Who are the Mormons?
In 2 Corinth. 11:4, 13-15 the Apostle Paul was warning the Corinthian Church against false teachers who were deceiving the congregation. “For if one comes and preaches another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully.” Paul here chastises the Corinthian Church for accepting (you bear this beautifully) a different Jesus, spirit, and gospel. This was not the teaching they had received from Paul. Just like the false teachers in Corinth, Mormons bring a false Jesus, a different gospel, and false Holy Spirit. Let me paraphrase this passage: “For if a Mormon comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit from the Mormons which you have not received, or a different gospel of Joseph Smith which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully.” You will learn over these next few weeks why the Mormon gospel is different, the Jesus they follow is false, and the Holy Spirit they profess is different from the Biblical one. We are not to commit the same error the Corinthian Church did when they accepted this false teaching.
Next Paul talks about false teachers, verse 13… “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is not surprising if his [Satan’s] servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.”
The Apostle Paul was saying these false teachers were giving the impression they had the truth and were influencing people in the same fashion as Satan. These individuals masqueraded as servants of righteousness, which means they looked good on the outside. Paul was warning the church to watch out! He was telling them don’t be fooled! Don’t follow them! Don’t be deceived!
Paul ends with a warning about judgment for the false teachers; their end after death would not be pleasant; they will be judged by their deceptive deeds. What deeds was Paul referring to? The spreading of a false gospel, a false Jesus, and a false spirit. I believe this warning applies to Mormonism. Every Mormon claims to be Christian and yet they deny every essential doctrine of Christianity. If Christianity is defined as a person who believes and follows the doctrines of the historic church then Mormons are not Christians. They don’t worship the same God as we do.
Let me give you an illustration to help you understand. I want you to guess what my oldest son Jeff looks like? Some may say he is 6’4, has brown hair, blue eyes, and is very thin. Actually, Jeff is around 5’8”, green eyes, blond hair, and has a medium athletic build. According to the laws of logic he can’t be 6’4” in height and 5’8” at the same time. He cannot have blond and brown hair at the same time. There is only 1 correct description of Jeff. The same goes for God. You cannot create any old God you want; there is only one true God.
Mormons worship a different God than Christians. For example the Mormons say God the Father has a body of flesh and bones like we do. Christianity teaches God is an immaterial being; that God is Spirit. God cannot have a physical body and be immaterial at the same time. The Bible says in John 4:24 (NIV)“God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” We must worship in truth the one true God and Him alone. The God of the Bible does not have flesh and bones, He is a spirit being. Mormons are worshipping a false God.
The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians calls them and others like them, “… false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ.” He says they are deceivers and they masquerade as Christians. Again I believe these verses apply to Mormonism. This is not to say Mormons are bad people. Most of the Mormons I know are great people; they are just not followers of the one true God. They have been deceived and are deceiving others. The Bible calls them false teachers. As Paul warned the Corinthian Church; watch out! Any old God won’t do! We must worship in spirit and in truth.
