- That there is one true and eternal
God, unchangeable, unique, all-powerful.1
- That this one true God created all
things; there is nothing that exists anywhere that He did
not bring into existence.2
- That this one true God is spirit,
and is not limited to time and space, both of which He
himself created.3
- That man is the creation of God, and
God should not be thought of as an exalted man.4
- That Jesus Christ has eternally
existed as God.5
- That Jesus Christ created all
things.6
- That the blood of Jesus Christ
cleanses from all sin.7
- That man is spiritually dead,
enslaved to sin, unable to come to Christ outside of the
Father’s enablement.8
- That full and complete salvation is
the work of God’s grace.9
- That the Bible is God’s
inerrant, authoritative, and
sufficient revelation to man, in need of no supplements.10
This is my testimony, one that I
believe is given to me by the Holy Spirit of God. The Bible says
the Spirit of God witnesses to our spirits that we are the
children of God (Romans 8:16) and that He leads His people into
all truth (John 16:13).
I share this testimony with you
because I believe the issues mentioned above define the gospel
itself. The gospel requires that we know the one true God (John
17:3); a false god cannot save us. The gospel requires that we
know the true Jesus Christ, for a false Christ cannot save (John
8:24, 2 Corinthians 11:4). And the true gospel alone can bring
salvation, which is why we are warned about those who would
preach a false gospel (Galatians 1:6-9).
The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints, however, denies every single
one of the beliefs I shared with you above. Every one.* It
is because of this that I share this literature with you. If you
are LDS, I sincerely wish to warn you that you have been misled.
If you are not LDS, I wish to inform you of the great differences
that exist between Christianity and Mormonism at the most
fundamental levels. While we often use the same words, we
fill those words with very different meanings.
If you are LDS: I
have given you my testimony. Doubtless you may say you have your
own. The two testimonies contradict each other, however. What can
we do now? The difference between us, my friend, is just this: my
testimony does not determine truth. My testimony is a wonderful
and precious thing, but it is not how I know the truth. My
testimony must be subjected to a higher authority: the Bible. No
matter how strongly I may "feel" about something, I
must submit my feelings to the correction of the Word of God. So
while you and I may have testimonies that conflict, I can take my
testimony to the Word of God and demonstrate how it is consistent
not only with some of the Bible, but with all of
the Bible. My beliefs come from the Bible, and I would be
glad to demonstrate this to you.
If you are not LDS: Christianity
claims to be God’s truth. As such, there is no room, nor
reason, for compromising on the essential elements of the faith.
Mormonism is a fundamentally different religion, for Mormonism
openly proclaims a "plurality of Gods" (see the Doctrine
and Covenants 132:19-20, 37, Book of Abraham chapters
4-5, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith pp. 345ff).
Christianity is unalterably monotheistic: we believe in only one
true and eternal God. Mormonism presents a different God, a
different Christ, and a different gospel. Because we love God,
honor His truth, and desire others to know Him, we share this
information with you.
(1) Deut. 6:4;
Isa.
43:10, 44:5-8; Psalm 90:2, 96:5; Mal. 3:6; James 1:17. (2)
Isa. 40:22, 41:4, 44:24; Jer. 10:10-11; (3) 2 Chron. 6:18;
Jer. 23:24; John 4:24. (4) Zech 12:1; Psalm 50:21; Isa
29:16; Hosea 11:9. (5) John 1:1, Phil. 2:5-6; Heb 1:10. (6)
John 1:3; Col. 1:15-17; Heb. 1:1-3. (7) Col. 1:19-20,
2:13-14; 1 Pet. 1:18-19; 1 John 1:7. (8) John 6:44, 65;
Eph. 2:1-5. (9) Eph. 2:8-10. (10) 2 Tim. 3:16-17, 2
Peter 1:20-21.
|
