This is my seventh and last post on the subject of Grudem’s criticisms of the restored Church of Jesus Christ and its doctrines, in which his last two points (9 and 10) will be addressed. His ninth criticism is presented under the following subheading:
“9. The Afterlife Involves Heaven and Hell, Not Three Degrees of Glory”
The first thing to note here is that the “three degrees of glory” pertains to heaven only, and does not rule out hell. It doesn’t mean that there is no hell. It is a description of what heaven looks like; it is not a denial of hell. Then he continues as follows:
“According to Mormon teaching, after this life people will end up in one of three kingdoms: …”
Not entirely; there is also a hell. See above. He continues:
“… the ‘celestial kingdom’ which ‘is inhabited by faithful Mormons. … On this level people can attain ultimate exaltation to godhood.’ The second level is ‘the terrestrial kingdom,’ which is reserved for ‘non-Mormons who live moral lives as well as ‘less than valiant’ Mormons.’ The third level is the ‘telestial kingdom,’ which is ‘where the majority of people go.’”
Like I said, there is also a hell, which is not the same as any of the above. Then he continues:
“But Christian teaching, which is faithful to Scripture, teaches that there will be a final judgment, and after that people will end up in either heaven or hell forever (see chapters 56–57).”
Not entirely correct either. Some passages of scripture tend to paint a black-and-white picture of the afterlife like that, but there are also passages that tell a different story. The Bible teaches that not everyone who goes to heaven receives the same reward, nor all who go to hell receive the same punishment. Jesus said, “In my Father’s house are many mansions” (John 14:2). Some receive greater rewards in heaven than others (Matt. 5:12; 6:1; Luke 6:23); and some are punished with fewer “stripes” in hell than others (Luke 12:47–48). For some, hell is permanent; but for others, it is temporary. Some “come out thence” after they have paid the “uttermost farthing” (Matt. 5:26). Some will not be forgiven either in this life or in the next (Matt. 5:26). The implication of the last quote is that there are also sins that can be forgiven in the “world to come”. It is not a “one size fits all,” as in the heresy of Calvinistic, “Reformed,” and Evangelical theology. And the last point he brings up is expressed under the following subheading:
“10. Jesus Changed My Life Forever”
Which he then elaborates on as follows:
“After pointing out these nine differences between Mormonism and Christianity, Ron Rhodes emphasizes the importance of personal testimony. He says, ‘I bring this up because in your personal testimony to a Mormon, a pivotal part of it must be that you are sure of going to heaven precisely because you have a personal relationship with Christ. You have meaning in your present life not because you obey rules (like the massive list of rules the Mormon must heed during mortality), but because you are Christian. Indeed, you have a personal relationship with Christ.’”
LOL! There is no “massive list”. Mormons believe in repenting of their sins, doing good in their lives, and keeping the commandments of God (as taught in the Bible), which evidently these guys don’t believe in.
Matthew 7:
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Titus 2:
14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
“Doing good” is a repeat prescription for all true believers, followers, and disciples of Jesus Christ, according to the Bible (Psalms 34:14; Micah 6:8; Matthew 5:43–44; Luke 6:27, 33–36; Galatians 6:9–10; 1 Timothy 6:17–19; Hebrews 13:16; 1 Peter 3:10–11; James 4:17)—but not for Calvinists, Evangelicals, and “Reformed” Christians! To them, “doing good” is a sin! That is “works,” and you are damned! And Latter-day Saints have a better “personal relationship with Christ” than he thinks he does. Then he continues:
“Certainly the idea that we can have an individual, personal relationship with Christ himself is found in many places in the New Testament (see chapter 35), with references to a number of passages that talk about placing our trust in Christ as a living person. An invitation to such a relationship was beautifully expressed in Jesus’ words to the church in Laodicea, words that could also be spoken by Jesus to any of our Mormon friends today: ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me’ (Rev. 3:20). Or this invitation, from Matthew’s gospel: ‘Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light’ (Matt. 11:28–30).”
Nice sounding words. All well and good. There is only one problem with it, however. It overlooks the following passages of scripture:
Matthew 7:
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
• • •
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Spreading falsehoods and lies about other people’s beliefs is not an example of “bearing good fruit”. They fail the test of “bearing good fruit.” Therefore they must be rejected as false teachers and wolves in sheep’s clothing. “By their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20).
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P. S.
Since I posted my series of messages on Wayne Grudem’s criticisms of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have been searching the Internet, and discovered that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease for some time, which means that he may not be in a fit state of mind to make an accurate assessment of my objections to his criticisms. See here. I also get the impression that he is being manipulated by others who do not have his best interests at heart, and he does not have presence of mind to realize this. I wish him well. I hope that he will make a recovery. God is a God of miracles. Nothing is impossible with them that have faith.
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