Written by John Carson
The payment of sins is the greatest gift God has provided for sinful humanity. To have our sins - all our sins - washed away is the most liberating experience individuals can have for all eternity. To know that we can have peace with God is the greatest hope.
Without liberty though, there is bondage. Where there is bondage there is no peace, no hope. And the enemies of liberty will do anything (including deception) to keep their victims in captivity.
Picture in your mind a room with an open door frame where the door had been removed. On the other side of the room is a deceiver's voice coming from a wall as thick as eternity. The Deceiver calls: "Take your hammer and chisel and strike this wall. I am God, and I offer you freedom if you can just get to me. Work, work, work for your salvation, and whatever you do, don't turn around!" He also causes a blindness so his victims cannot see the removed door.
God tells us in Hebrews 10:10-12 that Jesus Christ offered one sacrifice for sins forever.
Colossians 2:13-14 tells us that transgression and sins were dealt with and nailed to the cross.
Ephesians chapter 2 tells us that it was on the cross where God's work of grace was performed to reconcile us to God.
And Romans 3:22-28 tells us that redemption is given freely to all who will believe in Jesus Christ; that cleansing from sin is through faith alone in His blood, and not of works.
So the message of salvation is clear: On the cross alone, Jesus Christ became the offering for the full payment of sin, so that if anyone - meaning you - will believe in and receive the Lord Jesus Christ, having faith in His blood, will be saved and be reconciled to God for all eternity. (See also John 1:12 and John 3:16)
The LDS church (which Mormons call "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" however, points not to Christ's death on the cross alone as the place and act of redemption, but they say he suffered for sins in the Garden of Gethsemane. (See Mormon Doctrine, p. 555)
The LDS Church also claims that the message of salvation by grace alone is wrong; that to be reconciled to God, one must work his way to salvation.
Our prayer at Doorway Christian Outreach is that if you are being deceived by the voice of Mormonism, trying to work your way to salvation; that God would lift the veil from your eyes so that you may see that the door is removed by Jesus' death on the cross, and that you hear His voice saying to you, "Drop your hammer and chisel and come to Me. The Doorway is open."
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All our correspondences are treated respectfully and confidentially.
Blessings to you,
John
Latest comments
14.09 | 00:17
Is it your intent to share your faith with me? I'm a devout Latter-day Saint.
30.06 | 17:21
Let's add, the keys to Death and Hades (Revelation 1:18) the key of David (Rev. 3:7) the key of knowledge (Luke 11:52) and the keys of the kingdom of heaven (Matt.16:19) only given to Simon/Peter.
24.05 | 06:04
Intuitive
10.02 | 23:31
Checked out the great video. 👍 Thumbs up!
The Mormon Religion was officially founded by Joseph Smith Jr. on April 6. 1830 after the Book of Mormon (BOM) was published in that same year.
Joseph Smith Jr. was born in Vermont on December 23, 1805. He claimed that when he was 14, he received a vision from God the Father and Jesus Christ in a grove of trees near his home where he received instructions not to join any of the Christian churches because they were all wrong.
Three years later, Smith claimed that an angel named Moroni (a character found in the BOM) appeared to him in his bedroom whom he said revealed to him that he was selected to translate "Reformed Egyptian" (a language that does not exist) from gold plates into old English. These plates were supposedly hidden near Palmyra, New York and are said to be written around the 4th century. The BOM was named after Moroni’s father, Mormon. Mormons view the BOM as sacred. No one is able to study the original plates because Joseph Smith claimed the angel took them back on May 2, 1838 (History of the Church 1:60).
Smith had a scribe named Cowdery. Smith did not actually translate directly from any plates. Rather, in his writings, he said he placed a "seer stone" in a hat and covered any light from entering it as he placed his face in the hat. According to Martin Harris, “By aid of the seer stone, sentences would appear and were read by the Prophet . . . , and when finished he would say, ‘Written,’ and if correctly written, that sentence would disappear and another appear in its place, but if not written correctly it remained until corrected,” Smith said, “By the power of God I translated the Book of Mormon from hieroglyphics".
Despite such methods of translation, there have been at least 3,913 changes made in the BOM from the time it was first published. Joseph Smith stated, “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.” Smith also claimed that John the Baptist appeared to him on May 15, 1829 while he was translating the BOM, and instructed him to restore the church by preaching the only true gospel.
Mormons regard the BOM as sacred writings, and view it in higher standing than that of the Holy Bible. Mormon Missionaries will ask you to pray that it is true. (See our page Pray to Know)