Bible vs LDS: Where the Conversation Starts

This page tests LDS claims against the Holy Bible, showing where LDS teaching departs from God’s Word — which is Jesus Christ.
“For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthian 3:11)

Introduction — Testing the Message

The voices claiming to speak for God are many, but Scripture warns not every voice comes from Him. From prophets to apostles, the call is consistent:

“Test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

The stakes could not be higher. What we believe about God and Christ shapes our worship and our eternal hope.

The aim is not to win a debate, but to weigh each message against the Word that endures forever — to see God as He has revealed Himself, trust the Christ who truly saves, and stand firm in the truth entrusted once for all to the saints (Jude 1:3).

God’s Word Preserved — Not Lost or Needing Restoration

God has never lost His Word — and He never will. Scripture declares it endures forever, unbroken and uncorrupted.

The Bible presents itself as God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16), preserved by His power (Psalm 119:89; Matthew 24:35), and the authoritative rule of faith and practice for God’s people. By His divine power and through the anointing of the Holy Spirit, He grants believers all that pertains to life and godliness, illuminating and applying His Word to their hearts.

In contrast, LDS teaching asserts that “plain and precious truths” were removed from the Bible (1 Nephi 13:26-29), making it incomplete and unreliable without Joseph Smith’s “restoration” through additional scripture and prophetic authority.

If God’s Word was truly lost, then His promises to preserve it have failed. The very idea of restoration shifts trust away from God’s ability to keep His Word and places it in the hands of men.

This is why such logic is deliberately avoided in LDS teaching. They do not and cannot regard the Book of Mormon as God’s preserved Word from the beginning — because if they did, the conclusion would be unavoidable: the same God who could not keep His first revelation intact could not be trusted to keep any revelation intact, including their own.

They can affirm the Book of Mormon only “as far as it is translated correctly.” Yet without any original source texts, that standard collapses into nothing.

While the original autographs of the Holy Bible are also gone, it has been preserved and translated by the “gift and power of God,” its accuracy supported by thousands of ancient manuscripts, centuries of rigorous cross-checking, and the faithful witness of millions — including Christ Himself and His Apostles.

Either God kept His Word, or He didn’t, there is no middle ground. The Bible does not need to be restored — it stands as God gave it, and it will stand forever.

Christ’s Atonement Complete — Nothing to Add

Christ’s work on the cross is finished — nothing remains to be done to secure salvation. Scripture declares His sacrifice perfect, final, and all-sufficient.

The Bible presents Christ as the Lamb of God who “offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins” (Hebrews 10:12), who “by one offering he has perfected for ever them that are sanctified.” (Hebrews 10:14). On the cross He declared, “It is finished” (John 19:30), and through His resurrection proved that His atonement fully satisfied God’s justice and obtained eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:12). Salvation is “by grace… through faith… not a result of works” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

In contrast, LDS teaching affirms Christ’s atonement but denies its sufficiency alone for eternal life. According to LDS doctrine, full salvation (exaltation) requires temple ordinances, priesthood authority, obedience to LDS laws and covenants, and ongoing worthiness — all administered through their church. The atonement is seen as making resurrection possible for all, but eternal life in God’s presence is conditioned on additional requirements beyond Christ’s finished work.

If Christ’s atonement was not enough, then His cry of “It is finished” was premature, and His “once for all” sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10) was incomplete. This shifts trust from Christ’s perfect work to human performance and institutional mediation.

This is why such logic is rarely stated plainly in LDS teaching. If they acknowledged the atonement as truly complete, the entire system of added requirements would collapse — because nothing could be added without denying the sufficiency of the cross.

Either Christ paid it all, or He did not — there is no middle ground. The atonement does not need to be supplemented; it stands as God gave it, and it will stand forever.

Salvation by Grace Alone — Not Grace Plus Works

Salvation is the free gift of God, received by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Scripture declares that eternal life is not earned by human effort, religious law-keeping, or ritual, but given freely to all who believe.

The Bible presents salvation as entirely the work of God’s grace: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). We are “justified by His grace as a gift” (Romans 3:24), and “to the one who does not work but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness” (Romans 4:5). Good works are the fruit of salvation, not the root (Ephesians 2:10; Titus 3:5-8).

