Why Mormons Are Not Christian and Should Not Be Associated with Jesus

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today we confront a matter that strikes at the heart of our faith: the nature of true Christianity and the essential doctrines that define it. There is a movement in our culture, one that continues to grow in influence, called Mormonism, or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). Many people, including some professing Christians, have mistakenly classified Mormons as fellow believers in Christ. Today, I am here to show you, through the lens of Scripture, why Mormons are not Christian, and why they should not be associated with God in the same way that true followers of Christ are.

The history and doctrines of Mormonism are rooted in teachings that not only depart from biblical Christianity, but in many cases directly contradict the truth of God’s Word. We must understand these differences, not only to protect our own faith but to be able to lovingly and clearly share the gospel with those who are lost.

The Birth of Mormonism: A New Religion

Mormonism traces its origins to Joseph Smith, a man born in Vermont in 1805. According to Smith, he was troubled by the many different Christian denominations and sought to know which one was true. At the age of 14, after reading James 1:5, he went into the woods to pray, and there he claimed to have a vision in which he saw two personages—God the Father and Jesus Christ. They supposedly told him that all the churches were wrong and that none of them were true. This vision, called the First Vision, is considered the foundational event in Mormon history.

But let us pause here and consider the implications of this. According to Smith, the entire history of Christianity, from the apostles until his time, was wrong. Christianity, as we know it, was in apostasy, and only Joseph Smith had the authority to restore the true church. This claim flies directly in the face of Scripture. The Apostle Paul, in Ephesians 2:20, tells us that the Church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Himself as the cornerstone. There was no need for a restoration of the Church because the Church has been preserved through the ages by Christ Himself.

Mormonism was not a reformation of Christianity, as it claims, but rather a complete rejection of biblical truth.

Seven Key Areas of Deviation from Biblical Christianity

Let us now consider seven key doctrines of Mormonism that show how it deviates from the faith delivered once for all to the saints (Jude 1:3).

1. A Rejected View of History

Mormons teach that the Christian Church, after the death of the apostles, fell into complete apostasy. This is foundational to Mormon thought—the idea that the church lost its divine authority and truth until Joseph Smith was called to restore it. The Bible, however, makes no such claim. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus promised,

“the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

The Church is not some man-made institution that could fall into apostasy. It is the living body of Christ, sustained by His power.

2. A Distorted View of Revelation

Mormons believe that the Bible is not inerrant and that it is incomplete. They claim that in addition to the Bible, other books—The Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and The Pearl of Great Price—are necessary for salvation. But Revelation 22:18-19 warns against adding to God’s Word:

“I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book.”

To add new revelations is not only a contradiction of Scripture, but a clear violation of God’s command.

3. A False View of Humanity

Mormon theology teaches that all men and women are spirit children of God who lived in a pre-earthly existence before being born. They also reject the doctrine of original sin, teaching instead that mankind is essentially good but prone to error. The Bible, however, teaches in Romans 3:23,

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Humanity is not inherently good, but fallen and in need of a Savior to deliver us from sin. The Mormon view of humanity denies the biblical doctrine of total depravity, which is central to our understanding of the need for redemption in Christ.

4. A Distorted View of God

One of the most fundamental errors in Mormonism is its view of God. Mormons believe that God the Father has a physical body of flesh and bones. This idea of God as a man with a body directly contradicts the biblical revelation of God as spirit (John 4:24). Moreover, Mormonism teaches that God was once a man who progressed to godhood, and that we too can become gods. This teaching is known as exaltation—the idea that faithful Mormons can become gods of their own worlds in the afterlife. This is nothing short of blasphemy. The Bible clearly teaches that there is only one true God, eternal and unchanging (Isaiah 43:10-11; Malachi 3:6), and that He is wholly other than His creation.

5. A False View of Christ

Mormons believe that Jesus is the Son of God, but their understanding of His nature is not the same as that of orthodox Christians. They teach that Jesus is the spirit child of God the Father and one of many gods. This view directly contradicts Scripture, which teaches that Jesus is the eternal Son of God, fully God and fully man, the second person of the Trinity (John 1:1-14). Jesus was not created or begotten in the same way we are; He has existed eternally with the Father. To diminish Christ to a mere created being is to strip Him of His divinity and His unique role in salvation.

6. A Confused View of the Atonement

Mormons believe in the atonement of Christ, but their understanding of it is vastly different from the biblical teaching. Mormons emphasize the suffering of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, and while they do believe in the cross, they do not see it as the central act of atonement. In contrast, the Bible teaches that Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross was the full and final payment for sin. As the Apostle Paul writes in Colossians 2:13-14,

“He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; He has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.”

The Mormon view of atonement does not recognize the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.

7. A False View of Salvation

Mormonism teaches that salvation is not simply by grace alone, but through a combination of grace and works. They teach that after accepting Christ, Mormons must adhere to a strict set of commandments, including baptism, tithing, and temple rituals. The Bible, however, teaches that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8-9). There is no work we can do to earn God’s favor; salvation is a gift of God, not a reward for our efforts.

7. LDS Affirms Polygamy

Mormonism affirms the practice of having multiple wives, known as polygamy, and was historically practiced by  members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), officially initiated in the 1840s by church founder Joseph Smith and was a part of early Mormon belief and practice yet Jesus’ teachings clearly reject polygamy, emphasizing that marriage is intended to be a monogamous union between one man and one woman. Jesus cites the Genesis creation account, affirming that God’s original design for marriage was a union of one man and one woman. This teaches that polygamy, which involves multiple wives, contradicts the intention of God’s design for marriage. Additionally, in 1 Timothy 3:2, Paul outlines qualifications for church leaders, stating, “The husband of one wife,” reinforcing the New Testament’s commitment to monogamy. These scriptures make it clear that Jesus and the apostles uphold a monogamous view of marriage as God’s standard.

Conclusion: The Biblical Test

The Apostle John warned in 1 John 4:1-3,

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God.”

Mormonism does not confess the true Christ of Scripture. Its view of God, salvation, and Christ himself are radically different from what the Bible teaches.

It is important that we understand the seriousness of this issue. We must not be misled by the claims of Mormonism, which may appear Christian on the surface but diverge dramatically from biblical truth. Our mission is to love Mormons enough to share the truth with them, to speak the gospel clearly, and to show them that the true path to salvation is through faith in the real Jesus Christ—the eternal Son of God, the Savior of the world.

Let us stand firm in the truth of God’s Word and proclaim the gospel with clarity and compassion. May we also pray for those who are caught in the false teachings of Mormonism, that they would come to know the one true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent.

Amen.