Mormon Dilemma 162

12 February

Salvation & the Gospel:

Are You a Latter-day Saint?

New Era, December 2009, pg. 5; “A Saint loves the Savior and follows Him in holiness and devotion. Evidence of this kind of holiness and devotion is exemplified by consecration and sacrifice. Sacrifice is the crowning test of the gospel. It means consecrating time, talents, energy, and earthly possessions to further the work of God. In Doctrine and Covenants 97, verse 8, it concludes, ‘All . . . who . . . are willing to observe their covenants by sacrifice—yea, every sacrifice which I, the Lord, shall command—they are accepted of me.’ “– Quentin L. Cook

Hebrews 1:1-3; “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

The Holman Bible Dictionary explains “gospel” this way;

God has chosen to bring about the world’s reconciliation in this one particular way, there is only one gospel (Heb. 1:1-2). Furthermore, since God is the One working through the saving activity of Jesus, God is also the Author of the gospel (1 Thess. 2:13). The gospel is God’s message to humankind (Rom. 15:16). Only God calls and commissions the messengers of this good news, and, in addition, only God gives the messengers the story they are to make known (Rom. 10:14-15; 1 John 1:5).

Therefore, the proclamation of the good news is the continuation of the work which God began in Jesus Christ. God’s messengers are not merely telling about the history of salvation when they proclaim the good news; rather, they are an integral part of the work which continues through their efforts. The living Lord, Jesus Christ Himself, confronts listeners through the words of the messengers. To alter the message by adding extra requirements or by omitting crucial details is to pervert the gospel into a false message which ceases to have saving power (2 Cor. 11:3-4; Gal. 1:6-7).

Where is the good news if you’re the one still doing the work to be saved? The Israelites had been doing that since the time they left captivity in Egypt. Working for salvation is what the temples were for and why Jesus gave His life!

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