Common questions, criticisms, and misunderstandings about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — answered with scripture.
Many beliefs unique to the Restoration have clear roots in the Bible itself. Each topic below pairs the biblical basis with corresponding Latter-day Saint scripture for a side-by-side view.
This is the most frequently cited verse against the Restoration on social media. Paul warns against preaching "any other gospel" — and critics claim this condemns Joseph Smith, Moroni, and the Book of Mormon. But does the Restoration actually preach a different gospel? And what does the context of Paul's letter really say?
"But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed."
Paul wrote Galatians to counter Judaizers — early Christians who taught that Gentile converts must be circumcised and follow Mosaic law to be saved. The "other gospel" Paul condemns is the teaching that salvation comes through the law of Moses rather than through faith in Jesus Christ.
"I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ."
Latter-day Saints do not preach salvation through the law of Moses. They preach faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost — the same gospel Peter preached at Pentecost (Acts 2:38).
If Galatians 1:8 forbids all future revelation, then most of the New Testament would need to be discarded. Galatians was written around 49–55 AD. The following books of the Bible were written after it:
Romans · 1 & 2 Corinthians · Ephesians · Philippians · Colossians · 1 & 2 Thessalonians · 1 & 2 Timothy · Titus · Philemon · Hebrews · 1 & 2 Peter · 1, 2, & 3 John · Jude · Revelation
That's at least 20 books of the New Testament written after Galatians. If Paul meant "no more scripture, ever," he was condemning his own later writings — and the Book of Revelation, and the epistles of Peter, John, and Jude. Clearly, he meant something more specific.
The Bible is filled with angels delivering God's messages. If angelic visitation were itself a red flag, we'd have to question:
"And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time."
"And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen."
"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth."
John's revelation — written decades after Galatians — specifically prophesies an angel bringing the "everlasting gospel" to the earth. Either this contradicts Paul, or Paul wasn't condemning all future angelic ministry.
"We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost… We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel."
"And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins."
The test Paul gives is simple: does the message preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, or something else? The Book of Mormon's subtitle is Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Its purpose, from title page to final verse, is to convince all people "that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God." That's not another gospel — it's the same one.
The doctrine of theosis — that humans can become like God — is one of the most criticized Latter-day Saint beliefs. Yet the Bible itself teaches that we are God's children and joint-heirs with Christ, destined to share in His divine nature.
"I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High."
"Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?"
— John 10:34 (Jesus quoting Psalm 82)
"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together."
"Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature."
"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him."
"To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne."
"Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power."
"And he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father's kingdom; therefore all that my Father hath shall be given unto him."
The early Church Father Irenaeus (c. 180 AD) wrote: "God became man so that man might become God." This doctrine — called theosis in Eastern Orthodox Christianity — was widely taught in the early church.
Baptism for the dead — performing the ordinance by proxy on behalf of those who have passed — is often called strange. Yet Paul directly references this practice as evidence for the resurrection.
"Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?"
"For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit."
"By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison."
"And now, my dearly beloved brethren and sisters, let me assure you that these are principles in relation to the dead and the living that cannot be lightly passed over, as pertaining to our salvation. For their salvation is necessary and essential to our salvation."
"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers."
— Malachi 4:5–6 (also D&C 110:14–16)
Paul uses this practice as a logical argument for the reality of the resurrection — not to condemn it. Scholars widely acknowledge that proxy baptism existed in the early Christian church.
Temple worship is among the oldest patterns in scripture. God commanded the building of sacred spaces from the tabernacle of Moses through Solomon's Temple — with restricted access, sacred clothing, and ordinances performed within.
"And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it."
"And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty."
"There was none of the people went into the temple of the Lord, save the priests."
"Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine."
"Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world… But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom."
"Yea, verily I say unto you, I gave unto you a commandment that you should build a house, in the which house I design to endow those whom I have chosen with power from on high."
"And inasmuch as my people build a house unto me in the name of the Lord, and do not suffer any unclean thing to come into it, that it be not defiled, my glory shall rest upon it."
Latter-day Saint temples are sacred, not secret. The distinction: anyone is welcome to learn about what happens inside; the ordinances themselves are held sacred, just as ancient temple rites were. Temples are open to the public before dedication.
The idea that spirits existed before mortal birth appears throughout the Bible. God knew Jeremiah before he was formed in the womb, the sons of God shouted for joy at creation, and Christ himself came from the Father.
"Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations."
"Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? … When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?"
"Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it."
"Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?"
"And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels."
"Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones; And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers."
"Man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be."
Rather than a binary heaven-or-hell, Latter-day Saints teach three degrees of glory. Paul himself describes being caught up to the "third heaven" and distinguishes between glories like the sun, moon, and stars.
"I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago… such an one caught up to the third heaven."
