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Salvation - “Unconditional or general salvation, that which comes by grace alone without obedience to gospel law, consists in the mere fact of being resurrected. In this sense salvation is synonymous with immortality; it is the inseparable connection of body and spirit so that the resurrected personage lives forever. This kind of salvation eventually will come to all mankind, excepting only the sons of perdition. But this is not the salvation of righteousness, the salvation which the saints seek. Those who gain only this general or unconditional salvation will still be judged according to their works and receive their places in a terrestrial or a telestial kingdom. They will, therefore, be damned; their eternal progression will be cut short; they will not fill the full measure of their creation, but in eternity will be ministering servants to more worthy persons. Conditional or individual salvation, that which comes by grace coupled with gospel obedience, consists in receiving an inheritance in the celestial kingdom of God. Even those in the celestial kingdom, however, who do not go on to exaltation, will have immortality only and not eternal life. Along with those of the telestial and terrestrial worlds they will be ‘ministering servants, to minister to those who are worthy of a far more, and exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory.’ They will live ‘separately and singly’ in an unmarried state ‘without exaltation, in their saved condition, to all eternity.’ Salvation in its true and full meaning is synonymous with exaltation or eternal life and consists in gaining an inheritance in the highest of the three heavens within the celestial kingdom. With few exceptions this is the salvation of which the scripture speak. This full salvation is obtained in and through the continuation of the family unit in eternity, and those who obtain it are gods.” Mormon Doctrine by Bruce McConkie, p.669 - 670 ~ The doctrine of salvation in the Mormon religion sounds very complicated. They use a lot of terminology that comes from Scripture but yet their doctrines conflict with Scripture. In dissecting the above doctrine we see that the bottom line is they believe in salvation as a result of good works. The Bible clearly teaches that salvation comes through grace and faith in Christ Jesus and not of any works. “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.” Ephesians 2:8-9 ~ In looking at further doctrinal statements we continue to see much conflict with Holy Scripture. "Jesus' sacrifice was not able to cleanse us from all our sins, (murder and repeated adultery are the exceptions)," Journal of Discourses, Vol. 3, p. 247, 1856 “But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1: 7& 9 "This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts" LDS Bible Dictionary, p. 697 "We know
that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do," Book of
Mormon “Good works are necessary for salvation,” Articles of Faith, p. 92 “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.” Romans 4:4 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23 “There is
no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith as a prophet of God,” Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:10-12 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6 The Triune Godhead – “The trinity is three separate Gods: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. That these three are separate individuals, physically distinct from each other, is demonstrated by the accepted records of divine dealings with man.” Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 35 "Many men say there is one God; the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost are only one God. I say that is a strange God [anyhow]--three in one and one in three. . .It is curious organization… All are crammed into one God according to sectarianism (Christian faith). It would make the biggest God in all the world. He would be a wonderfully big God--he would be a giant or a monster." The Teachings Joseph Smith, p.372 ~ Even without using the word trinity, Scripture addresses the triune nature of the one true God. “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” 1 John 5:7 ~ I believe you will find the following doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints particularly grievous and in clear conflict with the teachings of the Word. “God used
to be a man on another planet,” Mormon
Doctrine,
p. 321. “God is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent: hath He said, and shall He not do it? or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?” Numbers 23:19 “I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee: and I will not enter into the city.” Hosea 11:9 "The
Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s..." “God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” John 4:24 "Therefore
we know that both the Father and the Son are in form and stature perfect
men; each of them possesses a tangible body . . . of flesh and bones."
“Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.” Romans 1:22-23 "God
himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in
yonder heavens!!! . . . We have imagined that God was God from all eternity.
I will refute that idea and take away the veil, so that you may see."
