Same Vocabulary but a Different Dictionary?

July 1, 2009 at 11:48 pm (LDS, Latter-day Saints, Mormonism, Mormons, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
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When my children were young we lived in Germany for a few years. It was during the 1980’s when the dollar was strong, which meant that we had enough money to travel. We visited Austria, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Italy, France, Belgium and the Netherlands. The people in each of these countries spoke different languages and it was difficult trying to communicate with them. They used different words than I did to convey the same thing. On each trip we took a dictionary to help us translate that country’s language into English, but it wasn’t easy. Somehow we managed to get along and we thoroughly enjoyed our travels throughout Europe.

It wasn’t until after the Holy Spirit brought me to faith that I discovered I had another language barrier with the people around me. But this time I was interacting with Christians. The language barrier was less obvious than when in Europe because we were using the SAME words—but the meaning was different! Talk about confusing! Even though we used the same words, my understanding of what those words meant was very different than theirs. I realized that because I had grown up in a Mormon family I had been taught a very unique language. I discovered that Mormons speak the same vocabulary as Christians, but they use a different dictionary! Once I recognized that this was the problem it became a lot easier to communicate and to study the Bible.

It took me two years of very intensive Bible study to really understand just the basic truths! Since I was familiar with the Topical Guide in the back of my LDS KJV, I used that as my starting point for each concept or word. Often, simply by studying each passage listed and then reading them in context, I could come up with the true meaning. Once I had done that I would use the Nave’s Topical Guide. This guide always broadened my perspective and often gave me several key passages that had unfortunately been left out of the LDS Topical Guide. After going through the Nave’s I would turn to the Strong’s Concordance and look up every passage using the words suggested by each of the Topical Guides. It was very time-consuming but I loved every minute of it! I still study God’s Word this way (except I now have a computer) and the more I learn the more I desire to dig in and see what God wants me to learn.

The fact that Mormons speak many of the same words as Christians but use a different dictionary causes lots of misunderstandings. Over the next couple of weeks I plan on discussing some of these words and showing the two different meanings.

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Can Eternal Marriage Be Perfect?

June 17, 2009 at 11:32 am (Eternal Families, Forgiveness, LDS, Latter-day Saints, Mormonism, Mormons, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
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When I was a young girl I dreamt of having an eternal marriage. One day I would be in the celestial room kneeling across the altar, looking at the love of my life. We would see each other in the reflection of the mirrors as we were sealed to each other for time and all eternity. This man would cherish me and love me unconditionally, as I would him. He would be my best friend—someone I could trust. We would share all our joys, our hurts and pains, and the desires of our hearts. Most importantly, he would be faithful and true to me forever.

As I said, this was my dream. But I really never thought it would come true. Before I was even old enough to know what it was, I had lost my most important possession—my virginity. For most of my childhood I had been sexually abused and I felt so much shame. I knew how unclean I was, how inadequate to be a man’s wife. Who could ever love me if they knew? I was a broken and unhealthy young woman.

I dated quite a bit. One young man was very special to me, but I never felt worthy enough for him. How could I ever tell him the truth? While he was on his mission, I made bad choices that confirmed I was not worthy. Getting drunk one night led to getting pregnant by a man who was not LDS. My dream of an eternal marriage was shattered by my sin.

We married and my husband was baptized our first year of marriage. We both desired to be married in the Temple and worked to become worthy. Our second daughter died of SIDS and we desperately wanted to be sealed together as a family. After we obtained our much sought after Temple recommend we were married in the Salt Lake Temple. As the years passed, my husband started questioning his faith in Mormonism. Much to my dismay, he left the Church. Then I found out he had been unfaithful to me. We separated and my girls and I moved to a new State and a new Ward. The desire of my heart was to be forgiven and cleansed of my sins. I clung to the words of my prophet Spencer Kimball about how to gain this forgiveness. (If you would like to read about this, read my post titled “God Doesn’t Lie—You Have Been Forgiven”)

After I left the Church, my husband and I reconciled. He promised he would be faithful and true to me and I trusted him. Over the next several years, he often broke this promise. My heart ached every time he cheated on me, but I always took him back. Deep inside I felt that the reason he was intimate with other women was because there was something wrong with me–because I had been sexually abused. Finally, after a rocky 14 years together, he left me for good. I vowed never to trust another man. I turned to other things I loved—my daughters, my artwork, college classes and gardening. But no matter what I did, I was still alone with the guilt and shame of my sins. I knew I was unworthy, unlovable and unfit.