"There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead."
"In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you."
"These are they whose bodies are celestial, whose glory is that of the sun, even the glory of God, the highest of all… And again, we saw the terrestrial world… these are they who are the honorable men of the earth… And again, we saw the glory of the telestial, which glory is that of the lesser, even as the glory of the stars."
— Doctrine & Covenants 76:70, 91, 97 (excerpts)
The Latter-day Saint view of the afterlife is far more merciful than the traditional heaven/hell binary. Even the lowest kingdom is described as surpassing mortal understanding in its glory.
The Bible itself never claims to be a closed canon. From Genesis to Revelation, God's pattern is to call prophets, and the New Testament anticipates continuing revelation in the latter days.
"Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets."
— Amos 3:7
"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry… Till we all come in the unity of the faith."
"And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions."
— Acts 2:17 (quoting Joel 2:28)
"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people."
"We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God."
If God is the same "yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8), why would He stop speaking to His children? Ephesians 4 says apostles and prophets were given "till we all come in the unity of the faith" — a condition not yet met.
Revelation 22:18 is often cited to "close" the canon. But that verse refers to the Book of Revelation itself — not the entire Bible, which wasn't compiled as a single volume until centuries later. Meanwhile, the Bible prophesies additional scripture.
"The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah… then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim… And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand."
"And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd."
"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets."
"Know ye not that there are more nations than one? Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea? … Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word?"
Deuteronomy 4:2 contains the same "add nothing" language — yet dozens of books were written after Deuteronomy and included in the Bible. The warning in each case is against altering that specific revelation, not against God revealing more.
The Bible consistently teaches that authority to act in God's name is not self-assumed — it must be conferred by ordination through the laying on of hands, in a clear line of authority.
"And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron."
"Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you."
"Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost."
"Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec."
— Hebrews 5:6 (quoting Psalm 110:4)
"We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof."
When Simon the sorcerer tried to purchase priesthood power with money, Peter rebuked him (Acts 8:18–20) — underscoring that this authority is God-given, not self-declared or commercially obtained.
Latter-day Saints believe that families can be bound together for eternity through temple sealing ordinances. While many cite "till death do you part," that phrase appears nowhere in the Bible. What does appear is the power to bind on earth and in heaven.
"Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
"What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder."
"Neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord."
"If a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise… it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity."
The Sadducees' question about marriage in the resurrection (Matthew 22:23–30) is often cited against eternal marriage. But the Sadducees denied the resurrection entirely — Jesus corrected their flawed premise, not the concept of eternal relationships. He said they erred "not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God."
The idea that God is a spirit without form comes from post-biblical creeds, not from the Bible itself. Scripture consistently describes God in physical, embodied terms — and states that man was created in His image and likeness.
"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness."
"And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend."
"And thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen."
"But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God."
"Who is the image of the invisible God."
— Colossians 1:15 (speaking of Christ)
"Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person."
"The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit."
The resurrected Christ invited His disciples to touch Him: "Handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have" (Luke 24:39). If the Son is the "express image" of the Father, what does that tell us about the Father?
Latter-day Saints believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost — but as three distinct, unified beings rather than one substance. The word "Trinity" never appears in the Bible. What does appear are numerous passages showing three separate persons acting in concert.
"And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
— Matthew 3:16–17 (three distinct presences)
"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."
"My Father is greater than I."
"I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God."
"Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."
— Luke 23:34 (speaking to someone other than Himself)
"We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost."
The Nicene Creed (325 AD) and Athanasian Creed (c. 500 AD) formalized the Trinity doctrine centuries after Christ. Early Christians understood Father, Son, and Spirit as distinct persons — "one" in purpose and will, as Christ prayed His disciples would be "one, even as we are one" (John 17:22).
Latter-day Saints believe that Christ's original church underwent a gradual apostasy after the death of the apostles — and that a restoration was needed. The Bible itself prophesies this falling away.
"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first."
"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth."
"I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel."
"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord."
"And also those to whom these commandments were given, might have power to lay the foundation of this church, and to bring it forth out of obscurity and out of darkness, the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth."
Latter-day Saints don't claim other churches have no truth — rather that the fullness of Christ's gospel and priesthood authority required a restoration. The 13th Article of Faith affirms: "If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things."
This may be the most common misunderstanding. Latter-day Saints absolutely believe in the saving grace of Jesus Christ. They also believe, as the Bible teaches, that faith without works is dead — and that obedience is an expression of love, not a replacement for grace.
"What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? … Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone."
"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."
"If ye love me, keep my commandments."
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God."
"For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do."
The Book of Mormon is one of the most Christ-centered books of scripture in existence. The name "Jesus Christ" or a reference to Him appears on average every 1.7 verses.
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