This is particularly effective if you have regular times set up to talk. Then you can agree ahead of time what you will talk about. For your part, focus on the main issues of sin and eternal life. This needs to be stressed because our natural tendency is to concentrate on exposing Mormonism’s falsehoods. You will need to vigorously fight this urge since it rarely does any good. Most often, all it does is make them defensive and causes them to close their ears. In addition, it doesn’t bring to bear our greatest weapon: God’s word, especially the gospel, which is the power of God for the salvation of all who believe (Romans 1:16).

If you haven’t yet done so, acquaint yourself with the witnessing scenarios we have created. They give dozens of examples of how to talk about sin and eternal life. As you read the scenarios, take notes or draft a short list of questions to guide your next discussion toward the truth of God’s word.

• “What do you think about ________?”
• “What does this phrase mean to you?”

We pray that these scenarios are helpful for you as you prepare to share God’s Word! Here are some things to keep in mind: 

• Sin: Mormonism downplays sin. It drastically limits what constitutes sin, referring to many sins as only “mistakes.” As a result, many Mormons think they rarely sin. Especially damaging is how Mormonism diminishes the seriousness of every sin. They consider only a relative few sins as serious.
  • Apply It: When you begin talking about sin, point the finger at yourself and not at them. When you talk about your sins, they often will, without prompting, confess they do the same things. This enables you to more easily talk about what the Bible says about sin.
• Eternal life as God’s gift earned by Christ: Talk about eternal life or living eternally with Heavenly Father rather than salvation. Most Mormons equate salvation with physical resurrection. Mormonism most often pictures Jesus as their example, while the Bible mainly describes him as our substitute.
  • Apply It: Talk about the difference between an example and a substitute. Show them how Jesus was our substitute, not just by paying for our sins but also by keeping all the commandments perfectly for us. Emphasize that eternal life is based entirely on Jesus’ works and not on any of our works.

Even if your opportunities to talk are somewhat limited, strive to agree on a topic to be discussed ahead of time. It is usually not as productive to talk about something on the spur of the moment.