“Yea, before the day was I am He; and there is none that can deliver out of My hand: I will work, and who shall let it?” Isaiah 43:13 “God resides near a star called Kolob,” Pearl of Great Price, pages 34-35; Mormon Doctrine by Bruce McConkie, p. 428 “Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool: where is the house that ye build unto Me? and where is the place of My rest?” Isaiah 66:1 “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, …” Isaiah 57:15 “God had sexual relations with Mary to make the body of Jesus,” Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 4, p. 218, 1857; vol. 8, p. 115 “Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” Matthew 1:22-23 “To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.” Luke 1:27 “The first spirit to be born in heaven was Jesus,” Mormon Doctrine by Bruce McConkie, page 129 “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:8 "The birth of the Savior was as natural as are the births of our children; it was the result of natural action. He partook of flesh and blood - was begotten of his Father, as we were of our fathers." Journal of Discourses, Vol. 8: p. 115 "Christ was begotten by an Immortal Father in the same way that mortal men are begotten by mortal fathers" Mormon Doctrine by Bruce McConkie, p. 547 ~ The conception of Christ as a man was definitely not natural, it was supernatural, that which alone could have been brought about by the agreement and power of the triune Godhead. “But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.” Matthew 1:20 “Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” Luke 1:34-35
“Without father,
without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end
of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.”
Hebrews 7:3 “There is a mother god,” Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 443 “Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and His redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside Me there is no God… Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even My witnesses. Is there a God beside Me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.” Isaiah 44:6 & 8 “God is
married to his goddess wife and has spirit children” “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 “Implicit in the Christian verity that all men are the spirit children of an Eternal Father is the usually unspoken truth that they are also the offspring of an Eternal Mother. An exalted and glorified Man of Holiness (Moses 6:57) could not be a Father unless a Woman of like glory, perfection, and holiness was associated with him as a Mother. The begetting of children makes a man a father and a woman a mother whether we are dealing with man in his mortal or immortal state. This doctrine that there is a Mother in Heaven was affirmed in plainness by the First Presidency of the Church (Joseph F. Smith, John R. Winder, and Anthon H. Lund) when in speaking of preexistence and the origin of man, they said that ‘man, as a spirit, was begotten and born of heavenly parents, and reared to maturity in the eternal mansions of the Father,’ that man is the ‘offspring of celestial parentage,’ and that ‘all men and women are in the similitude of the universal Father and Mother, and are literally the sons and daughters of deity.’” Mormon Doctrine by Bruce R. McConkie p.516 “Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.” Hebrews 7:3 Christ’s Atonement - "Jesus paid for all our sins when He suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane," Laurel Rohlfing, Sharing Time: The Atonement, Friend, Mar. 1989, 39 “For it pleased the Father that in Him [Christ] should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled: In the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight:” Colossians 1:19-22 “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross;” Colossians 2:13-14 Heaven - Latter-day Saints use the word heaven to reference an eternal dwelling place for those who have received the reward of a glorious afterlife. Heaven being comprised of three progressive degrees of glory: the highest being "the celestial, the terrestrial, the next below it; and thirdly the telestial. After mortal death, Latter-day Saints enter the “world of spirits” where they receive a beginning judgment. Those who are sinless through the atonement of Jesus enter into paradise to dwell in: happiness, rest, peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow, until a time resurrection and final judgment. "For those who have sin in their life they go to hell but have the opportunity to “work” their way out of sin and darkness and into a place of paradise. (paradise not being the same as heaven but better than hell) While the vast majority of mankind will eventually be saved in heaven, this does not mean that all residents will enjoy the same quality of eternal lifestyle." Mormon Doctrine, by Bruce McConkie, pgs. 347-348 and 754-755 “And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.” Luke 16:23-26 This passage in Luke 16 clearly addresses any question about someone leaving or getting out of hell and then going to heaven. It simply does not work that way, hell is eternal. Man, becoming a god - "Then
shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from
everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above
all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods,
because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them,” “Ye are My witnesses, saith the Lord, and My servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He: before Me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after Me.” Isaiah 43:10 The Bible - The Book of Mormon - "We
believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated
correctly.”
"Wherefore, thou seest that after the book hath gone forth through the hands
of the great and abominable church, that there are many plain and precious
things taken away from the book, which is the book of the Lamb of God."
