Bible quotations are from the New American Standard version. For information on sources of Mormon quotations, see the section titled "Mormon Documents".

1. Mormons teach that salvation (exaltation) comes through faith in Christ plus baptism plus works, i.e., we must add to the work of Christ. In the Bible 'salvation' means deliverance from the consequence (eternal separation from God) of our sin. Mormon leaders have redefined the word 'salvation' to have a two-fold meaning: a) forgiveness of sins and b) universal resurrection:

• "There will be a General Salvation for all in the sense in which that term is generally used, but salvation, meaning resurrection, is not exaltation" (Stephen L. Richards, Contributions of Joseph Smith, LDS tract, p.5).
• "All men are saved by grace alone without any act on their part, meaning they are resurrected" (Bruce McConkie, What Mormons Think of Christ", LDS tract, p.28).

Thus, when a Mormon speaks of 'salvation by grace', he is usually referring to universal resurrection. Mormons use the term 'exaltation' to refer to attain a place in the highest level of heaven. The Mormon term 'exaltation' is more nearly equivalent to the Biblical term 'salvation'. What do Mormon leaders say about this?

• The Book of Mormon says of salvation: "for we know that is is by grace that we are saved, after all that we can do" (Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 25:23).
• The LDS Third Article of Faith states: "We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel" (Pearl of Great Price: Articles of Faith).
• Joseph Fielding Smith explains what that last phrase means: "that which man merits through his own acts through life and by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel" (Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 1, p.134).
• James Talmage explains: "...redemption from personal sins can only be obtained through obedience to the requirement of the Gospel, and a life of good works" (James Talmage, in A Study of the Articles of Faith).
• Spencer W. Kimball states: "however powerful the saving grace of Christ, it brings exaltation to no man who does not comply with the works of the gospel" (The Miracle of Forgiveness, pg. 207); "Each command we obey sends us another rung up the ladder to perfected manhood and toward godhood; and every law disobeyed is a sliding toward the bottom where man merges into the brute world" (Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, pg. 153); "living all the commandments guarantees total forgiveness of sins and assures one of exaltation...trying is not sufficient. Nor is repentence when one merely tries to abandon sin" (The Miracle of Forgiveness, p.164-165, 354-355).
• Bruce McConkie claimed: "Jesus kept the commandments of his Father and thereby worked out his own salvation, and also set an example as to the way and the means whereby all men may be saved" (The Mortal Messiah, Vol.4, p.434).

What works do they mean? Here are some:

• Baptism for the dead: "The greatest responsibility in this world that God has laid upon us is to seek after our dead...Those saints who neglect it in behalf of their deceased relatives, do it at peril of their own salvation" (Joseph Smith, in Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.356, 196).
• Marriages sealed in the Temple: "Marriage is not only a righteous institution, but obedience to this law [Temple marriage] is absolutely necessary in order to obtain the highest exaltation in the Kingdom of God" (Milton R. Hunter, in Gospel Through the Ages, p.119).
• Keeping the whole law: "To enter the celestial [kingdom] and obtain exaltation, it is necessary that the whole law be kept...Do you desire to enter the celestial Kingdom and receive eternal life? Then be willing to keep all of the commandments" (Joseph Fielding Smith, in The Way to Perfection, p.206).
• Plural marriage: "the doctrine of plural and celestial marriage is the most holy and important doctrine ever revealed to man on earth, and that without obedience to that principle no man can ever attain to the fullness of exaltation in the celestial glory" (William Clayton in Historical Record, p.266); "the only men who become gods, even the Son of God, are those who enter into polygamy" (Brigham Young, in Journal of Discourses, vol. 11, p.269). This doctrine has been downplayed by recent church leaders but its stated requirement for exaltation by the LDS founders can be well documented.

Because these ordinances can only be kept in the Mormon church, that church claims to be the only path to true salvation.

