For questions about Mormon belief, the first place to turn is to the Articles of Faith. The Third Article of Faith deals with Christ’s sacrifice for humankind, who may be saved, and how salvation comes.
Third Article of Faith
The Third Article of Faith is one of 13 points of basic church doctrine. They are collectively known as the Articles of Faith. They are included in standard LDS scriptures and members are encouraged to become familiar with (or even memorize) them. The Third Article of Faith reads:
- We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel.
Who May Be Saved
When the Third Article of Faith says “all mankind,” it means everyone on this earth without exception. The Mormon church rejects notions of predestination, emphasizing that God wants every one of his children to return to him.
The Book of Mormon teaches that Christ “inviteth all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female.” This includes women (who do not hold the priesthood) and African-Americans (who did not hold the priesthood prior to 1971).
The idea that "priesthood" is synonymous with "salvation" is an incorrect assumption.
Free Agency and Mormon Belief
Though Mormons believe that everyone is invited to salvation, they realize that not everyone is going to accept that invitation.
Agency, otherwise known as the freedom to choose, is an important principal to Mormons. While God is willing and ready to grant salvation to everyone, Mormons believe that he will not override anyone's agency if they choose to reject the Atonement and the laws of the gospel, thereby rejecting eternal life.
Mormon View on Christ’s Atonement
Jesus Christ’s mission on earth was to reconcile humankind to God. As a result of the fall of Adam and Eve, spiritual death (sin and separation from God) and physical death (the death of the body) had entered the world.
Christ came to conquer both — Mormons refer to this twofold mission as “the Atonement.” The Atonement, carried out in the Garden of Gethsemane and the cross at Calvary, pays the price for humankind's sins and makes resurrection, repentance, and forgiveness possible. No one else could have performed the Atonement but Jesus Christ.
In a 2002 talk, Church leader James E. Faust calls the Atonement “the greatest event in all history… Our salvation depends on believing in and accepting the Atonement.”
Works vs. Grace in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Mormons unequivocally believe that there is no other way to heaven besides accepting Jesus Christ as their savior and having faith in him. True faith, its believed, always motivates a person to keep Christ's commandments and repent of mistakes. The book of James in the Bible teaches that “faith, if it hath not works, is dead.”
The Book of Mormon adds that “by grace that we are saved, after all we can do” (2 Nephi 25:23.) Faust explains that “all of us have sinned and need to repent to fully pay our part of the debt. When we sincerely repent, the Savior’s magnificent Atonement pays the rest of that debt.”
Latter-day Saints believe that grace is essential, and that by living obediently they demonstrate their acceptance of God's grace. The idea of “working one's way to heaven” has no place in Mormon theology, which holds that people are all imperfect and cannot attain salvation without Christ’s Atonement.
The Third Article of Faith, when read carefully, reveals a great deal about Mormon beliefs about human salvation. While Mormons do not use the term "saved" or refer to themselves as "saved," they see Christ's Atonement as the bedrock of salvation. Mormons believe that all people are capable of attaining eternal life if they accept the Atonement and abide by the principles of the gospel.
Sources:
- The Articles of Faith of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
- James E. Faust. “The Atonement: Our Greatest Hope,” Liahona, Jan 2002.
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