Journey of a former Mormon who traded Religion for Relationship
1 Corinthians 1:17-18 “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.”
The purpose of this site is shared in love to Mormons, people investigating the Mormon church and Christians. Because Mormons are still very close to my heart, I want to share how and why I left the Mormon religion I faithfully loved and trusted in, exchanging it for a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as a born-again Christian. My passion and my heart's desire is to glorify God alone in sharing his love through the Gospel.
As I look back on my life as a Mormon, I loved the church, the friendships I made, the prophet and apostles, and most of all, my savior Jesus Christ. I was truly fulfilled and happy with the gospel taught in Mormonism and I loved being a Mormon and part of that community. I had a strong testimony of the restored gospel and defended the church. I was like most Mormons - obedient, law-abiding, clean-cut, and doing the best I could to prove my worthiness. I had complete faith that placing all my trust in the church, my prophet, and my obedience to laws and temple ordinances with Jesus as my example was the path to eternal life in heaven with God and Jesus as I was taught.
Then over a period of time, the gospel I loved, the laws and ordinances I cherished, the prophets and apostles I trusted, and the Jesus I worshiped were counted as a loss to gain Christ. This occurred as I began to contextually study the books of Galatians, Romans and John. The Jesus I studied in the Bible was so much bigger, more powerful and amazing than the Jesus I was taught in Mormonism. Paul tells us we are dead in our sins (Ephesians 2:5) and since dead people cannot help themselves, God did for us through Jesus that which we could never do for ourselves (Galatians 3:21). Jesus did not just lower a ladder to have us climb out of the pit or wait for us to clean ourselves up, he completely rescued us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8).
The richness of God's grace did not stop there as Jesus accomplishes much more for those who trust in him alone for their eternal life. I was blown away when I read this Jesus not only took the punishment for my sin, but he freely gave me his perfect righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 5:19). Receiving the benefits of his death, my sin erased, was understood as a Mormon (though not permanently); but also receiving the benefits of his perfect life, a perfect record so God sees me as he sees Jesus, was absent from the Mormon doctrine I trusted in. This never-before-seen radical grace, the unmerited favor of God, that was a free gift while I was still a sinner (Romans 5:8) is a love so deep, profound and beautiful, that it was life-transforming. I was so sure of the truth of the Mormon gospel and focusing on my personal worthiness and obedience that I never allowed the idea the worthiness of Christ was all I needed as the biblical gospel clearly demonstrates.
I had once scoffed at Christians who said you can know for certain your eternal salvation in heaven is guaranteed, yet now I rejoice in this biblical truth (1 John 5:13). Only now can I look back and see my religiosity, obedience and morality were actually building pride and self-righteousness in my heart further blinding me to the true Gospel. The biblical Gospel provides freedom, peace and hope so we can center our lives on Christ, allowing his radical love and grace to transform our hearts, and be obedient because we have been saved and not out of religious duty to be saved.
This is what this site is all about; to show you the true Gospel doesn't change you externally through obedience to laws, but internally, your heart and the deepest motivations driving it because all sin comes from the heart (Mark 7:21-23). My main problem as a Mormon was, I loved God and did works to gain his blessings and favor. My motivations were selfishly rooted because in my worthiness I was doing things ultimately for me, not God. Through experiencing radical, gospel grace as a Christian, my motivations are now more selfless and pure in being obedient and loving God to get God. Jesus Christ has already earned the favor of God for me, so because of this amazing grace he has lavished on me, I am free to selflessly love, obey and serve Christ.
Mormons, I know you have a strong love the for church and Jesus, but you have to understand your faith is only as strong as the object it is placed in. Test the Gospel of your faith as Jesus and your leaders have taught (Acts 17:11, 1 John 4:1). How strong can your faith be if you are unwilling to put it to the test? If the LDS church is true, then you have nothing to fear because truth loves the light (John 3:20-21).
I invite you to read on and taste the richness of the grace God offers freely through transferring your trust from your own worthiness to the perfect worthiness of Christ. He is all you will ever need and your life will be transformed forever; you will pass from death to life as Jesus rescues you to seat you in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6).
The following are biblical answers soundly backed by scripture to some of the most common Christian misconceptions many Mormons struggle with:
Christian salvation can't be true because all you have to do is believe, so you have "license" to sin. answered here
If the Mormon church isn't true, then what is the true church? answered here
Even if the Mormon church isn't true, I'm a good person so God won't send me to hell. answered here
The Bible can't be completely trusted as translators have corrupted it over time. answered here
We must be obedient to the commandments so we can please Heavenly Father. answered here
Whether you have a strong testimony of the Mormon church or are questioning your LDS faith, I would implore you to start your journey by simply reading the New Testament. Compare and contrast Mormon doctrine to the tried and tested word of God. Most of the pages on this site are devoted to an objective, biblical comparison.
However, for those who must know objective truth regarding the historicity of the LDS church, its major founding events, and the Standard Works; you will find factual and verifiable answers to your questions (virtually all from LDS church published sources) within following tabs: Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, POGP, and the Journal of Discourses. I want to be clear that the purpose of these tabs is not to tear down your faith, but to demonstrate the strength of your faith is not as important as the object of your faith.
If you have read this far, then I invite you to continue reading and test the biblical doctrines I present here comparing them to the doctrines of Mormonism. But if you cannot fight the influence of the LDS church in warning you to stay away from any material not church approved, then all I simply ask is you study three books in the New Testament. The gospel of John, and Paul’s letters to the Romans and Galatians.
Before you begin, ask God in prayer to reveal the light and truth of his word to you. As much as possible, examine the three books without any preconceived beliefs or Mormon bias. So, don’t just read it with the mindset of trying to prove Mormonism right, because it defeats the purpose of an objective examination. Examine how Jesus interacts with people (e.g. Nathaniel, the Samaritan woman, Nicodemus, Zacchaeus, his disciples, etc.) and how he impacts their lives and the motivations driving them (e.g. love vs. fear/guilt-based). Try to understand the context and application of the two letters by the Apostle Paul.
Who knows, the Jesus you may see revealed in these books might transform your life as it did many of those he encountered, including myself. If you automatically think, "Oh, I read them many times before, and there is nothing there that will change my mind so what’s the point because I know the church is true," I understand because I have been there before, but maybe deep down you fear what you might find. I was completely comfortable in my preconceived beliefs in Mormonism too, but I feared God more than the Prophet, so I wanted to not only know the truth, but be able to test the truth I knew and make sure it was impregnable. If the LDS church is true and you hold the Standard Works as authoritative, then there should be no fear in examination. Truth will always hold up regardless of the degree to which it is examined.
"God does not love us because we are valuable; we are valuable because God loves us." - Martin Luther
Questions, Comments or Suggestions?
THE CROSS UNVEILED