As a Christian we are called to love our neighbor. This does not give us the right to exclude anyone from this particular calling, no adjective placed before neighbor can change the calling of the Lord to love them. However, this does not mean that we do not speak truth, in fact, because we love we must speak the truth. This particular message is dedicated to my Mormon or LDS neighbor.
I love your zeal
Some of my favorite people that I have ever met have been those young Mormon missionaries you sometime see going door to door. These are young men who have sacrificed two years of there life to spread their beliefs and have done so essentially at their own expense to see people come to believe like they do. This is the kind of commitment orthodox evangelical churches need we must love our neighbor enough to cross the street and world to see people trust in Jesus Christ of the Bible alone.
I love your family values
The LDS church has historically taken strong stances in support of traditional marriage, against abortion, and pro-family. These are all things that evangelicals can and should rejoice in together. We rejoice when the family is supported in society and traditional values based on scripture are applied.
I believe we will not go to heaven together but we will be persecuted together
While this is not a place for apologetics or debate I believe that the message of the Bible and the message of the LDS church differs on how one is made right with God. To the best of my understanding the Bible clearly and articulately teaches that the only way to be made right with God is by repenting and trusting in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ alone for salvation. To add any other requirement to salvation including but not limited to baptism, laying on of hands, and enduring faithfulness is a false understanding of the gospel. According to Galatians anyone who trust in a different gospel than what Paul preached, which was salvation in Christ alone was excluded from eternal life. (Gal 1:8) This is not to mention the major differences we hold on doctrines such as the trinity, the Bible being God’s word alone, the Godhead, God being God from all eternity, Jesus being the creator of satan and not his spirit brother, our heavenly state, and ultimately where people will spend eternity all of which are crucial matters of doctrine.
However, with all that being said I do believe that this world will hate us both and persecute the LDS church in the same way that it is persecuting evangelical believers.
So to my fellow evangelical believers I want to encourage you to love your Mormon neighbor. Do not assume what they believe. Ask about their faith and share with them yours and how it differs and remember the command to love.
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