In contrast, LDS teaching affirms the necessity of grace but conditions its saving effect on human effort. The Book of Mormon states: “It is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do” (2 Nephi 25:23). LDS doctrine teaches that exaltation — the highest form of salvation — requires baptism into the LDS Church, temple ordinances, priesthood authority, obedience to commandments, and enduring worthiness. Grace is presented as enabling believers to do their part, but not as the sole and sufficient cause of salvation.

If salvation depends on human works to complete what grace began, then grace is no longer grace (Romans 11:6). This shifts the ground of salvation from Christ’s finished work to our imperfect performance, leaving no assurance and no true rest for the soul.

This is why such logic is rarely stated plainly in LDS teaching. If they acknowledged salvation as truly by grace alone, the entire system of added requirements would collapse — because nothing could be added without denying the sufficiency of God’s gift.

Either salvation is by grace alone, or it is not — there is no middle ground. The gospel does not need to be improved; it stands as God gave it, and it will stand forever.

Priesthood in Christ — Not Restored by Men

Joseph Smith’s claim to restore priesthood authority echoes the sin of Korah’s rebellion (Numbers 16; Jude 11) — an unauthorized grasp at a role God never gave to man. Korah, himself a Levite already appointed to serve in God’s sanctuary, rejected God’s order and sought the high priesthood reserved for Aaron, and God judged him swiftly. In the same way, the LDS narrative sets aside Christ’s eternal, untransferable priesthood (Hebrews 7:24-25) and inserts man into what belongs to Christ alone.

In contrast, LDS teaching claims that all priesthood authority was lost from the earth after the death of the apostles, and that in 1829 Peter, James, and John appeared to Joseph Smith to restore the Melchizedek priesthood. This assumes that Christ’s priesthood can be transferred to others, that it can vanish from the earth, and that man must bring it back.

If Christ’s priesthood could be lost, then His role as eternal High Priest (Hebrews 7:24-25) would be meaningless, and His promise to be with His people “always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20) would have failed. The New Testament never speaks of the “order of Melchizedek” being held by anyone but Christ — and never hints at a future restoration by mortal men.

The only true priesthood is fulfilled in Christ and shared by all believers — it cannot be lost, and it cannot be “restored” by men. Scripture declares that Jesus is our great High Priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 7:24), and that in Him, every believer is part of a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9).

The Melchizedek priesthood was a priesthood of one. But living Christ is eternal, forever, and His priesthood can be expanded as He wills—drawing believers into His royal priesthood, not by succession, but by the promise of His Word and spiritual communion. (Revelation 1:6)

The Bible shows that God’s people have never been dependent on a man-controlled priesthood for access to Him. Abraham was a prophet and covenant-bearer, but not a temple priest. John the Baptist was called directly by God to prepare the way for Christ, not to serve in the Levitical priesthood.

Peter, James, and John were apostles commissioned by the risen Lord — they were not “Melchizedek priests” in the LDS sense, but servants under the Messiah’s own eternal priesthood — something Peter, James, and John understood, as did the other apostles, including Paul, but which Joseph Smith, blinded by false assumptions and without the Spirit’s discernment, could not see. (1 Corinthians 2:14).

This is why such logic is rarely stated plainly in LDS teaching. If they acknowledged that Christ’s priesthood is untransferable and unlosable, their entire claim to exclusive authority would collapse.

No man can restore what God has made eternal — Christ’s priesthood stands forever, because Christ Himself is alive forever. (Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 7:25; John 14:23)

Either Christ’s priesthood is forever, or it is not. There is no middle ground. The priesthood does not need to be restored; it stands in Christ as God gave it, and it will stand forever.

Biblical Truth vs. LDS Doctrine

The prophets proclaim one eternal Creator and the biblical Christ; LDS teaching presents Jesus as an exalted man among many gods, not the singular Creator.

This is more than a doctrinal difference — it is a clash between biblical monotheism and a theology of multiple exalted beings. Scripture’s portrait of God and Christ is exclusive and absolute; redefining Jesus as one among many divine figures directly violates the First Commandment.

Who Is Jesus?

Biblically, Jesus is the eternal, uncreated Creator. In LDS teaching, He is the firstborn spirit child of the Father—an exalted man and one of many gods.

