As he continues to use the acronym
GOSPEL to convince the young people of their need of Mormonism, Brad Wilcox
tells them that E stands for Everyone.
Let me begin with a point of
agreement, I believe the gospel is for everyone.
Romans
1:16: For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it
is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew
first and also to the Greek.
Romans 10:9-13: Because, if you confess with your
mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the
dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and
with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone
who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction
between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches
on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
will be saved.”
John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he
gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but
have eternal life.
Now
if Brad had just quoted the verses as I have and left it there, I would not
have needed to write this article, but of course he didn’t. Brad told the young
people that Christianity (and when he uses this term, he does so to speak of
those outside of Mormonism) has a huge problem. What is the problem? Well, Brad
says, that non-Mormon Christians believe that a person can only be saved in
this life, whereas Mormons teach that the gospel can be accepted, and salvation
achieved, post-mortem. Say what?
Mormon
Salvation
It’s
important to know what Mormons mean when they speak about salvation, and
particularly salvation beyond the grave.
Mormonism
teaches that there is a general salvation and an individual salvation. By
general salvation, they mean that everyone is saved because of Jesus’ suffering
in Gethsemane and his death on the cross. In his suffering and death, Jesus
atoned for the original sin of Adam. Therefore everyone[1]
will be resurrected and go on to live and reside in one of three locations –
the Celestial, the Terrestrial or the Telestial Kingdom.
By
individual salvation Mormons mean exaltation. Exaltation is only available to
those who, through obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Mormon gospel,
achieve it. This according to Mormonism is eternal life.
So,
when Brad speaks about Mormonism giving people the chance to receive the gospel
beyond the grave, he is speaking about giving people the opportunity to receive
exaltation – to potentially become a god themselves!
Spirit
Prison and Baptism
If
you thought that the only way to escape Mormon Missionaries was to die, guess
again. According to Mormon doctrine, upon death, a Mormon will go to Paradise, whilst
a non-Mormon will go to a place called Spirit Prison.
Whilst
in Spirit Prison, people will be visited by missionaries who will again offer
the opportunity to accept the Mormon gospel. To refuse means the non-Mormon
will be saved but cannot achieve exaltation. If you do accept the gospel, one
more thing needs to take place before you begin your journey to paradise and potential
godhood – you need to be baptised.
We
are told that there is no water in Spirit Prison (there’s going to be a lot of
thirsty people down there) and so, as Mormons teach that baptism is essential
for individual salvation, someone must be baptised on your behalf. This takes
place in a Mormon Temple, as Mormons are baptised by proxy for the dead.
Salvation
for the Dead?
To
support their doctrine Mormons will quote 1 Corinthians 15:29 which reads in
the KJV: ‘Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the
dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?’
The
Apostle Paul in writing about the necessity of Christ’s resurrection is in no
way advocating baptism for the dead as a Christian practice. He is merely
pointing out that some, whom he calls ‘they’, are getting baptised for
the dead because of a belief in the resurrection for all people.
Notice
in the context of this verse that Paul changes from speaking to the believers
in Corinth and then speaks of what ‘they’ outside of the church are
doing (baptising for the dead). It should also be noted that baptism for the
dead is nowhere else mentioned in Scripture, and has never been practiced, or
taught, by the church in all its history. Therefore, there is absolutely no
justification for it.
Brad
tells his listeners that Christianity has a problem because it only offers
salvation in mortality, but that’s not a problem when you are being faithful to
the biblical revelation. Hebrews 9:27 says that people need to come to faith in
Christ before they pass from this life: ‘And just as it is appointed
for man to die once, and after that comes judgment’
Baptism
for Salvation?
Brad
continued:
Man, Christianity has a problem. A huge
problem. Jesus said, “Get baptized or you’re not going to heaven”, and yet most
people in the world have never even heard the name of Jesus Christ, let alone
been baptized. That’s a problem. Do you realize we’re part of the only Church
that has the solution? The solution to that problem? Offering an opportunity,
not forcing anyone, but offering an opportunity to everyone to receive the very
ordinances that Jesus said are essential to their Salvation and progress.
My
question to Brad would be, where did Jesus say: ‘Get baptised or you’re not
going to heaven?’ I don’t believe he did.
Now
I admit that there are some verses when removed from their context can appear
to indicate that baptism is necessary for salvation, but we need to look at the
totality of Scripture. When this is done the overwhelming evidence is that a
person is saved by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone.[2]
Abraham
was never baptised yet because of his belief in God it was reckoned to him as
righteousness (Romans 4:1-5). The thief
on the cross turned to Jesus and said: “Jesus, remember
me when you come into your kingdom” and Jesus responded by saying: “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
(Luke 23:42-43). The thief was never baptised.
Rather than saving a person, baptism is an obedience
showing that a person has truly come to saving faith in the Lord Jesus. Baptism illustrates a believer’s identification with
Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection: ‘Do you not know
that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized
into his death? We
were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just
as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too
might walk in newness of life.’ (Romans 6:3-4)
In declaring that baptism is a necessary requirement
for ‘salvation and progress’ Brad again is being faithful to Mormon
doctrine. They believe that Jesus is not enough, and that works must be done in
order to be saved in the fullest sense of the word. I praise God that my
salvation has nothing to do with me – but has everything to do with Jesus.
Brad concludes by saying:
Wow. I
don’t know about you, but I like being part of the solution. There’s enough
problems in the world. I like being part of the solution. You want to walk away
from the church? Walk away from temples? And I don’t want to walk away from
temples, because that’s where not only can we find Salvation, but we can offer
it to everyone. And I love that.
Has he never read Acts 17:24?
The God
who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and
earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is
he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he
himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.
Neither temples, nor baptism can save anyone.
Rather salvation belongs to everyone who confess their sin and put their trust
in the Lord Jesus alone.
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