Mormons identify themselves as a Christian[1] denomination, in the same category as Baptists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, etc. After all, they will tell you, they are “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!” But does their claim stand up to scrutiny when compared to what the Bible teaches? We will take a look at a few of Mormonism’s key teachings about Jesus and compare them to what the Bible says about Him. With this information in mind, you will be better prepared to answer the question: Are Mormons Christians?
First, Mormonism teaches that Jesus was a created being, and not eternal God. Rather, He was merely the first of billions of spirit children of the “Father”.
- Doctrine and Covenants 93:21-23: “Christ, the Firstborn, was the mightiest of all the spirit children of the Father.”
- The Articles of Faith: “Among the spirit children of Elohim, the firstborn was and is Jehovah, or Jesus Christ, to whom all others are juniors.”
Furthermore, since Satan was also a preexistent spirit child, Jesus and Satan are brothers.
- “As for the devil and his fellow spirits, they are brothers to man and also to Jesus and sons and daughters to God in the same sense that we are.”
Second, Mormonism teaches that because Jesus was only a man, a “spirit offspring” of the earth gods, He must earn His salvation, just like all other men.
- “Jesus Christ is the Son of God.…He came to earth to work out His own salvation.…After His resurrection, He gained all power in Heaven.”
- “…by obedience and devotion to the truth, [Jesus] attained that pinnacle of intelligence which ranked Him as a God.”
- “Christ…is a saved being.”
Third, there is nothing particularly special about Jesus. Sure, He is divine now, but every person has the same opportunity to attain “godhood” just like Him. His only unique claim is that rather than having a human father, he was the product of sexual union between “Elohim,” the earth god, and Mary.
- “Jesus is man’s spiritual brother. We dwelt with Him in the spirit world as members of that large society of eternal intelligences, which included our Heavenly Parents.”
Fourth, Jesus was conceived through sexual intercourse between God (Elohim) and Mary.
- “sexuality…is actually an attribute of God…God is a procreating personage of flesh and bone” and “the Holy Ghost was not the father of Jesus.”
- “Christ was begotten of God. He was not born without the aid of Man and that Man was God”!
- “Christ was begotten by an Immortal Father the same way that mortal men are begotten by mortal fathers.”
According to Brigham Young, “The man Joseph, the husband of Mary, did not, that we know of, have more than one wife, but Mary, the wife of Joseph, had another husband [that is, God].”[2]
Biblically, of course, all of this is false.
First, the Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is God. He is eternal creator whose origins are “from old, from ancient times” in other words, He has eternally existed.
- John 1:1-3: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
- Colossians 1:16-17: For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
- Isaiah 9:6: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
- Micah 5:2: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
Further, Jesus Christ is not the brother of the devil. The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus is in fact God:
- John 10:30: I and the Father are one.
- Colossians 1:15-17: The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
- Colossians 2:9: For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.
- Hebrews 1:3: The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
Second, Jesus did not, nor did He have any need to, earn His salvation. Rather, He came to bring salvation to all mankind through His death on the cross.
- John 14:6: I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
- Ephesians 2:8-9: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.
- 1 Peter 2:24: He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”
Third, Jesus did not attain godhood, He has been God from before the foundation of the world.
- John 1:1-3: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
- John 1:14: The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
- Ephesians 1:4: He chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.
- Colossians 1:15-17: The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
And finally, Jesus was not the product of some physical sexual union. Rather He was virgin born.
- Isaiah 7:14: Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
- Matthew 1:18-23: This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about]: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. [See Luke 1:26-38] Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”)
Once again, we must ask: Are the Mormon Jesus and the Jesus revealed in the Bible the same? Your answer is important, because your eternal future depends on believing in the right Jesus.
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
You can learn more about what Mormons believe in by downloading our Side by Side guides here. You will also find numerous resources on our website, including DVDs and books to help you study further.
[1] Merriam Webster Dictionary defines a “Christian” as “one who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ.” The website gotquestions.org explains, “Despite the wide variety of beliefs that fall under the general ‘Christian’ label today, the Bible defines a true Christian as one who has personally received Jesus Christ as Savior, who trusts in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ alone for forgiveness of sins, who has the Holy Spirit residing within, and whose life evinces change consistent with faith in Jesus.”
[2] These quotes are from Mormon sources and/or Mormon leaders. Consult John Ankerberg and John Weldon, The Facts on the Mormon Church (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1991) to see the sources.