I asked them had they been justified, and they said they had, so I asked them were they certain of being glorified. "Oh no," one replied, "you can't be certain." I told him he was actually mistaken on that point. I showed him Romans 8 v 30, "whom He justified, these He also glorified." I tried to point out to him what the Word of God was saying, everyone that God justifies will be glorified, in fact it's as good as done!
So it was then I asked them how come they thought they were justified. One of them looked at me and said, "How come I'm not?" Now, does that not seem a strange response? Why is it with Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses there seems to be such a reluctance to answer straight, simple questions with clear answers? I mean, I would love someone to ask me how come I think I'm justified!
Anyway, when he said, "How come I'm not?" I said, "Because you're a sinner and you've broken God's law!" He said, "But we all have." A statement I heartily agreed with, so my question remained unanswered, "How come a sinner like you is justified?" He said he was justified because he'd repented, been baptized, and attended the temple, and obeyed the commandments etc. So I pointed out then that he couldn't be sure of glorification in the way Romans 8 v 30 says believers can be. I asked him how good he had to be, and he said God would judge, but I asked him is it not the case that God is perfect and we aren't. He said he had to do his best, so I asked him had he always done his best. He then said he had to try to try to do his best!!! I know Mormons believe in an infinite regression of gods, but here's another infinite regression! So I asked had he always tried to try to do his best!! He said God would judge that.
So I took him a few pages back in the book of Romans and showed him that people are justified by faith, apart from works (Romans 3 v 28; 5 v 1).
It was then that I remembered Joseph Smith's mischief with Romans 4 v 4-5:
Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.
I told them that God would justify the ungodly because they are the people who need to be justified! Paul has just painted the portrait of the human race, showing that we are all ungodly, (Romans 3 v 9-19), and it should be music to our ears to hear that God justifies the ungodly upon believing. I told them God could justify the ungodly because Christ died for the ungodly (Romans 5 v 6).
What a tragedy that these lads are labouring under a delusion that they can earn God's acceptance, whe they can't do it, and don't have to. You can't and don't have to either - receive the free gift, and rest on the finished work.
