I have heard the Mormon phrase "restoration of the gospel" in the past, and again just recently, but I never looked up exactly what that meant. If what I read was true, I am saddened by it. From the LDS website, it is this:
"When Jesus Christ was on the earth, He established His Church among His followers. After His Crucifixion and the deaths of His Apostles, the fulness of the gospel was taken from the earth because of widespread apostasy. Through the Prophet Joseph Smith, our Father in Heaven and His Son Jesus Christ restored the fulness of the gospel. The true Church of Jesus Christ is on the earth again. Because of the Restoration, the teachings and ordinances necessary for salvation are available to all people."
The phrase "teachings and ordinances necessary for salvation" is very scary already.
Ordinances is further define as:
"In the Church, an ordinance is a sacred, formal act performed by the authority of the priesthood. Some ordinances are essential to our exaltation. These ordinances are called saving ordinances. They include baptism, confirmation, ordination to the Melchizedek Priesthood (for men), the temple endowment, and the marriage sealing. With each of these ordinances, we enter into solemn covenants with the Lord."
So "saving ordinances" include all these other things mentioned nowhere as necessary for salvation in the pages of the Bible. Paul makes it quite clear in Romans that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone, and does not come from ANY kind works we do on our own, including rituals like water baptism.
I had some discussions with one of my Mormon friends in the past, and it seemed clear to me that he believed in salvation by grace through faith, but yet here we have on the LDS website an indication that salvation comes through these other things as well. So I don't know what to think on the subject, but what I have to say is this:
If there is ANYONE out there in ANY organization trusting that their salvation comes something other than faith in Christ, they are dead wrong. It doesn't come from a family line. It doesn't come from affiliation with any certain group. It doesn't come from saying a certain prayer. It doesn't come from some ritual. It doesn't come from doing good works. None of these things will save anyone. All they will do is give people a false sense of security like many Jewish leaders had 2000 years ago. Salvation comes from genuine repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Period.
Grace and Peace
Sunday, August 16, 2009
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6 comments:
Mormons believe that salvation comes only through Christ. There is nothing a person can do to "earn" salvation without Him. However, we are asked to have faith in Him. If I profess faith in Him but refuse to follow anything He taught, I don't know in what sense I have faith in him. I think I need to be at least moving in the direction of becoming His follower or the word faith is kind of meaningless, let alone repentance.
As for the "essential" part, no one is denied any blessing in LDS theology because of lack of opportunity or ignorance.
Faith comes first and then follow the works. Faith without works is dead. We all know that works without faith is dead. Both of them are required.
Here are some scriptures in Acts that indicate that baptism in required and needed to continue in the Lord's path after you believe.
Acts 2: 37-38, 41 Baptism--what shall we do?
Acts 8:12 Baptism--People of Samaria
Acts 8:13 Baptism--Simon of Samaria
Acts 8: 36-38 Baptism--Eunuch of Ethiopia
Acts 9:18 Baptism--Saul/Paul
Acts 10:47-48 Baptism--Cornelius baptism commanded
Acts 16:14-15 Baptism--Lydia
Acts 18:8 Baptism--Corinthians
Acts 16:30-33 Baptism--Jailer
Acts 19:5 Baptism--Re-baptism
Acts 22:16 Baptism--Paul teaching
From the FAIR website:
"Is baptism essential for salvation? Are those who aren't baptized damned? The answer to those questions may remain hotly debated, but the answer is irrelevant. Those who spend time arguing about this seem to have forgotten they aren't the Judge and their time spent arguing won't change it. Jesus Christ is the author of salvation. He is the judge. It is up to Him to save whom he will. In other words, he makes the decisions, not us. All we can do is to trust him. We can do this by following the scriptures and being baptized. The rest is up to Him."
http://www.fairlds.org/Bible/Is_Baptism_Essential_for_Salvation.html
If that is what Mormons believe, why does their own website appear to say things to the contrary? That's pretty misleading to anyone who visits.
I never said you can have faith without works. I completely agree that works follow faith. And what I read from the website indicated the exact opposite.
Any man made system of rules, regulations, and rituals like this has an inherent problem in it. While you may have those in the system who legitimately have faith, you have a bunch of others who trust in the man made ideas.
That was the Pharisees big problem, and I argue its just as big a problem today with people all across many groups.
Baptism is essential. Baptism of the Holy Spirit. A new heart put in by God, showing itself through a transformed life. Water baptism means nothing without the inward change. It is a public sign that people want to do to show that an inward change has taken place, but the inward change does not in any way call for water baptism.
Any man made system might have problems - but it is not man made - God told prophets to implement this system.
No where on and LDS website does it say one needs only to do works to be "saved". In fact what it does say is that you must have faith to do the works otherwise the works are in vain.
Baptism by immersion of the Bible, just as Christ was baptized should be done. First by water, and then by the Holy Spirit after the water. Agreed - internal change but occur but we are not saying it will not. Some people do get baptized for social or the wrong reasons - just people say "I believe" or "I am saved" for the wrong reasons too.
Good thing God is just and is the Judge of people. He can see in their hearts and be fair. If they do it all the time in the Bible I would expect that you would accept the truth and do it too.
Regardless of what the phrase "saving ordinance" might seem to imply, the act of performing any ordinance has no power in itself. In all cases, it is an outward symbol of an inward commitment and has no meaning or power without that commitment.
"Any man made system of rules, regulations, and rituals like this has an inherent problem in it. While you may have those in the system who legitimately have faith, you have a bunch of others who trust in the man made ideas."
I assume that you are referring to Mormonism rather than to religion in general, but I think that you can find people who don't have their focus quite right in any congregation. Does anyone have a perfect understanding?
That said, I think you'd have a hard time finding anyone LDS who claims that he or she has a free ticket to salvation through ordinances. I think you'd instead end up hearing something about faith and hope in Christ.
No actually I was talking about all groups, including every Christian "denomination" or lack thereof.
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