How Can a Person Know They are a Child of God?

     Is everyone who claims to be a Christian actually redeemed and in a right relationship to God?  The answer is unfortunately, "No."  True Christians are certainly not perfect people but there are distinguishing characteristics that mark them.  St. Paul wrote, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (II Cor. 5:17)."  If a person is born of the Spirit, there is a difference between what their life is not and what it was before.  Those differences are reflected in the attitudes that the redeemed person shows every day, and in all circumstances of life--certainly not perfectly, but yet consistently. These attitudes are the fruits of the Spirit in the life of the believer. and In Galatians 5:22-24 we read, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

     Will the Christian from time to time transgress and fall into sin? Of course. We are sinful creatures and St. John wrote (I Jn. 1:8-10), "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." The difference between an unregenerated sinner and a child of God who sins is in how he or she deals with it.  The unregenerated sinner continues in the sin and the Christian seeks God's forgiveness and leaves the sin behind.  Proverbs 24:16 teaches us that, "the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity."
     The Mormons have quite a different take on evidences of being redeemed.  Doctrine and Covenants (one of the Mormon Holy Books) 9:8, 9a reads “But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me (God) if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right. But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings . . ."  It is incredible to think that the Mormons would take a subjective feeling as evidence of grace instead of the Spirit's witness to the new birth!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Christian Humility--and Mormon Pride

The Bible teaches that one of the marks of a true Christian is humility. This runs contrary to the culture of our day where we are commonly being told to “be more assertive” and to “stand up for ourselves.” Certainly there is a proper place for this but Ephesians 4:2 reminds us, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

It is especially counter-cultural to think more highly of others than we do of ourselves. A recent survey of first world students from around the world found that students in the United States had the highest self-esteem—much higher than in any other country—yet these same U. S. students score worse than students from every other first world country in math and science. The Bible warns about vain conceit and feeling superior to others. In Philippians 2:3 we read, Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.

We certainly don’t need to put ourselves down but unrealistic self-praise and heady self-esteem in not good. Where did Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism stand on the virtue of humility?

Speaking of himself, Joseph Smith declared: “I am learned and know more than all of the world put together” (Smith, J. F. 1976. Teachings of the prophet Joseph Smith. p. 350). He also said “I have more to boast of than ever any man had.  I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam. . . . Neither Paul, John, Peter nor Jesus ever did it. I boast that no man ever did such a work as I. The followers of Jesus ran away from Him; but the Latter Day Saints never ran away from me yet” Joseph Smith, History of the Church, v 6, pp. 408-9.

That’s right!    Joseph Smith believed that he knew more than the whole world put together! He believed that he was a greater religious leader than the Apostles Paul, John and Peter—to top that he considered himself a greater religious leader than the Lord Jesus Christ himself!  This dangerous megalomaniac was the founding prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

These are people we should pray for and seek to reach for Christ.

This and many more Mormon teaching are in my soon to be released book Mormonism and the Bible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Salvation is grace alone (Sola gratia) through faith alone (Sola fide) in Christ alone (Solus Christus). Our mission to Mormons continues. How do Mormons believe they gain salvation?

From the time of the Reformation the Christian church has recognized the three solas of salvation: grace alone (Sola gratia) through faith alone (Sola fide) in Christ alone (Solus Christus. There is nothing we can do to earn salvation. It is grace—the free gift of God. It is freely given to us by God through faith which is also a work of God through the Holy Spirit, not a faith which is of human origin. And that faith is placed in Christ and his redemptive work alone. He paid the full price for our sins and nothing we must or indeed can do to contribute to our salvation. All trust in human efforts is futile. That trust in Christ is an on going work of the Holy Spirit throughout our lives. We continue trusting in Christ daily for our salvation and at no point in our Christian walk does salvation become the result of anything we can do.

What do our lost friends in the Mormon Church believe?

(1) They believe that no one can be saved without the intervention of a Mormon priest. The individual sinner can not draw near to God except through the church priest. . ." for nothing will save a man but a legal (Mormon) administrator, for none other will be acknowledged by God or angels." (Smith, J. F. (1976). Teachings of the prophet Joseph Smith) Christians have faith that the Great High Priest of our profession is Christ.

