5. Mormon Doctrines of Salvation
Mormon Doctrine of Salvation
“True doctrines are always found in the Lord’s true Church, because the channel of communication between God and His people is open” (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed., 204). The truths of salvation include the teachings of the true scriptures, plus the principles of pure religion revealed directly from God to His prophets. The gospel has been restored in order to reestablish lost truths of the gospel and to confound false doctrine.
“The true doctrine of Christ is that all men must come unto Him, gain faith, repent, be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, and endure in faith to the end in order to gain salvation” (McConkie, 204).
“My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me,” the Savior proclaimed. “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself” (John 7:16-17).
“They have all gone astray save it be a few, who are the humble followers of Christ; nevertheless, they are led, that in many instances they do err because they are taught by the precepts of men” (2 Nephi 28:14).
It is because of the confusion introduced by the precepts of men—many of them sincerely trying to do their best, but lacking the certainty of direct revelation from God—that the Lord has brought about a restoration of the true gospel. A summary of the true, restored gospel is contained in the Articles of Faith which outline Mormon doctrine.
Prophet Joseph F. Smith said, “I have no fears in my heart, or mind, that that which is called “Mormonism“— which is indeed the gospel of Jesus Christ—will not bear the scrutiny of science and the researches of the learned and literate into all truth. The gospel of Jesus is founded in truth. Every principle of it is susceptible of demonstration beyond any just reason for contradiction. The Lord is doing His work and will do it, and no power can stay it….We are willing to receive all truth…for truth will stand, truth will endure. The truth must be at the foundation of religion, or it is in vain and it will fail of its purpose. Truth entirely permeates this great work of the Lord that was established through the instrumentality of Joseph Smith, the prophet” (Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, p. 1).
Joseph F. Smith, in his writings, elucidated on many of the Mormon doctrine and core truths of the restored gospel:
- Gospel principles are eternal; the Plan of Salvation was established before the world was.
- Man is immortal; God is unchangeable.
- Continuing revelation is necessary to keep men on the path to salvation.
- The free agency of man is an eternal, incorruptible principle.
- God is a glorified, perfect, all-powerful, all-knowing, resurrected man; Christ is His first-born in the spirit, and His Only Begotten Son in mortality; Christ is a separate, corporeal being; the Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit and does not have a body.
- Man is created in God’s image and has the potential to become like Him.
- The first principles of the gospel are faith, repentance, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, and the laying on of hands to confer the gift of the Holy Ghost.
- The Church is led by a prophet and organized according to the original Church of Christ, with twelve apostles and assisting groups of seventies.
- Priesthood authority—the authority and power to act in God’s name—has been restored to the earth. This priesthood authority is the only authority on earth that has this gift. All other churches operate under the authority of men; their ordinances are bound on earth, but not in heaven.
- Wherever the true authority of God is manifest, the spiritual gifts follow. All spiritual gifts are found in the true Church.
- Obedience is a foundational principle of the gospel, bringing light and freedom to the followers of Christ.
- Personal prayer is a right and a privilege granted by God. Sincere prayers are always heard and answered.
- Faithful members of the True Church are always charitable. Obedience to all other gospel principles avails nothing if charity is not at the center of one’s efforts. Tithing and offerings are meant to build up the kingdom of God and support the poor.
- Followers of Christ should be temperate and keep the Sabbath day holy.
- The family is the center of life on earth. Through eternal covenants made in Holy Temples, husbands and wives and their families can be sealed together throughout eternity.
- Once a person has a testimony of and an understanding of the tenets of the true gospel, he has a responsibility to warn his neighbor. Thus, missionary work is an important aspect of the True Church.
- Missionary work is also done among the dead, in the “Spirit World.” Mormons have a responsibility to act as proxies for the dead in receiving gospel ordinances which can only be performed with a physical body. The dead have the agency to decide whether or not they will accept those ordinances.
- The atonement of Christ is the central event in the history of the earth. According to Mormon doctrine in what is called the Plan of Salvation, all men who repent and come unto Christ can partake of the blessings of the atonement.
May 16th, 2010 at 9:30 pm
hi good day to all i would just like to comment on your beliefs that man have the potential to become like God or to become like him even though man created in the image of God. You have to dig deeper how to understand it not to understand it literally. Man have no right to become like God. No one can compares him. Do you believe that satan is created by God?So he wants to become like God so he was called ‘evil’ Because satan have that beliefs he can become like God? Could you more elaborate what aspects in God do you mean????? you might become
August 18th, 2010 at 2:36 pm
What is your definition of the “True Church”. Is it the beliefs of Mormons that the Mormon Church is the only True Church? Please respond TRUTHFULLY!
