Life & the Human Condition
What does the Bible teach about our lives?
Christianity teaches that our lives — spirit and body — begin at conception. We are born sinful, and we sin because we are sinful. Our natural inclination is to do evil.
Our sinful nature is innate, not just acquired by individual misdeeds. Ephesians 2:3 explains that we were “by nature children of wrath,” and Genesis 8:21 helps us understand that man’s heart is inclined to evil from childhood.
Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Psalm 51:5
Stop talking past each other. Gain a better understanding of the words that are unique to Mormonism and the differences of shared terms between Mormonism and Christianity.
What does Mormonism teach about our lives?
Mormonism teaches that our spirit life begins in the pre-existence, where we mature as spirits before coming to earth. According to LDS teaching, people are born without sin and become sinful only through their own choices. Rather than seeing humanity as fallen by nature, Mormonism sees each person as starting essentially good until they consciously “become sinful” by their individual actions. The natural inclination of man, in this view, is to do good.
Every spirit of man was innocent in the beginning; and God having redeemed man from the fall, men became again, in their infant state, innocent before God.
Doctrine and Covenants 93:38
Why This Matters
If we believe people are born innocent and naturally inclined toward good, we won’t see our genuine need for Jesus. Instead of recognizing our complete dependence on God’s grace, we start to think that with enough effort, we can become righteous on our own. This is a dangerously optimistic view of human nature that downplays the depth of our sin and blinds us to our desperate need for a Savior.
The Bible presents a far different picture. It teaches that we are not born spiritually neutral or inclined to choose the right; no, we are born spiritually dead, enslaved to sin, and unable to please God. Our hearts are not pure but deceitful and desperately wicked. If we think we are naturally good, we won’t see our sin as serious or our need for Christ as urgent.
Mormonism’s optimistic view of humanity tells people they can progress toward godhood through their choices and efforts. But if we could choose the right on our own, then why did Jesus need to come at all? The truth is, we can’t save ourselves. We need a new birth, a spiritual resurrection only God can accomplish. Jesus didn’t come to show us how to become like God; he came to rescue us from sin and give us a new identity as children of God through faith in him.
Our LDS friends are told that they’re on a path of becoming, but the Bible shows us that we’re on a path of perishing without Christ. If we’re born good and just need guidance, then Jesus is merely a teacher. But if we’re born sinful and spiritually dead, then Jesus is the only Savior, the One who brings the dead to life and makes us new creations.
The gospel isn’t a message of self-improvement—it’s the message of rescue and rebirth. That’s what our friends need to hear.
Scripture References
Ephesians 2:3
Psalm 51:5
Romans 3:10-12
Jeremiah 17:9
2 Corinthians 5:17
Summary
Christianity
Life begins at conception. All people are born sinful.
Mormonism
Life begins in the pre-existence. All people are born without sin.