2. According to the Bible, our salvation comes only through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, apart from any work on our part. Mormons accuse Christians of teaching "cheap grace", whereby one can believe in Christ and then live however one pleases. But the Apostle Paul anticipates this response and shows why it is false in Romans chp. 6. Mormons have the same problem with Paul's concept as do many of the cults formed in the first century: it's too simple, too easy, and could be attained by anyone.

A serious problem with the Mormon argument that the 'Christian concept of grace can be easily abused' is that it denies the Biblical promise that anyone who comes to Christ will be transformed by God into a new creation with a new heart created to serve Him by the power of the Holy Spirit:

• "Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away, behold new things have come" (2 Cor. 5:17).
• "Since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him" (Col. 3:10).
• "Be renewed in the spirit of your mind and put on the new self, which in God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth" (Eph. 4:23-24).
• "However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you" (Rom. 8:9).
• "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" (Gal. 2:20).
• "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you, and I will remove the heart of stone...and I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes" (Ezekiel. 36:26-27).

A second problem with the Mormon teaching on salvation is that it reveals a misunderstanding of the place of works in a Christian's life as described in the New Testament.

a. Works do not help us earn God's favor:

• "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes" (Rom. 10:4).
• "I do not frustrate the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died needlessly" (Gal. 2:21).
• "He saved us not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to his mercy" (Titus 3:5).

b. Rather, works that God does through us glorify Him and prove we are Christians:

• "I will show you my faith by my works" (James 2:18).
• "By this all men will know you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (Jn. 13:34).
• "We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren" (1 Jn. 3:14).
• "...that they may be perfected in unity, that the world may know that You [God the Father] sent Me [Jesus] and loved Me" (Jn. 17:23).
• "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Phil. 3:12-13).
• "We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:10).

What is more, salvation by works is not even possible. Why not? First, because even our best deeds are impure and ineffective:

• "our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment" (Is. 64:6).
• We are "justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the law; since by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified" (Gal. 2:16).
• "For the law...can never by the same sacrifices year by year...make perfect those who draw near...but in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins" (Heb. 10:1-4).
• "Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins" (Heb 10:11).
• "For the law made nothing perfect" (Heb 7:19).
• "For if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died needlessly" (Gal. 2:21).
• "For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law" (Gal. 3:21-22).

Second, God's standard is too high for us to attain---absolute perfection:

• "Whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all" (James 2:10).
• Jesus explained that God's standard was much higher than just outward deeds: "Whoever shall say [to his brother] 'you fool' shall be guilty enough to go into the hell of fire" (Matt. 5:22); "Every one who looks on a woman to lust for her has committed adultery with her already in his heart" (Matt. 5:28); "Every careless word that men shall speak, they shall render account for it on the day of judgement" (Matt. 12:36).

If we are all guilty of breaking the whole law, how many good works will it take to redeem us? Therefore, the Bible can make the outrageous and wonderful promise that we can know for sure that we will go to heaven, because the work of redemption by Jesus is complete:

• "These things I have written unto you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life" (1 Jn. 5:13).
• "therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:1).
• "Therefore brethren, we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus" (Heb. 10:19).
• Jesus told his followers who believe that they have eternal life (Jn. 1:12; 5:24; 6:40; 20:31).

That there could be nothing left for us to do is incomprehensible to Mormons. Yet the Bible says we are to rest in the finished work of Christ:

• "For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His (Heb. 4:10).

3. The Mormon church teaches that the 'gospel' consists of Christ's redemptive work plus our obedience to laws, principles, ordinances, and rites.

• The Book of Mormon says of salvation: "for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all that we can do" (Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 25:23).
• The LDS Third Article of Faith states: "We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel" (Pearl of Great Price: Articles of Faith).
• Joseph Fielding Smith states: "man merits through his own acts through life and by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel" (Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 1, p.134).
• Spencer W. Kimball stated: "living all the commandments guarantees total forgiveness of sins and assures one of exaltation...trying is not sufficient. Nor is repentance when one merely tries to abandon sin" (The Miracle of Forgivness, p.164-165, 354-355).

Because these 'ordinances of the gospel' can only be kept in the LDS church, the Mormon church claims to be the only path to true salvation.

