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If you’ve ever talked about your Christian faith with a Latter-day Saint (Mormon) friend, neighbor, or family member, you may have noticed how much of their language sounds familiar. We both speak about God, Jesus Christ, faith, prayer, and Scripture. You probably also appreciate that person’s sincerity, kindness, devotion to family, and willingness to help others.

That makes these conversations personal. We are talking about people we know and love.

But familiar words do not always carry the same meaning. When we speak about God, who do we believe He is? When we say we trust Jesus, who do we understand Jesus to be? And how do we determine whether someone truly speaks for God?

If you are a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, thank you for considering these questions with me. I recognize that your convictions may be deeply connected to your family, your experiences, and your sincere desire to follow God. Those things deserve a patient and respectful conversation.

As a Baptist pastor, I also want to be honest about why I cannot embrace LDS theology. For the purposes of this blog article, my concerns center on three foundational questions: Who is God? Who is Jesus? And how do we recognize true revelation?

You should be able to examine the evidence yourself. For that reason, the links below lead directly to the LDS Church’s own publications.

1. Is God eternally God, or was He once as we are?
The Bible presents God as eternally God. Psalm 90:2 declares that before the mountains existed, from eternity to eternity, He is God. Isaiah 43:10 makes an equally striking statement:

          “No god was formed before me, and there will be none after me.”

Isaiah 44:6 reinforces my point:
          The Lord is the first and the last, and no God exists besides Him.

These passages describe more than God’s superiority over rival gods. They declare His uniqueness. Everything else depends on Him; He depends on nothing.

Compare that with the LDS Church’s historical account of Joseph Smith’s King Follett discourse (link provided), a funeral sermon in which Smith taught that God "was once as one of us" and that human spirits have the capacity to become like God. The Church also addresses this subject in “Becoming Like God” (link provided), one of its Gospel Topics Essays, which explains the Church's teachings and history. That essay discusses a statement by Lorenzo Snow, the Church’s fifth president, who said: “As man now is, God once was: As God now is, man may be.”

In other words, Snow's statement teaches both that God was once as human beings are now and that human beings may eventually become like Him. The Mormon church acknowledges that little has been revealed about the first claim—God’s past—while affirming the importance of humanity’s potential to become like God. Readers should understand that these teachings appear in the LDS Church’s own publications; they are not merely descriptions supplied by its critics.  

So, to be clear, these differences are far more than a disputed statement from an obscure historical source. LDS scripture itself says in Doctrine and Covenants 132:19–20 (link provided) that those receiving the described exaltation “shall be gods.”

And, to that, I can only imagine that a Latter-day Saint might reasonably respond to my criticism of their beliefs by asking, “But doesn’t the Bible say we become like God?”

Yes. Christians eagerly anticipate becoming like Christ in holiness, love, and freedom from sin. "Be holy, because I am holy," Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 1:15-16, drawing from Leviticus 19:2 and 11:44-45. Second Peter 1:4 even describes believers as sharing in the divine nature. In context, however, Peter connects that participation with escaping corruption and growing in godly character. Receiving life from God and reflecting His character do not require, nor mean, becoming another God.

Likewise, Jesus’ reference to “gods” in John 10:34 quotes Psalm 82:6, where those receiving that designation face God’s judgment and are told they will die like humans. Whatever interpretive questions surround that psalm, it does not promise that faithful people will become additional Almighty beings.

To understand Jesus’ point there in John 10:31-38, notice why His opponents want to stone Him: they accuse Him of blasphemy because He claims to be God (John 10:33). Jesus answers by pointing to their own Scriptures. If Scripture uses the word “gods” for others, then calling Himself “the Son of God” cannot, by itself, establish their accusation. They must consider who He actually is—the One the Father set apart and sent into the world—and examine His works. Those works reveal that “the Father is in me and I in the Father” (v. 38). Jesus is defending His unique identity and calling them to believe in Him. He is not teaching that human beings can eventually become gods.

A related disagreement concerns the doctrine of the Trinity. The LDS Church’s “Godhead” overview (link provided) describes the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost as separate beings united in purpose and doctrine. Historic Christianity confesses three distinct persons who eternally share the one divine being.  The Mormon church identifies this difference explicitly, writing themselves: "But where Latter-day Saints differ from other Christian religions is in their belief that God and Jesus Christ are glorified, physical beings and that each member of the Godhead is a separate being."

