. Not an outright replacement, but rather a perversion! In this passage, Paul even gives a definition of the one true gospel, he calls it the “grace of Christ”. Are Mormons guilty of perverting the gospel? Let’s simply read what they see and compare it to the Holy Scriptures.

Reading again on their website, they say “We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.”  First of all, they claim the word “saved” means to be resurrected and returned to God. While it is true that many times in the Bible when the word “saved” is used, it is talking about our future salvation, the issue here is the idea that our entrance into the presence of God is determined by our “obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel”. Their case is strengthened in the following statement…”following the resurrection each person—then an immortal soul—will be arraigned before the bar of God’s justice and receive a final judgment based on his performance during his mortal probation, that the verdict will turn on obedience or disobedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. If these laws and ordinances have been complied with during mortal life, the candidate will be cleansed from the stain of sin by the atoning blood of Jesus Christ and be saved in the celestial kingdom of God”. By now most reading this or listening to the audio will conclude that the Mormons indeed do not believe in the grace of the Gospel, that they do not believe salvation is a gift. They indeed believe that salvation is by faith plus works. Reading in Ephesians 2:8-9  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  (9)  Not of works, lest any man should boast. 

Friend, salvation cannot be both a gift and yet earned. We will look at more scripture to show this but I would like to first share a story. There was a man engaged to be married and every day he walked by a storefront that had this beautiful painting in the window. Every day he stopped to look and then went one. The store owner noticed and one day confronted the man. The man to be married went on to talk about his plans to be married and wished he had the money to buy his bride the painting. They finished talking and the man departed. The next day the store owner met the man on the sidewalk with painting in hand. He wanted to give the man the painting as a wedding gift. The man was thrilled but then reached into his pocket to give the owner the little money he had on him. The store owner looked down at the few dollars in his hand with disappointment. The owner then looked the man in the eyes and said “sir, this painting is worth far more than what I see there and it would be an insult to sell the painting for that amount”. He went on to tell the man that he had two choices, one, accept the painting as a gift or pay the full price! Obviously the man apologized and then gladly left rejoicing.

Now let’s turn back to the Word of God which is our foundation. Reading in Romans 4:1-5  What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?  (2)  For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.  (3)  For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.  (4)  Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.  (5)  But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. What an amazing passage for study! Remember the quote from the Mormon website regarding obedience first and then forgiveness? This passage clearly says that works are not involved and that if we move away from grace, we move into a debt situation. The passage further says that we are to believe that God justifies the ungodly! So we don’t become holy first and then God justifies. 

So how to Mormon’s try to convince others that salvation is faith plus works? They might turn to the Book of James when it says that “faith without works is dead”. The issue with looking at this passage is that in context the issue being addressed is “having faith to God” but at the same time “treating one another like garbage”. Just read the passage and you see that having faith that a homeless person will be warmed and filled is meaningless for that person. Faith will not save the homeless man. Another passage Mormon’s will use to justify the idea that we are not saved by faith alone is Romans 2:13 where it says “For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified”. A simple study of Romans shows clearly that Jews were trusting in their Jewish heritage for salvation. Paul’s concern with this thinking was that in order for a person to be saved by the law, they must not just be hearers of the law but keepers of it. In fact, Paul just told them in Romans 2:7  To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: You see that in order to be saved by law keeping, a person needs to continuously from the moment they understand good and evil, do good and seek for God’s glory, immortality and eternal life! So eternal life can actually be earned? In theory yes but Paul concludes in Romans 3:10-12  As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:  (11)  There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.  (12)  They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Dear Mormon friend, please take the scripture to heart and see that earning salvation is just not possible. Instead, turn to Jesus for salvation and believe in the Bible as the full authority and inspiration from God. You should by now see a clear contradiction between the Bible and the Mormon teachings or interpretations.

In closing, let me read one more passage of scripture. Colossians 1:12-14  Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:  (13)  Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:  (14)  In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: