The object of this article is to show how wide the difference is, between the Mormon gospel and the gospel preached by the apostles of the primitive Christian church, as recorded in the Bible.



WHAT IS THE "GOSPEL?"

The word "gospel" means good news. And the good news of the New Testament was that the promised Jewish Messiah had come in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ; and that by His shed blood, on the cross at Calvary, He had ratified a New Covenant of grace. This New Covenant covered the forgiveness of all the sins of whosoever trusts in Him, as well as the gift of eternal life. And that was the gospel the apostles and the other followers of Christ, were commanded to preach. In other words, Christ told them that He Himself was to be their gospel. It was to be all about Him.

And he [Christ] commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. To him [Christ] give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. (Acts 10:42-43, KJV)

And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. (Acts 5:42, KJV)

But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 1:23-24, KJV)

For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus (2 Corinthians 1:19, KJV)

For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. (2 Corinthians 4:5, KJV)

However, the LDS preaches another gospel, where the heroes are Joseph Smith, the angel Moroni and the LDS church. Although their church bears the name of Jesus Christ, He is not the one on whom their preaching is centred. In other words, rather than preaching Christ crucified in the same way that the primitive church did, they preach themselves, claiming that salvation is only possible through membership of the LDS church (Mormon Doctrine, LDS Apostle Bruce McConkie, page 670). Their third article of faith states that through the atonement of Christ all mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of [the LDS] gospel.

Although they honour Christ, they believe that he had the same origins as we did, and that he was our full brother in a previous existence (i.e. He is our brother in eternal progression). Their teaching is that His atonement provided for universal resurrection, thereby enabling us to return to our original, biological father, who is the LDS God, i.e. an exalted man with a body of flesh and bone:

The doctrine that God was once a man and has progressed to become a God is unique to this church. (Official LDS Lesson Manual, 1997, page 34, "The Teachings of Brigham Young")

WHY WAS THE BIBLICAL GOSPEL GOOD NEWS?

Under the Old Covenant, Israel was bound by the law, which was a harsh taskmaster. The penalty for disobedience was death (Romans 6:23). And if they disobeyed so much as one commandment, it would have had the same consequence as if they had disobeyed all.

For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. (James 2:10, KJV)

The law portrayed the righteous standards of God. Consequently, the Israelites agreed that it was good, and they vowed that they would keep it. But in spite of their good intentions, they were never able to do so.

But God had known all along that fallen man would not be able to keep the law. Nor did he have the wherewithal to earn the right to forgiveness of his sins. (God knows us better than we know ourselves.) So He provided a way out through the sacrificial system in a practice known as "substitutionary sacrifice." When a man had sinned he took a perfect, unblemished animal to the altar. And there, in front of the priest, the guilty sinner would lay his hand on the innocent animal's head to identify himself with it and to indicate that it would die, in his place, to cover the penalty for his sin (Leviticus 1:4, 4:29,33). God was teaching them the seriousness of sin, and its terrible cost.

The Bible is the most amazing book. The Old Testament uses "pictures" to explain the New. And the sacrificial system was a picture of the promised Messiah, the sinless Lamb of God, who would come in the fullness of time and, once for all bear the sins and the shame of all those who trust in Him, by sacrificing His own life in our place on the cross at Calvary. John the Baptist was a Jewish prophet. So he was all too familiar with the messianic promises, as well as with their sacrificial system. And when the Lord Jesus appeared on the scene, John announced:

Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:29, KJV)

In his epistle to the church at Galatia, Paul explains that mankind was never expected to prove his righteousness through the Old Covenant of law. Instead God used the law to convince fallen man that he is incapable of living according to His standards of righteousness and purity. The constant plume of smoke arising from the sacrificial altar bore witness of this fact.

Don't forget that the Israelites had the perfect set-up. They were God's chosen people and as such enjoyed His favour, guidance and protection. Furthermore, they had actually covenanted to keep His law (Exodus 24:6-8). Nevertheless, in spite of all their advantages and their good intentions, sooner or later they found themselves slipping up in word, thought and deed. And we are no different.

The problem with Laws and Ordinances is that they don't have the power either to change us or to save us. All they do is reveal the holiness of God on the one hand, and the innate sinfulness of fallen man on the other.

Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. (Galations 3:21-25, KJV) (Emphasis by editor)

Because of our inability to save ourselves through obedience to laws and ordinances, God has provided a different way, under a New Covenant of grace, through faith in Christ as our Saviour. But the LDS believes that they have a better way:

"Redemption from personal sins can only be obtained through obedience to the requirements of the [Mormon] gospel, and a life of good works ..... The Sectarian Dogma of Justification by Faith Alone has exercised an influence for evil" (Mormon Apostle James Talmage, Articles of Faith, pages 478-479).

The first effect [of the atonement] is to secure to all mankind alike, exemption from the penalty of the fall [death], thus providing a plan of General Salvation. The second effect is to open a way for Individual Salvation whereby mankind may secure remission of personal sins. As these sins are the result of individual acts, it is just that forgiveness for them should be conditioned on individual compliance with prescribed requirements, obedience to the laws and ordinances of the [LDS] Gospel. (LDS Apostle James Talmage, Articles of Faith, page 87). (Author's italics)

That by keeping the commandments they might be washed and cleansed from all their sins ..... (Doctrine and Covenants 76:52)

If it had not been for Joseph Smith and the restoration, there would be no salvation. (Mormon Doctrine, Bruce McConkie, page 670.)

"Immortality is assured to all of us through the atonement of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. But eternal life is a personal responsibility we must earn and be worthy of." (LDS Apostle Delbert L. Stapley, Member of the Quorum of the Twelve, in The Path to Eternal Glory, Ensign, July 1973, page 99.) (Emphasis inserted by editor.)

And in spite of the fact that no matter how hard he tried, fallen man was unable to live according to the laws of the Old Covenant without sinning in thought, mind and deed, the LDS church has added more laws and ordinances of their own. And they insist that through the authority of their church, fallen man can become worthy, through his own efforts, even to the extent of progressing to godhood (Mormon Doctrine, LDS Apostle Bruce R. McConkie, page 237.)



THE NEW COVENANT

When reading the gospels we need to bear in mind that they were written during a transitional period between the Old and New Covenants. The New Covenant was only ratified by His shed blood and His death, so Christ lived under the Old Covenant.

Under the New Covenant of grace Christ became our substitutionary sacrifice and paid the full penalty for all our sins, in our place, on the cross at Calvary. The Old Covenant sinner had to identify himself with his substitutionary sacrifice that was to die in his place in order to cover his sin, by placing his hand on the animal's head. And we identify ourselves with Christ, our substitutionary sacrifice, by repenting, turning from self-reliance, or reliance on anything else at all, and putting our faith in Him alone. The moment we do that He becomes our Saviour, and we are counted as being "in Him."

The New Covenant was tailor-made for the fallenness of man, in that it caters for every eventuality and possibility. No longer does our salvation depend upon our own inadequate efforts, but on the grace of God and the sinlessness, the courage, the selflessness, the sufficiency and the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. He took our sins upon Himself and paid the full penalty for those sins, in our place, on our behalf, in order to earn our forgiveness.

Solely because of His undeserved mercy towards us, and not because of any merit in ourselves, whosoever trusts in Christ will receive forgiveness of, and cleansing from sin, freedom from guilt, eternal life, and reconciliation with God. No matter how inadequate they may think they are, as long as they are trusting in Him, they will be saved; because salvation is through His power, not ours. As the Apostle Paul exclaimed, "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!" (Romans 11:33, KJV) We all stand on level ground at the foot of the cross.

..... 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 5:19, KJV).

Lest the reader gain the wrong impression, although we cannot earn salvation through our works, once a person has been saved his salvation will bring forth the fruit of good works. But good works is the fruit of his salvation and not the reason for it. On the other hand, this doesn't guarantee that he will never ever sin again. It is a sad fact that because of the weakness of our flesh, there is a possibility that a saved person could still slip and fall. But God knows this, so He has made provision for the fallenness man, in that the gospel includes a safety net. John, Christ's apostle, explains:

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:7-9, KJV)

BIBLICAL TERMS OF SPEECH

We aren't all that familiar with the terms of speech used in biblical times, so we'll need to take a little detour here, to gain a better understanding of salvation through the atonement.

Although some of Paul's teachings that we are going to talk about here are deep, once we grasp them, they will enhance our understanding of salvation tremendously. And it will show in our spiritual walk. Consequently, our gratitude and devotion to our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, will grow in leaps and bounds.

In Genesis 3:16, God explains that although the woman's desire would be to rule over the roost, her husband would rule over her. And the Bible sometimes uses the term "husband," to illustrate the fact that God is our ruler:

For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; (Isaiah 54:5, KJV)

That is precisely why in the Old Testament, God refers to idolatry as adultery and/or harlotry:

And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. (Jeremiah 3:8, KJV)

But God's intention for a husband wasn't merely to rule over his wife. (Our dictionaries tell us that meaning of the word husband implies something much deeper than that. For instance, in farming husbandry means the nurture, oversee and general care of the land.) By God calling Himself Israel's husband, He was identifying Himself as the One who loved them, protected them, laid Himself down for them, fought their battles for them, and gave them His law so that He could nurture them in holiness and so on.

Because of his God-given role described above, the husband is responsible for his wife's welfare. So although it was Eve who fell into sin first, and who then persuaded Adam to follow her example, Adam was held responsible. They were husband and wife, and it was Adam's responsibility to look after Eve; to love, safeguard, protect and nurture her both physically and spiritually. But he failed in his role as her husband. And God considered this so serious that to this very day that first sin in the Garden of Eden is known as "Adam's sin," not as Eve's, in spite of the fact that she was one who had first disobeyed God and sinned, resulting in the fall of the whole of the human race (see Genesis 3:6).

God goes a bit further in the meaning of the term husband, when in the Book of Ephesians He teaches us that husbands are to love their wives as Christ loves the church, i.e. to lay their lives down for their wives, nurture them, build them up spiritually and so on. (And in turn the wives respect their husbands and submit to them.)

For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and He is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. (Ephesians 5:23-28, KJV)

Do you see what Ephesians is telling us? The church is the bride of Christ (Revelation 19:7). Consequently, Christ loves, protects, nurtures, sanctifies us (makes us holy) and cleanses us. He has taken upon Himself the responsibility for purifying and cleansing those who are His. Salvation is not of ourselves; it is all of Him. He is our Saviour. Nowhere does the Bible tell us that we must save ourselves. Fallen man does not have the ability to lift himself up by his bootstraps or to cleanse himself from sin. If he had, there would have been no need for a Saviour.

According to the above verses in Ephesians, the day will come when those who are genuinely trusting in Christ for salvation will be holy and without blemish; not through any merit of our own, but solely because of His work for us and in us and through us. (And remember that He who has promised is faithful.) What an encouraging teaching!

I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; That in everything ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:4-9, KJV) (Emphasis by editor)

Along those lines, Paul uses the analogy that under the Old Covenant we were "married" to the law and its penalties. But because Christ represents those of us who have faith in Him; when He paid the full penalty for our sins according to the demands of the law, it was the same as if we were paying the penalty for our sins. As He represented us, we were "in Him." So when He died it was the same as if we had died too, "in Him," to the law and its penalties. (Once you have paid the penalty you are set free.) And when He, still representing us, arose to new life, we arose too "in Him." Our penalty or obligation to the law was fulfilled, in Him. So legally, the law is dead to us, and we have died to it, in Christ (Romans 6:8-9).

Why then should the LDS church teach in their third article of faith that through the atonement of Christ mankind may be saved by obedience to [their] laws and ordinances? Christ is the Saviour, not the LDS church or their laws and ordinances. In Christ we have been redeemed. The Old Covenant of law became obsolete in Christ Jesus (Hebrews 8:13). Christ's shed blood ratified a New Covenant of grace. And instead of being "married" to the law (to use Paul's jargon), believers have become the bride of Christ (Revelation 19:7):

Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. (Romans 7:1-4, KJV)

For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and He is the Saviour of the body. (Ephesians 5:23, KJV)

What Paul is saying here, is that we either fall under the Old Covenant of law with its penalties, or else under the New Covenant of grace, with Christ as our Saviour. It cannot be both; we cannot have two husbands; it has to be one or the other. In other words we are either trying to earn our salvation by obedience to the law, or else we have been saved from the dominion of the law, and from its consequences for sin, by grace through faith in Christ. (Not that it ends there. As Ephesians 5 intimates, and as the old hymn, Rock of Ages puts it, Christ "saves from wrath and makes me pure." But justification and sanctification are another subject.)

To put it another way, this doesn't mean that Christians are not to live according to the ten commandments, or God's other commands. His ideas of righteousness didn't change one iota when the New Covenant of Grace came into being. So in Romans 7 Paul is not saying that we can live lawlessly. The meaning he is bringing out is that a Christian does not earn his salvation through obedience to the law, but through faith in Christ. And if we are truly trusting in Christ for salvation, obedience will surely follow:

For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. (Galations 2:19-21, KJV)

(This subject is also addressed from another angle, in the article Mormonism's Individual Salvation Falls Short .)

Serving the LDS church faithfully by living in obedience to their laws and ordinances (which includes full tithing) cannot contribute one iota to our salvation, because salvation is not through laws and ordinances, but through Christ alone.



THE GOSPEL OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST

The gospel (good news) of the primitive Church of Jesus Christ was that Christ had ratified a New Covenant of grace for the forgiveness of sins by His shed blood on the cross at Calvary, where He had defeated sin, Satan, death and hell on our behalf. He also rose from the grave after three days, proving that He was whom He said He was. And whosoever puts their faith in Him will receive forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. (Acts 10:43, KJV)

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:14-15, KJV)

Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him ..... (Hebrews 7:25, KJV)

..... even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. (Galations 2:16, KJV)

This was the most amazing, liberating news. All the Old Covenant had ever done was to prove that fallen man could not live up to God's standards of righteousness. But now the promised Messiah had come down to earth and vicariously died to save us from both the consequences of our sins and the power that sin has over us. This meant that Satan had lost his hold on mankind, and that we were able, through Christ Jesus, to live the way that God intended us to live. Furthermore, the burden of guilt and the resulting fear of death and judgment was to be no more!