(2) They are taught that coming to God for salvation is a matter of the intellect, not the heart or will. "A man is saved no faster than he gets knowledge, for if he does not get knowledge he will be brought into captivity by some evil power in the other world, as evil spirits have more knowledge and consequently more power." (Smith, J. F. (1976). Teachings of the prophet Joseph Smith) Christians rightly believe that we come to Christ through faith, not through intellect.

(3) They are taught that God intervenes in salvation only after our best efforts have been exhausted. "It is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” (II Nephi. 25:23) Christians rightly understand that there is nothing we can do to earn salvation.

(4) Finally, and worst of all, they believe that forgiveness of sins is only conditional. If sin occurs again in the life of the Mormon believer, the previous forgiveness of sins is canceled and the sinner is again guilty of sins that had been forgiven. "Remission of sins can be lost through recurrent transgression, for ‘unto that soul who sinneth shall the former sins return, saith the Lord your God’” (Doctrine &Covenants 82:7). The Word of God teaches us that our forgiven sins are buried eternally in the sea of God’s forgetfulness (Micah 7:19).

What a bleak, hopeless, and impossible outlook faces the Mormon believer. By contrast what a glorious hope is the Christian believer's! Another reason to reach out to the lost Mormons among us and to win them to our gracious Lord and Redeemer!

This and many more Mormon doctrines are examined in my soon to be released book Mormonism and the Bible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Was the Fall of Adam and Eve a Blessed Event or a Curse According to Mormonism? You May Be Surprised!

Was the transgression and fall of our First Parents a joyous and blessed event or was it the source of sorrow, suffering, alienation from God and death? According to the Mormon Pearl of Great Price it was cause for great rejoicing.

“Adam and Eve expressed their gratitude for the blessings that came as a result of the fall. Adam blessed God and was filled, and began to prophesy concerning all the families of the earth, saying, ‘blessed be the name of God, for because of my transgression my eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy, and again in the flesh I shall see God.’ And Eve his wife heard all these things and was glad, saying: ‘Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient’” Moses 5:10 & 11

The Bible makes it plain that this first transgression was sin and that sin brings the wrath and punishment of God: “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Rom. 5:12 ). Contrary to Mormon teaching there is nothing good that comes from this or any other sin—only physical, spiritual, and eternal death. “For the wages of sin is death…” (Rom. 6:23).

Also, unlike Mormonism, the Bible does not trivialize the awfulness of sin. It teaches that sinners “are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity” (Eph. 4:18-19).

 

If the Mormon view were right there would be no need of a Savior and the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Christ would be meaningless. Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God was a tragedy of cosmic proportions and because of it all of creation remains under a curse. Mankind needs a Savior to bring about a reconciliation to God, and Jesus alone is that Savior.

 

This and many more Mormon doctrines and teachings are discussed in my soon to be released book: Mormonism and the Bible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Does the blood of Jesus Christ cleanse us from ALL sin or only from certain types of sin according to Mormonism?

Our discussion of Mormonism continues. Does the shed blood of Jesus Christ cleanse us from all sin or only from certain types of sins? Are there sins so dark that they are beyond the cleansing power of Christ’s atoning blood? John wrote, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (I Jn. 1:7)” This is a bedrock and foundational article of faith in the Christian religion. There is no stain of sin so dark that God cannot or will not purge it from our hearts upon the application of Christ’s precious atoning blood through faith in Him.

Is this what our Mormon friends teach? No! It is not! “Some sins are so grievous (such as murder and apostasy) that Christ’s blood is of no avail and the offender must atone by the shedding of his own blood” (Hoekma, (1972). The four major cults.). Think of the implications of this teaching. The blood of an apostate or a murderer is a more acceptable atoning sacrifice to God than is the sacred blood of His own Son according to Mormon orthodoxy. This tragically warped view has undoubtedly led to the eternal ruin of many souls. As believers in Christ we should have a missionary zeal to reach the lost Mormons among us.

This and many other Mormon doctrines are examined and compared to scripture in my book, Mormonism and the Bible.

 

What has been the Historical Attitude of the Mormon Church towards the Black People?

Historically the Mormon Church has taken a very racist attitude towards the black people. This began to be somewhat modified when a revelation that black men are now eligible for the Priesthood was announced to the church June 9, 1978 by President Spencer W. Kimball. In spite of lifting the ban on black participation in the priesthood, the Mormon church has done nothing, according to the public record, to retract or to atone for the many slanderous statements against blacks.

