It’s Throwback Thursday!
The following blog article originally posted at Mormon Coffee on July 4, 2008.
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On this Fourth of July holiday when we celebrate our hard-won American freedom, let Christians also celebrate our freedom in Christ. Having been given the gift of reconciliation to God and new life in Christ by grace through faith in the One who is able to save, we are no longer slaves to sin. We are no longer enslaved by the impossible task of working to convince our Holy God that we are worthy — based on our obedience — to dwell eternally in His presence. Let us celebrate the immeasurable riches of His grace and His inexpressible gift. Let us live with hearts and minds transformed, in profound gratitude toward the incomparable Gift-giver.
The “A-to-Z” of the Christian Life
“The gospel shows us that our spiritual problem lies not only in failing to obey God, but also in relying on our obedience to make us fully acceptable to God, ourselves and others.
Every kind of character flaw comes from this natural impulse to be our own savior through our performance and achievement. On the one hand, proud and disdainful personalities come from basing your identity on your performance and thinking you are succeeding. But on the other hand, discouraged and self-loathing personalities also come from basing your identity on your performance and thinking you are failing.
Belief in the gospel is not just the way to enter the kingdom of God; it is the way to address every obstacle and grow in every aspect. The gospel is not just the “ABCs” but the “A-to-Z” of the Christian life.
The gospel is the way that anything is renewed and transformed by Christ — whether a heart, a relationship, a church, or a community. All our problems come from a lack of orientation to the gospel. Put positively, the gospel transforms our hearts, our thinking and our approach to absolutely everything.” (Timothy Keller, Paul’s Letter to the Galatians: Living in Line with the Truth of the Gospel, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2003, 2)
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For further reading: Ephesians 2:1-10; Romans 3:21-26; Titus 3:1-8
The New Testament warns us today about being alert so as not to be misled into following false prophets who come with their imitation gospels — Matt 24:11 ; Gal 1:8 . Mormon leaders are such prophets .
The Mormon people have told that the gospel of Jesus Christ is a system of rules/works compliance to which “qualifies ” a person to receive eternal life . This “gospel ” has been called a ladder by some Mormon leaders [ George Q. Cannon , Gospel Truth p.171 ] . Each rung on this ladder is a rule , law, regulation , i.e. works which LDS must do in order to Climb up to heaven and earn eternal life (exaltation) . But this is not how the N.T. reveals complete forgiveness to receive the gift of eternal life is gained .
The last decade or so it has become fashionable by some influencial Mormons to cleverly craft a sales pitch for the Mormon gospel of salvation that makes it sound similar to what many Christian pastors preach — “grace” and “faith” as to how sinners are saved , but cleverly leaving works in the shadows so as not to hinder their proseltyzing schemes . But the true gospel of salvation stands out loud and clear above all of it’s counterfeits . May God give the Mormon people the discernment
to see how they have been detoured by their leaders into embracing a good counterfeit of the true gospel , and may the Mormon people anchor their beliefs in what Jesus’ true apostles taught and dismiss the men in Salt Lake City who claim to be their modern day counterparts because the very
gospel Paul preached saved sinners 2000 years ago and it still does today — it’s that powerful ( Rom 1:16 ) . No need for the latter days prophets of Mormonism .
For Mormons : read what Sharon has printed ( above) , ponder what it says . The truth can set you free .
Amen, Sharon. Beautiful, profound post.
I’ve been having a back-and-forth with an LDS acquaintance on facebook. He posted a video of a Jewish man who gives his testimony of recognizing Jesus as the Messiah and coming to him in faith. My point to the Mormon friend was that I was very pleased that he posted the video but that what the man was testifying to isn’t what the LDS believe. I don’t want to say that things have gone downhill but it’s been a very interesting conversation.
He’s what I’d call a “chapel Mormon”; he buys the program lock-stock-and-barrel. One of the things he claims, of course, is that the LDS religion is the exact replica of the first century Christian church. I’ve had the opportunity to list for him the things that the LDS church currently believes, preaches and practices and have asked him if there’s a historical record of this (in the early church).
However my big point is that the LDS Jesus isn’t Jesus. This is important because as Sharon points out, our salvation is through the Christ revealed in the Bible. While the LDS folks are sincere, devout, moral and try to be righteous, the fact is that we are separated from God by our sin and no religious system can bridge the gap.
A big religious system , an elaborate “plan of salvation ” advertised as “the gospel ” of salvation is what Mormon leaders offer . But Jesus’ true apostles never taught such a behemoth . The gospel that saves is what they taught and it is not complicated nor does it involve a long list of “requirements ” designed to make sinners “worthy” to receive eternal life and live in God’s home above . The “Way” to be completely made worthy enough to get to God’s Home in heaven is a person —Jesus . Jn 14:6 . Being clothed with his worthliness / righteousness through surrendering the will(heart) and bending the knee and asking to be forgiven . At that moment Jesus will abundantly forgive and give the gift of eternal life . It all comes by trusting (faith) alone in His merit applied to
us — Phil 3:9 , that’s His saving grace – Eph 2:8,9 . After this transaction the sinner then gets to live for Jesus , daily talk to and worship Jesus , and praising the Father for the true gospel that he has found and accepted Matt 11:28 ; Jn 5:40 ; Eph 2:8-10 ; 1Cor 1:9 . In short , it’s all about Jesus ! Not a “plan ” , not a “system” of rules which Mormon leaders have called the gospel . Jesus is more than just a part , a rung on the Mormon gospel “ladder ” . Jesus alone is the Way to get to heaven and God’s home . Jesus will save to the uttermost all those LDS would comply with the true gospel — come directly and personally to Him , one on one , and ask Him for pardon and to be saved — Heb 7:25 .
Perhaps the Mormon people can better grasp the truth the New Testament records about receiving eternal life , if they look at their Temple entrance requirements . If God uses the Mormon temple as His earthly home then how LDS get into the temple is how they get into God’s home , and this then mirrors how LDS get into God’s home ( receive eternal life ) in heaven , according to their leaders counsel . Sadly , Mormon leaders have succumbed to a similar behavior that Jewish leaders in Jesus’ day had also , namely by adding man made teachings (requirements ) to God’s revealed truth in order to be “clean ” and righteous enough to gain salvation (one example — additions to the Sabbath etc ) Matt 15:6 and Mark 7:7,13 mention this type of behavior . In similar fashion Mormon leaders have also added man made teachings to the true gospel of salvation which Jesus’ apostles taught when He sent them out after His resurrection — Rom 1:16 .
The Mormon people can’t drink a cup of coffee today , violation of that rule can prevent temple entrance . Brigham Young even created a law that forbid a Mormon male to marry a Black woman . Such man made teachings mixed into Jesus’ true gospel by religious leaders like Mormon prophets is what alters the saving gospel and renders it ineffective to save . Paul warned about this very thing — Gal 1:8 — and his warning is pertinent in testing latter days prophets also . Mormon prophets have failed this test and thus the Mormon people have been detoured into accepting a good counterfeit .
So getting into the Mormon temple is not like getting into God’s real home above . They are two different “ways” . One is through rules, regulations , laws of men . The other is by faith (trust ) in Christ alone through God’s grace alone .
Jesus alone is the temple recommend LDS need for entrance into God’s home above . Heb 7:25
@Sharon
Excellent post. Those verses at the post’s end show clearly that faith plus works a.k.a. LDS gospel is starkly missing from the Biblical Canon.
Test everything, Scripture cannot be corrupted; Jesus is the only way to salvation, not through a church or organization.