MORMONISM'S "SALVATION BY WORKS"
or
SALVATION BY GRACE THROUGH CHRIST?
The entire BIBLE points in all direction to the cross. Upon it
God's only begotten Son died that we might have eternal from God. Only
through Christ can this separation be bridged.
On the other hand, MORMONISM points in all directions to the "Law of
Eternal Progression." We have seen that Mormon doctrine states that God
was once a man. He progressed to become God. The same law states that
man may become God! Let's go to the authorities of the church and hear
what they have said, first on the subject of man's pre-existence as a
spirit in a "spirit world" prior to taking a body here on earth:
"Pre-existence is the term commonly used to describe the
pre-mortal existence of the spirit children of God the Father ...
All men and women are in the similitude of the universal Father
and Mother, and we are literally the sons and daughters of Deity;
as spirits they were the offspring of celestial parentage ...
Unless God the father was a personal Being, He could not have
begotten spirits in His image, and if there had been no
self-existent spirit element, there would have been no substance
from which those spirit bodies could have been organized. The
basis of the Mormon law of progression in Mormonism is that
"intelligences" are eternal. On the other hand, God is not! He
started as a spirit child in another 'spirit world' long ago;
entered a body on another earth as a man; apparently was able to
follow the law of progression perfectly; after death He became
God in the 'celestial kingdom' of that other earth; brought (or
was given) many wives; through sexual union in our spirit world
had billions of spirit children : The first was Jesus, the second
Lucifer, the third and on and on were to enter the earth as you
and me. No organic difference in the parentage between us and
Jesus and Lucifer! We all have the same literal "Heavenly
Father." Note how those in Mormonism generally refer to Him as
"Heavenly Father" -- they mean just that - LITERALLY!! Just
remember that they could say also; "Heavenly GRANDFATHER",
"Heavenly Great-Grandfather", and so on ...!
DID WE PRE-EXIST? BRUCE R. McCONKIE (Apostle); MORMON DOCTRINE,
page 589
"In the first stage, man was an eternally existent being termed
an intelligence ... The next realm where man dwelt was the spirit
world. According to Mormon concept eternally existing
intelligences were clothed with spirit bodies in the mansion of
their eternal Father... numerous sons and daughters were begotten
and born of heavenly parents into that eternal family in the
spirit world ... There ... they were reared to maturity, becoming
grown spirit men and women prior to coming upon this earth ...
Following his stay in the spirit world, man comes to earth in a
probationary state ... receives a physical body and undergoes the
experiences of mortality .. Eventually; however, mortal death
comes upon all. The eternal spirit goes to the spirit world to
wait resurrection and judgement ... there they shall be assigned
to the glory that they have merited ... Some will receive
telestial glory; others terrestrial, while those who are recorded
in the 'Lamb's Book of Life' will enter celestial glory. There
some of them will become angels and others priest and kings, or,
in other words, Gods."
MILTON R. HUNTER (1st Council of 70);GOSPEL THROUGH THE AGES;
pages 127-129 (1958)
On page 12, Hunter states a basic "truth" of Mormonism, that God is subordinate to the law of eternal progression.:
"Our Eternal Father has attained His position of exaltation and
Godhood by obedience to the great law of progression. The
intelligent part of man was never created but always existed.
That is true of each of us as well as it is of God, yet we are
born sons and daughters of God in the spirit and are destined to
exist forever. Those who become like God will also be from
eternity to eternity."
JOSEPH FIELDING SMITH; DOCTRINES OF SALVATION; Vol 1, pg 12
The BIBLE states explicitly that there are no intelligences
co-eternal or co-existent with God. Anything that exists, other than
God, is a "thing." COLOSSIANS 1:16-17 and JOHN 1:1-3 state that ONLY
Jesus is co-eternal with God as the "WORD WAS GOD" (John 1:1). He is
before all "things" and created all "things." His creation did not
pre-exist Him!
