Mormons believe that we cannot save ourselves. No one can live a perfect life—only Jesus Christ was able to do that. He met all the requirements of a Savior and was the only One who could save us. What does it mean that He saved us?

Mormons teach that the atonement has two aspects. Some portions of it are given freely to all, regardless of the choices they make on the earth. For instance, because Jesus atoned for our sins, died on the cross, and was resurrected, we all are resurrected and live forever—even the wicked receive that particular gift.

Others require action on our part to activate. To receive the full measure of the atonement, one must accept Jesus Christ as his or her Savior (an act), be baptized (an act), and keep the commandments of God. Most Christian religions accept that certain acts are required to be saved. They accept that one must accept Jesus Christ as the Savior, and many also require baptism.

Baptism is so important and essential that even Jesus insisted on being baptized by immersion, despite having no sins to be forgiven of. He taught his disciples that both faith and baptism is required for salvation: Baptism is an act. We are not saved by our actions, but actions are required as part of the process—and must, as this Bible verse makes clear, be accompanied by faith:

16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned (Mark 16:16).

Peter also taught this doctrine: Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:37-38).

Jesus warned us that while confessions of faith are an important part of our salvation, they must be accompanied by righteousness:

“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. (Romans 10)

These verses tell us that we need to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, but also have that confession of faith be sincere and life-changing enough to cause us to obey the commandments and to become righteous. A confession of faith that doesn’t change our lives is meaningless. The mouth says the words, but the heart obeys God.

Many scriptures emphasize the importance of keeping the commandments in order to return to God. This is where the confusion about Mormon beliefs concerning being saved come from. Many people misinterpret the Mormon emphasis on keeping commandments as being a belief that we can earn our way into Heaven. This is not actually what Mormons teach. In fact, the true Mormon belief is not that different from traditional Christianity, except that we emphasize it more, making certain our members understand that love must be accompanied by action:

If ye love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15).

The Bible is emphatic in its teachings that faith without works is dead. If we say we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, but spend our days harming others and committing sins, we clearly didn’t really mean it. Our works are a manifestation of our faith—if, and only if—they are done for the right reason, which is love for Jesus Christ. Jesus consistently condemned the Pharisees for carrying out their faith for show, but then sinning privately, and He condemned those who obeyed for all the wrong reasons. For this reason, the claimed differences between Mormon beliefs and Protestant beliefs on this subject is really just wordplay. Mormons believe our works will develop out of our love. A former Mormon prophet, Ezra Taft Benson, once said, “When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our quest, in that moment God will endow us with power.” Our attitude toward obedience is a direct measure of our love for Jesus Christ, and it is for this reason Mormons spend a lot of time talking about commandments. Mormons want their members to live the way God has asked them to live—and to do so joyfully and for the right reasons.

Are Mormons saved? They have faith, they are baptized, and they receive the Holy Ghost. They repent of their sins and work to keep the commandments of God. They trust in the atonement of Jesus Christ to do for them what they cannot possibly do for themselves. They are saved as far as they can be saved in mortality, but no one completes the process until the final judgment. At that time, the Savior, and no one else, will determine their final status. Only Jesus Christ may say who is saved and who is not.

Christ is part of the true name for the religion of Mormons.

Although Mormons tend to be referred to by the term “Mormon,” Mormon is actually only a nickname originally applied by people who disliked the early Mormons (in the same way the term Christian was initially used only by outsiders). The actual name of the Church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is important because it tells people several important things about the church.

In the Book of Mormon, a companion volume to the Bible, Jesus informs some of His followers that if you name your church after a person, it becomes that person’s church. This is similar to the way people will name their business after themselves. They were instructed to name their church after Jesus in order for it to be the Lord’s church. Today’s Mormons also honor that very logical request.

The term Latter-day Saints differentiates today’s Mormons (living in the last days) from the ancient Christians in terms of time. The Bible uses the term “saints” to refer to followers of Christ.

Jesus Christ personally launched the restoration that became the church of the Mormons

Fourteen-year-old Joseph Smith was puzzled by the many churches in his community, all of whom assured him they had the truth. He didn’t understand how anyone could identify which one was actually true, so he began reading the Bible cover to cover, looking for answers. When he reached the book of James, he found what he was looking for.

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him (James 1:5).

He understood the brilliance of James’ advice. God knew which church was true. Since he lived in a very full house and he wanted to pray aloud for something so important, he went to the woods near his home to ask his critical question. He received a completely unexpected answer—both God and Jesus Christ appeared to him. God introduced Jesus and told Joseph to listen to Him. Jesus told Him not to join any of the churches because none were entirely correct. In time, when Joseph was grown, he would be guided through the process of becoming the first prophet of the restoration. In the Bible, we often see prophets receiving their first revelations at a very young age—Samuel was only ten.

