When I open God’s Word and read, I take so much comfort in knowing how forgiving, merciful and full of grace God truly is. Jeffrey Holland once said at general conference (Title: We Are All Enlisted), “Whoever you are and whatever you have done, you can be forgiven.” This indeed is the God that we read about in the Bible. But the question now becomes: is this true for all people according to LDS doctrine? Is elder Holland referring to everyone or speaking in a general sense to most people? Let’s take a closer look at some specific sins and verify if God truly does forgive all sins.
Note: Murder is unforgivable only if the person has already received the gift of the Holy Ghost and has divine “light and knowledge” being fully aware of what is right and wrong as king David was. If someone in this position murders someone else, they will have no choice but to live in the lowest heavenly kingdom and will never be able to live in the presence of God or with their families.
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D&C 42:18 “And now, behold, I speak unto the church. Thou shalt not kill; and he that kills shall not have forgiveness in this world, nor in the world to come.
– King David is someone who made a big mistake and chose to commit murder. LDS doctrine states that this is why he will never be forgiven of that sin and fell from his exaltation, losing his eternal life forever. He is currently in the telestial kingdom and has no hope of ever living in God presence in heaven or with his family.
– LDS Prophets have confirmed multiple times that murder is an unforgiveable sin. Not just murder of adults. This would include murder of babies as well (abortion). But murder is not the only sin that God won’t forgive:
D&C 42:25-26 “But he that has committed adultery and repents with all his heart, and forsaketh it, and doeth it no more, thou shalt forgive; But if he doeth it again, he shall not be forgiven, but shall be cast out.”
- Regarding one who has the similar level of spiritual “light and knowledge” as king David: If they commit adultery once and repent by never doing it again, they will be forgiven. But if they commit adultery again at a later point in time, God will never forgive them even if you are sincerely repentant and are filled with regret. What is done has been done and there is no way to undo it. According to the LDS Church, there a couple sinful lines that you simply cannot cross…and if you do, you are eternally disqualified from living with God and your forever family. What if at some point down the road after you have received “light and knowledge,” you have a moment of weakness and make a serious mistake like David? That sounds stressful if you haven’t committed these sins and hopeless if you have.
Below is a quote from President Joseph Fielding Smith related to forgiveness for the most grievous sins and how they cannot be covered by the blood of Christ:
- “Man may commit certain grievous sins—according to his light and knowledge—that will place him beyond the reach of the atoning blood of Christ. If then he would be saved, he must make sacrifice of his own life to atone—so far as his power lies—for that sin, for the blood of Christ alone under certain circumstances will not avail. Joseph Smith taught that there were certain sins so grievous that man may commit, that they will place the transgressors beyond the power of the atonement of Christ. If these offenses are committed, then the blood of Christ will not cleanse them from their sins even though they repent. Therefore their only hope is to have their own blood shed to atone, as far as possible, in their behalf.” (Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 1, pp. 133-138.)
This prophet is saying that if you have received God’s divine light and knowledge and are fully aware of your actions, yet still choose to commit a serious sin (murder), then the blood of Christ is not enough to atone for your sins, even if you sincerely repent. The blood of Christ is not strong enough. Your only hope of being forgiven of these serious sins might occur if you voluntarily lay down your own life in addition to Christ laying down his. Field Smith wasn’t the only prophet who taught this. Prophet Brigham Young had some things to say as well:
- “There are sins that men commit for which they cannot receive forgiveness in this world, or in that which is to come, and if they had their eyes open to see their true condition, they would be perfectly willing to have their blood spilt upon the ground, that the smoke thereof might ascend to heaven as an offering for their sins; and the smoking incense would atone for their sins…And further more, I know that there are transgressors, who, if they knew themselves, and the only condition upon which they can obtain forgiveness, would beg of their brethren to shed their blood, that the smoke thereof might ascend to God as an offering to appease the wrath that is kindled against them, and that the law might have its course. I will say further; I have had men come to me and offer their lives to atone for their sins.” (Journal of Discourses 4:53-54)
Since this time, there have been more recent LDS leaders (Bruce McConkie) who have denounced the doctrine of “blood atonement” for serious sins, stating that, yes it may or may not have something that was practiced during the time of Moses, but it has never been practiced or taught by the LDS Church. For one, we know that it was taught for a time, but as to whether or not it was actually practiced, we can’t say for sure one way or the other. However, the last sentence of Brigham Young’s quote above seems to allude to the practice of this doctrine. In any case, what has been formerly taught by LDS prophets is there and it always will be part of LDS history. At least for a time, it was a doctrine that was proclaimed by prophets of God and must be taken into consideration. Were some of the prophets in the past wrong about the doctrine of God’s forgiveness for the most grievous sins? If the doctrine they are teaching is not true, then it is false. But if this is the case, might they or the current leaders be wrong about other essential doctrines today as well? It can be a very slippery slope and leaves us with the question of: What is the point of having a prophet if they can be (and have been) so wrong on many essential things related to God and the gospel?
