Joseph Smith's "KING FOLLET SERMON" is a notable false LDS/Mormon teaching that claims that God was once a mortal man, and that mortal men and women can become gods through salvation and exaltation. It says in part, "We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea and take away the veil so that you may see. You have got to learn how to be Gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all Gods have done before you." Note: the gods mentioned in Scripture are either Pagan idols or used to discribe powerful people like judges. Not actual gods.
The biblical fact is that God was never a man in the beginning of time, nor can you become a God. The only instance of that happening in history is when the Word (Jesus), who is God, became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:1,14), to bring salvation to the world. These verses and many others demontrate that Jesus is God (5:18, 8:58, 10:33, 20:28, Isaiah 9:6, Col 2:9, Phil 2:-6-8, Heb 1:3)
Mormons don't understand the Trinity and think we are saying that Jesus was the Father, but that is an old heresey known as Modalism; that the members of the Trinity are not three distinct persons but rather three modes or forms of activity (the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) under which God manifests himself. Scripture is clear that they are distint persons and one being.
There is only one God. Duet 6:4, Duet 4:35,39, Duet 6:4, Isaiah 43:10, Isaiah 44:6,8.
Col 2:9 "For in Him (Christ) dwells all the fullness of the deity bodily."
John 5:18 "...call God his own Father, making himself equal with God."
John 10:33 "We are not stoning you for any good work, but for blasphemy, because you a mere man claim to be God."
Isaiah 43:10 "Before me no God was formed, neither will there be after me."
Isaiah 44:6 "I am the first and last; apart from me there is no God.'
Isaiah 44:8 "Is there any God besides me? No there is no other Rock; I know not one."
Phil 2:6-8 "Who being in the very nature (form) of God didn't consider equality with God some to be grasped (used to his advantage). Rather he (emptied) made himself nothing by taking the very nature (form) of a servant, being made in human likeness."
You can see that LDS teachings are completely against what the Bible actually teaches. You can read all the supposed prophesies and review the documents and 100 new denominations within the LDS community and see extreme changes/errors in what Joseph Smith first wrote and said and Brigham Young, who said ALL his sermons were scripture. He said some wild things. If that's so, then there are a ton of issuses to examine. If Smith got a direct revelation from God, then how could he have introduced so many errors that the LDS community has hidden and changed.
God is God from all eternity. Psalm 90:2 says "...from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God." He has no beginning or end. Daniel 7:13-14 says, "His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away and His Kingdom is one that will never be destroyed."
That is one reason you can trust the Bible today. It and the Church are not corrupted as the LDS church teaches. Matt 16:18 says, "...the gates of hell cannot prevail against the Church." Jude 3 says, "...contend for the faith once for ALL TIME delivered to the saints." 2 Tim 3:16-17 says, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." It was given by God and man cannot change the plans of a sovereign God.
The LDS teach in Nephi 25:23 "We know that it is by grace that you are saved AFTER all we can do." That is exactly the opposite of Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace are you saved through faith. It is a gift of God, NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast." Works are part of a Christians life, but it is not what gives them salvation to any degree. Read Galations to see how adamant the early Church was about this.
Mormons are wonderful people. I grew up with them and have friends within the LDS community now. We should make every effort to get along, but not to compromise biblical doctrines on a very sketchy Mormon history.
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