Each Sunday, Mormons take the Sacrament (communion) to remember the atonement.

Mormons believe that Jesus took on Himself our sins and that this atonement makes it possible for us to be saved. He did for us what we could never have done for ourselves.

“The Atonement of Jesus Christ was an indispensable part of our Heavenly Father’s plan for His Son’s earthly mission and for our salvation. How grateful we should be that our Heavenly Father did not intercede but rather withheld His fatherly instinct to rescue His Beloved Son. Because of His eternal love for you and for me, He allowed Jesus to complete His foreordained mission to become our Redeemer. The gift of resurrection and immortality is given freely through the loving grace of Jesus Christ to all people of all ages, regardless of their good or evil acts. And to those who choose to love the Lord and who show their love and faith in Him by keeping His commandments and qualifying for the full blessings of the Atonement, He offers the additional promise of exaltation and eternal life, which is the blessing of living in the presence of God and His Beloved Son forever.” (M. Russell Ballard, “The Atonement and the Value of One Soul,” Ensign, May 2004, 84) Note: Elder Ballard is a Mormon apostle.

Mormons believe that through the atonement of Jesus Christ, we are all saved. We are all able to be resurrected and live forever. The Bible says we must keep the commandments to live with God, however:

21 Not every one that saith‍ unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth‍ the will‍ of my Father which is in heaven (Matthew 7:21).

16 ¶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.

18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,

19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?

21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

(Matthew 19)

15 If ye love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15).

This does not mean a person can keep the commandments strictly to earn a reward. This person would receive no reward. Loving God and Jesus Christ and doing these things out of love are part of the commandments. Our obedience, when done purely out of love, are an outward manifestation of our faith. After all, just saying we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior is meaningless if we then ignore everything He taught us. Mere words are meaningless without action. God gave us commandments for a reason and we are expected to obey them. There are rewards and consequences for our choices in this matter.

The Book of Mormon testifies of Jesus Christ.

In recent years, the Mormons added a subtitle to the Book of Mormon to help people understand what it is about. The new subtitle tells readers it is another witness of Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon contains more references to Jesus Christ and His ministry than does the entire Bible, despite being a much smaller book. The highlight of the book is when Jesus Christ appeared to the people of this book and spent time preaching to them after His death and resurrection. His visit proves He was divine since He appeared after His death and also proves the Bible, since the people knew of Christ before His birth. People who read only the Bible can doubt the Savior’s divinity—and many do—but when coupled with the testimony of the Book of Mormon, there can be no room for doubt.

Christ is at the center of Mormonism

Every day, Mormons lead a Christ-centered life. They pray to God in Jesus’ name, they strive to follow His example as they lead their lives, and they spend extensive time studying about Him in the Bible and the Book of Mormon. They spend more time in service than any other segment of American population. They consider themselves Christians who are totally focused on keeping the covenant they made when they were baptized and took His name on themselves.

Thomas S. Monson, Mormon prophet on Jesus Christ:

All Will Live Again

“We laugh, we cry, we work, we play, we love, we live. And then we die. …

“And dead we would remain but for one Man and His mission, even Jesus of Nazareth. …

“With all my heart and the fervency of my soul, I lift up my voice in testimony as a special witness and declare that God does live. Jesus is His Son, the Only Begotten of the Father in the flesh. He is our Redeemer; He is our Mediator with the Father. He it was who died on the cross to atone for our sins. He became the firstfruits of the Resurrection. Because He died, all shall live again.”⁵

A Personal Witness

“I declare my personal witness that death has been conquered, victory over the tomb has been won. May the words made sacred by Him who fulfilled them become actual knowledge to all. Remember them. Cherish them. Honor them. He is risen.” (He Is Risen”: A Prophet’s Testimony By President Thomas S. Monson)

This far exceeds the level of volunteerism found in other religions or in other groups. The researcher, Ram Canaan, stated that Mormons were the most pro-social people in America.

Mormons, at baptism, take on the name of Jesus Christ. They feel this means they must keep Jesus Christ’s commandments and follow His example. He taught that we must love our neighbors as ourselves and serve them. This motivates Mormons to serve others. They know it makes them more Christ-like and their goal is to become as much like Him as possible.