The New Testament grounds Jesus’ identity in deity and eternality, not advancement. Framing Him as “a god” rather than “the God” shifts worship from the unique Lord to a hierarchy of divine beings, cutting against core biblical claims about His nature and worthiness of exclusive devotion.

Who Is God the Father?

Scripture presents the Father as eternally God without beginning. LDS doctrine teaches He was once a man who became exalted among many gods.

The Bible reveals God as self-existent, incomparable, and alone in deity. The idea that the Father progressed to godhood redefines His nature and introduces plurality into what Scripture treats as God’s exclusive identity.

The “Five I Wills” and Joseph Smith’s Teachings

Lucifer’s “I will” declarations model self-exaltation. Joseph Smith’s ultimate teaching — that humans can become gods — mirrors that trajectory.

Isaiah warns against the impulse to rival God. Exalting humanity to godhood moves worship from God’s unshared glory to human aspiration, following the very pattern Scripture condemns.

Jesus and Lucifer as “Brothers”

LDS teaching identifies Jesus and Lucifer as spirit siblings. The Bible presents Jesus as Creator and Lucifer as a created, fallen being.

Placing them in the same order of being erases the Creator-creature distinction. Scripture shows Jesus as the Author of all things — including the angelic host — while Lucifer’s rebellion marks him as a created opponent, not a peer.

The Trinity and the Godhead

Christian doctrine confesses one God in three Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—one essence, not separate beings.

This protects both unity and distinction: the Persons are co-equal, co-eternal, inseparable in being. The Spirit who inspired Scripture will not affirm teachings that fracture God’s unity or diminish the Son’s deity.

Personal Revelation and Salvation

God can reveal the Gospel directly, apart from institutions; surrender to Christ brings the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Saving faith is God-initiated and Spirit-confirmed, preceding religious labels or literacy. Wholehearted trust and yieldedness to Christ bring His abiding presence, witness, and transformation.

First Vision Concerns and Testing the Spirits

Joseph Smith’s multiple, differing First Vision accounts diverge from the biblical Gospel. The Spirit of Truth will not affirm contradictions to Scripture.

Because God speaks consistently, any message that alters the Gospel or God’s nature must be tested. If it endorses what Scripture rejects, it is not the Holy Spirit.

Prophets: Their Role Then vs. Now

In Scripture, the role of a prophet changed forever with the coming of Christ.

Then: Before Christ’s incarnation, God spoke through many prophets (Hebrews 1:1). These prophets were His appointed messengers to reveal His will, warn of judgment, and point forward to the Messiah. Because God’s plan had not yet been fully revealed, they often brought new revelation and sometimes “superseded” others in role or scope — as when John the Baptist, the last and greatest of the Old Testament prophets, prepared the way for Jesus; when Christ Himself fulfilled and surpassed all who came before; or when Paul was commissioned to take the gospel beyond Israel to the Gentiles. Moses, the mediator of the Old Covenant, foretold that God would raise up another prophet like him (Deuteronomy 18:15) — a covenant-mediator — and the New Testament identifies that prophet as Jesus (Acts 3:22-23). In every case, the new messenger advanced God’s plan without contradicting what He had already revealed.

Now: Hebrews 1:1-2 declares that in these last days God has spoken to us by His Son — the Big-M Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5) who fulfills and closes the covenant-mediator role. Following His ascension, the Holy Spirit inspired the apostles and prophets of the New Testament — including John and Jude — to complete the foundation of the church (Ephesians 2:20). That foundation is now complete. The New Testament affirms the ongoing gift of prophecy (1 Corinthians 14:1) and foretells future prophetic figures such as the end-time witnesses (Revelation 11) and an Elijah-type role (Malachi 4:5-6). These prophets — past, present, or future — serve as small-m mediators in the sense of interceding, exhorting, and applying God’s Word, but they never take Christ’s place as the sole covenant-mediator. All true prophecy now points back to Christ and applies His finished revelation; it never adds to, alters, or replaces the gospel once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3).

The LDS error: Joseph Smith claimed a Big-M Mediator-like authority — restoring a covenant, re-establishing priesthood authority, and delivering new scripture that redefines the gospel. This is not the role of a biblical prophet after Christ. Any prophetic voice today must stand on the foundation already laid, in full agreement with the Word of God, and under the authority of the one true Mediator, Jesus Christ. If the LDS model were true, then the “faith once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3) was not once for all — it would be provisional, awaiting future upgrades. This opens the door to doctrinal reversals, shifting moral standards, and a gospel that changes with the times — the very opposite of God’s unchanging truth (Malachi 3:6).

