The Historical, Biblical Jesus vs. The Mormon Jesus

 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different Gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough……….for such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ…  -2 Corinthians 11:4, 13

My great-grandmother and great-grandfather were Mormons. They were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. When he passed away, she was so overwhelmed with loneliness that she moved out to Salt Lake City and was re-married to another man from the LDS church. He mistreated her horribly. For escaping her abuser and divorcing him, she received an official letter from LDS headquarters disfellowshipping her and telling her she would never enter the celestial kingdom, the Mormon version of heaven. Whatever gospel they were preaching could evidently be withheld or denied. Whatever salvation they were offering could be lost or taken away. Christians believe in the truth of Ephesians 2:8-9. For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast.

My grandfather received a similar letter. He accepted Jesus as his Savior at an old-fashioned Methodist tent revival and in his words, was converted. He became a Christian, converting from Mormonism to Christianity and was basically excommunicated from their organization. Modern Christian denominations do not traditionally excommunicate people for simply transferring church membership. Christians celebrate and rejoice when someone comes to faith in Christ. Even heaven rejoices: There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. (Luke 15:10)

I share these stories to illustrate the point that there are dramatic and irreconcilable differences between Mormonism and Christianity. For example: Christians worship Jesus. We pray to Him and through Him. Mormons do not worship or pray to their Jesus. Christians believe that Jesus is co-eternal with the Father. He has always existed and all things in the universe were created through Him. Mormons believe that Jesus is a created being, the offspring of their heavenly father and an un-named heavenly mother. They believe he existed as a spirit child named Jehovah before coming to earth as Jesus. Christians believe that Jesus’ earthly, physical body was conceived by Mary, a true virgin, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Mormons believe that their heavenly father, an immortal, had sex with Mary and got her pregnant with Jesus. Christians know that Jesus was single. Mormons believe that he was married to the sisters Mary and Martha.  Christians believe that Jesus is, was and always will be God. Mormons believe that he earned the intelligence and the right to become a god in his spirit life before he came to earth.

 

Christians believe the Bible is the Holy, Inspired, Inerrant Word of God. Mormons believe it is a flawed book which is overruled by the “superior” Book of Mormon. This allows them the “license” to alter Biblical teachings so severely that the Jesus they teach and the Gospel they preach are completely different and contradictory to the Historical Jesus and the Biblical Gospel. Paul warned that people would preach "another" Jesus. Here is a helpful chart to illustrate some of the differences:

Since 325 A.D., all Christians agree upon certain basic beliefs as articulated in the Nicene Creed. All Protestants, Catholics, Baptists and Orthodox Christians agree on these basic tenants of the Christian faith. To disagree with this creed is Heresy. In 381, a section was added to the creed at Constantinople. Other than 3 words which the Eastern Orthodox church had a problem with, all of Christendom agrees on the basic doctrines articulated within this creed.  Mormons teach directly against so many points of the creed that it seems as if someone went point for point contradicting Nicaea just to see if he could get away with it. Let’s examine the shocking differences in belief by comparing the teachings of the Christian church with those of the LDS church.

 

THE NICENE CREED

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen. 

Mormons believe there are many gods. They believe people can ascend and become gods and one day have spirit children and create their own planet to rule over if they reach the highest levels of their religion. This sort of arrogance is just like the sin that Satan committed. Isaiah 14:13-15 informs us that he said to himself “I will ascend to the heavens; I will set up my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of the god’s assembly in the remotest parts of the North. I will ascend above the highest clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” But you will be brought down to Sheol into the deepest regions of the Pit. This Mormon belief is a sin against God, leading people to destruction.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, light from light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.

Mormons believe that their heavenly father had many sons. They believe there are many savior gods in the universe. They do not believe Jesus has always existed, they believe he was created. They do not believe that he has always been God, they believe he earned the right to become a god.

Christians believe that Jesus of one essence with the Father and the Holy Spirit. We believe that He is God’s one and only Son and that the entire universe was created through Him. John wrote these things about Jesus. From John 1:1-4: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were made through Him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. John 3:16 declares: For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
and became truly human.