No disrespected intended just wanted to clarify my question.
cliff
August 24th, 2010 at 1:45 pm
That’s a good question. The true church is Christ’s church. It teaches true doctrine through revelation directly from Christ through His chosen prophets. The true church also has the authority to perform ordinances in His name, and the power to perform miracles because of this authority. When the original apostles died, the authority to act in the name of God was lost; the philosophies of men were introduced (by contending vote) into the doctrines of the church, and miracles ceased. All of those have now been restored by Christ to build up His kingdom on earth in preparation for His Second Coming.
October 22nd, 2010 at 2:12 pm
I’m david I hope you answer me,
I know you’ll think this is not a good question, I’m from southamerica and Missionaries are not dressed as the picture shows, (I know, because of the country they are) but I want to know where are they serving their missions..
Greets from SouthAmerica, David, 13 yrs
david8492@msn.com
November 2nd, 2010 at 9:06 am
I don’t understand. Why didn’t Christ make “arrangements” so the authority to act in the name of God was NOT lost? Even the founders of the American government knew how to have their plans continued after their death. What am I overlooking?
Also, didn’t Paul of Taurus experience miracles after the original apostles had all died?
February 24th, 2011 at 12:34 am
In item #5 you state the Christ is the first born of God. His only begotten son in mortality. Does the LDS church then teach that Christ is a mortal man? Does the LDS church believe that Jesus is God?
March 4th, 2011 at 4:40 pm
Christ was a mortal man during His earthly ministry. Mormons believe that Christ is God, through whom all worlds were created.
May 9th, 2011 at 3:46 pm
sir,
if i am an unbeliever and want to inherit eternal life…then what shall i do??if i want to enter the gates of Heaven rather than eternal damnation then what is it that u suggest that i should do??
May 9th, 2011 at 5:57 pm
Assuming that you have been exposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ and decided not to accept it, then you have decided not to lay hold upon Christ’s Atonement, wherein He suffered for our sins on the condition that we believe in Him and repent. That means you will suffer for your own sins until you are resurrected.
“Eternal life,” to Latter-day Saints, is not the word for heaven, but to the highest kingdom of heaven, where Christ dwells, and where we can become co-heirs with Him. So you would not inherit “eternal life,” having rejected Christ’s doctrines, ordinances, and commandments. However, you would still inherit a kingdom of glory in heaven, after your resurrection to a perfect, immortal body.
May 9th, 2011 at 6:08 pm
Regarding Paul, yes. Latter-day Saints don’t say that authority was lost when the last apostle died. It was a gradual process, which began when apostate ideals entered Christian congregations even during their ministries, and on after they passed. By the time of the Council of Nicaea, leaders were voting on such doctrines as the nature of God, which we believe should be revealed by revelation.
Christ did plan for the continuance of His Church. Look back over the Bible, beginning with Genesis. You will see how the people of God sometimes were strong and dedicated, and then gradually fell into darkness, choosing idolatry or other philosophies. In fact, the beliefs of the Saducees, at the time of Christ incorporated Greek philosophy. The Lord always finds a way to restore the truth and authority which men find a way to trample.
Through the Middle Ages, the Bible was not available to a general readership, and people depended upon churchmen to instruct them. The invention of the printing press, the enlightenment, the reformation, the dedication of many brave men searching for the truth, the development of democracies with freedom of religion — all of these things were steps necessary to create an environment wherein a restoration (or re-establishment) of God’s original doctrine and authority to be restored.
Christ has always been, and will ever be with us. What varies is our willingness to receive Him.
May 9th, 2011 at 6:11 pm
I don’t know how the missionaries where you live are dressed. If they are Mormon missionaries and are not wearing suits, it is because it has become dangerous. In some places in South America people think men in suits are working with US government agencies, maybe anti-drug agencies.
May 9th, 2011 at 6:22 pm
No one expects to take God’s place. We believe in the Bible, where it says that we can become co-heirs with Christ. The entire mission of God’s “plan of salvation” is to “bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” “Eternal life” is the kind of life God Himself enjoys, in the highest kingdom of heaven. If we become co-heirs with Christ, what, then do we inherit? The Lord has spoken of kingdoms and mansions in heaven, but He also has attributes to share. We hope to become more like Him in our ability to comprehend His creations, and in our ability to become good and just. We also hope to be with our loved ones for eternity. The doctrine of becoming like God is called theosis, and it was a doctrine understood by early leaders of the Christian Church.
May 12th, 2011 at 2:14 am
so did jesus die for ur sins? as God or human?
May 12th, 2011 at 10:25 am
Yes, Jesus died for our sins. Jesus Christ was the Son of God and had the power to lay down His life and take it up again. That Mary was His mother gave Him the power to suffer and die. He was human while on the earth, but with more physical and spiritual power than any other human who has ever lived, because He inherited the power of God from His Father in heaven. No one was able to take His life; He freely gave it for us.
