General Conference, April 1973; “… [salvation] comes only through the Church itself as the Lord established it… Therefore it was made clearly manifest that salvation is in the Church, and of the Church, and is obtained only through the Church…If persons separate themselves from the Lord’s church, they thereby separate themselves from his means of salvation, for salvation is through the Church.” – LDS Apostle Mark E. Petersen
Acts 16:27-31; “And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. 29 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, 30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”
This is a classic example of Mormonism in true form. Everyone but the Mormons are damned.
I wonder…is Jesus Mormon?
I always like that story from Acts as I could imagine being there and seeing that…. It doesn’t seem like the LDS writes much of the NT and Paul but mostly on the OT and Laws. I don’t read nearly as much as you do, though.
Regarding that LDS statement, doesn’t it promote a climate of fear? I think if I was there listening to that and more of the same, I would be afraid. Only God has the power of salvation and not the LDS church. He accomplished our salvation on the cross.
We receive salvation when we come to faith in Jesus; we come to faith with the help of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes to us and teaches all things when we hear and read the Word of God in the Bible.
No single church was given this power; no other book or prophet or teaching from man effects salvation. Look at Paul’s story again. The guard would have harmed himself except for Paul and Silas giving him great assurance as to how to be saved.
“And they said, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.’ ” That certainly is a real comfort to me.