Some of the volunteer work, as shown, is done within the Church for other Mormons. Mormons operate a lay church, which means that everyone volunteers. Nearly every member of the church has a “calling.” This is a volunteer position serving the church. Generally, people do not select their own callings, however. The bishop—a lay pastor overseeing the congregation—offers them a specific position. Normally, the president of an organization will prayerfully select those they want in the position and then give their choice to the bishop. He and those who assist him pray and make a final decision. This is done because the bishop sometimes knows something about the person the other leaders does not, such as a family situation that limits the person’s time or that he or she is already in line for another calling. A member of the bishopric (a bishop and two assistants who are called counselors) offers the calling to the member. The member is free to refuse the calling—although few do—or to offer additional information that might affect the ability to do the calling.

After a person accepts a calling, he or she is sustained by the membership. To sustain the person means to promise to support and help them in any way the members can, which provides a powerful support network for each person.

While it may seem odd to some—the conference in which the volunteerism was discussed mentioned that it was a system largely unparalleled in other religions—the idea of callings is actually very inspired and reveals the wisdom in even the smallest aspects of God’s plan. If a member was to choose a calling, he or she would always choose within his or her own comfort zone. However, Mormons often find themselves called to do something they’ve never done before or that they think they aren’t good at. They are “set apart,” which means they are given a special priesthood blessing through the laying on of hands. Through this blessing, God gives them what they need to do it. Mormons find they can do things they never thought they could do, which improves their self-confidence. Through their callings, they learn new skills or overcome weaknesses. A disorganized person might find herself being a secretary and a shy person may find herself leading a large organization. Someone who always thought she wasn’t good with children finds herself teaching preschoolers. Some of the skills learned through callings are jobs members can take into their employment.

In addition to the skills learned, callings help to build a sense of community and belonging. A person who moves into a congregation meets people quickly through her calling and has a sense of ownership in her congregation. Her contributions make a difference to the success of the congregation, the Church, and God’s kingdom on earth.

Mormons also work through church programs to help those not of their faith. The Mormon Helping Hands program is an example of Mormon-organized community service. Many congregations do a large-scale community service project at least once a year in addition to smaller ones throughout the year. They also step in during a crisis, such as a hurricane, to help people in their community, regardless of faith, clean up after the storm. Teenagers attending their annual conference do projects and most do regular projects during the year as well. The children also perform community service through their Scouting and Activities Day programs. The Relief Society—the auxiliary for the women—runs literacy programs that are open to the public at no cost.

who are not Mormon. The program runs a number of ongoing initiatives as well as emergency disaster assistance or short-term projects. The long-running initiatives include clean water, neonatal resuscitation training, wheelchair funding, efficient food production, and vaccinations. Mormons donate to this program and some retired Mormons volunteer to spend a year or two in a developing nation doing humanitarian work. These humanitarian projects do not involve missionary work and many of the recipients do not know the Mormons provided their help.

Of course, Mormons also serve in programs not run by the church. They are taught by their leaders to be involved in their communities, so many select worthwhile programs in their own towns to assist in. Mormon parents frequently volunteer in their schools and others serve in libraries, food pantries, community leadership and other programs.

All these projects, whether they help their own members or others, strengthen their relationship with Jesus Christ. Service is a critical part of the Mormon experience.

Read the transcript of the conference on Mormon volunteerism that discusses the study.

Learn more about the Humanitarian Aid program.

Learn more about Mormon Helping Hands.

Mormonism 101

To help people understand more about Latter-day Saints, the Church recently published an article entitled “Mormonism 101: FAQ.” This article outlines Mormons’ basic beliefs, and answers some of the most common questions non-Mormons may have about the Church. It also addresses some of the more controversial topics related to the Mormon faith, hoping that accurate information can dispel some of the misconceptions and distortions about the Church that sometimes appear in the media. Questions addressed include:

• Introduction
• Are Mormons Christian?
• What do Mormons believe about God?
• Do Mormons believe in the Trinity?
• What is the Mormon View of the purpose of life?
• Do Mormons believe in the Bible?
• What is the Book of Mormon?
• What is a Mormon temple?
• Do Latter-day Saints believe in modern-day prophets?
• Do Latter-day Saints believe that the apostles receive revelations from God?
• Do Mormon women lead in the Church?
• Do Latter-day Saints believe they can become “gods”?
• Do Latter-day Saints believe that they will “get their own planet”?
• Do some Latter-day Saints wear temple garments?
• Do Latter-day Saints practice polygamy?
• What is the position of the Church regarding race relations?
• Do Mormons believe that the Garden of Eden is in Missouri?
• Why do you “baptize for the dead”?
• Why does the Church send out missionaries?
• Why don’t Mormons smoke or drink alcohol?

