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Question

How would you lead someone to salvation. I always heard the "sinners prayer" was the way to become "saved". Are we not all sinners until we repent and ask Jesus to come into our hearts as Lord and Savior? I've had LDS missionaries in my home and they can't answer me. Please clarify for me

Response

I believe that finding our way back to dwell in the presence of our Heavenly Father and his Son, Jesus Christ is the ultimate purpose of this life. It becomes a personal quest for each individual and is fueled by their own desires. If one desires to find the truth and participate in the Plan of Salvation prepared for us by our Creator, he or she must follow the formula given by Jesus when he said, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets." The Lord goes on to say that most will not be willing to do what it takes to find and follow the truth as he said: "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." (Matthew 7:7 - 14) I'm not sure why the missionaries couldn't answer such a fundamental question to your satisfaction. I sense that they were confronted with the question, "Are you saved? or Have you been born again? Our answer to these questions are not as simple as it is to some, because we know that there are two aspects of salvation: 1) When Jesus died on the cross, and then was resurrected, he overcame physical death (separation of the body and spirit at the end of this mortal life) for all. "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." (1 Corinthians 15:20 - 22) In other words, everyone (good or bad) will be saved from physical death as a free gift from Christ. 2) The spiritual death (separation from God) which occurred when Adam and Eve were driven from the Garden of Eden and the presence of God was a result of their transgression. This separation was inherited by all of their descendants. It's up to each of us, however, as to whether this spiritual death will continue for us in the eternities. We must find, enter and follow the strait and narrow path "which leadeth unto life" to overcome this spiritual death. The writings of the prophets and the words of Jesus in the scriptures lay out the commandments we must live by and the steps we must take to be "saved" or "born again" in order to be worthy to inherit eternal life. (see Matthew 7:7 and Acts 2:38): The steps are: a) Seek, ask and knock enough to find faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; b) Have enough faith to repent of our sins; c) Be baptized for a remission of sins d) Receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands and e) Endure to the end for "he that endureth to the end shall be saved." (Matthew 10:22) I would guess that your questions comes from a belief that those who believe are saved: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8 - 9) We believe this to be a true passage, that it is the grace of Christ that salvation from physical or spiritual death is available. However, just merely following Christ does not qualify us to be forgiven of our sins. Consider the passage "strait is the gate" as well as others such as: "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." (James 2:26) and "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 7:21) I emphasize that I have no power to lead people to salvation except to raise my voice the best I can to invite them to learn of Christ and his teachings and encourage them to choose to follow after him. As I have reiterated time and time again, I have a firm conviction that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christ's own church lost from the earth through the dark and middle ages because of wickedness, but now restored in these latter days and is led by the Lord himself through Apostles and Prophets like those of the ancient church. Sincerely, Donny Osmond See related multimedia presentations

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