The biblical reality: In Christ, the role of the prophet is fulfilled in its covenant-mediator sense. All believers have direct access to God through Him, and all true prophecy — whether in the first century or in the future — serves to point back to His finished work, never to replace, revise, or add to it. Scripture allows for future prophets and revelations, but they will always proclaim and apply what Christ has already accomplished. By this standard, Joseph Smith’s claim does not fit the biblical pattern, but he fits the biblical definition of a false prophet (Deuteronomy 13:1-5; Galatians 1:8-9).

Why Joseph Smith does not fit this role: Biblical prophets after Christ point back to His finished work, never laying a new foundation or mediating a new covenant. Joseph Smith claimed to restore lost truth, re-establish priesthood authority, and deliver new scripture that alters the gospel. This is the opposite of the prophetic role described in the New Testament and matches the biblical warning about false prophets (Deuteronomy 13:1-5; Galatians 1:8-9).

Godhood vs. God’s Testimony

Joseph Smith taught: "As man now is, God once was; as God now is, man may be." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 345)

But God declares: "Before Me no god was formed, nor shall there be after Me." — Isaiah 43:10

This is not a minor theological difference—it’s a direct contradiction.

The LDS doctrine of eternal progression teaches that God was once a man and that humans can become gods.

In direct contrast, Scripture teaches that God is eternal, uncreated, and utterly unique.
If God was once like us, then He is not the eternal I AM. If we can become gods, then Isaiah 43:10 is false.

But God’s Word stands forever.

Either God is eternal and alone in deity—or He is not. There is no middle ground.

Where the Conversation Leads

These points are signposts — not the destination. They lead toward the unchanging God, the eternal Christ, and the Gospel that saves.

The Bible calls us to worship God as He truly is, to trust Christ as He has revealed Himself, and to hold fast to the truth once for all delivered (Jude 1:3). Where other voices alter that truth, love demands we remain anchored in God’s Word.

If these concerns stir questions in your heart, don’t leave them unanswered. Open the Bible for yourself — let its words speak directly to you. Search its claims with an open mind and open heart. The God who knows you also calls you to know Him — not as one among many, but as the only God, Savior, and Lord (Isaiah 45:5; John 17:3).

Summary: No Middle Ground

Either God kept His Word, or He didn’t, there is no middle ground. The Bible does not need to be restored — it stands as God gave it, and it will stand forever.

Either Christ paid it all, or He did not — there is no middle ground. The atonement does not need to be supplemented; it stands as God gave it, and it will stand forever.

Either salvation is by grace alone, or it is not — there is no middle ground. The gospel does not need to be improved; it stands as God gave it, and it will stand forever.

Either Christ’s priesthood is forever, or it is not. There is no middle ground. The priesthood does not need to be restored; it stands in Christ as God gave it, and it will stand forever.

Either God is eternal and alone in deity—or He is not. There is no middle ground.

God’s truth does not evolve, fade, or depend on human restoration. It stands because He lives. Every attempt to revise, replace, or restore what God has made eternal is not reformation—it is a form of rebellion. The Word, the Atonement, the Gospel, the Priesthood, and the nature of God Himself are complete in Christ. There is no middle ground.

Witness

The words and wisdom of men cannot stand beside the Word of God without contradiction.
See 1 Corinthians 2:5; Proverbs 3:5-6; Isaiah 55:8-9.
Also see 2 Nephi 9:28-29; Doctrine and Covenants 1:19, 24-28

The Christ of Scripture is not the Christ of the LDS Church^*; the God of the Bible is not the god of Joseph Smith. The same test applies to all who alter God’s nature or His Word.

If these things are true, then the Lord’s command is clear: “Come out from among them and be separate… Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you” (2 Corinthians 6:17).

Do not harden your heart (Hebrews 3:15).

Test every claim by Scripture alone (Acts 17:11) — not by tradition, opinion, or later revelation. To reject His Word is to reject Him (John 12:48); to receive His Word is to receive Him (John 5:39-40).

If the Word confirms it (Psalm 119:160), follow the Spirit of the living God through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 8:14).