Category: Salvation
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Grace (Defined)
Grace. Generally refers to the general salvation everyone receives by being born onto this earth, through the work of Jesus and His atonement. Exaltation, or individual salvation, requires many works. As twelfth President Spencer W. Kimball said, “One of the most fallacious doctrines originated by Satan and propounded by man is that man is saved alone by…
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Forgiveness (Defined)
Forgiveness. Received only after a member repents of all sins and keeps all the commandments. D&C 1:32 says, “Nevertheless, he that repents and does the commandments of the Lord shall be forgiven.” D&C 82:7 adds, “And now, verily I say unto you, I, the Lord, will not lay any sin to your charge; go your…
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Cross (Defined)
Cross. According to 15th President Gordon B. Hinckley, “the cross is the symbol of the dying Christ, while our message is a declaration of a Living Christ” (“The Symbol of Our Faith,” Ensign, April 2005, p. 3). Tenth President Joseph Fielding Smith explained the reason why Latter-day Saints don’t wear jewelry depicting the cross: To many,…
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Covenants (Defined)
Covenants. Two-way promises made by members with God. When the member keeps the promises, God keeps His promise of blessing. When the member does not keep the promises, the agreement is broken and God is under no obligation for eternal life (exaltation). Quoting sixteenth LDS President Thomas S. Monson, the July 2012 Ensign (“Understanding Our…
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Commandments (Defined)
Commandments. Laws and rules taught by the LDS Church. Keeping these are necessary to receive exaltation, as tenth LDS President Joseph Fielding Smith explained, “CELESTIAL SALVATION. Those who keep the full law and obey all the commandments of God are heirs of full salvation in the celestial kingdom, the glory of which the sun is spoken…
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Understanding James 2:26
In the course of a study on Ephesians, Tabletalk magazine discusses the relationship between a person’s good works and his justification before God. Examining James 2:14-26 (“faith without works is dead”), the magazine offers good insight into James’ teaching. Since Mormons regularly misappropriate this Bible passage as a proof-text to support the LDS doctrine of…
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Honor Codes and Covenants
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a covenant church. By that I mean that covenants are an important part of LDS faith and culture. Members make covenants with God when being baptized, when getting married, when being ordained to the priesthood, when taking the sacrament, and when receiving their endowments. A covenant…
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Aren’t All Mormons ‘Procrastinating Their Repentance’?
By Bill McKeever Listen Ninth LDS President David O. McKay, once wrote: “The fallacy that Jesus has done all for us, and live as we may, if on our deathbed, we only believe, we shall be saved in his glorious presence, is most pernicious. Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, has given us the…
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Forgiveness: A 28 (or More)-Step Program?
By Eric Johnson Christianity has historically taught that God provides forgiveness to all who call upon the name of the Lord Jesus. Over and over again, the Bible proclaims that it is through the blood of the Lamb that God’s children are able to receive this forgiveness, despite the fact that “all have sinned and…
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Sacrament Promises That Will Always Be Broken
By Bill McKeever Each week millions of faithful members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints partake in what they call the sacrament service. Though similar to the Christian tradition of communion in that members are asked to reflect on the life of Christ and His sacrifice, the sacrament meeting does have some…
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Worthy or Unworthy
A few months ago, folks here at Mormon Coffee were discussing LDS temple weddings and the difficulties that can arise when the bride and/or groom come from part-member families. Non-Mormons, as well as Mormons who do not possess temple recommends, are not allowed to enter LDS temples; therefore, they are not allowed to attend the temple weddings of their…
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Obedience/Personal Worthiness Familiar Conference Themes
As we head toward the October General Conference coming up, here’s a quick look at a few teachings from the last General Conference (April 2010) as found in the May 2010 issue of the Ensign magazine. “Qualifying for the Lord’s Spirit begins with a desire for that Spirit and implies a certain degree of worthiness.…
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"Mercy Cannot Rob Justice" — The Need for Mormons to Merit Exaltation
Listen I recall listening on the news to some of the eulogy given at the funeral of a Mormon murder victim. It was not unlike many funeral messages I’ve heard. Much of it dealt with the positive aspects of the deceased’s personality and achievements. It also included a hopeful message that the deceased was experiencing…
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Do We Need to Become Children of God?
He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name,he gave the right to become children of God, who were born,not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man,but of God. –John 1:12-13 Brigham…
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With a Sincere Heart
“And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you,…
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Quotes on Merit, Earning, Worthiness, and Qualification
2000 – present “Let us make our homes sanctuaries of righteousness, places of prayer, and abodes of love that we might merit the blessings that can come only from our Heavenly Father… How might we merit this promise [spoken of in Ezekiel 36]? What will qualify us to receive this blessing?” – Thomas S Monson, “To…
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The Law of God: Designed to Reveal You as Sinful and God as Righteous
The apostle Paul reasons in Romans that people don’t keep the Law, neither the one written in the Torah nor the one written on our hearts. We need to find our righteousness elsewhere, even in another person. The harshest part of the law is that it demands perfection of our hearts, not just our external…
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How Has 2 Nephi 25:23 Been Interpreted?
By Aaron Shafovaloff 2 Nephi 25:23 is a key text by which Mormons identify and distinguish their view of grace, repentance, works, and merit. It has consistently functioned in Mormonism as a text speaking of the prerequisite conditions for receiving forgiveness, eternal life, and exaltation, although some neo-orthodox Mormon revisionists are attempting to recast it…
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Equally Unworthy
While we’re on the subject of Mormon temples (see Mormon Coffee’s last article), the February issue of Ensign magazine includes an article about the symbolism found in Mormon temples. Quoting LDS Apostle John A. Widtsoe, the article states: “In the temples all are dressed alike in white. White is the symbol of purity. No unclean…
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Book Review: Grace Works: After All We Can Do
By Dr. Robert Millet Reviewed by Bill McKeever The front jacket reads, “As Latter-day Saints we sing and speak of the redeeming love of Jesus Christ, but do we take those words of praise and worship to heart? In whom do we really trust? Upon whom do we really rely? What does it mean to…