Why Mormonism's "Restoration" Is a Denial of Biblical Christianity

It’s common to hear members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) say they’re Christians just like anyone else who follows Jesus. They believe in His atonement, His resurrection, His teachings. And they’re sincere in saying so. But sincerity isn’t the same thing as truth. When you really dig into what Mormonism teaches—especially about who God is, what salvation means, and the authority of Scripture—it becomes clear that this religion, while borrowing Christian language, ultimately denies the core of biblical Christianity.

According to official LDS doctrine, all of Christianity fell into total apostasy after the death of the original apostles. That’s right—every church, every tradition, every believer was supposedly misled for nearly two thousand years until Joseph Smith restored the “true church” in 1830. That claim isn’t just historically implausible—it’s theologically offensive. Jesus Himself said in Matthew 16:18 (NLT), “I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.” Either Jesus kept His word or He didn’t. If Mormonism is right, then Christ failed to preserve His church. But the Bible says otherwise.

And what about the gospel? Christians believe salvation is by grace through faith in Christ alone. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NLT) says, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.” The LDS church, however, adds a long list of works—baptism into the LDS church, temple rituals, eternal marriage, keeping the Word of Wisdom, and more—as conditions for exaltation. That’s not grace. That’s a religious checklist. Paul warned in Galatians 1:8 that anyone who brings “a different kind of Good News” is under God’s curse.

Then there’s the matter of Scripture. Mormons revere the Bible—“as far as it is translated correctly”—but treat the Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price as equal or even superior in authority. This opens the door to doctrines that directly contradict Scripture: God was once a man; men can become gods; families are sealed for eternity through secret ceremonies. But Isaiah 43:10 (NLT) says clearly, “Before me there was no God formed, nor will there be one after me.” That’s not metaphor. That’s a divine declaration.

Some people want to treat all religions as basically the same, as if theology were just personal preference. But if you care about truth—especially eternal truth—you can’t ignore the glaring differences. Mormonism doesn’t just add to Christianity; it rewrites it. It doesn’t just offer a different flavor of faith; it preaches another gospel entirely.

As Christians, we are not trying to be unkind or divisive. But love tells the truth. And the truth is this: Mormonism is not Christianity. It is a different religion, built on a different foundation, with a different god, a different gospel, and a different path to eternity. We pray for our Mormon friends to come to know the true Jesus—the eternal Son of God, fully divine, who saves completely by grace through faith. That Jesus doesn’t need a prophet from upstate New York to finish what He already accomplished on the cross.

Sources:

GotQuestions.org. “What Is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints?” GotQuestions.org, https://www.gotquestions.org/Latter-Day-Saints.html.

The Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers, 2015.

MacArthur, John. The Gospel According to Jesus. Zondervan, 2008.

Bowman, Robert M., and J. Ed Komoszewski. Putting Jesus in His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ. Kregel, 2007.

Abanes, Richard. One Nation Under Gods: A History of the Mormon Church. Four Walls Eight Windows, 2003.