I am not Mormon. I am just curious about this: Jesus came to save people of all their sins. How is it then that people can still go to hell for their sins, if Jesus has saved them?
3 Responses to “I am not Mormon. I am just curious about this: Jesus…”
Vicente Bravo
2013-12-08 14:37:34
For members of the church, Jesus Christ is the divine Son of God, our Savior and Redeemer through whom salvation is made possible. Properly accepting Him includes having faith in His saving power and doing the things He's asked us to do. (Reflections of Christ)
Hi friend. I'm happy you posted your question here. You actually raise several important issues. First, Mormons don't really believe in "hell" in the traditional sense (a place of fire and brimstone where a large percentage of humanity will suffer eternally). Rather, we see the afterlife as "many mansions" (John 14:2) where people are allowed to progress spiritually according to their acceptance of Christ's grace through both their faith and their works.
While it's true that there are on rare occasions people who are so wicked that they won't be given any opportunity to progress spiritually in the next life (i.e., they will be "damned," just like a damn hinders the progress of a river), the vast majority of God's children, Mormon and non-Mormon alike, will be given at least some opportunity to progress. Mormons try to be good people not so much because we fear hell, but rather because we want to have the best opportunity (through Christ) to progress spiritually after death. We're motivated by hope for the future, not fear of punishment.
Jesus did come to save us from our sins. For Mormons, being "saved" in this context means being allowed to progress spiritually despite our own moral weaknesses. No matter how good we are, we human beings will never "deserve" salvation. Our good works are never sufficient to "earn" a place in heaven because they can never compensate for our fallen natures. That's why we so desperately need Christ.
At the same time, though, salvation isn't automatic either. We have to accept Christ as our Savior to be saved. Now, what does accepting Christ really entail? Do we just need to say pretty words and feel pretty feelings? No. We truly accept Christ when we do His will, when we follow His commandments. The words "disciple" and "discipline" have the same root.
Good Mormons work hard to accept Christ through both their faith and their works. That way they'll receive His saving grace and gain the opportunity to progress spiritually after death, unhindered by their own sins.
I hope this answer helps.
John
2013-12-05 06:44:21
Jesus Christ is central to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which bears His name.
I think this is a thoughtful question. Thanks for asking it! The goal that God has for us in this life Is to grow, be happy, and one day return to live with Him. With regard to returning to live with Him, though, there is a balance of justice and mercy. We cannot live there (nor would be feel comfortable there) unless we were completely clean and free from sin. However, none of us is. Justice dictates that this would prevent us from having that privilege of being with God, our Heavenly Father, again.
The Savior offers us a chance to be freed from this penalty. This is called mercy. His teaching is that if we repent and follow Him, He will pay the price for us. Repent means to desire to leave behind our wrong choices, to ask God's forgiveness in prayer, and then not make those bad choices again. By doing so, we are freed from those mistakes and given a fresh start. If we do not repent and do our best to keep Christ's commandments, we cannot receive His mercy, and we are (sadly but fairly) subject to justice.
Jesus came as the ultimate symbol of God's love, to offer us the gift of salvation. However, we must follow His instructions to receive it. As we try our best, He is generous with His forgiveness, and His grace will make up for anything missing beyond our best efforts.
Pamela Bonta
2013-12-04 06:25:28
Hello friend. God does not force us to accept him or his plan for us. Part of that plan was that Jesus would atone for all of our sins, meaning that if we accept him as our saviour our sins will be forgiven. I think you would be interested in reading more about the atonement here and also about Heavenly Father's plan for us here. God bless.
While it's true that there are on rare occasions people who are so wicked that they won't be given any opportunity to progress spiritually in the next life (i.e., they will be "damned," just like a damn hinders the progress of a river), the vast majority of God's children, Mormon and non-Mormon alike, will be given at least some opportunity to progress. Mormons try to be good people not so much because we fear hell, but rather because we want to have the best opportunity (through Christ) to progress spiritually after death. We're motivated by hope for the future, not fear of punishment.
Jesus did come to save us from our sins. For Mormons, being "saved" in this context means being allowed to progress spiritually despite our own moral weaknesses. No matter how good we are, we human beings will never "deserve" salvation. Our good works are never sufficient to "earn" a place in heaven because they can never compensate for our fallen natures. That's why we so desperately need Christ.
At the same time, though, salvation isn't automatic either. We have to accept Christ as our Savior to be saved. Now, what does accepting Christ really entail? Do we just need to say pretty words and feel pretty feelings? No. We truly accept Christ when we do His will, when we follow His commandments. The words "disciple" and "discipline" have the same root.
Good Mormons work hard to accept Christ through both their faith and their works. That way they'll receive His saving grace and gain the opportunity to progress spiritually after death, unhindered by their own sins.
I hope this answer helps.
The Savior offers us a chance to be freed from this penalty. This is called mercy. His teaching is that if we repent and follow Him, He will pay the price for us. Repent means to desire to leave behind our wrong choices, to ask God's forgiveness in prayer, and then not make those bad choices again. By doing so, we are freed from those mistakes and given a fresh start. If we do not repent and do our best to keep Christ's commandments, we cannot receive His mercy, and we are (sadly but fairly) subject to justice.
Jesus came as the ultimate symbol of God's love, to offer us the gift of salvation. However, we must follow His instructions to receive it. As we try our best, He is generous with His forgiveness, and His grace will make up for anything missing beyond our best efforts.