There are 3 very important distinctions between the Christian gospel and the LDS doctrine, found in Mosiah 5:1-10 and ironically taught in favor of the Christians, not the Mormons!
The first distinction I need to explain is that good works come as a result of salvation, not of our own effort in order to be saved.
Ephesians 2:8–10 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
James 4:6 says, “By grace are ye saved, through faith, that not of yourselves”
2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
Now let’s read Mosiah 5 and see how it fits within this paradigm:
“And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually” (the first distinction).
Continuing on … “And we are willing to enter into a covenant with our God to do his will, and to be obedient to his commandments in all things that he shall command us, all the remainder of our days….
….And now, because of the covenant which ye have made (that’s the second distinction) ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you (and there’s the third distinction); for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters.”
The second distinction concerns baptism and a covenant to follow Jesus. In the LDS doctrine, baptism IS this covenant and as such, baptism is required for salvation.
In mainstream Christianity, the covenant is in your heart the moment you say yes to Jesus. And you’re saved. This moment of giving your life to God is when you are born again, and you feel the fruits of that spirit immediately. No baptism was required. The Holy Spirit will ratify that covenant in your heart, without any “gift of the Holy Ghost” being conferred upon you by humans. You will feel like a changed person, with changed desires and in some ways a changed nature (personality).
Of course Christians still believe and promote baptism, but it doesn’t save you. No works save you! Baptist is a public signal that you are now a follower of Christ. It’s a statement to society, after you’ve made the commitment within yourself.
The third distinction is that a born again person is now a child of God — they weren’t already! I wrote about that here, so I won’t go into it now.
In Mosiah 5:1-10 we have a new people in Christ, who are changed and born again without any ordinances. In verse 3, they are new creatures in Christ, born again, with no desire to do evil. In verse 5, they say because of this change, we are willing to enter into a covenant. In verse 7, king Benjamin responds “because of this covenant which ye have made…..” which shows that the covenant was made simply in their hearts, no baptism required.
This is the Christian gospel, not the LDS gospel!
Also, in the Christian gospel, good works are a product of salvation (verse 3), NOT a requirement for it.
Also, in the Christian gospel, we BECOME the Children of God when we are born again. We weren’t already His children (verse 7).
It’s my hope that more Mormons, ex-Mormons, and Nuanced Mormons (“numos”) will seek to understand Christianity and embrace these things ❤️
All I Possess 