Amazingly when I was 36, I met the man of my dreams! He knew everything about me—all my life of shame and sinfulness. Despite how unworthy I was, He still loved and cherished me! Nothing I had ever done mattered to Him. His love was unconditional. Even though I had vowed never to marry again, I was so in love with Him that I couldn’t help myself! His name was Jesus and in 1994 I was sealed to Him for time and all eternity by Heavenly Father Himself (2 Corinthians 1:20-22). He had already proved His love for me by giving His life for me—washing me of my sin and guilt and making me the virgin I never really had the chance to be! Because of this, I knew I could trust Him and that He would be faithful to me forever.

When He chose me as His bride, He showered me with so many undeserved gifts. But the gift I have treasured most is the forgiveness won for me by His shed blood. His blood has made me clean! My life of shame was taken away the moment He chose me to be His bride. He even gave me my wedding garments! I sing with joy the words of the Prophet Isaiah “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.” (Isaiah 61:10) The gift of His robe of righteousness cleansed me of all sin so I can dwell in the very presence of God!!

Having been given this amazing gift has changed my life drastically. One of those changes has been my desire to study God’s Word. I pour over the pages of the Bible, discovering the things that God wants to teach me. When I did a study on whether a marriage between a man and a woman will last into eternity, I found God’s truth. The only marriage relationship that will last beyond the grave is one with Jesus. Jesus Himself testified of this truth “For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.” (Mark 12:25). This doesn’t mean that believing husbands and wives won’t be together for eternity. It just means that their relationship will not be as a man and wife. All believers will spend eternity together, in companionship with God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost.

Another gift God gave me was the courage to marry again. Four years after I met Jesus, God brought into my life a wonderful Christian man of God who, amazingly, is also Christ’s bride. The Apostle John taught us in the book of Revelation that anyone who has been made righteous through Christ is His bride.

There is no earthly relationship that surpasses the love that Jesus has for you. He died for you and wants to shower you with His gift of righteousness. Please, join with the Apostle John as we shout “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.” (Revelation 19:7-9).

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How Long Will Eternity Last?

June 3, 2009 at 12:54 pm (Eternal Families, LDS, Latter-day Saints, Mormonism, Mormons, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
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How long is a long time? My grandson Bryson thinks thirty minutes is a long time. For two years I drove him back and forth to a Pre-school in Nampa, which is a 30 – 45 minute drive from where we live in Boise. We would try to make the time go faster by singing songs or playing “I spy” games. But 3 -5 year olds just don’t like sitting still for that long. The reason I drove this distance is because I wanted him to attend a Pre-school run by our Church. Here I knew he would be taught not only his ABC’s but also the truth that he had forgiveness through Christ’s blood. Bryson’s Mom and Dad split up when he was just one, so my husband and I get to spend more time with him than the average grandparents. It has been a blessing to have him stay with us every Saturday evening and Sunday. Even though his mom and dad don’t attend Church, he has always gone with us. I absolutely love this little boy and am so thankful to have the opportunity to share my Savior with him. I love my own kids as much as I love my grandchildren. My hearts desire is to spend eternity with them—to be an eternal family. I pray every day that those I love will embrace their Savior so that they can be with me for eternity.

Eternity is a long, long time compared to how short our time is on this earth. When we read the words “eternal” or “everlasting” in the KJV New Testament, these words are most often translated from the Greek words “Aion, aionios, and aidios”. Whenever we read about the amazing blessings of eternal life with our Heavenly Father, we don’t question that “eternal” means forever. But did you realize that this same word is used to describe the length of time that someone will spend in hell? Those who go to hell and live eternally with Satan and his demons will be there as long as those who spend eternity with Heavenly Father—forever!

Eternity is a long, long time and that is one of the reasons I have this blog. I know that you have been misled into believing that there is no way you could possibly spend an eternity in Hell. You have been taught that even if you were bad enough to be sent to hell, you will only be there until Judgment Day. But this teaching is false!! If you don’t believe me, then trust the words of John, the Apostle whom Jesus loved! He described the lake of fire as a place where those who go “shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Revelation 20:10-15). Forever is a long, long time. The Apostles Paul and Jude, along with Jesus, claimed that Hell will be a place of everlasting destruction, fire, punishment and chains (2 Thessalonians 1:8/Jude 7/Matthew 18:8, 25:41). Jude testified that those from Sodom and Gomorrh would suffer the vengeance of eternal fire. Jesus quoted the prophet Isaiah when he said that it is a place where “their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:43-48).

