You're witnessing to someone. You've asked if he thinks he's good enough to go to heaven, and he's agreed to take the test of the Ten Commandments to find out. He's admitted to stealing something small, and agreed that made him a thief. He's admitted to lying, and agreed that he's a liar. Yep, he blew adultery, too, by having lustful thoughts. And he's confessed to using God's holy name in the place of a filthy, four-letter word. He agrees with you that he's a lying, thieving, adultererous blasphemer at heart.
You press it to the point. Where will God send him on judgment day?

He says heaven.

Why? Because he's a god of love and mercy. His god doesn't judge him or send anyone but maybe Hitler or an ax murderer to hell.

I envisioned that very scene as I read Malachi this morning. Chapter 2, verse 17 says, "You have wearied the Lord with your words. But you say, 'How have we wearied him?' By saying, 'Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights in them.' Or by asking, 'Where is the God of justice?'" (ESV)

Their words weary the Lord. You may grow weary in witnessing and hearing people say such things. Be assured, the Lord Himself is weary of their idolatry as they fashion a god in their own image.

They deny God His holiness. Habakkuk 1:13 says that God is "of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong." (ESV) He cannot look at it in the sense that he cannot stand the sight of it. They say God understands they are just human. They say God would not hold that against them. They say that God "loves" them as if that love could mean that he loves their evil. But Psalm 5:4 says, "For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you." (ESV)

They deny God is just. A court of law might rule them guilty, but not God. How foolish. Paul warns in 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 of the day "when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might." (ESV)

Perhaps you can use Malachi 2:17 the next time someone wants to deny God His holiness and justice.

On another point, I just wanted to share with you that this afternoon I was in the presence of the Lord. Have you been in the presence of the Lord? It's easy to get caught up in Bible reading, devotionals, and even prayer, and do them thoughtlessly. You can even read your Bible and be truly blessed, pour out your heart in prayer to God. But have you really gotten into his presence.
I don't mean to be mystical about this. It is no magic charm or formula. I'll not say there was anything special I did to get into his presence. But I was alone. I was alone and still and resting. I cannot remember if I was praying or not. But I was suddenly in his presence and it was sweet. I was at once overwhelmed by his Mercy and Grace. I was praying then, but it was not a prayer I was tossing out, but intimate communion. Gratitude poured from me -- gratitude I had not even considered was in me. And, as is the nature of grace, I believe it must have flown from Him, through me, and back to Him.
Spurgeon wrote,

Jesus went apart to hold high fellowship with the Father, and we must enter into the same divine companionship if we would bless our fellowmen. No wonder that the apostles were clothed with power when they came down fresh from the mountain where Jesus was. This morning we must endeavour to ascend the mount of communion, that there we may be ordained to the lifework for which we are set apart. Let us not see the face of man to-day till we have seen Jesus. Time spent with him is laid out at blessed interest. We too shall cast out devils and work wonders if we go down into the world girded with that divine energy which Christ alone can give. It is of no use going to the Lord’s battle till we are armed with heavenly weapons. We must see Jesus, this is essential. At the mercy-seat we will linger till he shall manifest himself unto us as he doth not unto the world, and until we can truthfully say, “We were with him in the Holy Mount.”

Mumbai – Seven Christians working with the Indian Missionary Society (IMS) in India’s Gujarat state were released on bail this morning. The group was charged with attempted murder after Hindu extremists waylaid and assaulted them last week. The violence follows an amendment to the anti-conversion law in Gujarat state.

Extremists beat the group, took their valuables and warned them of dire consequences if they continued to share the gospel in the area. One of the extremists, Kanji Nayak, then filed a complaint against the eight, claiming that the Christians had tried to shoot him after he refused to convert.

An eighth member of the group, Pastor Dasrath Nanji Dilwad, remains in judicial custody and his case has been transferred to the High Court. Dilwad was also charged with misuse of a firearm.

The group of eight IMS missionaries was returning home from a prayer meeting last Wednesday afternoon (September 20) when the attack took place. Pastor Dilwad was accompanied by his wife Manjula Bhen; Mankar Samsu Katila and his wife Saburi Bhen; and four other male companions, Valaibhai Santubhai Damor, Samsubhemla Katila, Gala Sabur Patel and Madhu Jagan Baria.

