[MHGinTN]

The goal of devout Mormons is to serve and worship God — quite the opposite of what Satan does. _Normandy
If satan can get a person to try and work their way to worthiness, satan has succeeded, even as the person appears outwardly to be living what you would deem a 'righteous life'. 'After all that you can do' is violation of the principle Jesus enumerated as God's Grace. Momronism is based on working one's way to worthiness. THAT is anathema to the Gift of Salvation, for 'while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.' Jesus didn't wait for you to earn a gift, for then it is no more a gift but earned wages! After you are Saved and your life is hid with Christ, you have--not will have--HAVE the gift of God's Holy Spirit indwelling your human spirit, so that the life you live subsequent to trusting Jesus as Redeemer is a glory to His presence not something for you to brag on. Working your way to worthiness is an offense to God's Grace in Christ Jesus. I can repeat that over and over, like Paul did to so many of the folks he touched with his evangelism, but ubtil you open your heart to God's Spirit, to make that Truth real in your own sin nature, you will be fed all manner of false teaching and twisting of the scripture to prevetn you from seeing that oh so simple and perfect plan of Slavation God has devised for those who will ...

The goal of Latter-day Saints is to follow the teachings and example of Jesus Christ, which is certainly not the same as following the devil._Normandy
Norm, God wants you to FIRST stop striving to follow and always being tripped up by the evil one. God's plan for your Salvation is to trust in the Lord your God and lean not to your own understanding. When you do that, you can be Saved right then, not at some ephemeral trainstation stop in the future to get onboard the train to Heaven. God wants to restore to your spirit inherited from Adam, the LIFE of God which went out of Adam's spirit in Eden. when you stop striving and let Him be your Savior, His Life will be restored in your human spirit as the earnest of the inheritance which awaits you according to His promises not your works to earn His Grace.

I love my son because he is my son, not because he has earned my love. You stop striving and trust Jesus to be at that instant your Redeemer, and you will be from that moment onward a son of the Most High God, by His promise, not by your works. THAT phenomenal occurance is what Jesus called being born again by the Spirit when he spoke with Nicodemus as recorded in John Chapter three. Regardless of how you interpret the fact that Jesus siad born of water AND of the Spirit, you must see that Jesus taught Nic that at that moment a man is born again into the family of God, not at some far point at the end of a life lived striving to be worhty of God's mercy.

My son is now over forty and I love him with much more depth than I did when he was a beautiful little suntanned toddler with his bahboe in his mouth. He didn't have to earn my love, but his life has certainly earned my respect and admiration for the man he has grown into.

[Normandy]

Jesus consistently taught people to abandon sin, to live lives of charity and righteousness and to follow his teachings and sayings.

Matthew 7:

“24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. “

According to Jesus it is very important not only to hear his sayings (Jesus had just given the sermon on the mount), but to do them.

I don’t believe for a moment that people who take Jesus at his word and try to follow his teachings are being tricked into following the devil.

Remember what James says, faith without works is dead.

Regards,

Normandy