Doing this thorough Bible study about Hell has reinforced my desire to share God’s truth with you. I can’t bear the thought that so many deceived people will spend “eternity” in Hell. My last post declared God’s truth that sin, ANY SIN, is the reason someone will be cast into Hell. But why will someone gain eternal life? Human logic tells us that since disobedience disqualifies us, obedience must be the way to qualify. Mormon prophets tell us that if we just try hard enough, if we can just be obedient enough—we can qualify for eternal life with our best effort.

But God has told us differently. Jesus himself testified that our best effort is not good enough (Matthew 5:48). No one can meet God’s requirements to gain eternal life by their own obedience. Because of this truth, God lovingly provided a way—a different plan. He sent His son Jesus to be obedient and fulfill His law for us. Jesus came to be our substitute for the perfection necessary to dwell in God’s presence. His shed blood washes away all your sins. The truth, God’s truth, is that only through faith in His Son can you be declared righteous. The only way to gain eternal life is through faith in the fact that Jesus has already gained it for you!!!

The Bible is very clear that faith in Jesus is how to gain eternal and everlasting life. No one describes this truth more beautifully than the Apostle John. His testimony is that it is through belief in Jesus that a person escapes the fires of everlasting hell and gains eternal life. When we read his words describing eternal or everlasting life, he always uses the present or the past tense. John wrote down the very words of his Savior when he declared boldly that for those with faith, gaining eternal life is a done deal! “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” (John 6:47)

I beg of you to listen to my words. The next time you think time is moving slowly, think about how long eternity will be. Re-read the story Jesus told us in Luke chapter sixteen about the rich man who was stuck in hell for eternity. “Forever” is a long, long time to spend in an everlasting fire, in the same domain as Satan.

But praise the Lord, you don’t have to be afraid! Jesus came to save you from this fate and He has cleansed you from all sin. Heavenly Father desires to spend eternity with you: It is His will that you believe and receive everlasting life: “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:40)

Eternal life is guaranteed as long as you believe. If you don’t believe my words, believe the Apostle whom Jesus loved. The following passages are words the Holy Spirit inspired him to write, declaring that the way to gain eternal life is by belief in the Savior who earned it for you:

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” (John 5:24)

“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (John 3:36)

“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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:16-18)

“If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” (1 John 5:9-13)

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Have LDS Prophets Changed God’s Definition of Hell?

May 29, 2009 at 2:17 pm (Eternal Families, LDS, Latter-day Saints, Mormon Women, Mormonism, Mormons, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
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I remember reading a story about a man that was in one of the World Trade Center Towers after the plane crashed into it. On the 27th floor, he had ample time to get out but decided to stay in the building to answer the phones. His coworkers made it to safety but he lost his life. Why? Obviously this man did not recognize the danger he was in. He did not feel the urgency to leave the burning building because he thought he was in a building with a solid foundation, one that would not collapse.

This is the way LDS members feel about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They believe that their Church is the only Church that can guide them to eternal life. The truth is that one day Mormonism will collapse because its teachings are not “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets” and “Jesus Christ”. And, the tragedy is that anyone who places their trust in these false teachings will spend eternity in Hell.

God has declared that there are only two eternal destinations—Heaven and Hell. Hell is a very real and horrible place of suffering. The Bible uses many different words to describe Hell: Outer Darkness, the Second Death, a Lake of Fire and Brimstone, Everlasting Punishment, Everlasting Fire, Everlasting Destruction, Damnation, Where their Worm Dieth Not, Eternal Fire and a Furnace of Fire. All these words and more describe a horrible place of suffering that does not end at Judgment Day. Hell lasts forever! Satan and his demons will spend eternity in Hell; so will many people (Matthew 7:13-14). Heavenly Father tells us that SIN is the reason a person will be cast into Hell. God is so offended by sin, that on Judgment Day, ANY sin will produce the verdict of “guilty”.

Mormon prophets have taken God’s stated truths found in the Bible and have omitted, altered and twisted His Words to mean something totally different. What makes me angry about the false LDS teachings regarding Hell is that because of it, Mormons are completely unaware of the danger they are in. Mormons believe that as long as they don’t deny the Holy Spirit they will be OK. They believe that the worst place they could spend eternity is in a world far better than earth.