They are correct. Christians do not believe the Father is the Son, or that Jesus prayed to Himself. New Testament Christianity affirms both the personal distinctions revealed in Scripture and Scripture’s insistence that there is only one God.  Jesus is both fully God and fully man (see my blog from last year, titled: Is Jesus God?) (link provided).

The question, then, is not whether God can make us holy or bring us into glorious fellowship with Himself. Christians joyfully affirm both. The question is whether redeemed human beings become additional gods. 

In Isaiah 43:10, the Lord declares that no god was formed before Him and none will come after Him. His words leave no room for human beings eventually becoming additional true gods. If “becoming gods” means only becoming holy and sharing in the life God graciously gives, Christians can affirm that underlying hope. But if it means becoming actual gods, as distinct from creatures who reflect His character, it conflicts with Isaiah’s declaration that the Lord alone is God.  Which means we must ask: How can such teaching be reconciled with God’s declaration that no god was formed before Him and none will come after Him? 

In short, the difference is between becoming like God and becoming a god. Christians believe that God makes His people holy, teaching us to reflect His love, goodness, and righteousness. We will live with Him forever, but we will always remain people He created and saved. We will worship Him and depend on Him; we will never become additional gods. LDS teaching goes further by describing exalted human beings as becoming gods. That is the disagreement: Scripture promises that God will transform our character and bring us into His presence, but it does not promise that we will become gods ourselves.

2. Is Jesus the eternal Creator, or our elder spirit brother?
Latter-day Saints speak reverently about Jesus. We should acknowledge that, and I want to represent their beliefs accurately.

The LDS Church’s manual  “Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (link provided) identifies Jesus as the firstborn "spirit son" of God. It also teaches that He is Jehovah, that He created worlds under the Father’s direction, and that salvation comes only through Him. The disagreement, however, is not whether LDS teaching gives Jesus an exalted position. It plainly does. The question is what kind of being He eternally is.  Who is the Mormon Jesus?

John begins his Gospel by telling us that the Word already existed in the beginning, was with God, and was God. Then he writes:

“All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created.”        
                                                                  —John 1:3

John distinguishes the eternal Word from everything that came into existence. Later, he identifies this Word as the One who became flesh—Jesus Christ.

Colossians 1:16–17 makes the same distinction. Everything in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, was created through Christ and for Christ. He exists before all things and holds all things together.

Mormon teaching appeals to the preceding description of Jesus as “firstborn over all creation” in Colossians 1:15. But “firstborn” can describe supremacy and inheritance, rather than being the first being brought into existence. Psalm 89:27 uses that designation for the Davidic king, connecting it with his position above other kings. In Colossians, Paul immediately explains Christ’s supremacy by pointing to His creation of all things, whether in heaven or on earth.

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

To be fair, an important qualification is necessary here. LDS theology teaches that intelligence is uncreated, as stated in Doctrine and Covenants 93:29 (link provided). Simply saying, “Mormons believe Jesus was created from nothing,” would therefore misrepresent their position. LDS teaching also affirms His divine status and His role in creation. The disagreement concerns how it understands His eternal relationship to the Father and to us.

Historic Christianity teaches that Jesus eternally shares the one divine being with the Father. LDS theology describes Him as a separate divine being and the firstborn of Heavenly Father’s spirit children, making Him our elder spirit brother. The question is therefore more precise than whether Jesus existed before His earthly birth or participated in creation—both traditions affirm those things. It is whether He eternally shares the one being of God, or belongs to a broader family of premortal spirit children.

Thus, the major disagreement remains: Is Jesus eternally the unique divine Creator of all things, or does He belong within a broader family of premortal spirit offspring?

The New Testament presents our relationship to Christ as creatures redeemed by our Creator. John 1:12–13 describes our becoming God’s children through receiving Christ and being born of God. Our adoption is a gift of grace; it does not make us beings of the same eternal order as our Savior. This matters greatly because our hope rests on who Jesus actually is. The One who saves us is the eternal Son who became human for our salvation, died for our sins, and rose again. His identity is central to the gospel.

