7 Reasons Why Mormonism and Christianity Are Not the Same pt.4

The Gospel for Life

7. View of salvation. The goal of Mormon salvation is not
about escaping wrath as much as it is about maximizing our
growth and ensuring our happiness. Salvation is finding our
way back to God the Father and recalling our forgotten first
estate as his premortal spirit children.
Mormon theology teaches that we cannot receive an eternal
reward by our own unaided efforts. In some respects,
salvation is based on what we have earned, but what we
earn is by grace. How this plays out in Mormon life may differ
from person to person, but they stress that the gift of the
Holy Ghost is conditional upon continued obedience.
Mormons must keep the First Principles and Ordinances,
which consist of the Ten Commandments, tithing, chastity,
and the “Word of Wisdom” which prohibits tobacco, coffee,
tea, alcohol, and illegal narcotics.
Temples are also important in Mormon doctrine and practice.
Couples must be married in a Mormon temple to have an
eternal marriage, and every Mormon must be baptized in
one of their 135 (and counting) authorized Temples. Because
of the importance of baptism in the Temple, baptisms for the
dead are extremely common. Mormons keep detailed
genealogical records so that their ancestors can be properly
baptized. By one estimate more than 100 million deceased
persons have been baptized by proxy baptism in Mormon
temples. Those who received this baptism are free in the
afterlife to reject or accept what has been done on their
behalf.
Death in Mormon thinking is seen as another beginning,
complete with opportunities to respond to postmortem
preaching in the world to come. We will live in the spirit
world, and at some point our spirit and body will be reunited
forever.
There are four divisions in the afterlife. The Lake of Fire is
reserved for the Devil, his demons, and those who commit
the unpardonable sin. The Telestial Kingdom is where the
wicked go. It is a place of suffering but not like the Lake of
Fire. Most people go to the Telestial Kingdom where they are
offered salvation again. The lukewarm-not quite good, not
quite evil-go to the Terrestrial Kingdom when they die. This
Kingdom is located on a distant planet in the universe. The
Celestial Kingdom is for the righteous. Here God’s people
live forever in God’s presence. We will live as gods and live
with our spouses and continue to procreate. This is the aim
and the end of Mormon salvation.
Conclusion
Christians can be thankful for Mormon friends and family
members who are good neighbors and share many of the
same ethical standards and moral commitments. But
Mormonism and Christianity are not the same. Far from it.
Though the language sounds similar at times, the beliefs are
quite distinct. Mormons do not understand history, God,
man, salvation, heaven, hell, the cross, Jesus, or the Trinity
as the canonical Scriptures teach, nor do they agree with the
conciliar doctrine taught by the one, holy, catholic, apostolic
church over the last two thousand years.
Discussion based on Kevin DeYoung is the senior pastor at Christ Covenant
Church (PCA) in Matthews, North Carolina and associate
professor of systematic theology at Reforme

For more information about this group, please visit their website at reformationboise.com.
Every weekday at 8:00am you can listen to The Gospel for Life on 94.1 The Voice in the Treasure Valley, Idaho, USA.

If you have a question, comment, or even a topic suggestion for the Pastors, you can email them.
Phone: [phone]
E-mail: [email protected]
Podcast website: https://941thevoice.com/podcasts/gospel-for-life/