4. The Bible teaches that the 'gospel' (good news) is the message of Christ's complete redemptive work. As Paul explains to the church at Corinth, "the gospel which I preached to you, which you also received, in which you also stand, by which you also are saved" (1 Cor. 15:1-2):

• "I also delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time..." (1 Cor. 15:1-6).

And to the church at Rome, Paul says:

• "the gospel of God, which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures concerning His Son, who was born of the seed of David accordng to the flesh, who was declared with power to be the Son of God by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 1:1-4).

Central to this message, as indicated by the highlighted words in the above passages, is the historical, verifiable fact that Christ was raised from the dead (1 Cor. 15:12-14):

• it was the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, validating Jesus as Messiah,
• it was the culmination of His miraculous power, validating Jesus as Messiah,
• it was verified by several sets of witnesses (over 500),
• it confirmed that God accepted Christ's sacrifice for our sins (1 Cor. 15:17),
• it gives us hope for our own resurrection (1Cor. 15:19-20).

Our part is not to perform works in order to gain acceptance, our part is that we believe and receive Jesus Christ, which means placing our total trust in Him for salvation. This is the meaning of the Greek word John used for 'believe' over 50 times in his gospel:

• "Through His name every one who believes in Him has received forgiveness of sins " (Acts 10:43).
• "He who hears my word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and does not come into judgement" (Jn. 5:24).
• "Every one who beholds the Son, and believes in Him, may have eternal life, and I myself will raise him up on the last day" (Jn. 6:40).
• "As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe on His name" (Jn. 1:12).
• "By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God" (Eph. 2:8).

5. Mormons teach that the LDS Church is the only way to enter the highest heaven.

• The Mormon scriptures state: "this church [Joseph Smith's]... only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth" (Doctrine and Covenants, 1:30).
• Apostle Bruce McConkie states: "There is no salvation outside The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" (Mormon Doctrine, p.670).
• Marion Romney (speaking as a member of the LDS First Presidency) said, "This Church is the ensign on the mountain spoken of by the Old Testament prophets. It is the way, the truth, and the life" (Conference Report, April, 1961, pg. 119).
• Mormon president and prophet Brigham Young declared: "he that confesseth not that Jesus has come in the flesh and sent Joseph Smith with the fullness of the Gospel to this generation, is not of God, but is anti-christ" (Journal of Discourses, vol.9, p.312).
• Mormon president and prophet Ezra Taft Benson stated: "This is not just another Church. This is not just one of a family of Christian churches. This is THE Church and kingdom of God, THE only true Church upon the face of the earth..." (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p.164-165).

What is more, Mormon leaders have taught that Joseph Smith must give his consent before anyone can enter heaven:

• [There is] "no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith" (Joseph Fielding Smith, in Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 1, p.190).
• "No man or woman in this dispensation will ever enter into the celestial kingdom of God without the consent of Joseph Smith" (Brigham Young, in Journal of Discourses, vol. 7, p.289).
• Bruce McConkie states: "If it had not been for Joseph Smith and the restoration, there would be no salvation" (Mormon Doctrine, p.670).
• Joseph Fielding Smith said: "If Joseph Smith was verily a prophet, and if he told the truth...no man can reject that testimony without incurring the most dreadful consequences, for he cannot enter the kingdom of God" (Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 1, p.190).
• Brigham Young stated: "every man and woman must have the certificate of Joseph Smith, junior, as a passport to their entrance into the mansion where God and Christ are" (Journal of Discourses, vol. 7, p.289).
• George Q. Cannon: "If we get our salvation, we shall have to pass by him [Joseph Smith]; if we enter our glory, it will be through the authority he has received. We cannot get around him [Joseph Smith]" (quoted in the Melchizedek Priesthood Study Guide, p. 142, 1988).

Any true Christian should be appalled by these statements because they undermine the completed and accepted sacrifice of Christ.

