In Latter-day Saint belief, a Christian is anyone who believes in Jesus Christ and seeks to follow his commandments. Latter-day Saints often emphasize their identity as Christians because they believe others have misunderstood or excluded them from Christianity. To them, following Jesus and belonging to his restored church are what define true Christianity.
Yet while both Mormons and biblical Christians speak of Jesus, they mean very different things about his identity and mission; who he is and what he came to do. In Mormon teaching, Jesus is the firstborn spirit child of Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother, the elder brother of all humanity. He is a created being who progressed to godhood and made it possible for others to do the same. His mission was to overcome physical death and give people the opportunity for exaltation through obedience to laws and ordinances.
Biblical Christianity teaches that Jesus is the eternal, uncreated Son of God—one with the Father and the Holy Spirit from all eternity (John 1:1–3). He did not become divine but has always been God. His mission was not to help humans become gods but to redeem sinners, reconcile us to the Father, and give eternal life as a free gift through faith in his finished work on the cross (Romans 5:8–10; Ephesians 2:8–9).