These differences raise a question Paul himself addressed: Is it possible to proclaim “another Jesus” while still using His name? In 2 Corinthians 11:4, Paul warns of that very danger. This does not mean Latter-day Saints are insincere when they express love for Jesus. It means we must look beyond a shared name and ask whether our descriptions identify the same person. To say it again: Historic Christianity confesses Jesus as the eternal Son who shares the one divine being with the Father. LDS theology describes Him as the firstborn spirit son within a broader family of heavenly offspring. These are conflicting claims about His eternal identity, not simply different ways of describing Him.

John 1:3 and Colossians 1:16–17 place everything that was created, including the invisible realm, under Christ’s creative authority. These New Testament passages distinguish Him from creation rather than present Him as our elder brother in a premortal family of spirits. The biblical picture is profoundly gracious: our Creator became human to redeem us. Through faith in Him, we receive the privilege of becoming God’s children by grace—not because we share His eternal divine identity, but because He brings us into His family.

Where, then, do these passages teach that Jesus and humanity belong to one family of premortal spirit offspring? Lovingly, I believe, they don't.

3. Does a prophet’s message agree with what God has already revealed?
Imagine someone arriving at your door claiming to carry an important message from a person you trust. You would naturally want to know whether the message really came from that person. The messenger’s confidence would not settle the question.

Scripture calls us to exercise that same discernment with religious claims.

In Galatians 1:8–9, Paul warns that even an angel must be rejected if the message contradicts the gospel the apostles proclaimed. Notice the order: the established gospel tests the messenger. The messenger does not receive authority to redefine the gospel.

That standard applies to Joseph Smith. It also applies to me, your pastor, your favorite author, and every Christian teacher. None of us is entitled to unquestioning acceptance. The Bible gives several complementary tests. Deuteronomy 13:1–5 warns that even an impressive sign cannot authenticate a message that leads people away from the true God. Deuteronomy 18:20–22 says that a prediction falsely spoken in God’s name exposes the speaker’s presumption. Acts 17:11 commends the Bereans for examining Scripture to evaluate what they heard.

We must apply these tests carefully. A genuinely conditional warning must be read as conditional, as Jonah’s preaching and Jeremiah 18:7–10 demonstrate. But a claim to speak for God must remain open to examination.

This is where the first two disagreements become decisive. If a later revelation changes the identity of God or Christ, calling it a “restoration” does not establish that it is true. It must demonstrate agreement with God’s prior revelation.

What about a personal spiritual witness? Moroni 10:4–5 (link provided) invites readers to ask God about the truth of the Book of Mormon and promises confirmation through the Holy Ghost. Christians certainly believe God answers prayer and that the Holy Spirit helps us recognize truth. The question is how we distinguish the Spirit’s work from our own interpretation of an experience. 

Someone may sincerely say, “I know this is true because God confirmed it to me.” We should listen respectfully, but an important question remains: How do we know that the experience came from God and that we have understood it correctly? People can feel certain about beliefs that contradict one another. Those beliefs cannot all be true simply because each person feels spiritually assured. This applies to my experiences as a Baptist just as much as anyone else’s.

The Bible therefore directs us to examine spiritual claims. First John 4:1 tells believers to “test the spirits,” because false prophets exist. Acts 17:11 commends the Bereans for checking even Paul’s teaching against Scripture. And Galatians 1:8–9 warns that even an angelic message must be rejected if it contradicts the apostolic gospel. If an angelic appearance cannot override the gospel, neither can an inward impression.

This does not reduce the Holy Spirit’s work to a feeling, nor does it deny that He gives genuine assurance. It recognizes that our judgment about an experience can be mistaken, even when God Himself is perfectly trustworthy. A claimed spiritual witness cannot establish Joseph Smith’s authority while making his teachings exempt from biblical examination. Those teachings must still be tested.

How, then, should someone respond who has experienced a strong spiritual confirmation? Begin by bringing both that experience and the teaching it seems to confirm before God. Ask Him for wisdom to distinguish His guidance from your own impressions, and for a willingness to follow the truth even when doing so is costly. Then examine the teaching carefully in the light of Scripture. We can trust the Holy Spirit completely while recognizing that our understanding of an experience may need correction. He will not lead us to reject the truth He inspired.

