Mormonism: A Comprehensive Biblical and Theological Evaluation of the Teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

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Mormonism, formally known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), originated in early 19th-century America through the teachings of Joseph Smith (1805–1844 C.E.). With over 17 million adherents worldwide today, Mormonism claims to be the restoration of true Christianity, alleging that the historic church became apostate after the death of the apostles. Its scriptures include not only the Bible (as far as it is “translated correctly,” according to their Articles of Faith), but also the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and The Pearl of Great Price—all texts that originated with Joseph Smith and his successors.

Despite its self-identification as Christian, Mormonism promotes doctrines that radically depart from biblical Christianity on almost every essential theological issue: the nature of God, the person and work of Christ, the authority of Scripture, the means of salvation, and the ultimate destiny of humanity. This article critically evaluates Mormon beliefs through the lens of Scripture, employing a literal, grammatical-historical interpretation and upholding the inerrancy and sufficiency of the Bible. Mormonism must be confronted not merely as a different denomination, but as a theological system fundamentally incompatible with biblical revelation.

Origins and Foundational Claims

Mormonism officially began in 1830 with the publication of the Book of Mormon. Joseph Smith claimed to have received a series of revelations from God, beginning in 1820 with what he called the “First Vision,” in which God the Father and Jesus allegedly appeared to him, declaring that all existing Christian denominations were “an abomination” and that their “creeds were an abomination in [God’s] sight.”

Illustration representing the origins and beliefs of Mormonism, featuring Joseph Smith, the golden plates, and key moments like the First Vision.

In 1823, Smith claimed an angel named Moroni directed him to a set of golden plates buried near Palmyra, New York. These plates were said to contain the history of ancient Israelites who had migrated to the Americas. Smith translated them by means of “seer stones,” and the result was the Book of Mormon, which claims to be “Another Testament of Jesus Christ.”

Smith later produced other revelatory texts, Doctrine and Covenants (containing alleged prophecies and revelations from God) and The Pearl of Great Price, which includes the Book of Moses, the Book of Abraham, and Smith’s own translation of portions of the Bible. These documents, rather than the Bible alone, form the doctrinal core of Mormonism.

The Nature of God: A Doctrine in Direct Conflict with Scripture

One of the most blasphemous and unbiblical teachings of Mormonism is its doctrine of God. According to Joseph Smith and subsequent LDS prophets, God the Father is an exalted man of flesh and bone who was once a mortal being on another planet. He progressed to godhood and now rules this world. This teaching is encapsulated in the famous couplet by fifth LDS President Lorenzo Snow: “As man now is, God once was; as God now is, man may become.”

Smith declared in Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith:

“God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens… we have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea.” (p. 345)

Such a view is diametrically opposed to the God of the Bible. Scripture declares:

“Before the mountains were born, or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.” (Psalm 90:2)
“I am Jehovah, and there is no other; besides me there is no God.” (Isaiah 45:5)
“God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:24)

The Bible teaches that God is eternal, immutable, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. He was not a man who became God, but is the uncreated Creator of all things (Genesis 1:1; Colossians 1:16). Mormonism’s portrayal of God as a former man who attained deity through exaltation is a pagan fiction wholly foreign to biblical theology.

The Person of Christ: A Distorted Christology

In LDS theology, Jesus Christ is the literal “firstborn spirit child” of Heavenly Father and one of his spirit wives. He is the elder brother of Lucifer and all human beings, who were likewise born as spirit-children before coming to earth. Jesus became a god through obedience and now serves as the Savior of humanity by providing a way for them to be exalted and become gods themselves.

This is a grotesque distortion of the biblical Jesus. The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is the eternal, uncreated Son of God who has always existed as God. He is coequal with the Father and the Holy Spirit (John 1:1–3; Colossians 1:15–17; Hebrews 1:1–3).

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)
“For in him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.” (Colossians 2:9)
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)

Mormonism reduces Jesus to a created being who attained divinity—again, in contradiction to Scripture. Furthermore, its teaching that Jesus and Satan are spiritual siblings is heretical in the highest degree, as it places the holy Son of God in the same category as the rebellious fallen angel, Lucifer.