Mormons believe that their heavenly Father had sexual intercourse with Mary to create Jesus’ physical body. They believe he was the offspring of an immortal having sex with a human, what the Greeks would have called a demi-god. Christians believe that Mary was a true virgin who became pregnant through the Holy Spirit without sex. When the angel Gabriel told Mary she would give birth to Jesus, Mary asked the angel, “How can this be, since I have not had sexual relations with a man?” The angel replied to her: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Christians believe Jesus was truly human. Hebrews 2:17 teaches us Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end. 

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father [and the Son],
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.

Mormons do not worship or pray to Jesus, only to their heavenly father. Christians worship the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Wise Men bowed down and worshipped Jesus as a baby. After His resurrection the disciples encountered Jesus, Matthew 28:17 tells us: When they saw Him, they worshipped Him. Mormons believe the Bible is a book that contains errors. Christians believe that the prophets spoke the very words of God and the Bible is the word of God without any mixture of error. All scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness. -2 Timothy 3:16

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Christians believe in a new heaven and a new earth. Mormons believe in something entirely different.

The Mormon Church is so far outside of the boundaries of Orthodox Christianity, that they can only be considered a cult, or a different religion entirely. They try to emphasize similarity, but what discerning Christians must pay attention to is the stark contrasts in belief. Mormons masquerade as Christians in order to attract more members, gain more influence and make more money. One of their recent Presidents has tried to move away from using the word Mormon to describe them and even instructed churches to drop the last part of their name, referring to themselves simply as The Church of Jesus Christ and dropping the rest of the name of Latter Day Saints. They are highly skilled in the art of doublespeak, using Biblical terms and speaking Christianese words, but meaning something entirely different and thinking of different meanings in their heart when they say them. Some like to say that Mormons use the same words as Christians, they just use a different dictionary. They are skillful in the art of deception. 

THE MORMON PLAN OF "SALVATION"

Mormon “salvation” is a merit-based system of works. Mormon “salvation,” is about earning and attaining various stages of achievement in the afterlife through works and trying to become a god.  Here is an example of their plan of salvation.

Here is a more detailed elaboration about what they believe:

THE BIBLICAL, CHRISTIAN PLAN OF SALVATION

Christian's believe that salvation is by grace, through faith in Christ alone. God's plan for bringing salvation to mankind is simple. It is the cross of Christ.

Romans 10:9 declares: If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. This verse emphasizes the importance of making a verbal confession in front of others, of making Jesus the Lord of our life and of believing in His atoning sacrifice and resurrection. 

Acts 2:38 proclaims: Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Repenting, or turning away from sin is a key element of the Gospel. This verse also points to the regeneration that comes through the Holy Spirit. 

In John 3:3 Jesus told Nicodemus Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. To be regenerated or born again means to be washed clean, forgiven of sins and made new when Jesus comes to live in our hearts through His Spirit. 

Romans 10:13 promises: Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Anyone can be saved who will respond to God’s call, but to call upon the name of the Lord, Epikaleomai Onoma Kurios,  means to cry out to God in desperation, asking to be called His child and humbly asking to be saved. 

Ephesians 3:16 records Paul’s prayer that He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. This is why Christians ask Jesus to come into our hearts and receive believer’s baptism as a public witness to the decision we have made. Christians are all promised the same reward--eternal life with God in heaven as part of His family. 

I encourage you to make the decision to follow Jesus., following the instructions of Acts 22:16 which exhorts you to: Get up, be baptized, and wash your sins away, calling on His name 

CONCLUSION

As we have seen, Mormons and Christians have radical differences in Christology, our beliefs about the nature, person and work of Jesus Christ. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints blatantly contradicts numerous doctrines of the Nicene Creed,  the statement of common belief held by all Christians. The LDS church holds dramatically different views of salvation and heaven than that of the Christian Church. The Mormon religion teaches a different Jesus and preaches a different Gospel than the Christian religion, just as Paul warned us about. Christianity and Mormonism have irreconcilable differences. The Mormon church is not a Christian denomination. It is, in fact, a cult. The “Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,” is not a branch of Christianity. It is an entirely different religion that directly contradicts the most essential elements of the historical Christian faith.