191 lines
8.5 KiB
Plaintext
191 lines
8.5 KiB
Plaintext
SALVATION THROUGH CHRIST
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vs:
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THE EXALTATION OF MAN
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God's word, the BIBLE, which clearly states that our salvation is
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through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, alone through one faith and His
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Grace --- not as a result of fabricating our own righteousness by "good
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works" by attempting to become "perfect" as a result of laws and
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ordinances of any organization.
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"And this is the record, that God hath given us eternal life, and
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this life is in His son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that
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hath not the Son hath not life. These things have I written unto you
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that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have
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eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God" (I
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John 5:11-13).
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God spells it out - you either have life through the Son or you
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reject Him. It is either Heaven or the Lake of Fire; no "grey areas"; no
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half-way locations. You either accept the Son or you reject Him.
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Mormonism claims to accept Jesus ---- "We have His name on our
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church" - The Jesus of Mormonism is a different Jesus - not any
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resemblance to the REAL Jesus. Further, by rejecting the total
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sufficiency of the New Covenant of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross
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for their personal sins - and instead electing to attempt the old
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covenant of works, laws, temples, etc ----- they nullify the offer of
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eternal life as a gift by God's Love and immeasurable Grace:
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"I do not frustrate the Grace of God: for if righteousness come
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by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." (Galatians 2:21)
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As a result, the Mormon believing in the Mormon Jesus, and not the
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real Jesus of the BIBLE; and following a life only of works, even with
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utmost sincerity, without the saving faith in the one who died for them,
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personally, is LOST. We don't say that - GOD says that - in HIS Word -
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The BIBLE
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THREE KINGDOMS?
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Let's go further ---- Mormonism claims three "heavens." They take I
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CORINTHIANS 15:37-49 totally out of context to arrive at this false
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teaching. Where Paul is declaring that an individual's resurrected body
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is different in Glory from his earthly body - as the sun differs from the
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moon, from the stars - Mormonism has declared three kingdoms of Heaven:
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TELESTIAL KINGDOM
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Where all the wicked go, whether they've rejected God and Jesus all
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their life or not - Murderers, etc !
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TERRESITAL KINGDOM
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Where good and honorable persons go - they only failed to accept the
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"gospel" of Mormonism.
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CELESTIAL KINGDOM
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A) LOWER DEGREE
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Good Mormons, but failed to marry in the Temple and having "other"
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imperfections. These will be allowed to be angels.
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B) MIDDLE DEGREE
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Mormons who failed to accept the complete "gospel" but were married
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in the Temple, sealed to many wives, and are in the process of being
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exalted through baptism of the dead, etc.
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C) HIGHEST DEGREE - EXALTATION
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"Perfect" Mormons. They will be gods themselves just like God the
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Father. Will have eternal, multiple, marriages for the purpose of
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sexually procreating billions of spirit children to populate another
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world that they will reign over as that world's god.
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MORMON TERMINOLOGY
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Let's be "clear" on some important terms - even though you will find
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Mormon writers interchanging them, in a strict sense they are:
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SALVATION
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Resurrection only; immortality, or simply life after death. This is
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what Christ's death on the cross "achieved." This is what all mankind
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has by the Grace of God as a free gift. But "salvation" for what? This
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is just the bottom of the ladder.
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"Those who gain only this general or unconditional salvation will
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still be judged according to their works and receive places in a
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Terrestial or Telestial kingdom. They will, therefore, be
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damned; their eternal progression will be cut short; they will
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not fill the full measure of their creation, but in eternity will
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be ministering servants to more worthy persons."
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Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, "Salvation",pg 669,670 (1966
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Edition)
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So, you see, salvation as a gift through Christ is nothing special
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to a Mormon. When they say, "Jesus is our Savior", this is what they
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give Him "credit" for! Now, let's find out what the goal of Mormonism
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is. Who are these "more worthy persons"?
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EXALTATION
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Eternal Life in the Highest Degree of the Celestial Kingdom. This
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is what Mormonism teaches day in and day out. McConkie continues:
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"Conditional or individual salvation, that which comes by grace
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coupled with gospel obedience, consist in receiving an
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inheritance in the Celestial Kingdom of God. This kind of
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salvation follows faith, repentance, baptism, receipt of the Holy
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Ghost, and continued righteousness to the end of one's mortal
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life. (D & C 20:29 & 2 Nephi 9:23-24). All others are damned ---
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Even those in the celestial kingdom however, who do not go on to
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exaltation, will have immortality only and not eternal life ---
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they will be 'ministering servants, to minister for and to those
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who are worthy of a far more, and an exceeding and an eternal
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weight of glory.' They will live 'separately and singly' in an
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unmarried state 'without exaltation, in their saved condition, to
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all eternity' (D & C 132:16,17). Salvation in its true and full
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meaning is synonymous with exaltation or eternal life and consist
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in gaining an inheritance in the highest of the three heavens
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within the Celestial Kingdom --- It is the salvation which saints
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seek --- This full salvation is obtained in and through the
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continuation of the family unit in eternity, and those who obtain
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it are gods --- If it had not been for Joseph Smith and the
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restoration, there would be no salvation. There is no salvation
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outside The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."
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"Then shall they be gods, because they have no end - Then shall
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they be gods, because they have all power ---" (D & C 132:20)
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"Here then is eternal life - to know the only wise and true God;
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and you have got to learn how to be gods yourselves, and to be
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kings and priest to God, the same as all gods have done before
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you --- and to sit in glory, as do those who sit in everlasting
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power --- What is it? To inherit the same power, the same glory
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and the same exaltation, until you arrive at the station of a god
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---"
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Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg 345-347;
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Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, "Godhood", 1966 Edition, pg
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321 History of the Church, Volume 6, page 306
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"They are they into whose hands the Father has given all things -
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they are they who are priest and kings, who have received of His
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fullness, and his glory -- they are gods --"
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Doctrine & Covenants, 76:55-58
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"As man is, God once was; as God is, man may become."
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Lorenzo Snow, Millennial Star, Vol 54, pg 404
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"God and man are of the same race, differing only in degrees of
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advancement."
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John A. Widtsoe,Rational Theology, page 61
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"Mormonism does not tend to debase God to the level of man, but
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to exalt man to the perfection of God."
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Charles W. Penrose,Millennial Star,Vol 23, pg 181
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The above quotes appear in Milton R. Hunter's, The Gospel Through
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The Ages (1958, pages 105-107) under the chapter heading "Men may become
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gods". Hunter surprisingly supports Mormonism's view of the Godhead of
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man by noting (on pg 117):
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"Even the doctrine of a knowledge of God as the avenue to Godhood
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made its way outward from the Divine Fountain of Truth into the
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heathenistic religions of the Mediterranean world. The teaching
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of the HERMETIC pagan cult sound quite familiar to those who are
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acquainted with the doctrine taught by Jesus, by John the
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Beloved, by Paul, and by Joseph Smith, the American Prophet".
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Sorry, but only the teachings of the latter sound familiar. Nowhere
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in the BIBLE do we find GOD saying man can reach godhood. Yes, we do
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find such a teaching in the BIBLE --- yet it is Satan who is doing the
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talking !!
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For more information see below:
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This file has been brought to you by the ministry of the;
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Southern Maryland Christian Information Service BBS, (SMCIS)
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(301) 862-3160 HST
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P.O. Box 463
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California, MD 20619
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Sysop: Buggs Bugnon
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