As they began the trip home, approximately 15 extremists surrounded them, beating them with wooden clubs. One of the women, Manjula Bhen, suffered widespread bruising and swelling after the attack.

“At first we thought they were just robbers,” she told Compass. “But they kept hitting us with wooden clubs and abused us for coming to preach in their village. They even warned us to stay away from their village and not come back to convert people.”

Before fleeing, the mob confiscated two mobile phones, a gold chain and earrings, some cash and the Bibles carried by their Christian victims.

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I just finished reading Nehemiah today. What an amazing story.
I'm particularly impressed with Nehemiah's zeal, and I walk with you through the last chapter.
You see, we hear a lot about "legislating morality" these days. Can it be done? Should it be done? Do we even want it done? If morality is legislated, then whose morality will be legislated? What if the prominent religion changes? If we've made a precedent of legislating one religion's morality, what will happen if a different religion comes into power?
Well, I have to point out that someone's morality is being legislated every day. Whether it is the morality of the religious right, Green Peace, or a Supreme Court Justice, one's morality determines one's judgment. There are no unbiased opinions.
Take a look at Nehemiah now. He did not take an opinion poll. He didn't listen to political critics. He chose instead to be a critic - a moral critic.
Look at Nehemiah 13. In verse 15, he "saw in Judah people treading winepresses on the Sabbath, and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys, and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of loads, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day" (ESV). And so, he walked past them. After all, not everyone believed in the Israelite God. You have to accept reality. If they are bringing in "heaps of grain" then it is harvest time. There's work to be done. Sometimes you have to do the work when you can. And if there's more work than can be done in six days, you need that seventh. Right?
No! Nehemiah said that he "warned them on the day when they sold food." Warn them? Why? Doesn't God understand about the harvest? Didn't He set the seasons in order? Surely God understands, right? God said, "Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest. In plowing time and in harvest you shall rest" (Exodus 34:21, ESV).
Ah, but they were loading them on donkeys. The beasts were bearing the burdens. That makes it right, doesn't it? God had said "the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you" (Deuteronomy 5:14, ESV) "Thus says the Lord: Take care for the sake of your lives, and do not bear a burden on the Sabbath day or bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem" (Jeremiah 17:21, ESV)
They couldn't have done a better job of breaking God's law if they were holding a copy in their hands and using it as a checklist.
"Tyrians also, who lived in the city, brought in fish and all kinds of goods and sold them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah, in Jerusalem itself!" (13:16, ESV)
The very people of Jerusalem were buying the goods, profaning the Sabbath.
Nehemiah saw this transgression of God's holy law and warned the people. Then he "confronted the nobles of Judah" (v. 17). He went to the rulers of the people to point out the transgression. When we see sin in our nation, what good is it to "preach to the choir"? Go to the sinners and show them their sin. Then go to the governing authorities and show them the sin as well. And notice what he tells the rulers: "What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day?" He sticks them with their responsibility. They weren't the ones loading the donkeys or selling the goods. But as leaders they were responsible. And so our governing authorities are responsible for allowing sin to continue. Their complacency reveals their contempt for God and His holiness.
Then Nehemiah reasons with the leaders. "Did not your fathers act in this way, and did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Now you are bringing more wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath" (v. 18) As Ezra said earlier in Ezra 9:14, "shall we break your commandments again and intermarry with the peoples who practice these abominations? Would you not be angry with us until you consumed us, so that there should be no remnant, nor any to escape?"
After confronting the people with their sin, after he confronted the leaders with their responsibility for the people's sin, he took steps to prevent further sin.
"As soon as it began to grow dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and gave orders that they should not be opened until after the Sabbath. And I stationed some of my servants at the gates, that no load might be brought in on the Sabbath day." (v. 19)
So what happened? The merchants and sellers still came and lodged outside Jerusalem. What happens when most reforms are put in place? People say "It won't last." So they camp outside, waiting for their opportunity to continue.
Ah, but Nehemiah was ready for them. He said, "Why do you lodge outside the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you." Hey, whoa there, Nehemiah. Those are fighting words, right? You bet. Listen up. Nehemiah was resolved. The merchants might have been defiant. They might have longed for the Sabbath to be over. Nehemiah was every ounce as defiant and every bit as determined to honor the Sabbath. He did not cower. He made the merchants cower.
Nehemiah was a Man.
He also knew he had more work to do in his reformation. So he set Levites in charge of guarding the gate. This is a civil leader and church leaders working in union. No separation of church and state here. No concerns against legislating morality.
This isn't about Christians taking dominion over the government. This isn't about Christians trying to establish the kingdom of God through government. This is about God's Laws are just that - Laws. Right is right and wrong its wrong and that must be upheld.
I wish I could remember the exact quote from Lord of the Rings, but Aragorn said something to the effect of "There's not one law for hobbits and another for dwarves or elves." There's not one law for Christians and another for Muslims, Atheists, Hindus, etc. God's Law is the Law for everyone.
And how does Nehemiah conclude this? He prays. He prays for God to remember him. He prays for God to spare him. Spare him? Why? Nehemiah saw his own sinfulness. So often when a man seeks to reform, he is called "holier-than-thou." Nehemiah saw sin and called it sin. But Nehemiah also saw sin in himself and was just as honest. He dealt with his own sin. But to see his nation blessed, he could not ignore his people's sins. They had to be dealt with as well.
"Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins." (Ecclesiastes 7:20, ESV)
Yes, that statement is true, but it is no excuse. It is a sure warning. I sin. You sin. We all sin. And we all must humble ourselves before God. We must all repent and throw ourselves on the mercy of God through Jesus Christ. Then there will be true reformation and true reformers will be raised up.

