Mormons Working To Get To Heaven?

The Opening Question: How Can I Be Saved?

What's your name?

My name is Austin. I just got back from my mission.

Oh, right on.

Wade.

So what are you guys promoting here?

Yeah, we have some information here. And so, we're just coming and trying to love our Mormon neighbors, so how would you say, how could I be saved? How would you say I could be saved today?

Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. So, it's through him ultimately. But just because there's a sure way, doesn't mean it's a guaranteed way. So there's just something that we need to do to accept it.

I'm actually giving a talk today, kind of about how we can lose our life in service, because I was just on a mission, and part of what I'm bringing up is that Jesus washes the feet of his disciples, because it says, "...for someone you would be thy servant.".

And at the beginning, the apostle's like, no, no, you can't do it. But then Jesus is like, okay, if I can't do this, then you can't come to the kingdom of God. And ultimately, it's a gift from God, from Jesus Christ, but we have to let him clean our feet.

We have to let him in so that we can be cleansed. That requires action on our part as well. But Jesus Christ is the way, always has been, always will be.

Grace Through Faith Versus Earning Salvation

So, we would say that, Ephesians 2, 8 -9, it says, "...for by grace you have been saved through faith, not of yourselves, lest any man should boast. It is a gift of God.". So, it's a free gift, whereas in 2 Nephi, it says, "...for by grace you have been saved after all that you can do.".

So, this is a, they're preaching a gospel where you have to earn, you have to work for it, whereas Jesus, he paid it all on the cross. It's over.

But, do you think that, just because somebody gives you a gift, does that mean that you're going to take it? That you're going to receive it? Or does God require something on our parts in order to.

Receive it? No, the Bible says, again in Ephesians 2, at the beginning, it says, "...that you were dead in your trespasses and sin, and he made you alive in Christ Jesus.". So, we were spiritually dead,.

And then,.

No, now in Christ, we're made alive, he says.

Sanctification, Repentance, and Evidence of True Belief

My problem is that the gospel isn't an instantaneous action. It's not one thing, and then, like, you're good, you're set for life. It's a process.

There's sanctification and holiness.

Do we know that he received eternal life?

You will be with me in paradise.

So, where is Jesus going after he dies? He's going to preach to the people, the people that hadn't received the gospel. So, I agree that this guy gets another chance, but just our actions, they play a huge role in what we do.

We can't just eat, drink, and be merry and do whatever we want.

No, no, that's called antinomianism, lawlessness.

I'm not saying you promote that either.

The works that we do are evidence of the work of Christ in us, but they don't earn the salvation, and what the Mormon church believes, the LDS church believes, is that you have to do all these righteous things, and then somehow that you'll make it to the telestial, terrestrial, then celestial kingdom.

That's not the case, and sometimes it sounds like that because we understand that we need to do our best. Jesus Christ expects us to do our best. He says, come follow me. It's a process like we're becoming something.

We have to do our best every single day. Ultimately, it's Jesus Christ that saves us, but his grace isn't sufficient for the person that says, okay, yeah, I accept Christ, and then goes and kills people.

Then that's evidence that they're not.

Really a believer. If someone actually.

Follows Christ, then repentance, baptism, those things will naturally follow, but those are necessary to explicate so that people know what they need to do to accept Christ.

God as Eternal Creator Versus Becoming Gods

Okay, what about this? What about the fact that, you know, Joseph Smith taught, you know, in the King Follett discourse, you have imagined, suppose that God has been God from all eternity. I will refute that idea and take away the veil that you may see, whereas Psalm 90, verse 2, it says, from everlasting to everlasting, before the mountains were even formed, before the earth was born, he is God, and then Isaiah 43, 10 says, before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me, but LDS doctrine teaches that you guys can become gods one day.

That, whereas that was the promise by Satan in the garden is that eat of this fruit, and you will become like God, but we're to worship God for all eternity, not.

For us to be worshipped. But didn't Satan also say that you won't die? Which they didn't die right then, they died later. The point is that Satan tells a lot of truth, and there is truth in the fact that we can become more God-like, that we can become more like Jesus Christ.

I can say I'm more Christ-like now than I was five years ago.

That's sanctification, that's different. That's becoming molded into the image of Christ, not being deified. The Mormon Church teaches you will be deified, you will become a God, you will have your own universe, spirit wife,.

Spirit children. What do you think the goal of this life.

Is? What do you think the purpose of this life is?

Glorify God, it says clearly, and enjoy.

Him forever. Glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

Do we not receive certain blessings as we follow.

Jesus Christ? We get the adoption as sons and daughters into His family, and after I die, I will be facedown worshipping Him forever. I won't be worshipped. You won't be.

Worshipped. But that's what the.

Church teaches here. I think the point is that we have a divine potential that we can achieve if we follow Jesus Christ. I actually have to go. I would love to talk. Honestly, you guys seem like... No, I appreciate.

You guys coming to talk with us.

I'll give you our number, and we'll set up a meeting.

I'm pretty... I'm actually giving a talk right now. You guys are welcome to come as well.

Just check it out. If you're firm in what you believe, just check that out. You won't, then.

Will you read it? I probably won't, actually.

Man, you have to... This is of eternal significance.

I totally agree.

The Scriptures are the only thing. Not the Quad, not the Book of Mormon, not the DNCs, not the Pearl of Great Price. You know, you don't test... You gotta test the Spirit, man.

You gotta test God.

God says how to test whether something is true or not. He teaches that in Deuteronomy 18. He says that you test all things by His Word. He doesn't say to pray and listen because there are many fears.

But do you not believe we can receive revelation? God can instruct us. He can lead our lives.

No new revelation. The canon is closed.

You're familiar with the Nicene Council, right? How the Bible was put together. How do we know those were really inspired men, prophets called to God? Prophets are necessary. Ephesians 4.

It says how to test a prophet. That's what I was just telling you in Deuteronomy 18. It says that if this prophet comes and he says anything.

That does not come to pass,.

He's a false prophet.

Joseph Smith predicted many things that never came to pass. And he fails the test of a prophet right there.

I look at his fruits and I'm reaffirmed again and again.

I could have good fruit and come over here and tell you...

They said the curse of Ham. Black people couldn't go into the priesthood. But now black people can. God has changed his mind apparently. But the Bible says that God can't change his mind.

I'm sorry, I have to go.

Testing Prophecy, Scripture, and the Heart

You can go, but one last thing. I challenge you to this. Read the book of Romans on your own apart from anything you've ever learned.

As a child would, for the first time.

I was raised Catholic and then I studied the Bible. We have one. We know we've tested the false prophecies in there. That's why we don't believe it's true.

I agree that there's a lot of Christians and a lot of people... You can find so many people in there that are trying to do their best.

We can't do our best.

My point is that.

1 Samuel 16, 7 God looks upon our hearts. There's a lot of people that are trying their best. You guys believe one thing, you're trying your best. There's other people that believe something different, honestly.

So many different Christian denominations are trying their best. God is the one that knows our heart and knows our character.

He says it's deceitful and desperately wicked.

You guys have good intentions.

God bless you, brother.

He says the truth will set you free.

My best is not good enough. My best is not good enough. I need Christ.

Thank you for talking with us.

Thank you for talking with us.