Ten Teachings of Mormonism That Conflict With Christianity

When the differences between Mormonism and historic biblical Christianity are examined carefully, the disagreement goes far beyond different traditions, worship styles, or interpretations of secondary doctrines. At the heart of the matter are fundamentally different teachings about who God is, who Jesus Christ is, what Scripture is, how salvation is received, and what the gospel actually means. Those are not minor differences, because the answers to those questions determine what kind of God we worship and what kind of hope we place in Christ.

This is why Christians should approach the subject seriously but also with love. Mormons are not being criticized because they are insincere or because they do not care about Jesus. Many sincerely believe that they are following Him, and many live lives marked by admirable qualities such as family devotion, moral discipline, service, and religious commitment. Sincerity, however, does not establish the truth of a doctrine. The question that ultimately matters is whether the teachings we accept agree with the Word of God.

One of the most fundamental differences concerns the nature of God Himself. Mormonism teaches that God the Father was once a mortal man who progressed until He became a god. The Bible presents God in an entirely different way, describing Him as the eternal Creator who has never passed from mortality into deity. Psalm 90:2 declares, “Even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” Scripture does not describe God as someone who became God through progression; it describes Him as the One who has always been God and whose existence extends from everlasting to everlasting.

Mormonism also teaches a plurality of gods, including the possibility that exalted human beings may themselves become gods. Biblical Christianity cannot reconcile that teaching with the repeated declarations of Scripture concerning the uniqueness of the one true God. Through the prophet Isaiah, God declares, “Before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me” (Isaiah 43:10). The God of the Bible is not merely one god among many, nor does Scripture present humanity's ultimate destiny as becoming additional gods who enter into a divine population. The Bible directs worship toward the one eternal God who created all things.

Another major difference concerns the nature of the Father. Mormonism teaches that God the Father possesses a tangible body of flesh and bones, while biblical Christianity teaches that God is spirit. Jesus Himself said plainly, “God is a Spirit” (John 4:24). The God revealed in Scripture is eternal, invisible, and the Creator of the physical universe. He is not presented as a glorified mortal whose physical existence began at some point in the past.

The Mormon teaching concerning human exaltation also raises a fundamental biblical problem. Mormonism teaches that faithful human beings can ultimately attain godhood, while the biblical promise to believers is that they will be conformed to the image of Christ. Paul wrote that those whom God has redeemed are “predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29). That is an extraordinary promise, but it is not the promise that redeemed sinners will become gods. The biblical hope is eternal fellowship with God, resurrection, glorification, and conformity to Jesus Christ, not the attainment of deity.

The question becomes even more serious when Joseph Smith's prophetic authority is considered. Mormonism teaches that Joseph Smith was called by God to restore the true church and gospel after a supposed universal apostasy. Yet Paul warned the early Christians that the gospel was not something that could simply be replaced by a later revelation. He wrote, “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8). That warning is especially important because it establishes the apostolic gospel as the standard by which later claims must be judged. The identity of the messenger does not make a different gospel true, and even a message supposedly delivered by an angel must be rejected if it contradicts the gospel already delivered by the apostles.

That same principle applies to the Book of Mormon and the broader claim of continuing revelation. Mormonism accepts the Book of Mormon as additional scripture and as another authoritative witness concerning Jesus Christ. Christians must therefore examine whether such additional revelation agrees with the apostolic gospel or introduces teachings that change its meaning. Scripture describes itself as God-breathed and says that it is sufficient to thoroughly equip the man of God for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16–17). The Christian therefore does not begin with the assumption that every later revelation must be accepted simply because it claims divine authority. It must be tested against the revelation God has already given.

The difference becomes especially important when the subject turns to salvation. Mormonism connects exaltation with faithfulness, obedience, covenants, ordinances, temple practices, and continued religious faithfulness. Biblical Christianity, however, teaches that salvation is God's gracious gift received through faith rather than something a sinner earns through religious accomplishment. Paul wrote, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9). Christians certainly believe that genuine faith produces obedience and good works, because a changed life should follow genuine conversion, but those works do not become the foundation upon which a sinner purchases salvation. Salvation rests upon the grace of God and the finished work of Jesus Christ.

