Category: Bible Verses
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Mark 16:16: “Does this verse say baptism is necessary for salvation?
Mark 16:16 says, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” Assuming that water baptism is meant, then the Mormon needs to explain the second half of the verse. If belief plus baptism truly equals salvation, then why wasn’t this formula used when it says that…
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1 Peter 3:21: Are we saved by water baptism?
“Baptism is an essential principle,” President Lorenzo Snow said. “Some deem it wrong to number baptism among the essential principles ordained of God, to be attended to in obtaining remission of sins. In reply, we say that the Savior and Apostles have done so before us, therefore we feel obligated to follow their example.” (Williams, The…
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Acts 2:38: Baptized For the Remission of Sins
By Bill McKeever and Eric Johnson The following is from chapter 21 in Answering Mormons’ Questions (Kregel, 2013). To get additional help in answering LDS questions, we recommend purchasing the book. Click here to see more. A common passage used to support the view of baptismal regeneration (the necessity to be baptized in order to be saved) is…
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Matthew 5:48: Perfection
By Bill McKeever and Eric JohnsonPresident Spencer W. Kimball told of a man who wanted to make sure he had made final spiritual preparations before undergoing “radical surgery.” Kimball wrote,
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Exodus 33:11: Seeing God
By Bill McKeever and Eric JohnsonProbably the passage most often cited to support people’s ability to see God is Exodus 33:11, which says, “And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.” Yet verse 20 reads, “And he [God] said, Thou canst not see my face: for there…
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Ecclesiastes 12:7: Does This Teach Preexistence?
Mormons believe in a preexistence, where spirts once existed in what is known as the First Estate. Ecclesiastes 12:7 says, in part, that “the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” This poetic book is describing how the body decomposes to “dust” and the spirit returns to God for judgment; this does not imply a preexistent…
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Hebrews 12:9: Does This Verse Support the Idea of Preexistence?
Mormons believe in a preexistence, where spirits once existed in what is known as the First Estate. The Ensign magazine cited Hebrews 12:9 to support the doctrine of premortality, saying, “God is our Heavenly Father, a literal spiritual parent.”(“God is Truly Our Father,” Ensign, January 2010, 15). The verse from Hebrews reads, “Furthermore we have had fathers of…
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Jeremiah 1:5: Does This Verse Speak About Preexistence?
By Bill McKeever and Eric JohnsonCertain biblical passages have been used by Latter-day Saints to back premortality, though they have to be taken out of their context to do so. One commonly-used proof text is Jeremiah 1:5, which says,”Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of…
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1 John 3:2: Who are the Sons of God?
According to 1 John 3:2, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” To be “like him” is taken by Mormons to mean that…
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Psalm 82:6 and John 10:34: Ye are Gods
By Bill McKeever and Eric Johnson
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Amos 3:7: Prophets
By Bill McKeever and Eric Johnson
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Ezekiel 37:15-19: Books or Sticks?
By Bill McKeever and Eric Johnson
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From the Mailbag (Isaiah and Idols)
Hello Sharon, Now, Isaiah 43:10-11. It looks so simple and clear when you read it, but can it have MORE than one LOGICAL interpretation? If you ask me, I will tell you that YES!…in the Bible gods sometimes mean people, sometimes idols or false gods. Israelites had a history to make false gods/golden calf/, other…
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Matthew 19:16-22: Becoming Perfect?
By Eric JohnsonMany Latter-day Saints have pointed to the story of the rich young ruler to show that perfection is required in order to obtain salvation. The passage reads: 16 Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”17 “Why do you ask me…
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Common Bible Prooftexts Used by Latter-day Saints Index
Sometimes Mormons will use a Bible verse or passage to support their religious view. Here is a place for you to look and see answers that help you.
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Does 1 Corinthians 15:29 Teach Baptism for the Dead?
In 1 Corinthians 15:29, the apostle Paul wrote, “Else what shall they dowhich are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?” President David O. McKay wrote,“Not a few commentators have tried to explain away [this passage’s] true significance; but its context proves plainly…
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Does John 9:1-3 prove the preexistence is true?
In John 9:1-3 the disciples passed by a man blind from birth and asked, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answers, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” Some Mormons have used this…
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Are the Evangelists of Ephesians 4:11 the Patriarchs of the LDS Church?
εὐαγγέλιον (yoo-ang-ghel’-ee-on) is “gospel” in Greek. Consider: εὐαγγελιστής (yoo-ang-ghel-is-tace). Not knowing Greek, which do you think is the more likely accurate translation of the second word? 1. Someone who shares/communicates/brings the good tidings, the good news. 2. Someone who gives patriarchal blessings. Now consider how the term is used by Paul to Timothy: > 2…
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The Dilemma of Revelation 1:6
By Aaron Shafovaloff The KJV of Revelation 1:6 reads, > “And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”
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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…