Early on Joseph Smith, founder of Mormonism, went on record as saying, “Had I anything to do with the Negro, I would confine them by strict law to their own species” (History of the Church, v. 7, pp. 217-218). Admittedly this statement was made during a time of enormous racial injustice in the United States including slavery. But bear in mind that Joseph Smith claimed that as a prophet he had a special connection with God and spoke for God to his followers.

The Journal of Discourses, which contains many of the sermons of the early Church Presidents, records, “You see some classes of the human family that are black, uncouth, uncomely, disagreeable, and low in their habits, wild and seemingly deprived of nearly all the blessings of the intelligence that is generally bestowed upon mankind . . . Cain slew his brother . . . and the Lord put a mark upon him, which is the flat nose and the black skin . . . another curse is pronounced upon the same race—that they should be the servant of servants and they will be until that curse is removed . . . Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African race? If the white man who belongs to the chosen  seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty under the law of God is death on the spot. It will always be so. (c. 7, pp. 290-291)"

Racism has been a terrible blight on Christianity. Tragically it has been widely practiced but there are no grounds for racial prejudice or discrimination in the Bible or in true Christianity. This is but another example of how far the Mormon Church strays from historical, biblical Christianity.

This and many other topics are explored in my new book Mormonism and the Bible.

 

 

 

 

Are Women Resurrected the Same as Men are According to Mormonism? No! They are not!

According to one of the holy books of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (the Mormons) those who get married in the temple and who continue to live faithful to the church have a celestial marriage. This means that they will be eternally married and as Gods in the Celestial Kingdom they will eternally procreate spirit children. Celestial Marriage is “often referred to in our day as temple marriage. Such marriages are performed in temples . . . by authorized priesthood holders . . . Worthy couples who are thus married, and who continue to live the gospel faithfully will be married to each other in the next life and continue as a family unit eternally” (Doctrine& Covenants 132:19 & 20).

But are the husband and the wife both raised equally to this state of eternal bliss? Indeed they are not. The men are raised to glory, by Christ, as Gods in the Celestial Kingdom but their earthly wives are not raised at the same time or in the same manner. In order for the wife to be raised to Celestial Glory as the Goddess wife of her (now deified) husband she must be called forth in the resurrection of women by her husband. She remains un-resurrected until and unless her husband chooses to call her forth into the resurrection by calling her by the secret name which was given to her at the time of her temple endowment. If the husband chooses not to call her up by her secret temple name she will still eventually be resurrected but to a lesser glory, and not as a Goddess nor as the wife of her now glorified husband. She will experience lesser glory eternally because she did not please her husband sufficiently for him to elect to call her forth at the resurrection.

“One must be married in the LDS temple and then obey all of the Mormon regulations to get to the highest degree of heaven. The first time a Mormon attends the temple endowment ceremony he or she will be given a new name (usually a Bible name like Peter or Mary or the name of European royalty). These will be their names in eternity. The wife must tell her husband her new name, and no one else, as he is supposed to call her up in the resurrection. If he does not call her up she would still resurrect, but not as his wife” (Tanner, S. undated. How the LDS Husband Hopes to Resurrect his Wife, p. 1)

This makes the Mormon husband, rather than Christ, the savior of the Mormon wife. “. . . the Mormon husband is the . . . savior of the Mormon woman. He alone has the authority to call her forth in the resurrection” (Anderson, E. 1973. Inside Story of Mormonism. p. 89).

Is this idea biblical? It is not on two grounds. In Matthew 22:30 Christ said, “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.” Christ excludes the idea of Celestial Marriage. Furthermore St. Paul wrote to the Galatians that Christ values all equally and does not give preference to anyone based on gender or anything else. "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ (3:28)." Although the Bible certainly does recognize different roles for man and for women in the home and in the church, there is no place in Christian theology for valuing women as being less to God than men are.

Can you imagine the emotional blackmail power this gives the Mormon husband over his wife if he is inclined to use it? His wife must live with the constant knowledge that unless she pleases her husband sufficiently, so that he will choose to call her forth in the resurrection, she will eternally pay the price for this failure as a wife. This is not biblical.

            This and many more topics are discussed in my new book Mormonism and the Bible.