Referring to the lowest Kingdom of Heaven, Joseph Smith taught: “And thus we saw, in the heavenly vision, the glory of the telestial, which surpasses all understanding. And no man knows it except him to whom God has revealed it.” (D & C 76: 89-90) Those who supposedly go to this “Kingdom of Glory” are those who “did not receive the gospel or the testimony of Jesus either on earth or in the spirit world. They will suffer for their own sins in hell until after the Millennium, when they will be resurrected. “These are they who are liars, and sorcerers, and adulterers, and whoremongers, and whosoever loves and makes a lie.” These people are as numerous as the stars in heaven and the sand on the seashore. They will be visited by the Holy Ghost but not by the Father or the Son. (See D&C 76:81–86, 103–6.)” (Gospel Principles, page 298).

Comparing these words to God’s Truth proves they are false!! In the Bible we read some examples of those who are sent to Outer Darkness: showing up for God’s feast without a wedding garment (Matthew 22:13) an unprofitable servant who was so afraid of God that he hid his talent in the earth instead of using it (Matthew 25:30) and, Israelites who didn’t have faith (Matthew 8:11). People who simply don’t know God and those who don’t obey the Gospel will be sent to Everlasting Destruction (2 Thessalonians 1:9).

Everlasting Fire and Punishment describe the eternal destination of those who merely commit sins of omission!! Jesus tells us that on Judgment Day, those who didn’t “feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, take in the stranger, clothe the naked, visit those who were sick or those in prison” will be cast out to spend eternity in the very same place as “the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41-46). The Apostle John taught that the devil’s eternal destination—the “Lake of Fire and Brimstone” is also that of “the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars” (Revelation 20:10 & 21:7-8). Look closely at those words—ALL liars will spend eternity with Satan and his demons, the same as murderers and whoremongers! This is because God does not grade sins. Every sin receives the same consequence—eternal torment in Hell.

But take heart there is hope!! If you believe that Jesus’ blood covers over all your sins–then it does!! You are sin-less!! John the Beloved tells us that those who overcome are God’s children and will inherit ALL things: “He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.” (Revelation 21: 7). This Apostle whom Jesus loved also tells us who overcomes and why: “Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:4-54).

Link to Additional Bible References:

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Are You Afraid of Death?

May 20, 2009 at 6:29 pm (LDS, Latter-day Saints, Mormonism, Mormons, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
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I got a call recently from one of my dearest friends, telling me she has an aggressive and terminal cancer. It was amazing how calm and peaceful she was. In fact, she’s actually excited to die so she can finally be with her Savior Jesus. She teased me that she will get to be with Him before I do. My friend Linda and I are very similar in that we both love Jesus with all our hearts and souls. Our entire purpose in life is to praise our Savior and serve Him by bringing as many people to heaven with us as possible. Linda has worked for several years at a nursing home where her love for Jesus has shown brightly through her many acts of love. Many people, including some of her patients, have heard from her the wonderful message of free and full forgiveness through Jesus.

The only concern Linda has is for her daughter, whom she asked me to watch over for her after she dies. Speaking with her and hearing her concern for her daughter reminded me of a story found in Luke chapter sixteen. Here Jesus tells about a man who, like my friend Linda, was also concerned about the eternal destination of family members. The main difference between my friend Linda and the man in Jesus’ story is that this man did not believe in Jesus. He had died in his sins and was suffering the consequence of eternal torment in hell.

From hell he could actually see into heaven where he saw the beggar Lazarus who used to sit at his gates begging for crumbs from his table. He saw that while he was being tormented in hell; Lazarus was being comforted by the Prophet Abraham. In misery, he asked Abraham: “send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue: for I am tormented in this flame”. Abraham told him that what he asked was impossible! His reason was because: “between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which could pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.”

These words of God are in complete disagreement with LDS teachings! Mormon prophets claim that after death all people go to a temporary place, either spirit prison or spirit paradise. Those who were not righteous will be given more time to repent and meet God’s demands for perfection. These false prophets testify that righteous Mormons who have gone to paradise will travel to spirit prison to preach the LDS gospel to the unrighteous. They claim that once these wicked people have repented and been baptized in proxy by someone on earth, they will be allowed into paradise.

In defining hell, they claim:
“First, it is another name for spirit prison, a place in the postmortal spirit world for those who have “died in their sins, without a knowledge of the truth, or in transgression, having rejected the prophets” (D&C 138:32). This is a temporary state in which spirits will be taught the gospel and have the opportunity to repent and accept ordinances of salvation that are performed for them in temples (see D & C 138:30–35)” (True to the Faith, page 81).

But from Jesus’ story we read the important truth that at the moment of death, your fate is sealed! Your “time of grace” ends. You don’t have a second chance to come to faith; or a longer period of time to meet God’s demands for righteousness. The Holy Spirit revealed in scripture that: “When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish: and the hope of unjust men perisheth” (Proverbs 11:7). The moment we die our spirits come into the very presence of God: “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:7). No unclean person can dwell in the presence of God (Ephesians 5:5).