6. The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to God and heaven.

• Jesus said: "I am THE way, THE truth, and THE life; no one comes to the Father but through Me" (Jn. 14:6).
• "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name [Jesus] under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
• "For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and man, the man Christ Jesus" (1 Tim 2:5).

7. The Mormon church teaches there are three levels to heaven, and only those who are worthy LDS members will attain the highest level:

• Telestial Kingdom - is where unbelievers go: "These are they who received not the gospel of Christ, neither the testimony of Jesus...who receive not his fullness in the eternal world", but shall be "redeemed from the devil [at] the last resurrection" (Doctrine and Covenants 76: 82-86).
• Terrestrial Kingdom - is for religious people who aren't Mormons and for Mormons who have not met the requirements of the Church, i.e., "Honorable men of the earth who are blinded by the craftiness of men and who therefore do not accept and live the gospel law" (Mormon Doctrine, p. 784). While this level is not as desirable as the Celestial Kingdom, the presence of the Son is evident there: "These are they who receive of his glory but not of his fulness... the presence of the Son, but not the fullness of the Father...who are not valiant in the testimony of Jesus...they obtain not the crown over the kingdom of God" (Doctrine and Covenants 76: 76-79).
• Celestial Kingdom - is for Mormons who have kept ALL of the laws and ordinances of their church: "These are they who received the testimony of Jesus, and believed on his name and were baptized...in the water...keeping the commandments that they might be washed and cleansed from all their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit ..." (Doctrine and Covenants 76: 51-57).; "they are gods, even the sons of God...these shall dwell in the presence of God and his Christ forever...whose names are written in heaven" (Doctrine and Covenants 76: 58-68).

What will the celestial kingdom supposedly be like for a good Mormon? He will be a god and he will rule over a planet with his wives and spirit children.

Incidentally, the Mormon doctrine about the three levels of heaven is derived from two verses in the Bible, 2 Cor. 12:2 and 1 Cor. 15:40, where the Apostle Paul refers to different degrees of glory (see below) and to someone (presumably himself) as being caught up in the "third heaven". Mormon leaders have completely misinterpreted and misconstrued these verses to mean that there are three levels of heaven. The additional "revelation" from which they get the three levels supposedly came to Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon on Feb. 16, 1832 as recorded in Section 76 of the Doctrine and Covenants.

8. The Bible describes only one heaven as a believer's reward. Heaven is the place where:

• Only true believers in Christ will be allowed entrance (Hebrews 12:23; John 3:16-21; Rev. 2:11; 20:6).
• Believers will abide with God for all eternity in His presence. The light of the Lamb will fill it (Rev. 21:23).
• Entrance will not be attained by works.

The Bible does use the term for 'heaven' in three ways, although it never distinguishes between 3 levels relevant to our eternal destiny:

• A 'first' heaven is the earth's atmosphere: "The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands" (Deut. 28:12). See also Deut. 11:17; Judges 5:4; Acts 14:17.
• A 'second' heaven is outer space (sun, moon and stars stars): "They will be exposed to the sun and the moon and all the stars of the heavens which they have loved and served" (Jeremiah 8:2). See also Ps. 19:4,6; Is. 13:10.
• A 'third' heaven is the dwelling place of God: "then hear from heaven, your dwelling place" (1 Kings 8:30). See also Ps. 2:4; Matt. 5:16.

There will be different degrees of reward in heaven, which are then cast at Jesus' feet (Rev. 4:4,10), but all who are there will be with Christ (Rev. 22:4-5).

9. Mormon leaders teach that there is no eternal hell. Although the Book of Mormon mentions a literal, everlasting hell (e.g. 2 Nephi 28), later 'revelations' to church leaders teach the concept of a "preparatory stage between death and a final judgement", similar to the Catholic concept of purgatory.

