IF Christian leaders had claimed the status of prophet of God, the spokesman for Him on earth, I would be in the same leaky boat that you are in. However, NONE of the Christian leaders have ever claimed that kind of superiority...they are/were all men/women, and I would hold their words to the same level of credibility as any other man...The "living prophet" claim of the LDS wherein men (your leaders) are supposed to have spoken FOR God puts a much higher value on their words, and thus a much higher scrutiny.[GreyFoxx]
Good response, GF.
POWG, let us all know when Luther and Jeremy Wright's words are canonized as "Scripture" like Joseph Smith, Jr., Joseph F. Smith, etc. or treated at Scriptural-level authority (like Lorenzo Snow's couplet) & the declarations of polygamy & black discrimination being ushered out the door.
Also, if the Grace of Christ is sufficient for all who believe in Him and call on His name, why is my faith in Him NOT sufficient?
Because the very articles of faith of Mormonism even say that faith alone isn't sufficient. There's a long checklist of "to do" items...
...ordinances & temple rituals to be performed...
...a word of wisdom to keep...
...a person to marry -- and not become divorced from...
...worthiness to attain temple access credited to your personal account, which must be preceded by your tithe (thereby essentially paying a temple tax for temple access)...
...good works sourced in Mormon precepts & commandments from 4 sacred books & 2 a-year general conference sessions & curricula & what your general authorities & local bishop tells you...
...and, indeed, if you happen to repent as your articles of faith tell you, according to Kimball's Miracle of Forgiveness, should you repeat the sin you repented for, Kimball assures you that you never really repented to begin with...
You are in a catch-22 cycle of hopelessness not only re: such legalistic repentance but that which is summarized well by 2 Nephi 2:25: "You are saved by grace AFTER ALL YOU CAN DO."
The Book of Mormon doesn't say you are saved by grace BEFORE ANYTHING YOU CAN DO or mid-stream -- only afterwards...and grace is some elusive wave of divine mercy only posted to your personal account after ALL you've done. To such perfection-seekers, sins of omission spiritually flunk more folks on a quest for perfection than anything...and believe me, it's a failed quest, because grace is never God's after-thought operating only as an after-burner. ["Be perfect even as your Father is in heaven" is both in Matt. 5:48 and there's a similar passage in one of the Nephite books. And note that "BE" doesn't mean become perfect, but BE]..." (Matthew 5:48). James 2 says if you've broken one part of the law, you're guilty of all of it.
So, the issue for the average Mormon is not the sufficiency of the grace of Christ; because that option has been removed by their spiritual leaders. Nope.
Instead of the great emphasis upon faith; rather it's works.
Instead of the great emphasis upon grace; rather it's worthiness & merit & earned perfection.
POWG...I invite you to the wide-open grace as likely rec'd w/open arms by your Baptist mother -- to her faith in the "faith delivered ONCE for all to the saints" -- Jude 3. The heritage of that faith goes back through your mother to the ones Jude wrote about. It wasn't delivered by the Holy Spirit, only to be wiped off the earth for so-called "apostates" like me & your Mom. We are not "apostates." I'm not. Your mom isn't.
Come home. Let Christ's righteousness be your own, for He is mine (1 Cor. 1:30). Let His perfect life stand in place for yours and mine. And only then will His obedience spur yours -- not as some divine payback plan -- but as a covenant expressed in Love.
Selah