Evangelical: Mormons believe they’re saved by works.
Latter-day Saint: We believe we’re saved by grace through Jesus Christ.
Evangelical: What about “after all we can do”?
Latter-day Saint: The verse says, “It is by grace that we are saved.”
Evangelical: Right. After all you can do.
Latter-day Saint: Who is doing the saving in the verse?
Evangelical: Grace.
Latter-day Saint: And who does grace come from?
Evangelical: Jesus.
Latter-day Saint: So Jesus saves?
Evangelical: Yes.
Latter-day Saint: Then why do you keep saying we believe works save us?
Evangelical: Because it says “after all we can do.”
Latter-day Saint: Does it say we are saved by all we can do?
Evangelical: No.
Latter-day Saint: Does it say we are saved by grace?
Evangelical: Yes.
Latter-day Saint: Then why are you changing the subject?
Evangelical: Because Mormons obey commandments.
Latter-day Saint: Did Jesus tell people to obey commandments?
Evangelical: Yes.
Latter-day Saint: Did Jesus tell people to repent?
Evangelical: Yes.
Latter-day Saint: Did Jesus tell people to love their neighbors, forgive others, feed the poor, and follow Him?
Evangelical: Yes.
Latter-day Saint: So obeying Jesus means you’re trying to earn salvation?
Evangelical: No.
Latter-day Saint: Then why does it only become “works-based salvation” when Mormons do it?
awkward silence
_____
Evangelical:
So you’re saying the Great Apostasy means every Christian disappeared for 1,700 years?
Latter-day Saint:
No. That’s not what we mean.
Evangelical:
Then you’re saying nobody was saved?
Latter-day Saint:
Also no.
Evangelical:
Well then what are you talking about?
Latter-day Saint:
Let’s start with a question. Did Christ establish a Church with apostles, prophets, ordinances, and authority?
Evangelical:
Sure. The apostles led the early Church.
Latter-day Saint:
Did Christ give them authority? Things like the keys of the kingdom, the power to bind on earth and in heaven, ordain leaders, and govern the Church?
Evangelical:
Yes.
Latter-day Saint:
What happened when the apostles died?
Evangelical:
The Church continued.
Latter-day Saint:
The believers continued. But who inherited the apostolic keys?
Evangelical:
The Bible.
Latter-day Saint:
The Bible inherited authority?
Evangelical:
The Bible preserves the teachings.
Latter-day Saint:
I agree. But preserving teachings and possessing authority are different things.
Evangelical:
Authority comes from the Word of God.
Latter-day Saint:
Then why did Christ ordain apostles at all? Why not just hand everyone a book and say, “Good luck”?
Evangelical:
Because they were needed for the beginning.
Latter-day Saint:
Where does the New Testament say their authority would no longer be needed?
Evangelical:
The gates of hell would not prevail against the Church.
Latter-day Saint:
Agreed. We don’t believe they did.
Evangelical:
Then there couldn’t have been an apostasy.
Latter-day Saint:
Only if you define “apostasy” as “every Christian vanishes.”
Evangelical:
Isn’t that what it means?
Latter-day Saint:
No. We believe faithful Christians remained throughout history. We believe many precious truths survived. We believe God continued working with people.
Evangelical:
Then what was lost?
Latter-day Saint:
The same thing that was lost repeatedly in the Old Testament: divine authority and the right to administer God’s ordinances.
Evangelical:
So you’re saying Christians were good people but lacked authority?
Latter-day Saint:
That’s much closer to what we’re actually saying.
Evangelical:
But why would a restoration be necessary?
Latter-day Saint:
For the same reason Christ called apostles in the first place. If authority wasn’t important, there would have been nothing to restore.
Evangelical:
So when you say “Great Apostasy,” you don’t mean God abandoned humanity?
Latter-day Saint:
No. We mean humanity lost the apostolic authority Christ originally placed in His Church.
That’s a very different claim than what most people think Mormons mean.
Most arguments against the Great Apostasy start by arguing against a position Latter-day Saints don’t actually hold.
No comments:
Post a Comment