Certainly one of my personal favorite missionary scriptures was John step 3:5. “Verily, verily We state unto your,” the fresh Savior shows you, “Except one feel produced from water and of the newest Soul, the guy cannot get into the newest kingdom out of Jesus.” To help you Mormon missionaries everywhere, getting born regarding water setting baptism into Mormon Church. Beginning of Soul is the provide of your own Holy Ghost, presumably bestowed just after baptism.

Sadly, within my goal, I did not know very well what it indicates to get created once more. We totally misunderstood Paul’s statement you to definitely “or no child enter Christ, he is another type of animal: dated things are died; view, everything is getting the latest” (dos Corinthians 5:17; examine Galatians six:15). With respect to the Bible, believers in the Christ is hiki hikiunt code reborn spiritually as sons and you may girl of Goodness (John 1:12; step 1 John 3:1-2). They feel a whole Religious transformation regarding head and you can heart. Membership in a church business you’ll foster social hobby and you may fellowship, but it is perhaps not spiritual resurgence.

ten. Temple Wedding is necessary to own Endless Lifestyle

I took part in more than one hundred Mormon temple ceremonies off 1975 so you can 1982, and my own personal marriage from inside the 1977. Dependent greatly toward freemasonry, forehead rites will be church’s extremely cautiously protected secrets. And you may “celestial wedding,” hence purportedly weds everyone eternally, is probably the most very important forehead ordinance. When you’re a beneficial missionary, I frequently informed prospects they needed forehead wedding to get eternal life.

Yet the Lord claims matrimony anywhere between someone are unimportant to the hereafter. “The youngsters regarding the years marry, and generally are given in-marriage,” The guy announces. “Nonetheless they and this will likely be accounted deserving discover you to industry, and resurrection regarding the dead, none get married, neither are supplied in-marriage… for he or she is equal unto the newest angels….” (Luke -thirty-six.)

This new Bible really does show eternal wedding, although not the fresh Mormon version. New union are anywhere between Christ, the fresh Bridegroom, along with his cumulative body from believers, who happen to be this new fiance (Matthew 25:1-13; John step 3:29; Romans eight:4; dos Corinthians 11:2).

Not the case Testimony

I intimate with words on the “testimony,” that is a missionary’s disaster wire. When i wouldn’t rebut a keen antagonistic statement scripturally, We decrease back to my testimony. By way of example, while proselyting within the Huge Forks, North Dakota, I found myself immediately after questioned where the Bible says the trick underwear Mormons don. Trapped off guard, We admitted that the Bible claims little about them. I’m able to simply testify that Jesus shown the need for this type of garments by way of lifestyle prophets. But my testimony wasn’t centered on scripture or any other hard research. Alternatively, it had been oriented towards the private disclosure, which is extremely subjective. Essentially, my testimony was nothing more than an effective perception regarding the chapel and its own teachings. Within the Mormon parlance, it absolutely was good “burning in the fresh new bosom.” However, consuming or perhaps not, it wasn’t out of Goodness.

While an excellent Religious, I craving one to “definitely contend toward trust which was immediately after lead unto the latest saints” (Jude step three). That trust, the newest pathway so you’re able to heaven, is merely on the biblical God (John fourteen:6). In case you might be an effective Mormon, it is time to prayerfully lso are-test thoroughly your thinking. What are you’ve got everlasting life? No. Could you obey every commandments really well and you can earn an area inside paradise? You can not.

We regret the countless lays I told during my Mormon goal. When i received Christ, even when, I confessed him or her (and my personal most other sins) and you may received Their forgiveness (step one John step one:9; Colossians 1:13-14). “The guy that heareth my personal word,” Christ assurances all of us, “and you will believeth to the your that delivered me personally, hath eternal lives, and you will will perhaps not can be found in condemnation; it is enacted away from death unto lives” (John 5:24).

So and therefore Goodness and you may gospel carry out Mormons preach? While a missionary, I taught one to Christ is actually the fresh firstborn spirit man of Dad in the an effective premortal lifestyle. (The remainder of mankind was created as morale afterwards contained in this “pre-life.”) However, I did not give candidates it was an exact delivery, caused by literal fathering, while the Mormon prophets and you can apostles enjoys stated. In the event the expected, We coached that the demon was given birth to as one of God’s commendable soul sons during the pre-lifetime, but got rebelled and you will come a war inside paradise.

Untrue prophets just who contributed old Israel astray gotten the newest passing punishment (Deuteronomy thirteen:1-5; ), and all of just who profess as traditions prophets should consider the brand new consequences. Mormon prophets could seem grandfatherly and you may polite, however, they’re not God’s life oracles. Just like the Mormon Chapel is established when you look at the 1830, the prophets has actually uttered a striking quantity of not the case prophecies. (Select chapter fourteen out of Jerald and you can Sandra Tanner’s “The Altering Arena of Mormonism.”)

When confronted with this type of scriptures given that a missionary, I countered having, “The individuals verses imply we praise only one God, that there is only 1 Goodness in order to united states.” While that unsuccessful, We lied after that: “The fresh Bible actually sure of this subject. Luckily for us, god told Joseph Smith that mortals could become gods.” Smith might have had the truth, although not off Goodness.