Engaging with LDS Theology

Hebrews 4:12 describes the Word of God as "living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword... discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart" and 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." For Christians witnessing to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), the effective use of Scripture is invaluable.

Below is a list of carefully selected Bible verses that are crucial to know when engaging with LDS beliefs (based on 100 Verses for Witnessing to Mormons from aomin.org). These verses come from the wide ranging experiences of Christians witnessing to LDS members, from street conversations to structured debates (see the YouTube playlist Christian Apologetics - LDS). However, memorizing these verses is just the beginning; understanding their context and meaning is equally essential, and a solid grasp of Christian doctrine and LDS beliefs is necessary for meaningful discussions.

Memorizing Scripture

Memorizing Scripture equips believers to respond swiftly and effectively, as conversations often move too quickly to allow time for looking up references. While memorization can seem daunting, anyone can achieve it with the right approach:

Repetition: Daily review helps reinforce memory. Start by reading a verse several times, then practice reciting it accurately. Writing the verse multiple times can especially help to solidify it in your memory.

Organization: A systematic approach, such as using note cards or maintaining a list of verses for regular review, ensures long-term retention. Categorizing verses by topic can make them easier to recall during discussions.

Commitment: Successfully memorizing verses requires dedication and persistence, but the ability to confidently share Scripture and address challenges in witnessing situations makes the effort well worthwhile.

Translation

While many suggest memorizing verses from the King James Version (KJV) due to its acceptance by the LDS church, using a modern translation is also an option. If choosing a contemporary version, be prepared to explain the reliability of modern translations and their textual history. I'm working on memorizing the English Standard Version (ESV).

Selected Verses

The Authority of God’s Word (Explanation)

Proverbs 30:5-6: "Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar."

Proverbs 13:13: "Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded."

Isaiah 40:8: "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever."

Matthew 24:35: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away."

Addressing the LDS Testimony (Explanation)

Proverbs 14:12: "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death."

Jeremiah 17:9: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?"

Acts 17:11: "Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so."

1 Thessalonians 5:21: "but test everything; hold fast what is good."

James 1:5: "If any of you lacks wisdom [sophia], let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him."

There is Only One God (Explanation)

Deuteronomy 6:4: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one."

Isaiah 43:10-11: "'You are my witnesses,' declares the Lord, 'and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior.'"

Isaiah 44:6, 8: "Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: 'I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god... Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any.'"

Isaiah 45:5-6: "I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me, that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the Lord, and there is no other."

Isaiah 45:22: "Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other."

Psalm 96:5: "For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens."

The Identity of Yahweh and Elohim (Explanation)

Deuteronomy 4:35: "To you it was shown, that you might know that the Lord is God; there is no other besides him."

Psalm 100:3: "Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture."

1 Kings 18:39: "And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, 'The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.'"

Isaiah 44:24: "Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb: 'I am the Lord, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself,'"

Psalm 97:9: "For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods."

God’s Nature (Explanation)

Psalm 90:2: "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God."

Malachi 3:6: "For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed."

Numbers 23:19: "God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?"

Hosea 11:9: "I will not execute my burning anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath."

Jeremiah 23:24: "Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord."

2 Chronicles 6:18: "But will God indeed dwell with man on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this house that I have built!"

Jesus and Lucifer Not Spirit-Brothers (Explanation)

Colossians 1:15-17: "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together."

John 1:3: "All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made."

Ezekiel 28:13: "You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared."

Revelation 22:13: "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end."

Blood Atonement and the Unpardonable Sin (Explanation)

1. The Sufficiency of Christ’s Sacrifice

1 John 1:7: "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin."

1 Peter 1:19: "but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot."

2. Addressing the Unpardonable Sin

Matthew 12:31-32: "Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come."

Priesthoods in the Bible (Explanation)

1. The Aaronic Priesthood

Numbers 16:40: "to be a reminder to the people of Israel, so that no outsider, who is not of the descendants of Aaron, should draw near to burn incense before the Lord, lest he become like Korah and his company—as the Lord said to him through Moses."

Hebrews 5:4: "For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: 'And God rested on the seventh day from all his works."

2. The Melchizedek Priesthood

Hebrews 7:3: "He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever."

Hebrews 7:24-25: "but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them."

Hebrews 7:12: "For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well."

Hebrews 8:4: "Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law."

3. Access to God Through Christ

Matthew 27:51: "And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split."

John 1:12: "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,"

Revelation 1:6: "and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen."

1 Peter 2:5: "who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."

Salvation (Explanation)

1. The Gospel

1 Corinthians 15:1, 3-5: "Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand... For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve."

1 Corinthians 1:14, 17-18: "I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius... For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

2. Sin

Romans 3:23: "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"

Ecclesiastes 7:20: "Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins."

Romans 3:10-11: "as it is written: 'None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.'"

3. Faith

John 5:24: "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life."

John 3:17-18: "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God."

4. Justification

Romans 3:20, 28: "For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin... For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law."

2 Corinthians 5:21: "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

5. Works

Ephesians 2:8-10: "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. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

John 6:28-29: "Then they said to him, 'What must we do, to be doing the works of God?' Jesus answered them, 'This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.'"

Clarifying Misinterpretations (Explanation)

1 Corinthians 8:4-6: "Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that 'an idol has no real existence,' and that 'there is no God but one.' For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many 'gods' and many 'lords'— yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist."

John 10:34: "Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’?”"

Hebrews 1:1-3: "Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,"

Luke 16:16: "The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it."

1 Corinthians 15:29: "Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf?"