Category: Bible
-
Does 1 Peter 4:6 Support Post-Mortem Salvation?
By Bill McKeever and Eric Johnson
-
1 Peter 3:18-20: Saved by Baptism?
1 Peter 3:18–20 says,“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: by which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of…
-
Colossians 2:12-13: Is Water Baptism required for salvation?
By Bill McKeever and Eric JohnsonColossians 2:12–13 says, “Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven…
-
Romans 6:3-4: Buried with Him by Baptism into Death
By Bill McKeever and Eric JohnsonRomans 6:3–4 says, “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we…
-
Acts 22:16: Is baptism a requirement for salvation?
By Bill McKeever and Eric JohnsonActs 22:16 says, “And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” Is Ananias stressing the act of water baptism in order to wash away a person’s sins? Or is he emphasizing calling on the name of the Lord?…
-
John 3:5-6: Is baptism a requirement for salvation?
By Bill McKeever and Eric JohnsonJohn 3:5–6 says, “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”We must ask…
-
Luke 3:3: Does this say baptism is necessary for the forgiveness of sins?
Luke 3:3: says, “And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.” The word for (Greek: eis) in “for the remission of sins” can mean with a view to or because of. Those who responded to John’s invitation of baptism had already heard his message of…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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,
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Psalm 82:6 and John 10:34: Ye are Gods
By Bill McKeever and Eric Johnson
-
Amos 3:7: Prophets
By Bill McKeever and Eric Johnson
-
Ezekiel 37:15-19: Books or Sticks?
By Bill McKeever and Eric Johnson
-
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…