May 28th, 2011 at 11:03 pm
excellent work
July 9th, 2011 at 10:18 pm
1. Do the LDS believe that Jesus is God, Very God. The Eternal God, the Almighty, the Everlasting Father? I’ve heard that they believe that Jesus and Satan are brothers? Is that true? Created beings by the Father?
2. How did Christ atone for my sins?
3. What must I do to be saved?
July 11th, 2011 at 9:35 am
Yes, Mormons believe that Jesus is God, but God the Father is His Father in every sense. God created everything spiritually before they were created physically, including you and me. There was a war in heaven, remember? And that war pre-existed this earth. Christ was the firstborn spiritually of the Father, and through Christ, all the worlds were created. You, and I, and Lucifer were all spirit-children of God before the earth was created. Lucifer rebelled, and with his followers was cast out and became Satan. Then, are Satan and Christ brothers? You decide.
Christ took upon Himself the wrath of God, or punishment for our sins, that we might not have to suffer, if we would only repent and come unto Him. No one fully comprehends how He did this; He is the only one who could do it, being God.
All, the righteous and the wicked, will be resurrected and live forever. This part of salvation, the triumph over death, is free and is part of the gift of Christ’s atonement. All but those who have a perfect witness of Christ and then deny Him (called sinning against the Holy Ghost) will inherit a place in heaven, and this is another aspect of salvation. Exaltation to the highest realm of heaven requires belief on Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism by authority, and enduring to the end in righteousness.
August 16th, 2011 at 11:26 am
Does LDS teaches about Hell? you just mention on that righteous and the wicked, will be resurrected and live forever, but in the book Matthew 25: 33-41 that the righteous will inherit the kingdom of God and the wicked will go Hell which eternal separation from the God and it was also mention in Revelation 21:8 and can you give me verses in the Bible that support your view that All people will inherit the kingdom of God. What is the Gospel?
Thank You
August 16th, 2011 at 1:01 pm
Resurrection, salvation, and exaltation are three different things, Vergel. Resurrection is a free gift to all, a gift that derives from the atonement of Christ. Salvation has several meanings, including being saved from the transgression of Adam, so we are accountable only for our own sins; salvation from the grave, which Christ overcame; and salvation to a kingdom in heaven, which will come to all except those who commit the “sin against the Holy Ghost.” The sin against the Holy Ghost is to gain a perfect witness that Jesus is the Christ and then to deny Him, thus crucifying Him anew. Those who commit the sin against the Holy Ghost receive no place in heaven, since they are Sons of Perdition.
The prophet Joseph Smith had a vision of the three degrees of glory in heaven, mentioned by Paul — the Celestial, Terrestrial, and Telestial kingdoms. You can read it at the following link: http://lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/76?lang=eng.
He saw that God dwells in the highest mansions of the Celestial kingdom, where the most righteous dwell with him. The Terrestrial kingdom receives the ministration of the Celestial realm. The Telestial receives the ministration of Christ’s messengers from the Terrestrial kingdom.
Now, Joseph saw that the lowest kingdom, the Telestial, is glorious beyond description, but the inhabitants have to wait until the last resurrection to be resurrected (which occurs after the millennium), and since they rejected the atonement, have to suffer for their own sins before resurrection:
“These are they who are thrust down to hell. These are they who shall not be redeemed from the devil until the last resurrection, until the Lord, even Christ the Lamb, shall have finished his work. These are they who receive not of his fulness in the eternal world, but of the Holy Spirit through the ministration of the terrestrial;”
So, once these people take their place in the lowest kingdom of heaven, they are eternally separated from God.
Thanks for your comment.
September 30th, 2011 at 2:47 pm
All throughout the Bible God promises to preserve His word. He says that heaven and earth will pass away but His words never will. Could the sovereign God of the universe not do this? Did He change His mind or His power and plans become thwarted by mere men?
Also, in Hebrews 1 it states that God spoke to us in times past through prophets but has spoken to us in these last days by His Son. So why would the LDS claim their is a living prophet other than Christ? John 16:13 also states that the apostles at that time would be lead into all truth by the Holy Ghost. If all means complete than than there would be no further revelation.
How do you answer these questions?
October 12th, 2011 at 12:27 pm
Acts 15:32: And Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words, and confirmed them.
In Acts 21:10, the prophet Agabus prophesies that Paul would be taken by the Gentiles.
In Ephesians 4:11, 12, it says: And he agave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
So we know that Christ called prophets in New Testament times, after His crucifixion and resurrection, and at the same time there were apostles. These men received direct revelation from Christ to guide the churches. Don’t we still need prophets and revelation? I for one am so grateful that we do have those things, and that we are not shut off in these modern times of need.