For a helpful continuation of this discussion, watch Expedition Bible’s Test of a Prophet: The Bible vs. Joseph Smith (link provided) by Christian filmmaker Joel Kramer and Latter-day Saint Greg Gifford as they explore a foundational question: "How do we know if a prophet is speaking the truth?” Their discussion begins with Deuteronomy 18:20–22 and examines prophetic claims against Scripture and historical evidence.  It is probably one of the best videos I've seen in recent years on these issues in depth.

Kramer's documentary considers biblical predictions concerning Jesus, manuscript evidence bearing on the preservation of Scripture, and Joseph Smith’s changes to biblical passages. It also examines his prediction that a temple would be built in Independence, Missouri, within “this generation” (Doctrine and Covenants 84:1–5), arguing that its nonfulfillment challenges his prophetic authority.

These concerns and examples bring a scriptural question into practical focus: a claim to speak for God should be examined, not accepted simply because the messenger inspires confidence. As you watch Kramer and Gifford discuss these matters, take time to read the cited biblical passages in context and consider the explanations offered for disputed claims. Apply the same careful examination to the documentary that you would apply to any religious teacher.

Ultimately, you must decide which teaching will evaluate the other. Will we test Joseph Smith’s teaching by the apostolic gospel as handed down to the saints once and for all, or will we interpret the apostolic gospel through Joseph Smith’s teaching? Paul’s warning in Galatians 1:8–9 establishes the right order: even someone claiming an angelic message must submit to the gospel already proclaimed.

An Invitation to Seek the Truth Together
Taken together, these disagreements reach the foundation of our faith. They matter because they concern the God we worship, the Savior we trust, and the message we believe. After comparing these teachings with Scripture, I cannot reconcile Joseph Smith’s account with the testimony of the biblical prophets and apostles. The differences reach beyond terminology to the eternal identity of God and His Son, Jesus.

If you are a Latter-day Saint reading this, I recognize that examining these questions may be difficult. They likely reach into some of the most treasured parts of your life. Your faith may be closely connected to people you love, experiences you value, and a community that has cared for you. That said, you should still be able to appreciate their kindness while honestly examining what they have taught you. Asking whether a doctrine is true does not require despising the people who believe it.  In fact, we owe God—and one another—the honesty of asking whether our beliefs are true.

I encourage you to read John’s Gospel and Galatians carefully, asking God for wisdom as you go. What do these writings actually teach about God, Jesus, and salvation? Compare them with the LDS sources linked above. Give particular attention to whether the biblical passages themselves support those teachings, or whether accepting Joseph Smith’s authority first is necessary to reach those conclusions. I welcome the same examination of what I have written.

At the heart of the gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again (1 Corinthians 15:3–4). We are sinners who need forgiveness, and God saves us by grace through faith. The good works that follow are the fruit of His saving work (Ephesians 2:8–10). Our hope rests in the crucified and risen Savior, whose sacrifice is sufficient to reconcile us to God.  Jesus promises that He will never cast out anyone who comes to Him (John 6:37). You can turn from your sin and entrust yourself to Him. His invitation is gracious, and His promise is trustworthy.  

However, who Jesus is matters. Our faith must rest in the eternal Son of God revealed in Scripture—the One who became human, died for our sins, and rose again. This does not mean we must understand everything about Him before He can save us. But a teaching that changes His essential identity directs us toward “another Jesus” (2 Corinthians 11:4). If we embrace another Jesus, we are trusting someone other than the Savior proclaimed in the New Testament to save us.

If you have questions or would like to talk, I would welcome the conversation. We can open the Scriptures together, consider your questions, and examine these differences patiently. My hope is that you will know Jesus as His apostles proclaimed Him and find forgiveness, peace with God, and lasting hope in His saving grace.

"Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”   -- John 3:3

Have you been born again?  The Bible says all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and that the wages of sin is death.  However, there is Good News!  The Bible also says that the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 3:23 and 6:23).  Is Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior?  If not, why not?