I Believe Mormons Are in Error, Biblically Speaking

I believe Mormons are in error, not because I despise them, but because I believe the Bible is true. Christians should speak about Mormons with honesty, patience, and compassion. Many Mormons are moral, sincere, family-oriented people. Many are kind neighbors and devoted friends. But sincerity does not make doctrine true. The question is not whether Mormons are religious or respectable. The question is whether Mormon doctrine agrees with the faith once for all delivered to the saints.

Biblically speaking, Mormonism departs from Christianity at the most important points: the nature of God, the person of Jesus Christ, the authority of Scripture, the meaning of salvation, and the gospel itself.

First, Mormonism is in error concerning God. The Bible teaches that there is one true and living God. The Lord says in Isaiah, “Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me” (Isaiah 43:10). Again, “I am the LORD, and there is no other, besides me there is no God” (Isaiah 45:5). Christianity has always confessed that God is eternal, uncreated, infinite, and alone in His divine being.

Mormonism teaches something very different. It teaches that God the Father was once as man is, and that human beings may progress toward godhood. This is not the God of the Bible. The biblical God does not become God. He simply is God. He is from everlasting to everlasting. He is not one exalted being among many. He is the Creator of all things, and everything else is creature.

Second, Mormonism is in error concerning Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches that Jesus is the eternal Son of God, fully God and fully man. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Colossians 1 teaches that all things were created through Him and for Him. Hebrews 1 presents Christ as the radiance of God’s glory and the exact imprint of His nature.

Mormon doctrine does not preserve this biblical Christology. It does not confess Jesus in the same way historic Christianity does. Scripture does not present Jesus as one spiritual being among others, nor as merely the elder brother of mankind. He is the eternal Son, the second person of the Trinity, equal with the Father and the Spirit in power, glory, and deity.

Third, Mormonism is in error concerning Scripture. The Bible warns against adding to or altering God’s Word. Paul says that even if an angel from heaven should preach a different gospel, he is to be accursed (Galatians 1:8). Christianity receives the Old and New Testaments as the inspired, sufficient, and authoritative Word of God.

Mormonism places additional writings alongside the Bible, including the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price. This creates a different authority structure. In practice, the Bible is not treated as the final and sufficient rule of faith. But the church is not built on later revelations that contradict apostolic teaching. It is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone.

Fourth, Mormonism is in error concerning salvation. The Bible teaches that sinners are justified by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works” (Ephesians 2:8–9). Romans 3–4 makes clear that justification is not earned by obedience, religious effort, ordinances, or moral achievement. It is received by faith in Christ, who lived, died, and rose again for sinners.

Mormonism confuses grace and works. It speaks of Christ, grace, faith, repentance, ordinances, and obedience, but it does not preserve the biblical doctrine of justification. The gospel is not that Christ makes salvation possible if we complete the process. The gospel is that Christ saves His people completely. His blood is sufficient. His righteousness is sufficient. His resurrection is sufficient. The sinner’s hope is not in personal worthiness, temple ordinances, or religious progress, but in Christ crucified and risen.

Finally, Mormonism is in error because it proclaims another gospel. Paul’s warning in Galatians is serious. A different doctrine of God, a different Christ, a different authority, and a different way of salvation cannot be treated as a minor denominational difference. These are not secondary disagreements between Christians. They strike at the heart of the Christian faith.

This does not mean Christians should mock Mormons or treat them cruelly. We should speak the truth in love. We should pray for them. We should open the Scriptures with them. We should point them not merely away from Mormonism, but to the true Christ of the Bible.

Mormons need what all sinners need: the grace of God in Jesus Christ. They need the eternal Son who became man, obeyed the law, bore the wrath of God, died for sinners, and rose from the dead. They need the finished work of Christ, not an endless ladder of religious striving.

Therefore, I believe Mormons are in error biblically speaking. Their doctrine is not merely incomplete; it contradicts the central teachings of Scripture. Yet the answer is not hatred, arrogance, or fear. The answer is the gospel. Christ is enough. His Word is enough. His grace is enough. And all who turn from false hope and trust in Him will be saved.