• John A Widtsoe, Mormon Apostle states: "The meanest sinner will find some place in the heavenly realm...In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there is no Hell. All will find a measure of salvation" (Joseph Smith-Seeker After Truth, p.177-178, 1951).
• Mormon historian B.H. Roberts explains: "Christians believed that to receive eternal punishment was to be punished eternally. This popular Christian error was corrected in a revelation" (Outlines of Ecclesiastical History, p.408).
• One of the Mormon 'revelations' states: "Nevertheless, it is not written that there shall be no end to this torment" (Doctrine and Covenants 19:6).
• Joseph Fielding Smith explains the meaning of that passage: "We learn from the Doctrine and Covenants that eternal punishment, or everlasting punishment, does not mean that a man condemned will endure this punishment forever" (Doctrines of Salvation, vol.2, p.160).

Mormons claim that the inhabitants of hell will receive a second chance at redemption:

• Joseph Fielding Smith stated: "Every man who hears the gospel message is under obligation to receive it. If he fails, then in the spirit world he will be called upon to receive it" (Doctrines of Salvation, vol.2, p.183).
• Joseph Fielding Smith also stated: "they will first go to hell and remain there until the corruption with which they are impregnated is burnt out; and the day will yet come when they will come to me and acknowledge me as their Savior, and I will redeem them and bring them forth from hell" (Journal of Discourses, vol.3, p.109).
• Joseph Smith claimed to receive a 'revelation' showing him that: "These are they who are thrust down into hell...who shall not be redeemed from the devil until the last resurrection" (Doctrine and Covenants 76: 84-85).

Mormons also teach that a special place called perdition is reserved "for Satan, and the Sons of Perdition, angels who rebelled with him and also for men who commit the unpardonable sin" (Talmage, A Study of the Articles of Faith).

10. The Bible warns that a real and eternal hell awaits those who do not trust in Christ in this life. In fact, of the 24 times hell is referenced in the New Testament, 22 of those were made by Jesus (McElveen).

• Those who will go to hell include every person who does not place trusting faith in Christ for redemption from their sins (John 3:18).
• Jesus specifically described how real hell is for unbelievers (Matt. 8:12, 25:41-46).
• It is eternal separation from God in a painful and final state (Rev. 14:10-11; 2 Thess. 1:9).
• It is, in actuality, a second death (Rev. 21:8).

The Bible does not speak of any opportunity to obtain salvation after rejecting Christ in this life; rather it says:

• "it is appointed for men to die once, and after this comes judgement" (Heb. 9:27).

11. Mormon leaders teach that 'salvation' is universal. This is in addition to, and distinct from, the biblical concept that "there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked" (Acts 24:15). To Mormons, salvation is equated with resurrection:

• John A Widtsoe states: "In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there is no Hell. All will find a measure of salvation" (Joseph Smith-Seeker After Truth, p.177-178, 1951).
• James Talmage states: "Even the unbeliever, the heathen, and the child who dies before reaching the years of discretion, all are redeemed by the Savior's self-sacrifice from the individual consequences of the fall (A Study of the Articles of Faith, p.58).
• Joseph Fielding Smith again: "Those who live lives of wickedness may also be heirs of salvation, that is, they too shall be redeemed from death and from hell eventually" (Doctrines of Salvation, vol.2, p.133).

12. The Bible teaches that salvation is only for those who trust in Christ.

John uses the word "believe" at least 55 times in his gospel, including the following references to salvation:

• "He who hears my word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and does not come into judgement" (Jn. 5:24).
• "Every one who beholds the Son, and believes in Him, may have eternal life, and I myself will raise him up on the last day" (Jn. 6:40).
• "As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe on His name" (Jn. 1:12).
• "He who believes has eternal life" (Jn. 6:47).
• "He who believes in the Son has eternal life" (John 3:36).
• "Whoever believes may in Him have eternal life" (Jn. 3:15).
• "Whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life" (Jn. 3:16).

In the sense that the apostle John used the Greek word for believe, he did not mean mere intellectual ascension, but placing our total trust in Jesus for salvation. That is why, in the same context, Jesus used other verbs to indicate a definite action on the believer's part:

• ""Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst" (Jn. 4:14).
• "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life" (Jn. 5:54).
• "This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die" (Jn. 6:50).
• "Unless you eat of the flesh of the Son of Man and drink of His blood you have no life in yourselves" (Jn. 6:53).
• "This is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent" (Jn. 17:2).