Talking about death and what happens to those who aren’t worthy to dwell in God’s presence is not easy, but it is necessary. My friend Linda is not the only one who will die soon. I warn you that you also have a terminal cancer. That cancer is sin. God IS Merciful, but He is also Just. While He offers His mercy to all people, He extends His mercy ONLY to those who believe His Son’s blood covers their every sin. This Mercy is a full pardon, complete forgiveness, the bestowal of the perfect righteousness of His Son. And this Mercy is only offered to you during your time on earth. All who reject the Mercy God offers them through His Son will spend eternity in Hell with Satan.

You never know what day you will die, or when someone you love will die. I beg you to turn to these truths found in the Bible before it is too late. The man in hell was concerned for his brothers and asked Abraham to send Lazarus to warn them “that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment“. The Prophet Abraham’s reply shows how important scripture study is; if you don’t believe God’s Words found in the Bible, you will not “be persuaded, though one rose from the dead” (Luke 16:31).

If you are reading this you are alive and your hope has not yet perished! Trust that ALL your sins have been washed clean by the blood of Jesus! (Revelation 1:5) If you believe Jesus is the Christ that HAS REMOVED your sin, you will no longer BE IN your sins (John 8:24). All who have faith in Christ’s Atonement for sins “have been perfected forever” (Hebrews 10:10-14).

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Can You Be Saved by Faith AND Works?

May 8, 2009 at 5:58 pm (Gospel Doctrine, LDS, Latter-day Saints, Mormonism, Mormons, Relief Society Lesson, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Uncategorized)
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The Epistle to the Romans is my very favorite book in the Bible. The essence of the book of Romans is this: by God’s grace, eternal life is granted through faith in Christ, and ONLY through faith in Christ.

A commenter recently asked the question “Why is it that if I believe in works I cannot believe in faith, or the grace of God? Why must these things remain separate?” I responded by taking him to the eleventh chapter of Romans where the Apostle Paul boldly testifies: “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.”

In response, the commenter has written: “IF you care to examine the entire chapter of Roman’s 11 you will notice that Paul is not talking about salvation or eternal life. He is talking about being born into the covenant line of Israel, or the church. This is a blessing given by the grace of God that we have done nothing in this life to earn. It is by grace, and not by works.”

To examine the eleventh chapter of Romans we must first examine the tenth chapter, and all those before it. When someone writes a letter it is expected that whoever reads it will start at the beginning and read it through to the end. By the time Paul gets to chapter eleven, he has already stated multiple times that salvation is a freely offered gift granted ONLY to those who believe. In fact, through the entire Epistle, Paul has never stopped talking about salvation and eternal life. He hasn’t changed his message or theme: by God’s grace, eternal life is granted through faith in Christ, and ONLY through faith in Christ. Because Paul is so sure of this grace, he tells his readers not to give up on the unbelieving Israelite’s. He gives the example of the remnant saved by grace during Elijah’s time, as it was also true for Christian Jews during Paul’s time. ALL people are saved the same way–ONLY through God’s grace and NOT through works.

Paul begins his testimony in chapter one: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (verse 16). The salvation he speaks of is eternal life: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (6:23).

The reason salvation is granted solely through faith is because that is the only way a person can meet God’s requirement to be righteous!! One must be perfect to enter into God’s presence. Jesus came to earth and was perfect for us, in our place. It is only through faith in Him, as our substitute, that we are declared righteous!! This was true for Abraham and as well as for us: “And therefore it [faith] was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;” (4:21-24).

It is impossible to gain eternal life by being obedient to God’s law, or by trying to add your works to your faith. Paul explains, using Old Testament scripture: “There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one ” (3:11-12). NO ONE will be declared righteous by trying to follow God’s law: “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (verse 20). Notice the important words “in his sight”. Heavenly Father has demanded we be as perfect as Him (Matthew 5:48). In HIS sight, “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (verse 23).

The unbelieving Jews were sincere, but they were sincerely wrong! They earnestly sought righteousness, but they tried to acquire it in the wrong way. They thought they had to gain eternal life through obedience. They believed they could be righteous through their own works. They had a zeal for God, but they were ignorant of the truth! (9:30-10:4)

What is God’s truth? Eternal life is purely a gift of God, received by faith, without any works!!! In fact, if you bring works into the picture you ruin God’s free gift and you loose His favor!! THAT’S what Paul meant when he wrote: “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.”