God knows the beginning and end of all things before they exist.
There are several scriptures stating HE "knew" us before we were born.
They do not imply we existed before we were born.
"The burden of the word of the Lord of Israel, saith the Lord,
which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of
the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him." (Zechariah
12:1)
Note that the spirit is formed by God within man -- not 15 deals
with the body of man and the resurrection. Mormons will use verses 40
and 41 to substantiate their belief in three heavens, where it is clear
that Paul is talking about degrees of glory in heavenly bodies (stars,
moon and sun) as a description of the body before and after the
resurrection (Vs 42). Verses 43-49 refutes any "pre-existence" of man in
that Adam and all following (all of us - you and I) are from the earth -
first with a natural state -- not spiritual -- followed by a spiritual
state (vs 46). Jesus, alone, pre- existed and came from heaven to earth.
(See Philippians 2:6-10)
SALVATION BY GRACE VERSUS WORKS
The BIBLE states over and over that we do not merit salvation
(eternal life in God's presence) by our own goodness and system of good
works from or for any organization. You need only to study the Old
Testament and see the hopelessness of a system whereby man was to live
within God's laws with the system of prophets - temples - priests and ordinances. The purpose of Jesus coming to earth to die for us was to
make provision for our own inability to bridge this separation of man
from God and brought a new covenant. If you choose Mormonism as your
plan of salvation, you have regressed to the old covenant of the prophet, temple and ordinance which produce only "dead works" in an attempt to
obtain righteousness on your own. If you trust the LDS church and its
prophets; here is what is said:
"Thus all men who ascend to the glorious status of Godhood can do
so only by one method - by obedience to all the principals and
ordinances of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (another way of saying
"Mormonism")... Men are saved no faster than they gain knowledge.
The Prophet Joseph described the process of going toward Godhood
as follows: When you climb a ladder, you must begin at the
bottom, and ascend step by step, until you arrive at the top; and
so it is with the principles of the Gospel - you must begin with
the first, and go on until you learn all of the principles of
exaltation. But it will be a great while after you have passed
through the veil before you will have learned them"
MILTON R. HUNTER;THE GOSPEL THROUGH THE AGES;pg 115
JOSEPH F. SMITH;TEACHINGS OF THE PROPHET JOSEPH SMITH, pg 348
"The sectarian dogma of justification by faith alone has
exercised an influence for evil"
JAMES E. TALMAGE;ARTICLES OF FAITH;pg 480
"For we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we
can do"
II NEPHI 25:23 (BOOK OF MORMON)
"Christians speak often of the blood of Christ and its cleansing
power. Much that is believed and taught on this subject, however,
is utter nonsense and so palpably false that to believe it is to
lose one's salvation. Many go so far, for instance, as to
pretend, at least, to believe that if we confess Christ with our
lips and avow that we accept Him as our personal Savior, we are
thereby saved ... And no man can pick the fruit of eternal life
off the branches, as these are tied to the vine, without
accepting both Christ and His prophets ... If it had not been for
Joseph Smith, the Prophet, the perfect knowledge of Christ would
not be had in the world in this day. If it had not been for him
and his mission there would be no legal administrators now on
earth to administer in the ordinances of salvation."
WHAT THE MORMONS THINK OF CHRIST;Official LDS Church Tract;pg
32,46,47
"The second birth begins when men are legally baptized in water
by a legal administrator ... Those who receive the Gospel (Mormon
Doctrine) and join the church of Jesus Christ of Latter day
Saints have power given them to become sons of God" (Compare to
John 1:12.
BRUCE R. McCONKIE;MORMON DOCTRINE;pgs 84 & 745
(Compare to John 1:12. "But as many as received Him, to
them gave He power to become sons of God..")
"Those things which men are directed to do to attain peace in
this life and gain eternal life in the world to come are
collectively called the commandments".