Scripture and Authority: Denial of Biblical Sufficiency

Mormonism officially accepts the Bible as Scripture “insofar as it is translated correctly” (Article of Faith #8). This conditional affirmation opens the door for the LDS Church to dismiss any biblical passage that contradicts its doctrines. In practice, the Bible is subordinate to the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and The Pearl of Great Price, as well as to the ongoing revelations of modern LDS prophets.

This approach contradicts the biblical testimony regarding the sufficiency and finality of Scripture:

“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16)
“The faith… was once for all handed down to the saints.” (Jude 3)
“Do not add to his words or he will reprove you, and you will be found a liar.” (Proverbs 30:6)

God’s Word is sufficient, complete, and enduring. The idea that the church fell into apostasy and needed restoration through Joseph Smith is without any biblical foundation. Jesus promised that He would build His church and that “the gates of Hades will not overpower it” (Matthew 16:18). The notion of a total apostasy is both theologically untenable and historically unfounded.

Salvation and Exaltation: A Works-Based Gospel

In LDS theology, salvation is a multi-tiered process. First, all people will be resurrected (general salvation), but to enter the highest level of heaven—the Celestial Kingdom—one must be baptized (preferably by LDS priesthood authority), keep commandments, receive temple ordinances, and live a morally upright life. Ultimately, exalted individuals may become gods and rule over their own worlds.

Joseph Smith taught:

“Here, then, is eternal life—to know the only wise and true God; and you have got to learn how to be gods yourselves… the same as all gods have done before you.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 346)

This is not Christianity. It is self-deification. The Bible teaches that salvation is by grace through faith, not of works, and that no one can become a god:

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8–9)
“You are my witnesses,” declares Jehovah, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me there was no God formed, and there will be none after me.” (Isaiah 43:10)

The biblical gospel is the message of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, whose death and resurrection alone provide atonement for sin. Mormonism’s gospel is a man-centered system of works-righteousness that aims not at reconciliation with God, but at godhood itself.

The Nature of Humanity: Preexistence and Eternal Progression

Mormonism teaches that all humans existed as spirit-children of God in a pre-mortal realm and were sent to earth to gain physical bodies and prove themselves worthy of exaltation. This is a doctrine entirely without biblical support. Nowhere does the Bible teach the preexistence of souls or that human beings are gods-in-training.

Genesis 2:7 teaches that man became a living soul when God formed his body and breathed life into him—there is no mention of pre-mortal existence. 1 Corinthians 15:46 makes clear: “The spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual.”

Human beings are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), but they are creatures, not divine. The desire to become like God is precisely the temptation Satan used in the garden (Genesis 3:5). Mormonism recasts Satan’s original lie as God’s plan for humanity.

The Afterlife: Three Heavens and Degrees of Glory

Mormon eschatology teaches that there are three degrees of glory—Celestial, Terrestrial, and Telestial kingdoms—into which all people will be sorted after judgment. Only the most faithful Mormons will achieve exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom and become gods.

This view is based on a misinterpretation of 1 Corinthians 15:40–41, which refers to differing glories of heavenly and earthly bodies, not to different levels of postmortem reward. The Bible teaches a binary afterlife: eternal life or eternal punishment (Matthew 25:46; John 5:28–29; Revelation 20:11–15).

There is no biblical support for a tiered heaven system. The teaching of multiple heavens based on merit is an invention designed to validate the LDS works-based system.

Conclusion

Mormonism is not a form of Christianity; it is a false religion that denies the foundational doctrines of biblical faith. It redefines God, diminishes Christ, adds to Scripture, preaches a false gospel, and deceives millions with promises of exaltation that echo the original lie of the serpent: “You will be like God” (Genesis 3:5).

Faithful Christians must reject Mormonism entirely and contend earnestly for the faith delivered once for all to the saints (Jude 3). Only the Bible—God’s inspired, inerrant, and sufficient Word—reveals the true gospel: that sinners can be justified by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, to the glory of God alone.

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About the Author

EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored over 220+ books. In addition, Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).