Recently I received a knock on my door only to find two young LDS missionaries eagerly waiting. My regret, is that I hadn't been more prepared as to their specific beliefs, but engaged them anyway.
I probably spent about 45 min to an hour talking to them and gladly excepted their little tract in exchange for them taking some items from me. Another regret I guess, is I didn't have any good gospel tracts (something I need to add), but I did have a copy of the 1644 London Baptist Confession and a small booklet on the gospel, but it had more to do with why "Asking Jesus into your heart is not the true gospel." However, I'm sure the gospel is plainly spelled out in there and of course the confession included the Doctrine of the Trinity (as well as the whole of Baptist Doctrine), which I know they reject.
I made sure to preach the straight up gospel to them, only to have them basically agree with me...sort of. I did sense some hesitation on one fellow (he did the most talking), when I pressed him on whether good works can save us or not.
It appears their version of grace and ours differs in that grace isn't the final say, but how you live your life (works). However, I can see how someone can really get deceived and even not care much about what happens to others as they seem to believe an ultimate universalism. I really need to learn more and research as to be prepared next time. They basically told me even if I wasn't LDS since I did believe, I was good to go...I wasn't expecting that.
One of them left his phone number and I left him a message asking him to email me for follow-up, but so far nothing. I'm suspecting they don't want anymore to do with me, but they overwhelmingly both said they would love to come back and talk again (i'm sure they are supposed to say that). Hopefully, I will hear back.
It's sad to me to see two young men (they said they were 19) getting entrenched into a false hope, believing they are correct. Many in the LDS because of the works based grace, will go on to live very moral and successful lives, but when they stand before the Lord, will they hear the words "depart from me you workers of iniquity?"
They say they believe in Christ, believe in His sacrifice. Even that He is their hope (not works), but yet they stumbled on the works part a bit. Afterwards, looking into their faith, their grace is not the same and therefore really isn't grace, if it has works added to it. So the definition of terms it seems, is a great divide when talking to them.
I only briefly looked into some of their beliefs afterwards and before writing this and its clear that they don't believe Jesus is God. They also believe people lived with God and then were born into this world and that we can become gods. They reject the Trinity and of course they believe we have received new revelation through a man named Joseph Smith. They say they accept the Old and New Testaments, but anything that would contradict the "new" revelation is wrong. I can't remember if they said it was a manuscript error or what, but they did comment on it.
Hopefully, my pressing them on Christ and trusting in Him alone for salvation will have planted a seed. They let me pray with them and they assured me that they pray to God to show them the truth. I hope they meant it and continue to do so. I know I encouraged them in this. May God have mercy, open their eyes, and show them Christ as He is. May He show them the futility of trying to earn any merit through works, but to lay their life down by God's grace and trust in Him alone.
I probably spent about 45 min to an hour talking to them and gladly excepted their little tract in exchange for them taking some items from me. Another regret I guess, is I didn't have any good gospel tracts (something I need to add), but I did have a copy of the 1644 London Baptist Confession and a small booklet on the gospel, but it had more to do with why "Asking Jesus into your heart is not the true gospel." However, I'm sure the gospel is plainly spelled out in there and of course the confession included the Doctrine of the Trinity (as well as the whole of Baptist Doctrine), which I know they reject.
I made sure to preach the straight up gospel to them, only to have them basically agree with me...sort of. I did sense some hesitation on one fellow (he did the most talking), when I pressed him on whether good works can save us or not.
It appears their version of grace and ours differs in that grace isn't the final say, but how you live your life (works). However, I can see how someone can really get deceived and even not care much about what happens to others as they seem to believe an ultimate universalism. I really need to learn more and research as to be prepared next time. They basically told me even if I wasn't LDS since I did believe, I was good to go...I wasn't expecting that.
One of them left his phone number and I left him a message asking him to email me for follow-up, but so far nothing. I'm suspecting they don't want anymore to do with me, but they overwhelmingly both said they would love to come back and talk again (i'm sure they are supposed to say that). Hopefully, I will hear back.
It's sad to me to see two young men (they said they were 19) getting entrenched into a false hope, believing they are correct. Many in the LDS because of the works based grace, will go on to live very moral and successful lives, but when they stand before the Lord, will they hear the words "depart from me you workers of iniquity?"
They say they believe in Christ, believe in His sacrifice. Even that He is their hope (not works), but yet they stumbled on the works part a bit. Afterwards, looking into their faith, their grace is not the same and therefore really isn't grace, if it has works added to it. So the definition of terms it seems, is a great divide when talking to them.
I only briefly looked into some of their beliefs afterwards and before writing this and its clear that they don't believe Jesus is God. They also believe people lived with God and then were born into this world and that we can become gods. They reject the Trinity and of course they believe we have received new revelation through a man named Joseph Smith. They say they accept the Old and New Testaments, but anything that would contradict the "new" revelation is wrong. I can't remember if they said it was a manuscript error or what, but they did comment on it.
Hopefully, my pressing them on Christ and trusting in Him alone for salvation will have planted a seed. They let me pray with them and they assured me that they pray to God to show them the truth. I hope they meant it and continue to do so. I know I encouraged them in this. May God have mercy, open their eyes, and show them Christ as He is. May He show them the futility of trying to earn any merit through works, but to lay their life down by God's grace and trust in Him alone.
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