“But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” 1 Peter 1:25 “The book
of Mormon is more correct than the Bible.” “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” 2 Timothy 3:16 “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.” 2 Peter 1:20 “The true
gospel was lost from the earth. Mormonism is its restoration,”
“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away.” Matthew 24:35 Satan - “The Devil
was born as a spirit after Jesus "in the morning of pre-existence,” “Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.” Ezekiel 28:14-15 “Jesus and Satan are spirit brothers and we were all born as siblings in heaven to them both,” Mormon Doctrine by Bruce McConkie, p. 163 Joseph Smith/Prophet - “If it had
not been for Joseph Smith and the restoration, there would be no salvation.
There is no salvation [the context is the full gospel including exaltation
to Godhood] outside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber… I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” John 10:1, 9 “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from Him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 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.” Galatians 1:6-8 Children - “Listen to
the words of Christ, your Redeemer, your Lord and your God. Behold, I came
into the world not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance; the
whole need no physician, but they that are sick; wherefore, little children
are whole, for they are not capable of committing sin; wherefore the curse
of Adam is taken away from them in me, that it hath no power over them; and
the law of circumcision is done away in me.” “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” Psalm 51:5 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Romans 3:23 Ethnic Bias -
“Wherefore, the word of the Lord was fulfilled which he spake unto me,
saying that: In as much as they will not hearken unto thy words they shall
be cut off from the presence of the Lord. And behold, they were cut off
from his presence. And he had caused the cursing to come upon them, yea,
even a sore cursing, because of their iniquity. For behold, they had
hardened their hearts against him, they had become like unto a flint;
wherefore, as they were white, and exceedingly fair and delightsome, that
they might not be enticing unto my people the Lord God did cause a skin of
blackness to come upon them.” ~ The following is from the Church of Latter-day Saints’ Official Declaration-2: To Whom It May Concern:
On September 30, 1978, at the 148th Semi Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the following was presented by President N. Eldon Tanner, First Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church:
In early June of this year, the First Presidency announced that a revelation had been received by President Spencer W. Kimball extending priesthood and temple blessings to all worthy male members of the Church. President Kimball has asked that I advise the conference that after he had received this revelation, which came to him after extended mediation and prayer in the sacred rooms of the holy temple, he presented it to his counselors who accepted it and approved it. It was then presented to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles who unanimously approved it, and was subsequently presented to all General Authorities, who likewise approved it unanimously.
June 8, 1978 To all general and local priesthood officers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout the world:
Dear Brethren: As we have witnessed the expansion of the work of the Lord over the earth, we have been grateful that people of many nations have responded to the message of the restored gospel, and have joined the Church in ever increasing numbers. This, in turn, has inspired us with a desire to extend to every worthy member of the Church all the privileges and blessings of the which the gospel affords.
Aware of the promises made by the prophets and presidents of the Church who have preceded us that at some time, in God’s eternal plan, of all our brethren who are worthy may receive the priesthood, and witnessing the faithfulness of those from whom the priesthood has been withheld, we have pleaded long and earnestly in behalf of these, our faithful brethren, spending many hours in the Upper room of the Temple supplicating the Lord for divine guidance.
He has heard our prayers, and by revelation has confirmed that the long-promised day has come when every faithful, worthy man in the Church may receive the holy priesthood, with power to exercise its divine authority, and enjoy with his loved ones every blessing that flows there-from, including the blessings of the Temple. Accordingly, all worthy male members of the Church may be ordained to the priesthood without regard for race or color. Priesthood leaders are instructed to follow the policy of carefully interviewing all candidates for ordination to either the Aaronic or the Melchizdek Priesthood to insure that they meet the established standards for worthiness.
We declare with somberness that the Lord has now made known his will for the blessing of all his children throughout the earth who will hearken to the voice of his authorized servants, and prepare themselves to receive every blessing of the gospel.
Sincerely Yours,
Spencer W. Kimball N. Eldon Tanner Marion G. Romney
First Presidency
~ In spite of this 2nd declaration of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the doctrinal statement from the Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 5:21 has never been removed. You may pick up any Book of Mormon and see it in 2 Nephi. Scripture clarifies for us that God is no respecter of color, ethnicity, or gender. “And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;” Acts 17:26 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28 “My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.” James 2:1
Joseph
Smith, Book of Mormon, (Doubleday Publishing, New York, NY, 2004)
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