The Core Beliefs of Mormonism

The most important information contained in the “Mormonism 101” article is a concise outline of the core beliefs of the Church. Since media attention often focuses on controversial issues, sometimes the picture painted of Mormons’ beliefs can be warped, dwelling on less important doctrines while leaving out the beliefs that Mormons themselves consider to be the most important. The article, “Mormonism 101,” states the following:

The founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Joseph Smith, wrote, “The fundamental principles of our religion are … concerning Jesus Christ that He died was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.”

It further states that “Latter-day Saints believe unequivocally that:”

1.    Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world and the Son of our loving Heavenly Father.

2.    Christ’s Atonement allows mankind to be saved from their sins and return to live with God and their families forever.

3.    Christ’s original Church as described in the New Testament has been restored in modern times.

The atonement of Jesus Christ is central to Mormonism.

To understand Mormonism, you must focus on core doctrines, those things which are canonized as official doctrine and taught consistently. While church practices sometimes change, truth does not.

There are a few guidelines that can help you evaluate whether or not a teaching is a core doctrine—or even a true doctrine of Mormonism.

First, it is important to understand that every word spoken by a prophet is not necessarily doctrine, particularly in the earliest days of the church. In the beginnings, the church was run much more informally. People talked among themselves and sometimes others took notes and published those conversations or informal speculations of church leaders.

The Journal of Discourses is the usual source for speculations by people of other religions. Journal of Discourses is not an official church publication and is not used as a source of official doctrine. It was compiled by people who took notes of speeches, prayers, sermons, and other events in shorthand and then transcribed them. However, not all the transcriptions were accurate. None were evaluated by or approved by church leaders as being official pronouncements of doctrine. It was privately published in England to provide income for the owner of the journals, although Brigham Young approved the project as a way for European Mormons to find out what was going on in Utah. It was basically the equivalent of a newspaper. Today, the Mormons own Deseret News, but articles that appear in the newspaper are not considered official doctrine, and neither are articles in the Journal of Discourses. With the availability of modern technology, many errors have been officially documented.

Because the church was small, even in General Conference, today a very formal event, people were free to ask questions. Because Mormonism focuses on continuing revelation and learning “line upon line” much of the doctrine was not yet known. Therefore, leaders sometimes speculated about possible answers. These speculations did not become doctrine unless Brigham Young or other prophets prayed and received confirmation of the truthfulness of the doctrine. Otherwise, it was just personal opinion and even a prophet is allowed to have an opinion.

So how does one know if something is an official doctrine? Both official Mormon websites, Mormon.org (intended for people who are not LDS) and LDS.org (aimed more toward Mormons but open to anyone) contain official statements of doctrine. Look for official announcements there.

It is important to remember that not all doctrine is given equal weight or importance in Mormonism. It is also important to remember that in a church that does not refuse to allow God to continue to speak and to lead, doctrine is given in increasing steps, what Mormons call learning line upon line. This means Mormons have, over the years, been given doctrine suitable just for one time period or doctrine that might be considered beginner doctrine. As the church membership grew and people became more informed about the gospel, God gradually added to their knowledge. An easy way to understand how this works is to read the lesson manuals written for children. Although the same subject might be covered in each age group, older children are given more complex information because they are ready for it. Mormons are taught by God in increasingly sophisticated stages.

Joseph Smith outlined thirteen Articles of Faith that explained the core beliefs of Mormonism at that time. These are still taught and even memorized by children. Reading them can help earnest students of Mormonism, those determined to learn only what is true about Mormons, to recognize core doctrine. The first Article of Faith is the very core of Mormonism:

“We believe in God the eternal Father, in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.”

This creates a foundation on which all other doctrines are based. The first Article of Faith makes possible the fourth, which succinctly summarizes the core of Mormonism:

“We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

Faith in Jesus Christ is critical to the mission and doctrine of Mormon beliefs. Repentance, the second portion of this article of faith, refers to Mormon belief in the atonement of Jesus Christ and the importance of both grace and repentance in the process of living a Christian lifestyle. Baptism, performed after the manner in which Jesus was baptized, allows people to be forgiven of their sins and is a result of grace, which came to us through the atonement. The Holy Ghost was a gift Jesus Himself promised to send to His followers once He was gone.