Turn to your Savior who grants you HIS righteousness through faith: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (10:9-10).

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Do You Have An Eternal Family?

April 24, 2009 at 4:26 pm (Eternal Families, Forgiveness, LDS, Latter-day Saints, Mormonism, Mormons, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
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I have a pretty awesome “little” brother. I love calling him my “baby” brother because it really irritates him. Even though he’s one year younger than me, he stands seven inches taller than me. He’s very hard-working and it seems that everything he touches turns to gold. I think one of the reasons he’s so successful is because he had to be responsible at a very young age. When we were both in middle school our father was seriously injured in an accident at the factory where he worked. He was unable to work for many years and as a result, my brother started working full-time at a local dairy at the age of 14. There were times when he helped my parents with the mortgage payment and gave them money for our older brothers while they were on their missions.

As far as his personality, my little brother can be intimidating when you first meet him. But, once you get to know him you find out how compassionate and awesome he is. If you have met my little brother, you would remember him, he’s just that kind of guy. One time when I lived on the east coast, nearly 3,000 miles away from our home town, I saw someone with an Idaho license plate at a gas station. When I started talking to him, I found out that he knew my little brother. As I said, if you have met him, you don’t easily forget him.

My brother and I have lived very similar lives. Both of us were sexually abused as children. Both of us committed sexual sins with our first spouses before we got married. Both of us desired to have an eternal family, so we became worthy to enter the temple and had our marriages sealed for time and eternity. Both of us, no matter how hard we tried, couldn’t hold our marriages together. Even though both of our spouses were unfaithful to us, we spent years trying to work things out. Looking back, it’s easy to see that we both simply made horrible choices for marriage partners. Even though we tried everything we could to make our marriages work, our spouses still abandoned us. For both my brother and I, we lived some very difficult years with lots of emotional pain and hurt. Both of us lost our testimony in LDS prophets and left the Church. We both spent several years without any church or religion.

After the Holy Spirit brought me to faith over 14 years ago, I desperately wanted my little brother to know of the joy I had found in Jesus. I shared with him the news of forgiveness as often as he would let me, but he wasn’t interested. I never ceased praying for him. I always had this vision that when he came to faith, I would be the one that led him to the truth. But God, in His wisdom, had His own plan. My little brother’s second wife is a Christian. Like me, she has spent many years in prayer, asking God to bring him to faith. I praise the Lord that He has heard our prayers and brought my brother to faith!! It happened a few months ago when he felt something missing in his life and started attending a Christian Church.

My blood brother is now my spiritual brother and a member of Heavenly Father’s eternal family!!! When I was LDS I always dreamed of being worthy enough to have an eternal family. Both my brother and I were born under the covenant. Our four older siblings are faithful LDS members and believe they will live eternally with their families. But the LDS teaching about eternal families is a mirage. There is only one eternal family and that is God’s! You become worthy to enter His eternal family the moment the Holy Spirit brings you to faith! At that moment, you become a child of God and inherit ALL of His eternal blessings.

I praise my Lord and Savior for choosing to save the weak and base things of this world (1 Corinthians 1). Because of our sinfulness, my little brother and I were well aware that we desperately needed a Savor whose blood covered over our every sin. We knew we could not gain forgiveness with our own efforts. Our siblings, whose lives seem pretty “good” in comparison to ours, still reject the Savior who did everything for them. Even though it is impossible, they still believe they can be worthy enough to gain eternal life with their own faith and works.

Do you want to spend eternity with members of your family? Then turn to Jesus and trust that His blood covers over all of your sins. Teach your children the wonderful message that the gift of eternal life is granted solely through faith alone. Then, spend the rest of your life sharing Jesus with those who don’t know that His blood gained forgiveness for all their sins!

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Through Christ’s Atonement You Have Been Reconciled To God!

April 17, 2009 at 9:20 pm (Atonement, LDS, Latter-day Saints, Mormonism, Mormons, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
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The LDS Bible Dictionary gives the definition of Atonement as: “…the setting ‘at one’ of those who have been estranged, and denotes the reconciliation of man to God. Sin is the cause of the estrangement, and therefore the purpose of atonement is to correct or overcome the consequences of sin. From the time of Adam to the death of Jesus Christ, true believers were instructed to offer animal sacrifices to the Lord. These sacrifices were symbolic of the forthcoming death of Jesus Christ, and were done by faith in him.”

