A couple days ago I had the opportunity to speak with a person that I work with; he is a new convert to Latter-day Saints (Mormon). It was a friendly discussion about LDS v. Baptist and there was no declared “winner” or “loser,” but I feel that there was a great opportunity to share the “reason for the season.”
Our conversation started with me quipping about something that this person used to find humorous. When he didn’t laugh, I asked him what was going on and hoping that my beginning dialog didn’t offend him in some way or another. He began to talk about his new found religion and how he’s proud of himself for going to church for two months straight. I was impressed. Of all people, he was one of the last people I ever thought would say something like that. When I asked him where he was attending, I was intrigued when he told me that he was now attending a Latter-day Saints church. I first had three thoughts: why did he choose a LDS church; what exactly do they believe; and this is going to be an awesome opportunity to share the TRUTH with this individual.
One of the biggest issues that was brought up was the fact that he said that baptism was the literal washing of sins. I told him that baptism doesn’t save you or forgive your sins. Baptism, I explained to him, is the outward sign of one’s obedience to God, symbolizing a believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. When I asked him where the LDS got their basis for baptism, he cited John 3:5 in which Jesus says, “…I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.”
The LDS is taking the Scripture out of context which was a very common thing that I found as I continued my discussion. Jesus is speaking of two different things; neither have anything to do directly with baptism. First, “born of water” is referring to the literal birth of a child from his/her mother’s womb. When you and I were born refers to our birth of water. The second thing, “and the Spirit” is referring to our reborn life when we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. The LDS took the verse out of context because it says “water” in it, and therefore must mean Baptism.
This post could be several pages if I wrote about everything we discussed so I will finish with what the LDS believe happens when one dies and where they go. I believe that when someone that has received the gift of eternal salvation dies, they go to heaven to be with our Lord. According to the LDS, there are three different kingdoms, first and highest, Celestial, second is Terrestrial, and third is Telestial. Before I go too deep into this discussion, I will start by saying that the LDS support these three “kingdoms” with “Doctrine & Covenants” rather than actual Biblical Scripture references. Doctrine & Covenants are basically LDS scriptures. They are not the infallible Word of God but rather written and inspired by man to concoct a story in line with a belief system.
The Bible clearly tells us that we have all been born in sin and that the only way to get to the Kingdom is to put our complete faith and trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Although it is not revealed in the Bible as to what happens to people that haven’t reached the “accountable” age (history says it is 13 years old, though the Bible doesn’t specify this) at the time of their death, we are under the impression that they are covered under God’s grace by way of Jesus’ death and will reach heaven with eternal life.
The bottom line is that I cited actual Biblical references during my discussion and the LDS individual I was talking with couldn’t. He continued to make claims that he (and the LDS) believed in the infallible Word of God but he continued to contradict what the Bible said compared to what the LDS Church says. It was a great discussion and I believe strongly that although he may not have changed, he most certainly is thinking twice about his decision to be just a follower instead of a follower of CHRIST.
Let me close by saying as we wrap-up the holidays that we should be celebrating CHRISTmas every single day of the year. We don’t celebrate Christmas for Jesus; we celebrate Christmas BECAUSE of Jesus. We are on this earth today because of one man. He died on a cross so that we may live (Romans 5:8). We don’t earn salvation…it is a free gift from Jesus (Titus 3:5; Ephesians 2:8-9). If we have not accepted the gift of eternal life, we are dead (Romans 6:23). If you believe that Jesus is Lord, that He died on the cross for your sins, and rose again on the third day, you will be saved (Romans 10:9-10; John 3:16).
I have given you several Scriptures to look at. Remember, these are actual Bible verses, not Doctrine & Covenant articles written by man to sync up with what I believe. It is quite simple…if you believe, you WILL be saved. I also encourage you to remember that there is only one book that you can trust to guide you. This book wasn’t written by a man a couple hundred years ago nor is it something that was written to accompany a belief system that is already in place. This book is the infallible, inspired Word of God, written by God through man.
So friends, don’t be the one that doesn’t know who Jesus is! I encourage you to learn about our Savior and put your trust in Him. Remember, the Bible says that you will not go to heaven if you do not accept the free gift offered by Jesus.
This LDS v. Baptist discussion came at an interesting time in my life in which I was contemplating my current ministry career. To be honest, it couldn’t have happened at a better time! I feel so much drive and desire to reach the world with the great news of Jesus Christ and I thank my LDS friend for helping me reach that desire again! I haven’t given up on my friend; I will continue to have discussions with him and hope that he will learn the truth that is Jesus Christ!
