Time to get right with God Mormons!!!!

Ever been invited to a wedding and you have to RSVP. Before you know it the wedding date is here and you forgot. You figure I’ll just go and surely, they’ll let me in. After all, I was invited. So, you clean yourself up and put on your best clothes. You look in the mirror and think, I look so good, there’s no way I’m not getting in. The wedding is at a beautiful gated private estate. You can’t wait to see what’s on the inside. This is going to be a special night and it costs you nothing. Then, there’s a problem. At the gate, they ask your name and tell you that you’re not on the list. You tell them, but I was invited. No matter how much you argue, they send you away, telling you that it was your responsibility to accept the invitation.

Aria Lexington, I understand the appeal of your wedding invitation analogy, and yes, the message that we should not delay turning to God is absolutely something Latter-day Saints can agree with. But the problem begins when the analogy is used to imply things about the LDS Church that are not actually what we believe. Let’s clear up the misconception, shall we?

Latter-day Saints do "NOT" believe that we/everyone can "clean ourselves up" and somehow earn our way into Heaven, that's not how it works. So yes, we believe in Jesus Christ, His Atonement, His grace, our faith and repentance, and even our covenant relationship with Him. In fact, the Book of Mormon teaches that -

“It is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” - 2 Nephi 25:23

That does not mean, "Save yourself, and Jesus will help you a little." It means Christ is the source of salvation, while our response to His grace is to exercise faith, repent, make covenants, and follow Him. So the argument that Latter-day Saints supposedly believe, "I look good, I obey enough rules, therefore God owes me Heaven," is a straw-man argument. You're arguing against a version of LDS belief that Latter-day Saints themselves do not teach. And there's another important point: the wedding garment in Matthew 22 is not simply about saying, "I accept the invitation," and then doing nothing afterward. Even the parable itself includes a person who was present at the wedding but was still confronted because he was not wearing a wedding garment as their custom (Matthew 22:11–14).

So even Jesus Christ's own parable contains more than merely "I was invited, therefore I'm automatically in". Christ never said that.

For Latter-day Saints, the invitation of the Gospel is not merely something we verbally accept. It is a covenant path centered on Christ. Faith leads to repentance. Repentance leads us back to Christ. Baptism and other covenants are not attempts to replace grace-they are our response to His grace.

That’s Heaven. God wants you there. He sent you the invitation. All you have to do is accept it. Not after you clean yourself up. Not when you “look” presentable, the way you think you’re expected to look. No, you have to accept before it’s too late. Otherwise, you’re not getting in. Don’t wait until it’s too late to respond.

And yes, we believe salvation is possible only because of Jesus Christ. Not because of being Mormon. Not because of good works. Not because we belong to a particular organization. But here's where I would appeal to you, Aria: If the purpose of the post is really to encourage people to “get right with God,” why make the message about mocking or condemning Mormons? You can preach Christ without misrepresenting your neighbor. You can invite people to repentance without assuming what another Christian believes. You can disagree with LDS doctrine without creating an argument against a doctrine that LDS people don't actually hold.

Copied and reposted...let's make this go viral

What for? Let’s discuss the real differences instead of the caricatures. Ask us or a Latter-day Saints what we actually believe about grace; you'll be surprised and learn that you haven't even done the biblical part. Ask us about faith and works, about repentance, baptism, the covenants, the Atonement, or the eternal life. Then engage the actual answer. That would make a much more meaningful discussion than simply saying, "Time to get right with God, Mormons!" Because ultimately, the invitation to come unto Christ is for all of us-including me, you, and every Christian.

And if we're going to talk about Christianity or about Christ, let's do it in a way that invites people to Him rather than using Him as a reason to hate or mock one another with your own ideology that I don't even think Christ Centered. Come unto Christ. Absolutely. But let's represent one another honestly while we do it.