After His resurrection Christ appeared to His disciples, instructing them to be witnesses of His death on the cross, and of His resurrection three days later. He also commanded them to proclaim in His name, repentance and the forgiveness of sins:

Then He opened their understanding that they might understand the Scriptures, and said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day. And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. (Luke 24:45-48, KJV). (Italics inserted by writer.)

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. (2 Corinthians 5:21, KJV)

But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:30-31, KJV)

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1, KJV)

(The italics in the above scriptures have been inserted by the writer.)

THE MORMON GOSPEL

It must be stated that the LDS church does teach that salvation is through the atonement of Christ. And as far as that goes, they are being biblical. But in other teachings they go on to qualify this statement by maintaining that salvation is only through membership of their church and furthermore that it is only attainable through obedience to LDS laws and ordinances, plus good works.

Redemption from personal sins can only be obtained through obedience to the requirements of the [Mormon] gospel, and a life of good works ..... The Sectarian Dogma of Justification by Faith Alone has exercised an influence for evil (Mormon Apostle James Talmage, Articles of Faith, pages 478-479).

There is no salvation outside The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (Bruce McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, page 670).

There is no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith as a prophet of God, (Doctrines of Salvation, President and Prophet Joseph Fielding Smith, Volume 1, page 188.)

If it had not been for Joseph Smith and the restoration, there would be no salvation. (Mormon Doctrine, Bruce McConkie, page 670.)

But the gospel preached by the apostles in the primitive church was centred on Christ, the New Covenant of grace that He had ratified, and the forgiveness of sins that He had earned on our behalf on the cross alone. In contrast, the LDS has banned the symbol of the cross on their premises and their gospel is centred on Joseph Smith, the angel Moroni, the LDS church and their claim to having the sole authority for the gospel.

This was precisely the sort of thing that Paul was warning us about in Galations. In reality the Mormon gospel is "another gospel." Nowhere in the Bible do the apostles ever teach that "authority" is necessary to preach the gospel or that forgiveness of sins has to be earned through membership of an "authorized" church organization or by obedience to its laws and ordinances. That's not what the gospel was about. Mormon claims are in the main all "smoke and mirrors" designed specifically to distract us from the plain teaching of the Bible.

Although the LDS calls their gospel, "the gospel of Jesus Christ," it is in reality the gospel of Joseph Smith. The "good news" that their missionaries proclaim from door to door is that God allowed the church that Christ had died for, to go into total apostasy and that He also permitted the Bible, the standard of truth that He'd given us for our spiritual guidance and protection, to become corrupted and unreliable. They then go on to claim that their prophet, Joseph Smith, has restored the "true" church in these latter days, and that salvation can only be attained through obedience to their laws and ordinances.

Christ is effectively sidelined, His atonement is deprecated and Joseph Smith and his LDS church are given the glory that belongs to Christ alone.

Considering that under the Old Covenant nobody was ever able to satisfy God's demands for righteousness by obedience to laws and ordinances, the Mormon gospel places its followers in a precarious position. Not only that, they have trampled underfoot the precious blood of Christ that He so selflessly and heroically shed in order to pay the ultimate price for the forgiveness of all our sins:

For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. (Romans 10:2-4, KJV)

In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace. (Ephesians 1:7, KJV)

Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. (Romans 5:9, KJV)

Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, (Revelation 1:5, KJV)

ADDENDUM

The LDS gospel discussed above is the version they give out to the general public as part of their evangelistic efforts. Their full gospel is the story of the eternal progression of man, whom they maintain had originally existed in the form of intelligent matter, then progressed to existence in a spiritual being, and whose ultimate progression is to godhood. However, their exclusive doctrines are only disclosed to those who have been baptized into membership of their church. You can read about their doctrine of eternal progression by clicking on this link: Mormonism's Law of Eternal Progression

I would love to hear whether this article has helped you in your understanding of the gospel. My email address is response@bibtruth.com

The following links lead to a few other articles on various aspects of salvation:

What is Biblical Salvation?

Mormon Salvation Exposed to the Light of the Bible

Mormonism's Deceptive Teaching on Eternal Life

To access a comprehensive index of articles comparing various aspects of Mormonism with what the Bible teaches, click on the "home" button at the bottom of this page.


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