Context
Using this Study
Welcome friend. This study is made up of several logical sections, which we will present in order. At the bottom of each section you will notice a feedback questionnaire. Please complete each questionnaire with care. The feedback you provide will assist us to improve Sunshine and Shadow Bible Studies. When we receive your feedback, we will:
- Send an email with instructions leading to the next section.
- Where applicable, respond personally to your observations, questions, and concerns.
Context
True and False Gospels
The true gospel must define and ratify our relationship with God. When we get it right, essential principles fall into place. Then, we will enjoy peace with God and eternal life. If we get it wrong, do we lean into a false gospel, pointing to a false gospel and a god who cannot save?
What does it look like when a person is accursed for going after a false gospel?
21Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Matthew 7:21-23, KJV, emphasis added
Paul wrote of people who know God and are known by Him. They die to self and rise again in newness of life. Christ, who lives in them, transforms these faithful few right down to their bones. They are those who understand and lean into God and the gospel that saves. Embracing the true gospel leads these faithful few to life eternal.
17Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come! 18All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s trespasses against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
2 Corinthians 5:17-19, BSB, emphasis added
As a Mormon boy, I memorized the thirteen Articles of Faith. My best understanding of the gospel came from one of these articles.
We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
Third Article of Faith, Joseph Smith
What is the meaning of this Article of Faith? The Mormon apostle, Bruce R. McConkie explained in his work, Mormon Doctrine. He explained that salvation must be understood in light of Unconditional or general salvation and Conditional or individual salvation.
Unconditional or General Salvation
Unconditional or general salvation, that which comes by grace alone without obedience to gospel law, consists in the mere fact of being resurrected. In this sense salvation is synonymous with immortality; it is the inseparable connection of body and spirit so that the resurrected personage lives forever.
Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 1958, p 602
In other words, the atoning blood of Jesus gained us but one thing. According to Mormon doctrine, all men will exit the grave and live eternally. A person’s state in that eternal existence is no better than their condition when they died. Salvation of any sort is not assumed.
Conditional or Individual Salvation
Conditional or individual salvation, that which comes by grace coupled with gospel obedience, consists in receiving an inheritance in the celestial kingdom of God. This kind of salvation follows faith, repentance, baptism, receipt of the Holy Ghost, and continued righteousness to the end of one’s mortal probation.
Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 1958, p 603
In summation, by the grace of God, every man, woman, boy, and girl will be raised from the grave. Resurrection is the totality of God’s freely given gift. Every other aspect of salvation requires personal performance and individual worthiness. Personal exertion is the price all must pay to earn his or her place in a corner of the Mormon heaven. A Celestial, Terrestrial, or Telestial reward must be earned by human effort.
My first saving ordinance was baptism.
Then came my ordination into various offices in the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods.
In the temple, Mormon men washed, anointed and led me through the endowment. Finally, I took my bride to the temple where an ordinance worker sealed us for time and eternity.
Mormonism’s “saving ordinances” were easily satisfied. They were but bridges to cross when I came of age. It was the laws that gave me trouble.
Keep my commandments continually, and a crown of righteousness thou shalt receive. And except thou do this, where I am you cannot come.
Doctrine & Covenants 25:15, emphasis added
In my late teens, I sowed some wild oats and found myself at odds with my Mormon leaders. They disfellowshipped me and gave me a book, “The Miracle of Forgiveness”. They instructed me to read and follow its teachings. To be honest, a few passages gave me trouble.
To “try” is weak. To “do the best I can” is not strong. We must always do better than we can.
Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness. pp 164-65
The laws and demands of the Mormon religion I could not do. On good days, I came close. But not all days were good. I often said, “I am 100% Mormon, 90% of the time.” Outwardly, I said this as a joke. Inwardly, I worried about the 10% when I failed to measure up. I did not meet the qualifications for Mormon salvation. This I could not deny.
These may not represent the experiences of every Mormon man and woman, but they were mine. The harsh reality was, at times of serious reflection, devastating!