Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

By Mormon Readers

Q: I do feel hopeless as a member of the LDS Church when it comes to my chances of dwelling with Heavenly Father. I can see how far I am from meeting the LDS requirements for obtaining the remission of all my sins. You have a deep joy that I want. I want to be forgiven for time and all eternity. How can I have what you have?

A: The forgiveness of sins, all your sins for time and all eternity, is a gift. It must be received as such, or it cannot be yours, for it cannot be earned or deserved. It is so precious that you would be unable to pay for it in a thousand lifetimes of good works. Yet Jesus, who is the Most High God in human flesh, paid your penalty so that He could rightly offer you a pardon of all sin forever--thereby satisfying the demand of perfect justice.

If your question is, "What must I do to gain eternal life?" the answer is that you must be perfect, and keep all the commandments of God.

(Matthew 19:16-17) And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? {17} And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

However, if you want to know what it will take for the Lord to rescue or save you from the condemnation you deserve, the answer is: you must call upon the One who can rescue you, in faith, trusting in His promise to do so.

(Acts 16:30-31) …Sirs, what must I do to be saved? {31} And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…

(Romans 10:8-13) …The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; {9} That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. {10} For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. {11} For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. {12} For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. {13} For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Some people will stand before God at the great judgment and attempt to make a defense to the Lord by crying out to him to remember their good deeds. (Matthew 7:22-23) The Great Judge will not be impressed with such a cry. However, crying out to the Lord for Him to rescue you is a much different thing. It means that you depend upon Him, not on yourself. It means that you abandon all trust in your own works to justify yourself, and that you are prepared to give Him all the credit and glory for the pardon He is giving you. It means that you place your confidence in the cross, and in the perfection of the Lamb of God that took your place. When you trust His promise, it means that you no longer "wish" for eternal life, but that you know it is yours as surely as you know anything--because His promise cannot fail.

(John 6:47) Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath ["exaltation" in LDS footnote] everlasting life.

(1 John 5:13) These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life…

This is a decision. Are you making this decision now? It is a decision to trust the promise of Jesus in John 6:47 (above). It is a lifelong decision. It doesn't mean that you will always feel comfortable about it, but that you are placing your life, your eternal life, in His hands. As Job stated, "though He slay me yet will I trust Him." It is a decision to receive the forgiveness of all your sins right now, and thereby become born of the Spirit as a new child of God:

(John 1:12-13) But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: {13} Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

You are choosing to cling to His unshakable promise, rather than to feelings, or to experiences or to miracles. Feelings are fleeting and deceptive. Your heart can fool you, but His word will never fool you. Experiences and even miracles can be counterfeited by the devil, as Jesus specifically warned. But God's promise is trustworthy.

(Hebrews 10:23) Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

If it is your decision, you can confirm it by telling God right now. Call upon the name of the Lord. You can do it at this moment, before you even finish reading this letter. It has nothing to do with church membership or how worthy you are. It has only to do with your decision to trust His promise of the forgiveness of all your sins forever. Today is the day of salvation.

(Hebrews 10:14) For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

Your decision is very difficult, but your prayer telling God about it can be very simple: It might go something like this…

"Lord God Most High, I need thee. I confess that I am a sinner and am unworthy of thy forgiveness, but I have heard thy promise and have read it in the scriptures. I receive the forgiveness of all my sins and the gift of eternal life in the kingdom of God. I thank thee for paying my penalty completely upon the cross. I trust in the perfection of that sacrifice, and I know that thou hast authority to forgive my sins forever. Help me now to live in a manner that glorifies thee and demonstrates my thankfulness throughout my life and all eternity. In Jesus' name, Amen."

If this was the prayer of your heart, you have passed from death into life, and God has just written your pardon in heaven in the Lamb's Book of Life. Welcome to the family of God! You are heir to all the treasures of heaven because you are clean!

What do you do next? Here are some things that will help you to grow spiritually and that the Lord wants you to do in response to His love:

• Read His word in the Bible. It is full of promises of assurance, like John 6:47. Get to know Him by reading His word, and He will speak to you. I encourage you to first study John, then Romans, and then Galatians. Don't try to fit His word into your old doctrine, but just let God speak for Himself.

• Pray. You could never pray to Jesus before, but only to a separate god named Elohim. Now you understand that the Most High God is one God. Talk to Jesus. He is the "mighty God" and the "everlasting Father." You can finally have a relationship with Jesus Christ personally.

• Fellowship with other believers who know that they are forgiven forever. Seek out these Christians and draw strength from them. Perhaps this will be in a Bible study, or perhaps you will find it in another solid Bible-believing church. Worship the Most High God from your heart, but also look for opportunities to worship with other believers too. Singing songs of praise together is a wonderful way to worship God. There is very little true praise in an LDS service (tabernacle choir notwithstanding), but you can find this kind of intimate, wonderful praise all around if you look for it.

• Tell someone about what has happened to you. Find someone who will understand, who is born again as you are; but also think of someone to tell who is not yet a believer. I would appreciate it very much if you would let me know about it so that I can pray for you and celebrate your redemption with you. Don't be ashamed of the forgiveness that God has declared to you, but boldly let others know about it. Whether they listen or not, this process will help you to grow in your faith and in your relationship to the Lord. Sometime soon, get baptized again to declare outwardly and publicly about the washing away of your sins that has already happened inwardly. Jesus commanded baptism not to get saved, but because you are saved.

• Expect old feelings to come along. Remember that these feelings cannot save you, but only the promise of God declared to you in His word does save you. No one can ever take away the pardon that God has declared to you. Write down the date to help you remember when you made your life-changing decision. The devil wants you to forget that this day ever happened, so writing it down will be an anchor of faith for you.

I hope to hear from you soon.

Your friend,

Mark Champneys