Eve: If Justin knew anything at all about Jesus, he would have immediately answered with a strong “Yes!” I heard Mormons aren’t Christians, but I’ve known Justin for awhile, and I think he knows at least a little bit about what Jesus did for us. … “Are you born again? Have you been saved?” It’s OK if he has some weird beliefs, as long as he’s born again. If Justin knows he’s saved, if he’s got the assurance of his salvation, then that means he’s repented of his sins and placed his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Then he’s a Christian, no matter what church or denomination he attends.
Justin: How can I be so prideful to say that I am guaranteed entrance into the Celestial Kingdom? I know the Atonement of Christ will cleanse me if I repent of my sins and bring forth fruits showing repentance. But I cannot be absolutely sure that I will not sin again. I don’t want to be boastful. I’d better be positive, yet stay on safe ground … “I hope so.”
Eve: ‘I hope so??’ There is no way Justin can be a Christian if he doesn’t even understand the plan of salvation. That must be why he’s hesitating when he answers these simple basic questions. Lord, how can I help him understand that you must repent of your sins and place your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved? “Justin, if you were to die tonight, what do you think would happen to you?”
Justin: “Well, I’m a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints…”
Eve: It doesn’t matter what name you stick on the door of your church. What matters is if you personally place your faith in Christ! This is the first time he’s even mentioned the Name of Jesus. If Justin knew and loved Jesus, he wouldn’t talk about his church, he’d talk about Jesus! Dear God, Justin’s farther from You than what I thought!
Justin: “ … and we believe that the Atonement of Christ has provided immortality for all mankind, and eternal life for those who will repent and come unto Christ. The temple is a holy place where we can go and make eternal covenants so we can return and live with Heavenly Father with our families forever.” This is a really good opportunity to bear my testimony. I wonder why Eve looks so stressed? Why does this seem so hard? Why do I feel this confusion? Heavenly Father, help me. I pray in Jesus’ name.
Eve: ‘The Atonement of Christ’? ‘Come unto Christ’? – Justin sounds like he’s trying to distance himself from Jesus! If he knew Jesus, he’d know how loving He is, how awesome He is. He’d want to draw near to Him! OK, I’ve got to calm down. Anger does not achieve the purposes of God. Remember God hates the sin, but loves the sinner. The Lord loves Justin, and He loves me. Love is the only way to reach someone. If I can remember this, I can stay calm. Jesus, help me!
Justin: I want to bear strong testimony. “I know Jesus is the Christ.” Why do I feel this tension? Eve’s not getting angry or contentious. I know that she’s the same sect – she’s the same religion as Michael, and he got furious when I tried to bear testimony to him last month. I want to keep this simple and peaceful so that Eve can feel the Spirit as we talk.
Eve: OK, it looks like maybe Justin knows something about Jesus. But why would he say ‘Jesus is the Christ’? That’s so weird sounding. He also mentioned our Heavenly Father. I believe in the Father, and in the Son, and in the Holy Ghost, which is one God. I think I read that Mormons don’t believe in the Godhead. “Do you believe in the Trinity?”
Justin: No. Heavenly Father is separate and distinct from Jesus Christ. The Savior is a separate and distinct Personage from the Holy Spirit. Of course They are united as one in purpose; They work in deep covenant together. They are all part of the Godhead. But there is no way They are all blended together in some nebulous oneness called ‘the Trinity.’ “No. We don’t believe in the Trinity.”
Eve: Yikes! O dear God, help me stay calm, and remember that Justin is Your kid, and You love him … If he doesn’t believe in the Trinity, I wonder which Person of the Godhead he doesn’t believe in? He mentioned God the Father. He talked about the Atonement of Christ, so he must know something about Jesus. He probably doesn’t know the Holy Spirit, because he hasn’t talked about Him yet. But lots of Christians don’t really know the Holy Spirit. I remember I didn’t really recognize the Holy Spirit until a couple of years after I got saved. But every Christian believes in the Trinity. Justin must have this view of God as some gaseous spirit-like substance that morphs back and forth between the three Persons of the Godhead. He must believe in some kind of untouchable spirit-cloud mass of weird God Beings. That’s gross. Lord, how can I help him understand the Trinity? If I focus on Jesus, maybe I can help him see how awesome the Lord is, and His incredible plans for us. “What do you believe about Jesus?”
Justin: “He is the Christ. He is the Savior. Through the Atonement, He has provided immortality for all mankind. Lord, help Eve feel the Spirit.
Eve: Why does Justin call Him ‘the Christ’ and ‘the Savior” instead of “Jesus” “our Lord” or “my Savior”? It sounds so standoffish and aloof. He must not understand the awesome price that Jesus paid for us at Calvary, because he keeps saying ‘the Atonement.’ Why would he want to distance himself from Jesus? Hasn’t Justin felt Jesus close to him at times? And what’s this ‘immortality for all mankind’ he keeps talking about? How can anyone in their right mind believe that Jesus automatically purchased entrance into Heaven for everybody, even those who refuse to repent of their sins? He obviously doesn’t understand that we must repent and come to Jesus. Only through Him can we be saved. Since he doesn’t believe in the Trinity, he probably doesn’t know that Jesus is God.
Justin: Eve seems confused. Maybe I should go back to where we started. “We go to the temple to make covenants so that our families can be together forever. If I am true and faithful to my covenants, and endure to the end, I can, through Christ’s Atonement be resurrected with an immortal body and receive a degree of glory, hopefully the Celestial Kingdom.”
Eve: ‘Endure to the end’? Oh dear God, that’s HORRIBLE! What a bondage! Oh! I feel sick inside for Justin. He doesn’t know Jesus. And why does he keep talking about a temple? A temple is just a building. What only matters is if the Lord shows up. There’s no way Justin understands anything about the Gospel and how to be saved if all he can do is hope for some ‘Celestial Kingdom.’ Lord, help me! I’ve got to remember to stick to the Word of God; it gives life …“The Bible says in Ephesians 2:8-9 “By grace you are saved through faith, not a result of works, lest any man should boast.” I know it’s by God’s grace that we are saved. There is nothing we can do that can earn us salvation. I’ve heard that you’re a Mormon. Do Mormons believe the Bible?
Justin: “Yes, we believe the Bible to be the word of God, as far as it is translated correctly. The Book of Mormon says ‘It is by grace we are saved after all we can do.’ ” We need to show by our actions that we have truly repented of our sins. Just saying a quick prayer isn’t good enough. We also need to do good works which include; sincere prayer, coupled with repentance, humility, placing our faith in Christ, and trying to make restitution if we have sinned against others. These are necessary works to show that we are sincere in our request for forgiveness. After we have done all of these things, when we come unto Christ, and ask in humble prayer, His Atonement will cleanse us from our sins.
Eve: ‘After all we can do’? What matters is what Jesus Christ did! There is no way we can be saved without Jesus. Placing our faith in Christ is what counts. And ‘as far as it is translated correctly’? The Bible is God’s Holy Word. How could anyone who loves the Lord doubt His Word? Lord, I guess there’s no way Justin can be a Christian if he doesn’t even believe the Bible. That means Justin doesn’t understand about prayer, repentance or placing your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Maybe I’d better find out what he does believe. Dear Father, please help me share Jesus with Justin. I want him to be able to be born again