Comparing II Nephi 25:23 and Ephesians 2:8-10

View PDF Tract  / The Older The Bolder – Marshall Almarode 

Most Mormons think it is possible to get to heaven according to their scriptures. They are not careful in studying their theology, so they don’t know it is impossible. I help Mormons understand that they are not going to be able to qualify to be with God through the Mormon system. It is impossible for anyone to qualify for salvation according to Mormon scripture and Mormon prophets. I start with Mormon verses and Mormon doctrine. My first goal is to help them realize they are “lost.” When Mormons understand that their system of salvation doesn’t work, then they actually become eager to hear the Biblical method.

I start to get them “lost” with Moroni 10:32

Perfection

Moroni 10:32

32 “Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.”

The key words here are “and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength.” To deny oneself of all ungodliness would to stop all sinning. This would mean becoming perfect and without sin. Then of course, there would be no need of repentance. The perfect person need not repent of any sin because he is sinless.

The next verse is a good summary of the Mormon method of salvation:

Do all you can do

2 Nephi 25:23

23 “For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.”

The first thing that Mormons have to do in order to qualify for grace is “all you can do.” Can anyone honestly say that they will ever be able to live even one day of their life where they will be able to do all they CAN do? They could have stayed up for five more minutes and prayed or read the scriptures. Everyone can always do more. Truthfully, no one can ever qualify for grace in Mormonism. Next verse:

Are you sufficiently humbled?

Alma 5:27-28

27 “Have ye walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God? Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently humble? … 28 Behold, are ye stripped of pride? I say unto you, if ye are not ye are not prepared to meet God. Behold ye must prepare quickly; for the kingdom of heaven is soon at hand, and such an one hath not eternal life.”  Next verse:

No unclean thing in heaven

Alma 11:37

37 “And I say unto you again that he cannot save them in their sins; for I cannot deny his word, and he hath said that no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore, how can ye be saved, except ye inherit the kingdom of heaven? Therefore, ye cannot be saved in your sins.”  Next verse

The Lord prepares a way to keep all the Commandments

1 Nephi 3:7

7 “And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.”  Next verse

No sin in heaven

D&C 1:31

31 “For I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance.”

Must forsake all sin

D&C 58:43

43 “By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will confess them and forsake them.”

If you sin again, all your former sins return

D&C 82:7

7 “And now, verily I say unto you, I, the Lord, will not lay any sin to your charge; go your ways and sin no more; but unto that soul who sinneth shall the former sins return, saith the Lord your God.”

Repent in this life or you belong to the devil:

Alma 34:32 – 35

32 “For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.”

33 “And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed.

34 “Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world.

35 “For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold, ye have become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his; therefore, the Spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the devil hath all power over you; and this is the final state of the wicked.”

We must always do better than we can

Prophet Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness, p.164-165

“It is normal for children to try. They fall and get up numerous times before they can be certain of their footing. But adults, who have gone through these learning periods, must determine what they will do, then proceed to do it. To “try” is weak. To “do the best I can” is not strong. We must always do better than we can. This is true in every walk of life. We have a companion who has promised: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matt. 7:7). With the inspiration from the Lord we can rise higher than our individual powers, extend far beyond our own personal potential.”\

It should be obvious now that Mormon salvation is impossible. Now I show biblical grace through faith. Ephesians 2:8-10 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Who can do all they can do? No one. Who can have faith in the Jesus of the Bible? Anyone.

The Book of Mormon’s method of salvation cannot save even one person. Foundational errors like these can not be ignored. Anyone who claims to have a testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon is equally in error and bears a false testimony. They have ignored the fact that the Book of Mormon teaches a false salvation. They have chosen a flawed source, not one of truth. The Bible is God’s record of how we get grace through faith in the real Jesus. When we trust the Bible as our source of truth, we will learn of the true God and his true salvation.