BRUCE R. McCONKIE;MORMON DOCTRINE;pg 149
"Man is saved no faster than he gains knowledge -- (See I
Corinthians 1:17,20-23,2:1-5) ---- To gain salvation after
baptism it is necessary to keep the commandments of God and
endure to the end.... The most important things that any member
of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints ever does in
this world are: 1. To marry the right person, in the right place,
by the right authority (Mormon Temple marriage); and 2. to keep
the covenant made in connection with this holy and perfect order
of matrimony - thus assuring the obedient persons of an
inheritance of exaltation in the celestial kingdom."
BRUCE R. McCONKIE;MORMON DOCTRINE;preface to 1966 Edition;pg 118
We are praying that this comparative report will show you
the TRUTH of the BIBLE and the False Gospel and False Jesus being
expounded by the Mormon Church.
"There is only one way to become sanctified and perfected, and
thus prepared to live with God. That is by obedience to His laws.
There is no other way ... When will we learn to obey him with all
our heart, mind and strength?
CHURCH NEWS-EDITORIAL;November 8,1975; page 16
(Compare with Luke 10:27. "Thou shalt love the Love the
Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with
all thy strength, and with all thy mind....")
"If men and women obey all the other laws of the gospel except
that of celestial marriage (Mormon Temple Marriage), They are
appointed angels ...."
MILTON R. HUNTER, GOSPEL THROUGH THE AGES;pgs 118-120
"Once we have been resurrected, it will be our own efforts, and
not Christ's sacrifice, that will be the deciding factor ... A
man can be saved only so fast as he gains knowledge of the laws
of God." Prophets ... temples ... Obedience to the Law ...
Aaronic Priest .. Legalisms ... Dependent on our own efforts and
good works ...
BENNET; WHY I AM A MORMON;pg 170
Sound familiar? Old Testament in a new wrapping? Wrapped in
Christian terminology? Mormonism calls the unsuspecting back under what amounts to the old covenant. If righteousness could be obtained, earned
or gained by our own efforts to be perfect under the law, there would
have been no need for a "NEW" covenant. If all Christ's death meant was
to conquer death - to pay for Adam's sin as Mormonism teaches - why are
the following among the great number of God's words declaring the TRUTH
of the NEW COVENANT of salvation through Christ, by faith, not works of
the law. Look up these scriptures and review their full context as
revelations from God.
THE LAW AND WORKS DO NOT SAVE
What must we do to be doing the works of God? This is the work of
God that you believe in Him whom He sent. (John 6:28,29,39,40)
No one is justified by the works of the law. Now righteousness of
God is manifested apart from the Law. (Romans 3:21-22)
If it is adherents of the Law that are to be heirs, then faith is
NULL and the promise void. (Romans 4:13-16)
Died to the Law through the body of Christ. Discharged from the
law, dead to that which held us captive, so that we serve not under the
old written code but in new life of the Spirit. (Romans 7:4-6)
God has done what the law could not do! (Romans 8:1-4)
Israel who pursued righteousness based on the law did not
succeed. WHY? They did not pursue it through faith, but as if it were
based on works. (Romans 9:30-32)
A zeal for God - but not enlightened. Seeking to establish their
own righteousness. (Romans 10:1-4)
Christ is the end of the law. Romans 14:1-23 and Colossians 3:8-23
are clear refutations of the point made by Joseph Smith in "Words of
Wisdom" to not drink and eat certain things is nothing more than MAN'S regulation and NOT from God. Read and see what God said through the
Apostle Paul!
Man is not justified by works of the law but is through faith!
(Galatians 2:16)
Died to the law, that I might live to God. I do not nullify the
Grace of God; for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ is
dead in vain. (Galatians 2:19-21)
As many as are under the works of the law are under the curse!