Even though this definition claims that the Atonement “denotes the reconciliation of man to God” it goes on to explain that Christ’s Atonement doesn’t apply to each person’s individual sins: “All are covered unconditionally as pertaining to the fall of Adam. …The atonement is conditional, however, so far as each person’s individual sins are concerned, and touches every one to the degree that he has faith in Jesus Christ, repents of his sins, and obeys the gospel.”

But, if the Atonement does not cover every single sin you have ever committed, then you are NOT reconciled to God! Your sins remain and you cannot come into God’s presence! Growing up LDS I was very familiar with the word “Atonement”. I understood the differences between the unconditional and conditional “gifts” of Christ’s Atonement. I believed that Christ’s Atonement gave me the opportunity to overcome the consequences of my many sins. I knew I was unclean and could never enter God’s presence until I washed myself clean through my own works; doing the process of repentance. I desperately clung to the hope that one day I could gain forgiveness.

Years after I left the Church I was surprised to find that the word Atonement wasn’t commonly used by Christians. This got my curiosity up so I started asking questions and searching the Bible for answers. What I found surprised me. The word Atonement appears to have come about in the sixteenth century during the translation of the Bible into the English King James Version. It was created because of the lack of an English word which could explain the Hebrew term which fully encompassed what Christ’s sacrifice accomplished: 1) through the sacrifice of Christ’s body, an atonement (appeasement) was made for all sins, which 2) caused God to forgive all sins, and 3) accomplished the reconciliation of man to God. In essence, “atonement” defines the work that Jesus did when He took care of the problem posed by the sin of man.

The most important truth I learned about the Atonement is what thrilled me!! I discovered that Christ’s Atonement is an accomplished fact! Christ atoned for our sins (paid the penalty due us) over two millennia ago. Through it, we have been given so much more than bodily resurrection and the opportunity to prove our worthiness. Christ’s blood covered over all of our sins and we are forgiven! Because of that accomplished fact—we have been reconciled to God. We can now boldly enter into His presence because through Christ’s sacrifice, He has made us holy and perfect! We read many times in the New Testament that Jesus’ followers knew their sins were forgiven and that they had been reconciled to God. They understood that to qualify for this gift one merely had to be a sinner and thereby be in need of it. They knew that Christ’s blood covered ALL sins, not just Adam’s!

The Apostle Paul testified to the Romans: “For if, when we were enemies, we WERE reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life” (5:10). To the Corinthians he declared: “And all things are of God, who HATH reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5). In these words we see the fact that reconciliation was an ACCOMPLISHED fact through Christ’s Atonement!

The LDS teaching that the atonement is conditional “so far as each person’s individual sins are concerned” is a false teaching! But, thank God that His faithful Prophets and Apostles have faithfully proclaimed His truth! Their testimony can be found on the pages of the Bible! They proclaim that Christ’s Atonement covered over all of your sins! Your sins have been forgiven and you have been reconciled to God. Through faith in Christ’s Atonement, you will have eternal life! All of these gifts are ACCOMPLISHED facts granted through Christ’s Atonement! Please don’t reject these amazing gifts from your Savior. I implore you “be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

Link to LDS Bible Dictionary:

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The Empty Tomb Is Proof That The Mormon Jesus Is A False Christ!!

April 12, 2009 at 7:31 pm (LDS, Latter-day Saints, Mormonism, Mormons, Relief Society Lessons, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
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After the Holy Spirit brought me to faith, it took a few months before I understood the differences between Christianity and Mormonism. For a short time, I didn’t realize that the Mormon Church was NOT Christian. The Jesus I had been taught about while I was Mormon seemed to be the same Jesus as what the Bible taught. It wasn’t until I did a thorough Bible study on Christ’s Atonement that I discovered the Jesus taught by Mormonism is a false Christ! He is not the “Christ” who saved us “in our sins”. While Mormonism teaches similar aspects about the “person” of Jesus as that found in the Bible, the falseness of this Christ becomes apparent when one looks at His stated purpose and mission. I have found numerous ways in which the LDS Jesus falls short of the true Jesus found on the pages of the Bible. I have already written a post comparing the LDS Jesus as Creditor with the Biblical Jesus as Savior; and, a post comparing the LDS Jesus as Exemplar with the Biblical Jesus who was our Substitute. Today, I focus on comparing the LDS Jesus who CANNOT save his people in their sins with the true Christ who took away the sins of the world!

