In the days of controversy surrounding the false teacher Arius and his heretical anti-Trinitarian doctrine, his followers would go through the streets singing a little song with these words, “There Was – When He Was Not.” The meaning of the song was clear. They believed the Father was when the Son was not. It was a song that attacked and denied the deity of Christ. It taught that Jesus was a created being separate from the Father.
Athanasius was raised up by God for such a time. He would become a champion of truth! He refused to compromise, even when everyone else around him seemed to capitulate on matters of sound doctrine. The climate surrounding Athanasius became known as Athanasius contra mundum – “Athanasius against the world.”
His leadership in this area was key. Eventually, there was a council held at Nicaea (325) to deal with the controversy and emerging from this time period was the Nicene Creed. To this day, we can ask the question, “Christian, what do you believe?” The response of the Nicene Creed can be uttered as a summary of sound Christology and Trinitarian truth.
I believe in one God,
the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
and of all things visible and invisible;
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only begotten Son of God,
begotten of his Father before all worlds,
God of God, Light of Light,
very God of very God,
begotten, not made,
being of one substance with the Father;
by whom all things were made;
who for us men and for our salvation
came down from heaven,
and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost
of the Virgin Mary,
and was made man;
and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried;
and the third day he rose again
according to the Scriptures,
and ascended into heaven,
and sitteth on the right hand of the Father;
and he shall come again, with glory,
to judge both the quick and the dead;
whose kingdom shall have no end.
Although Arius and his errors have been condemned throughout the history of the Church—his heresy continues to take shape in various forms to this day. One such group that continues to walk in Arius’ footsteps is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, otherwise known as the LDS Church, or Mormons.
The LDS religion is one of the largest cults in the world comprised of millions of people worldwide with estimates at the end of 2022 totaling 17,002,461.1Statistics taken from https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org [accessed 3/1/24]. *This figure represents the total number of individuals worldwide who have been baptized into the church and have not … Continue reading The LDS religion differs on many levels from Christianity such as their belief of ongoing modern revelation, preexistent humanity, the ability of humans to achieve godhood status, and post-mortem atonement. Such distinctions would classify the LDS religion as a cult—but if that wasn’t enough, they firmly deny the doctrine of the Trinity and present a very different “Jesus” than the Jesus presented in the pages of the Bible.
Brief History
The founder of the LDS religion is Joseph Smith, Jr., who was born on December 23, 1805, in Sharon, Vermont. After a series of visions, Smith claims that he was directed outside of the village where he was living to a specific location where he discovered golden plates in a wooden box along with the Urim and Thummim. On September 22, 1827, he claims he was given the plates by the heavenly messenger, with instructions to keep them carefully until the angel should call for them again.2Anthony A. Hoekema, The Four Major Cults: Christian Science, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormonism, Seventh-Day Adventism (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1963), 11. According to Joseph Smith, this was the event that kicked off what is known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Common Teaching
Christianity is strictly Trinitarian and monotheistic, a doctrine grounded in the Old Testament Scriptures and reaffirmed in the New Testament. Passages like Deuteronomy 6:4 declare, “The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” This singular God exists eternally in three distinct persons: Father, Son (Jesus, who is the Christ), and the Holy Spirit (John 14:26). Each person within the Godhead is fully God, sharing the same divine essence and attributes (Malachi 3:6). Each member of the Godhead is co-equal and co-eternal.
In contrast, the LDS religion embraces a plurality of deities within the Godhead. Their theology, heavily influenced by the writings of Joseph Smith, presents a Heavenly council consisting of multiple gods, including Heavenly Father, his wife Heavenly Mother, and spirit children who are divine beings. Each of these gods are separate and unique to one another rather than unified as one. This theological distinction with emphasis on the a plurality of gods presents a key distinction between Christian theology and the LDS doctrine of God.
The False Jesus of Mormonism
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, (LDS) claims to revere Jesus Christ, but their understanding of his nature, work, and relationship to the Father deviates from the core tenets of Christianity.
According to LDS doctrine, the Son of God was the product of divine procreation. Jesus, according to LDS teachings, is the firstborn of many spirit children made by heavenly parents. They teach that Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother conceived and gave birth to spirit children—one of whom is Jesus and his brother is Lucifer.
In the teachings of the LDS religion, Jesus won over Heavenly Father’s blessing as he presented a more satisfactory plan of redemption than his spirit brother Lucifer. It was Jesus who offered to take upon himself human flesh, to dwell among humanity as a true example and teacher, and he would uphold the sanctity of free agency. This decision was not received well by Lucifer which resulted in his rebellion and eventual doom as he was cast down from heaven with 1/3 of the spirits with him. Jesus was named Redeemer and Lucifer became the enemy and deceiver.
Millions of Mormons around the world are being deceived into embracing a false Jesus rather than the Jesus of Scripture.
According to the LDS beliefs, Jesus is historic, real, and eternal (meaning that he always will be, but differentiating from the fact that he always has been). If you’ve ever engaged an LDS missionary, it’s clear that they seek to live out 2 Nephi 25:26 from the Book of Mormon which reads, “We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ.” They are firmly committed to their Jesus, but sadly, he is not the true Savior of sinners as presented in Scripture—the Godman who is both truly God and truly man.
When the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints speak of Jesus, we must always remember, they are talking about a “Jesus” who was created by their own religion rather than the Jesus who is revealed to us in the pages of Scripture.
Millions of Mormons around the world are being deceived into embracing a false Jesus rather than the Jesus of Scripture. As Hebrews declares about the Son of God that he is the heir of all things and the Creator of the world (Heb 1:2). Jesus is superior to the angels (Heb 1:4), and one day upon Jesus’ glorious second coming, every knee will bow to him and every tongue will confess to him that he is Lord to the glory of God the Father (Phil 2:5-11). When the text says, “every knee will bow” and “every tongue shall confess” it points to the fact that every being from both the earthly sphere and the spiritual sphere (of things in heaven, on earth, and under the earth) will bow to Jesus. In other words, even the demonic spirits and Satan himself will bow before Christ Jesus and confess that he is Lord.
Jesus said that he was “one with the Father” (John 10:30). This means that he is eternal (John 1:1). He has no beginning and he will have no end. He was begotten, not made, to borrow words from the Nicene Creed. When the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints speak of Jesus, we must always remember, they are talking about a “Jesus” who was created by their own religion rather than the Jesus who is revealed to us in the pages of Scripture. The Mormons serve a false Jesus—a Jesus who has no power to save sinners. We must point people to the true Jesus, the Savior of the world.
1 John 4:14 – And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. (ESV)
References
| 1 | Statistics taken from https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org [accessed 3/1/24]. *This figure represents the total number of individuals worldwide who have been baptized into the church and have not formally resigned their membership. |
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| 2 | Anthony A. Hoekema, The Four Major Cults: Christian Science, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormonism, Seventh-Day Adventism (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1963), 11. |