(Galatians 3:10)
Before faith came, we were under the law - our schoolmaster
(Custodian) until Christ came. Now that faith is come, we are no longer
under a schoolmaster. (Galatians 3:23-28)
If led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. (Galatians 5:18)
Who saved us, not according to our works, but according to His own
purpose and grace. (II Timothy 1:8-10)
He saved us, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but
according to His mercy. Being justified by grace. (Titus 3:3-9) NOTE:
Titus 3:9 and 1st Timothy 1:4 clearly spell out what God says about the
Mormon obsession with genealogies for the dead works of "baptism for the
dead."
HOW IS MAN SAVED?
If salvation is not by works of our own under the law and
ordinances, HOW IS MAN SAVED? Just a few of the scriptures God has given
us are:
YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN! (John 3:1-18)
In context Jesus, Himself, explains that, not only do we have a
natural birth (Flesh) but a spiritual birth! "Whosoever believeth in Him
shall not perish but have everlasting life (ETERNAL)!" Gnosticism was a movement that vigorously contended with Orthodox Christianity for
supremacy. Writings by the early Church Fathers show how widespread and influential Gnosticism justifies him who has faith in Jesus, without the
deeds of the law.
Christ died for us, sinners, who are now justified by His blood. We
are reconciled through Him. (Romans 5:1-11)
The free gift of righteousness by the grace of God. (Romans 5:15-17)
Confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart God
raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9-17)
We are justified by faith. Our old nature is crucified with Christ;
Christ now lives in us; we live by faith --- not the law! (Galatians
2:16-21)
"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. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good
works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them"
(Ephesians 2:8-10). Works have nothing to do with our justifying eternal
life. The Mormon will be quick to point out James 2:17 - "Even so faith,
if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." AMEN! That is not denying salvation by faith. What it is saying is this: "You say you are saved?
Saving faith will naturally flow into a life that will show evidence of
it. Your 'works' will testify of your faith. If none, there is reason
to question whether there really was a saving faith to start with."
To quote Ed Decker in his tract "To Moroni with Love"; You do not
bark to become a dog nor "baa" to become a sheep. You bark because you
are a dog or "baa" because you are a sheep! Christians, when born-again
and indwelt by the Holy Spirit, have a never ending desire to follow the
Lord Jesus in their daily life behavior. "Works" is not an appropriate
name as it suggest payment after the work has been done. Christ made the payment IN FULL for our sins by His blood for us; if only we REPENT of
our sins and ACCEPT Him by faith. It is available only through God's
grace for an eternal life.
Blood of Jesus cleanseth us from all sin. (I John 1:7)
Jesus was the sacrifice, once, to perfect forever those who are
sanctified. (Hebrews 9:23-28, 10:10-18)
We are reconciled by His blood. (Romans 5:6-11)
Our iniquity was laid on Jesus; to die for us; that we might be made
the righteousness of God in Him. (Isaiah 53:6-11 and I Corinthians 5:17-
21)
I PETER 2:24
"Who his own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that
we, being dead to sins should live unto righteousness: By whose stripes
ye are healed" (I Peter 2:24). You will never (Well, We won't say never because God may have His plan for their salvation that We are not aware
of at this moment) see a cross on a Mormon structure. They will say call
it a "graven image"; yet "Moroni" stands on top of their temples. Moroni didn't die for them. Joseph Smith, Jr. didn't die for them. The church
didn't die for them. JESUS DIED FOR THEM, if they would only cling to
His cross and reach out to claim His blood for their sins. They're told
they can earn their own righteousness based on the law of the church
which is based on "prophets, seers and revelators" proven -TIME AND
AGAIN- to be false. Wouldn't you rather lay your eternal life in the
hands of the ETERNAL GOD; the SON who, personally, died for you - than,
say, a "prophet" in Salt Lake City?
Our prayer is that this comparison of the Bible vs: the
LDS Mormon church will show you the LIGHT of CHRIST.
Computers For Christ - San Jose, CA
For more information see below:
This file has been brought to you by the ministry of the;
Southern Maryland Christian Information Service BBS, (SMCIS)
(301) 862-3160 HST
P.O. Box 463
California, MD 20619
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