Another principle of Mormonism is that of continuing revelation. Nowhere does the Bible state that once Jesus died, God would no longer be willing to communicate with His children or to send them prophets. While the apostles lived, they received revelation and guidance from God and functioned as apostles, seers, and revelators. Once they died, God did withdraw for a time, an event known as an apostasy. It is not that God is not willing to have prophets on the earth at any given time, but mortals are not always willing to accept and honor prophets. When this happens, they are the ones who remove the gift of prophecy from the earth. This happened frequently throughout the Bible and happened for the longest period of time after the apostles died.

However, the Bible assures us that God will do nothing except through his prophets. (See Amos 3:7.) This means that in order to prepare us for the return of Jesus Christ, another core doctrine of Mormonism, God must restore prophets to the earth. He did this when He chose Joseph Smith as His first prophet in the last days. Today, the Church is led by Thomas S. Monson, the Mormon prophet.

There is no question as to the need for a prophet in today’s world. A short drive around most towns will show a large number of churches, all with conflicting doctrine. Clearly, original doctrine has been corrupted over time—this process started even during the New Testament times, leaving the apostles to regularly fight to overcome misunderstandings in doctrine. Without a prophet, no man can do any more than just guess at what God wants of us today or of what specific doctrines mean. Modern-day revelation is key to giving people a fair chance to prepare for the Second Coming.

Another core doctrine of Mormonism is family life. Mormon beliefs include strong teachings on the sacredness of the family unit. Families were planned by God to help Him further His work on earth and are one reason we came to earth. Mormons teach that God’s plan for families today are that families consist of one mother and one father and are meant to last forever. Mormons can be married in a Mormon temple and have their marriages “sealed” for time and all eternity. This means they do not get a divorce at death, but continue the marriage forever if they live worthy of God’s greatest blessings. In addition, parents and children are joined together forever, something most people instinctively understand, even if they say they don’t believe it. Listening to comments at a funeral often reveal a deep belief in eternal families. (“Mom and Dad are together again.”)

Central to Mormon doctrine is the Plan of Salvation. It is the story of our eternal life and unifies the most important teachings of the Mormons.

Our stories began when God created our spirits. We lived with Him as spirits for a very long time, learning truth, learning to love God, and deciding what kind of person we wanted to be. Eventually, as is the case with children living at home, we could progress no further without leaving home and going out “into the world, one God and Jesus would prepare for us. He explained that when we went there we would lose our memory of our time with Him because this journey was about faith. However, we would gain bodies and families and the Spirit of Christ would go with us to help us recognize truth if we wanted to find it.

During our time here we would face trials—different trials for each person—and we could choose our responses to them. Agency was, in fact, key to the experience. Our choices would, as Mormon prophet Thomas Monson likes to say, determine our destiny. However, we could not choose the consequences of those actions.

God knew we would all sin, and He wanted to make it possible for us to return to Him even when we did sin. He loves us and wants us all to make it back home. For this reason, He promised to send a Savior who would live on earth for a time, teach the gospel, and take our sins on Himself, saving us through grace. This grace would allow us to rise from the dead, repent, and make it back to God if we kept the commandments. Grace cannot be bought—we do not have, in ourselves, the power to bring about resurrection or forgiveness. However, the Bible is very clear that only those who keep the commandments and who repent of sins will be allowed to return to God.

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). The Bible warns us that faith without works is dead. If you say you believe and accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, you are saying only words unless obedience follows the words.

Some were unwilling to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior, preferring Satan’s unscriptural promise to save people without any risk of any kind. That meant we would also have no agency. We would simply be puppets of Satan and this would render life meaningless. One-third of the spirits chose to follow Satan and were denied the chance to come to earth. All those who were willing to make a commitment to Jesus were allowed to be born.

Life here on earth is not easy, but it is designed to allow us to have opportunities for growth. It allows us to seek out and find truth if at all possible.

But of course, it is not possible for everyone. Some people live their entire lives never having heard of Jesus Christ—some because they lived before He was born and some because the gospel simply never reached them. Over the centuries, theologians have debated what happens to those people. Would God unfairly punish them for something out of their control?

No, of course not. God is loving and fair and He sent us here. This means He will give everyone a fair chance to accept or reject His gospel. Those who die without being given that opportunity will receive it after their death—not a second chance, but a first chance, the only way a loving God would choose to do it. They can, just as we can, accept or reject Jesus Christ’s teachings and accept the blessings and consequences of their choice.

The Plan of Salvation is a kind, loving, and brilliant plan by our Heavenly Father, designed to give us an opportunity to become everything He intended us to become.

As you continue to study official church websites, take note of what Mormons are being currently taught in their classes. The lesson manuals are all openly online. Those teachings are the core. Mormons are impacted only by core doctrines—those taught by current prophets that affect our eternal salvation.