The Christ of Mormonism is a false Christ!! We know this because LDS prophets testify that Christ cannot save his people “in their sins”! They make this claim because they believe the words of a false prophet found on the pages of the Book of Mormon. This prophet, Amulek, taught of a false Christ who did not have the authority to save his people “in their sins“. Amulek claims that the reason is because “no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore, how can ye be saved, except ye inherit the kingdom of heaven? Therefore, ye cannot be saved in your sins.” But this false Christ is not the true Christ who is the Son of God. This is made evident by comparing him with the Christ found on the pages of the Bible.

The true Christ’s mission was to take away ALL our sins, leaving us “no longer in our sins”! The Apostle Paul claimed that if Christ had not been raised from the dead, then their faith was in vain because they would STILL be in their sins. (1 Corinthians 15:17) The fact that Christ WAS raised from the dead meant that they were NO LONGER in their sins! John the Baptist testified that Christ’s mission was to TAKE AWAY the sins of the world! (John 1:29). Did Jesus fulfill His mission and return to His Father with honor? Did He take away the sins of the world? Yes!! The empty tomb, the fact that God the Father raised Him from the dead, proves that Christ’s body was accepted as full payment for TAKING AWAY the sins of the world.

Because the tomb WAS empty on that first Easter morn, we can trust that we are NO LONGER in our sins! Through the offering of Christ’s body, every sin was taken away from you. All who believe in Jesus can boldly enter into God’s presence BECAUSE they are no longer in their sins! When Jesus took away the sins of the world, He reconciled man to God! You are no longer unclean because Christ’s blood has washed you clean!!! No longer “in our sins” we are perfect, righteous, and pure. Through the offering of Christ’s body, “He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified” (Hebrews 10:10-14). Those whose hope is in the true Christ are as pure as Jesus himself (1 John 3). Just like Abraham, you are declared righteous through faith (Romans 4:20-5:2).

Many of the Jewish leaders didn’t believe that Jesus was the Christ. They thought that Christ’s mission was to overthrow the Romans and set up an earthly kingdom. But this was a vision of a false Christ! Jesus warned the Jews who did not believe in Him: “ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins (John 8:24). The logic here is that if the Jews would just believe in the true Christ they would NOT die in their sins. Similarly, if you trust in the words of your LDS prophets, you also believe in the vision of a false Christ. One who cannot, will not, save you IN YOUR SINS. Just as Jesus warned the Jews, He gives you the same warning: “if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins”. Dying in your sins means Eternal Death. Do you love your children and wish to live with them eternally? Reject the false Christ of Mormonism and in faith turn to the true Jesus who has saved you. Then, teach your children about the true Jesus who has already saved them IN THEIR SINS!

Link to Additional LDS and Bible References:

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I Can’t Wait To Get To Heaven!

April 9, 2009 at 5:31 pm (Eternal Families, LDS, Latter-day Saints, Mormonism, Mormons)
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My desire to share Jesus with you is much stronger than my ability right now and I apologize for the length of time between posts. I have many health concerns and for some reason the past few months have been more difficult than usual. My life is one of daily pain, sometimes to the point that I am not able to do much of anything but bask in God’s love. It’s times like this that I cling to God’s promises, and I share some of those promises with you today.

Very few days go by that I don’t feel some kind of longing for death. It isn’t that I don’t love my life; it’s just that through death I will actually receive many of the promises that right now, I can only long for. I can’t wait to throw my arms around my Savior Jesus and personally thank Him for saving me. When I die I will dwell forever in the presence of my Savior and the Almighty God of Heaven and earth. On this earth, God dwells in my heart, but when I die, I will live with Him eternally. This is not because of anything I have ever done, but because I trust that Jesus is my substitute! The moment I came to faith, Christ gave me His robe of righteousness and in God’s sight, I am as perfect as God himself. I know how often I sin so this gift is truly an undeserved one. The more I recognize the seriousness of my sin, the more I value the Gift of my Savior. It is only through faith in my Savior that I will dwell in the very presence of Heavenly Father and live with Him eternally.

John the Beloved, in the book of Revelation, tells us what eternal life will be like:

“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Wow, no more PAIN! Today, I especially long for the fulfillment of THAT promise from God! But, because I still live, I know that God desires for me to continue with what He has called me to do here on earth. My purpose, the reason I breathe; is to give all glory to my Savior Jesus and to share His Word with you. Another promise from God is one found in Isaiah 55: “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” This promise assures me that whenever I share God’s Word with you, it will accomplish exactly what God desires. If you come to faith through the hearing of this Word of God, you also will live eternally with Him! But, if you reject your Savior, when you die you will still be in your sins and on Judgment Day, you will be without excuse.

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