The identity of Jesus Christ is another point where the differences cannot be dismissed as minor theological disagreements. Mormonism teaches that Jesus is the Son of God and the Savior, but places Him within a larger theological system involving premortal existence, a plurality of divine beings, and progression toward godhood that differs fundamentally from the biblical understanding of Christ. John begins his Gospel with a declaration that leaves no room for reducing Jesus to a created or progressively exalted being: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). A few verses later John identifies that eternal Word with Jesus Christ by declaring, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). According to the biblical testimony, Jesus did not become God through progression; the eternal Word was already God before He became flesh.

The role of temple ordinances and proxy baptism introduces another significant difference between Mormonism and the New Testament gospel. Mormonism teaches that temple ordinances, including baptism performed by proxy for deceased individuals, have a role within the larger process of exaltation. The New Testament, however, continually directs the sinner's attention to the person and finished work of Jesus Christ rather than to secret ceremonies, temple rituals, or ordinances performed on behalf of another person. Paul wrote, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). The Christian's confidence before God therefore rests upon Christ as the one Mediator, rather than upon a system of temple ordinances.

Finally, there is the claim that Christ's original church and gospel disappeared from the earth through a Great Apostasy and had to be restored through Joseph Smith many centuries later. That claim presents a serious problem when compared with the promises of Jesus and the testimony of the apostles. Jesus said, “I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). Jude likewise instructed believers to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3). The biblical picture is not one in which Christ established His church, allowed His gospel to disappear completely for centuries, and then required a nineteenth-century restoration to recover what had been lost. The gospel was delivered through Christ and His apostles, and the church was called to preserve and proclaim that faith.

For Christians, these differences are not merely academic. They reach directly into the question of where a person places his or her eternal hope. That is why a Christian response to Mormonism should not simply consist of ridicule or hostility. If a person genuinely believes that his relationship with God depends upon Joseph Smith, temple ordinances, personal worthiness, or eventual exaltation, then the most loving thing a Christian can do is point that person back to the biblical Jesus and ask whether those things are actually where Scripture tells sinners to place their trust.

If you are Mormon, this is not an invitation to exchange one religious organization for another. It is an invitation to examine everything you have been taught in the light of Scripture and to consider whether your ultimate confidence rests in Jesus Christ or in a religious system built around Him. Do not place your eternal hope in Joseph Smith, because Joseph Smith cannot save you. Do not place your ultimate hope in temple ordinances, because ceremonies cannot bear the guilt of sin. Do not place your hope in becoming a god, because Scripture does not present godhood as the destiny of redeemed sinners. Do not place your confidence in your own righteousness, because even our best righteousness cannot remove the guilt of sin before a holy God.

The biblical gospel tells a very different story. It does not tell sinners that they must climb their way toward God through enough obedience, enough ceremonies, enough covenants, or enough religious accomplishment. It tells us that God came down to us in the person of His Son. Jesus Christ lived the righteous life that sinful humanity could never live, willingly went to the cross for the ungodly, bore the judgment that sinners deserved, died for our sins, and rose bodily from the grave. The salvation He offers is not a reward that we earn after completing enough religious requirements; it is the gracious gift of God received through faith in Him.

That is why Paul could tell the Philippian jailer, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31). The hope of the Christian is not found in being good enough, worthy enough, obedient enough, or religious enough. Our hope rests in the One who was good enough, righteous enough, obedient enough, and holy enough on our behalf.

So the most important question is not whether a person is Mormon, Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, or any other religious label. The question is whether that person has truly placed his or her faith in the Jesus Christ revealed in Scripture. The issue is not simply which church someone attends or which prophet someone follows. The issue is whether we have trusted the crucified and risen Savior who alone is able to reconcile sinners to God.

The Christian message is therefore not, “Work your way up until you become worthy of heaven.” It is, “Look to Christ, because He has accomplished what you could never accomplish for yourself.”

His righteousness is sufficient.

His sacrifice is sufficient.

His grace is sufficient.

His resurrection is sufficient.

And Christ Himself is sufficient.

That is why the Christian can come before God with nothing to boast about except Jesus Christ, trusting not in personal merit but in the finished work of the Savior.

“Nothing in my hand I bring,

Simply to Thy cross I cling.”