13. The Mormon church teaches that the dead outside of Christ can get to heaven (albeit the terrestial kingdom) by proxy baptism. Mormons believe that there is a "paradise" or spirit world where all will go after death. In this spirit world, there are missionaries who give people one more chance to accept or reject the message of Mormonism. If one accepts, they are baptized by proxy into the church here on earth. This ceremony is performed in one of the LDS temples and is the primary reason why Mormons research and keep genealogical records (Doctrine and Covenants section 128).

• "And the chosen messengers went forth to declare...Thus was the gospel preached to those who had died in their sins, without a knowledge of the truth, or in transgression, having rejected the prophets. These were taught faith in God, repentance from sin, vicarious baptism for the remission of sins...and all other principles of the gospel that were necessary for them to know in order to qualify themselves...and so it was made known among the dead" (Doctrine and Covenants 138:31-35).
• "The greatest responsibility in this world that God has laid upon us is to seek after our dead...Those saints who neglect it in behalf of their deceased relatives, do it at peril of their own salvation" (Joseph Smith, in Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.356, 196).
• "These are the principles in relation to the dead and the living...their salvation is necessary and essential to our salvation...they without us cannot be made perfect---neither can we without our dead be made perfect...there is a welding link of some kind or other between the fathers and the children...it is baptism for the dead. For we without them cannot be made perfect" (Doctrine and Covenants 128:15,18).

This doctrine is derived from one verse in the Bible (1 Cor. 15:29) where Paul refers to a fringe group practicing baptism for the dead. Even the Encyclopedia of Mormonism (published by the LDS church) admits: "He [Paul] refers to a practice of vicarious baptism, a practice for which we have no other evidence in the Pauline or other New Testament or early Christian writings", and also agrees with the interpretation that it is not a doctrine Paul advocates: "Paul clearly refers to a distinct group within the Church, a group that he accuses of inconsistency between ritual and doctrine".

14. The Bible teaches that this life is our only chance to receive Christ.

• "It is appointed for men to die once, and after this comes judgement" (Heb. 9:27).
• "An hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs shall hear His voice, and shall come forth, those who committed the good deeds, to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgement" (Jn. 5:28-29).
• "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him" (John 3:36).

Mormons may ask 'then what does 1 Cor. 15:29 mean?'

• "Otherwise, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them?" (1 Cor. 15:29).

This verse must be understood in the context of the whole passage. Paul raises the subject of baptism in the context of expressing his concern about party factions among the Christians at Corinth (1 Cor. 1:14-17). Rather than endorsing baptism for the dead, Paul associates it with a group (perhaps the Marchionite sect) whom he has already identified (15:12) as being in deep error. He is saying that even this group, who deny the resurrection, are baptizing for the dead in anticipation of resurrection.

The impersonal manner in which Paul refers to practitioners of proxy baptism also indicates he is not endorsing the practice: "what will those do who are baptized for the dead...why then are they baptized for them?" The impersonal 'they' contrasts markedly with the way Paul addresses believers in the same chapter, as 'you' (v. 1, 2, 3, 11, 12, 14, 17, 31, 34, 36, 51, 58), or 'we', or 'us' (15: 3, 15, 19, 30, 32, 49, 51, 52). In the context of 15:29, 'they' refers to the ones who are denying the resurrection, the ones the entire passage is written to refute (15:12).

This is exactly the understanding of the text held by the early Christian writer Tertullian. Writing about A.D. 180, he makes this comment on 1 Cor. 15:29 — "His [Paul’s] only aim in alluding to it was that he might all the more firmly insist upon the resurrection of the body, in proportion as they who were vainly baptized for the dead resorted to the practice from their belief of such a resurrection". The apostle Peter accurately predicted that Paul's words would be misinterpreted and misconstrued by some:

• "Our beloved brother Paul...wrote to you, as also in all his letters...in which there are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction" (2 Peter 3:15-16).