Christianity – Reformed Protestant
Reformed Protestants believe that salvation is solely a
function of God’s grace excluding human works of any form (Ephesians 2:8-9,
Titus 3:5). They believe that all humans are born spiritually dead (Ephesians
2:1-3), as a result of being descendants of Adam and Eve (Romans 5:12-21), and
can do nothing of their own accord to bring themselves to life, thereby
excluding them from an afterlife of reward. But they also believe that God, by
his own will, has chosen to give some people eternal life with him in a place
called heaven (John 15:16, Ephesians 1:4-5, Romans 9:6-24). Reformed
Protestants believe that Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth as a human being
and suffered God’s divine wrath on the cross as a substitution for his people
in order to raise them to life (Romans 3:24-25, Ephesians 2:4-5, 1 John 4:10).
They believe that God draws all of his chosen people to him and there’s nothing
they can do to resist his calling, meaning that if God has chosen to give them
salvation, there’s nothing they can do to lose it (John 6:35-71).
Reformed Protestants believe that the reward found in the afterlife
is perfect union with God where they will praise him day and night for all of
eternity (Revelation 4:8-11). Since the Bible, their religious book, is unclear
on the precise details of heaven, they do not attempt to define it in detail.
Christianity – Mormon
Mormons believe that people’s spirits have existed for all
of eternity with God. But God sends his people to earth to “progress beyond
what was possible in the spirit world” as part of the lifelong salvation
journey. God sent his son Jesus to provide a way to overcome sin and death, but
this gift must be accepted by his people.[1]
Beyond accepting this gift, Mormons believe that in order to receive an
afterlife of reward, people must repent of their sins, be baptized into the LDS
church, receive the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, and live a life that
is worthy of the gift by striving to become more like God by perfecting
themselves.[2]
Mormons believe that their spirits will continue to exist in
the afterlife with God. They believe that when Jesus returns to setup his
earthly millennial kingdom, the spirits of the dead will be reunited with their
perfected resurrected bodies. Glory will be assigned to each person based on
the degree of glory which was earned in this life. The greater the glory
received, the closer to God a person will be for all of eternity.[3]
Christianity – Jehovah’s Witness
Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that salvation is offered to all
humanity through Jesus’s death on the cross (a stake rather than two beams),
but is only effective in those who exercise faith in Jesus’s ransom sacrifice
will actually receive salvation. This faith people have in Jesus must not
merely be something they say they believe, but must be demonstrated through
their actions, namely through their obedience to Jesus’s commands.[4]
Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that people must be a part of the Jehovah’s Witness
organization in order to receive salvation.[5]
[1]
“Plan of Salvation”, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, accessed
February 20, 2017, https://www.mormon.org/beliefs/plan-of-salvation.
[2]
“Baptism”, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, accessed February
20, 2017, https://www.mormon.org/beliefs/baptism.
[3]
“Life After Death”, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, accessed
February 20, 2017, https://www.mormon.org/beliefs/life-after-death.
[4] “What
Is Salvation,” Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, accessed
February 27, 2017, https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/what-is-salvation/.
[5] "Do You Appreciate Jehovah’s Organization?", The
Watchtower, June 15, 1998.
[6] “How
to Get to Heaven: What Are the Ideas from the Different Religions,” n.d.,
accessed February 13, 2017, https://www.gotquestions.org/how-to-get-to-heaven.html.
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