There's a parable printed in the official LDS (Mormon) teaching manual, Gospel Principles, that illustrates well the difference between our view of the atonement and the LDS view, and it can be helpful in clarifying that difference with your LDS friends.
In this parable (pp. 75-77), originally told by Elder Boyd K. Packer (of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles), a man finds himself in debt so deep that repayment is impossible. As he's about to be thrown into prison by his creditor, he cries for mercy, but the creditor demands justice. The narrator tells us:
Is there no way for justice to be fully served, and mercy also? There is a way! The law of justice can be fully satisfied and mercy can be fully extended—but it takes someone else. And so it happened this time.
The debtor had a friend. He came to help.... He thought him foolish to have gotten himself into such a predicament. Nevertheless, he wanted to help because he loved him. He stepped between them, faced the creditor, and made this offer.
"I will pay the debt if you will free the debtor from his contract so that he may keep his possessions and not go to prison.... You demanded justice. Though he cannot pay you, I will do so. You will have been justly dealt with and can ask no more."
So far, this is a familiar story to us. But while we expect it to end here with the gratefulness of the debtor, the LDS story goes on:
The mediator turned then to the debtor. "If I pay your debt, will you accept me as your creditor?"
"Oh yes, yes...You saved me from prison and show mercy to me."
"Then," said the benefactor, "you will pay the debt to me and I will set the terms. It will not be easy, but it will be possible. I will provide a way. You need not go to prison."
The debtor is still a debtor who must still pay. However, Jesus is now the one he must pay back, according to his new terms which require a different payment as an alternative to the previously required payment of spiritual death. For LDS people, Jesus has made our debt manageable by creating a new payment plan:
Our sins are our spiritual debts. Without Jesus Christ, who is our Savior and Mediator, we would all pay for our sins by suffering spiritual death. But because of him, if we will keep his terms, which are to repent and keep his commandments, we may return to live with our Heavenly Father.
It is wonderful that Christ has provided us a way to be healed from our sins.
In other words, Christ has provided the way for us to follow; He, Himself, is not the way. He made forgiveness possible "if we do our part" (p. 75); He has not secured our forgiveness. By contrast, Greg wrote about the biblical view of the atonement using two extremely moving illustrations in the second half of the March/April 2004 Solid Ground. The difference is profound and life-altering.
Interesting. "The Parable of the RE-FI"
Posted by: Eric Rager | September 06, 2007 at 10:11 AM
Re-fi indeed...
Well, this not only illustrates the soteriological difference between Christians (who beleive in salvation by Grace alone) and Mormons (who believe in a works-based salvation), but also the fact that Mormons don't believe Jesus to be God Himself (Jesus is apparently a competitor in the Cosmic motgage business. Heavenly Father: "Lost ANOTHER loan to Jesus!).
Posted by: Mike Westfall | September 06, 2007 at 06:02 PM
Interesting. So Jesus is kind of like a debt consolidator. Or better yet, he's like a new credit card you can transfer your balance to for a lower interest rate.
Posted by: Sam | September 06, 2007 at 10:31 PM
A good friend of mine often says: "Salvation is not about taking bad people and making them better, salvation is about taking dead people and making them alive."
Hear, hear!
Posted by: Scott Kemp | September 07, 2007 at 01:09 PM
I'm sorry---but it makes sense to me. Do all I can (which will never, ever be enough) and Jesus Christ will make up the difference. What is so confusing about that? That's how I always thought it should be. What a beautiful example of sacrifice and love from my Savior. Without Him, I would be nothing.
Posted by: Manon | September 09, 2007 at 04:45 PM
I find it interesting that there is actually a parable in the Bible in which tells of a debtor. The moral of the parable was different (that we should forgive others as we have been forgiven) but there some significant differences between these two:
-There is no mediator, it is the creditor who alleviates the debt
-The creditor forgives the whole debt simply out of compassion
-The debtor owes nothing further to the creditor
Check Matthew 18:23-35 for the parable itself; it demonstrates a totally different view of salvation.
Posted by: will_a | September 09, 2007 at 06:41 PM
To Manon,
Your view is initially very compelling; however it is not very Biblical. So as a fellow Christian I wish to encourage you in the Truth. In James (specifically James 2:10) it says that "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." That is, it doesn't matter how good you are, because it credits you nothing for salvation. Furthermore, I'm inclined to think that such a view ultimately detracts from the saving grace of the Christ's sacrifice. This view is supported by verses such as Galatians 2:21, as well as others.
In the end, remember the warning of 2 Corinthians 11:3-"But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ."
LDS language is designed to make it sound as close to Christian Truth as possible. Keep this in mind, since truth seeks to distance itself from all falsehood, that none would be deceived; but lies seek to imitate the truth, because the best deceits are those closest to the truth while still leading people to the wrong conclusion.
Posted by: will_a | September 09, 2007 at 07:15 PM
To will_a,
There are many very intellectual and smart people of various religions all saying that they have the truth. I have often found it interesting that with so much study of the Bible and sincere thought, how they can end up having different opinions and what they find to be truths from the same book. Even on a matter so central as what Christ expects of us (repentance and hard work to become more like him, or a simple verbal acceptance of his divine grace, or other options) causes great debate among scholars.
It seems that the only one who might have more knowledge than all of these intellectuals combined would be God himself. He has said in James 1:5 that he would answer questions to all who sincerely ask with Faith. I think Sincerety must go along with that petition for wisdom as God would not want to give us Truths that we would not follow. Thus a sincere desire to know truth and faith to ask and act upon it should provide an answer. I have seen and felt answers to such prayers a few times in my life and they do lead to happiness. Some may say that such revelation is gone and hence it is from the devil, but Christ encouraged us to look for good fruits that bring us closer to him and why would a God that is the same yesterday, today and forever answer the prayers of Moses, but not mine?
Posted by: Sam_C | March 05, 2009 at 10:32 PM