After taking these things into account, there are a couple options that we are left with:
- Regarding those who have received the divine light and knowledge as king David had but still made the mistake of committing a serious sin: God willingly chooses to withhold his grace and forgiveness from them even if they return to Him and sincerely repent with all their heart.
OR - God would forgive these people if He could, but unfortunately the blood of Christ just is not strong enough to cover the most serious of sins and God can’t forgive them.
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Below is a Psalm that David wrote after he committed this terrible sin of murder and adultery:
Psalm 51:1-4 “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.”
- We can see how heartbroken and repentant David is for the terrible sins that he committed. His was blinded by his sin and knows that he made some HUGE mistakes. In this passage, we see that he is desperately seeking forgiveness from God. This desire and hunger for God is one of the reasons why he is the only person in history whom God has ever called, “a man after my own heart” (Acts 13:22). But according to the LDS Church, God basically looked at David and said, “Yes David, I know that you are truly sorry. Yes, I know that you are a man after my own heart. And yes, I do have the power to forgive your all of your sins, including murder…but I am NOT going to. And because of my decision to not forgive your sin, you will never be able to live my presence or in the presence of you family.” David wanted nothing more than to be with God. Isn’t it ironic God called David “a man after my own heart,” yet David will spend eternity being separated from God? Is this really the same God of love, mercy and grace that we read about in the Bible?
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Below is a verse that took place shortly after David murdered Uriah the Hittite:
2 Samuel 12:13 “Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan replied, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.”
- According to God’s Word, the God of the Bible actually DID forgive David of his terrible sin of murder!
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1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
- If we repent in our hearts and sincerely confess our sin to God, He will forgive us of ALL our sins, regardless of how big or small they are. Because David repented and sincerely confessed his sins to God, doesn’t that mean that he was forgiven of ALL his sins as well?
- Imagine that you found yourself faced with the heart wrenching decision of whether or not to abort your child that was conceived out of wedlock. To kill your unborn child or to maintain your good standing with friends and family. Suppose that you had a moment of weakness and went through with the abortion, fully knowing it was wrong. Following that decision, how crushed and depressed would you feel knowing that you are guilty of murder and will never be forgiven of that sin?
- Or imagine that you had a moment of weakness and committed adultery once and repented. Then you found yourself in the same situation and committed adultery a second time. In all of your sorrow, you turn to God and cry out with a truly repentant heart, begging God for His forgiveness…yet according to the LDS Church, you are now hopelessly faced with the realization that you will never dwell in the presence of God or any of your family members.
Colossians 1:13-14 “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.”
- According to God’s Word, is the forgiveness of my personal sins achieved in the blood and sacrifice of Jesus? Or partially by my own efforts, works, and ordinances?
- Is the blood of Jesus strong enough to cover the sin of murder? Or was the brutal, agonizing, and life changing sacrifice of Christ insufficient and not strong enough to cover that sin?
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Is The LDS Gospel Good News For All?
This part of the LDS gospel teaches that a “man after God’s own heart” messed up big, he was temporarily blinded by his sin, and now has NO HOPE of ever living with God in heaven and will be forever separated from his family. And I know that David isn’t the only person who has ever made this kind of mistake. Put yourself in his shoes for a moment: Would feeling joy even be a possibility knowing that your family members are in presence of God while you are stuck in the telestial kingdom and eternally separated from them? That sounds like torment and outer darkness to me.
This is a not a gospel that is good news for all, but actually gospel of sadness and hopelessness for some. However, the gospel that I read about in the Bible is indeed good news for ALL PEOPLE who turn to God, regardless of any sin they have ever committed and regardless of however much “light and knowledge” they have previously received!
Luke 2:10-11 “But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”
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Anyone who sincerely confesses their sins to God, believes in the one true Jesus and turns their heart toward Him will be forgiven of ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS. Not only are their sinful burdens removed from their back, but they also receive the promise of eternal life, which is the absolute assurance of living in the presence of God.
1 John 5:13 “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”
- This gospel just brings an indescribable amount of joy, comfort and peace! Regardless of how serious your sins are and how much “light and knowledge” you have received, it is never too late to repent, trust in Jesus, receive his full forgiveness and receive His free gift of eternal life. If king David was forgiven for his grievous sins, you can no doubt be forgiven as well.
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Between the two gospels you just read about, which one is the “best news?”
Bible – A God who will always forgive the any and all sins of a repentant sinner
OR
LDS Church – A God who will NOT always forgive serious sins of a repentant sinner
Please let me know your thoughts, things you appreciated or things that you disagreed with in the comment section below. Thank you for reading and God bless!
JLLDS Ministries 