If you have any questions about today’s post, please go to www.jeremymeier.org to learn more!
God bless you,
Jeremy
Our conversation started with me quipping about something that this person used to find humorous. When he didn’t laugh, I asked him what was going on and hoping that my beginning dialog didn’t offend him in some way or another. He began to talk about his new found religion and how he’s proud of himself for going to church for two months straight. I was impressed. Of all people, he was one of the last people I ever thought would say something like that. When I asked him where he was attending, I was intrigued when he told me that he was now attending a Latter-day Saints church. I first had three thoughts: why did he choose a LDS church; what exactly do they believe; and this is going to be an awesome opportunity to share the TRUTH with this individual.
One of the biggest issues that was brought up was the fact that he said that baptism was the literal washing of sins. I told him that baptism doesn’t save you or forgive your sins. Baptism, I explained to him, is the outward sign of one’s obedience to God, symbolizing a believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. When I asked him where the LDS got their basis for baptism, he cited John 3:5 in which Jesus says, “…I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.”
The LDS is taking the Scripture out of context which was a very common thing that I found as I continued my discussion. Jesus is speaking of two different things; neither have anything to do directly with baptism. First, “born of water” is referring to the literal birth of a child from his/her mother’s womb. When you and I were born refers to our birth of water. The second thing, “and the Spirit” is referring to our reborn life when we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. The LDS took the verse out of context because it says “water” in it, and therefore must mean Baptism.
This post could be several pages if I wrote about everything we discussed so I will finish with what the LDS believe happens when one dies and where they go. I believe that when someone that has received the gift of eternal salvation dies, they go to heaven to be with our Lord. According to the LDS, there are three different kingdoms, first and highest, Celestial, second is Terrestrial, and third is Telestial. Before I go too deep into this discussion, I will start by saying that the LDS support these three “kingdoms” with “Doctrine & Covenants” rather than actual Biblical Scripture references. Doctrine & Covenants are basically LDS scriptures. They are not the infallible Word of God but rather written and inspired by man to concoct a story in line with a belief system.
The Bible clearly tells us that we have all been born in sin and that the only way to get to the Kingdom is to put our complete faith and trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Although it is not revealed in the Bible as to what happens to people that haven’t reached the “accountable” age (history says it is 13 years old, though the Bible doesn’t specify this) at the time of their death, we are under the impression that they are covered under God’s grace by way of Jesus’ death and will reach heaven with eternal life.
The bottom line is that I cited actual Biblical references during my discussion and the LDS individual I was talking with couldn’t. He continued to make claims that he (and the LDS) believed in the infallible Word of God but he continued to contradict what the Bible said compared to what the LDS Church says. It was a great discussion and I believe strongly that although he may not have changed, he most certainly is thinking twice about his decision to be just a follower instead of a follower of CHRIST.
Let me close by saying as we wrap-up the holidays that we should be celebrating CHRISTmas every single day of the year. We don’t celebrate Christmas for Jesus; we celebrate Christmas BECAUSE of Jesus. We are on this earth today because of one man. He died on a cross so that we may live (Romans 5:8). We don’t earn salvation…it is a free gift from Jesus (Titus 3:5; Ephesians 2:8-9). If we have not accepted the gift of eternal life, we are dead (Romans 6:23). If you believe that Jesus is Lord, that He died on the cross for your sins, and rose again on the third day, you will be saved (Romans 10:9-10; John 3:16).
I have given you several Scriptures to look at. Remember, these are actual Bible verses, not Doctrine & Covenant articles written by man to sync up with what I believe. It is quite simple…if you believe, you WILL be saved. I also encourage you to remember that there is only one book that you can trust to guide you. This book wasn’t written by a man a couple hundred years ago nor is it something that was written to accompany a belief system that is already in place. This book is the infallible, inspired Word of God, written by God through man.
So friends, don’t be the one that doesn’t know who Jesus is! I encourage you to learn about our Savior and put your trust in Him. Remember, the Bible says that you will not go to heaven if you do not accept the free gift offered by Jesus.
This LDS v. Baptist discussion came at an interesting time in my life in which I was contemplating my current ministry career. To be honest, it couldn’t have happened at a better time! I feel so much drive and desire to reach the world with the great news of Jesus Christ and I thank my LDS friend for helping me reach that desire again! I haven’t given up on my friend; I will continue to have discussions with him and hope that he will learn the truth that is Jesus Christ!
If you have any questions about today’s post, please go to www.jeremymeier.org to learn more!
God bless you,
Jeremy