The sole survivor of a radical Muslim attack on four Christian high school girls has successfully undergone medical treatment. When Noviana Malewa and her three friends were walking home from school on October 29, 2005, they were assaulted by a group of jihadists wielding machetes. Three of the girls were decapitated by the assailants, yet Noviana survived a severe slash to her head and neck in an unsuccessful beheading attempt. Today, Noviana still deals with emotional and physical torment from the brutal attack.

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On October 13, Gener8Xion Entertainment will release One Night with the King to theaters. It is the story of Esther and the trailer looks fantastic.

Strange as it may seem, a chaplain, yes, a chaplain, has been convicted of saying prayers "in Jesus' name."

A military jury today convicted a Navy chaplain of a misdemeanor count of disobeying his commanding officer for wearing his uniform while delivering a prayer "in Jesus' name" at an assembly in front of the White House.

"But I had prior written permission to wear my uniform if it was a religious observance, (so) prayers are not a religious observance," Lt. Gordon James Klingenschmitt told WND after the military court-martial recessed for the night.

"Therefore I disobeyed my commanding officer's order not to pray in uniform," he said.

Klingenschmitt, who raised immediate concerns with this superiors when the Navy issued a new order that prayers could only be "non-sectarian," also has alleged he was punished for raising those concerns, and later notifying Congress and President Bush of the situation.

Read more about it here.

What's wrong with this picture?

This sermon by Paris Reidhead is vital. Our commission is about God, not ourselves and not about the lost.

Listen Here

A clip:

...There was a difference! It wasn't trying to convince a GOOD MAN that he was in trouble with a BAD GOD! But that it was to convince BAD MEN that they had deserved the wrath and anger of a GOOD GOD! And the consequences were repentance, that lead to faith, and lead to the life. Dear friends, there's only one reason, one reason for a sinner to repent and that's because Jesus Christ deserves the worship and adoration and the love and the obedience of his heart. Not because he'll go to heaven. If the only reason you repented, dear friend, was to keep out of Hell all you are is JUST A LEVITE SERVING FOR TEN SHEKELS AND A SHIRT! THAT'S ALL! You're trying to serve God because He'll do you good! But a repentant heart is a heart that has seen something of the enormity of the crime of playing God and denying the just and righteous God the worship and obedience that He deserves!

Why should a sinner repent? BECAUSE GOD DESERVES THE OBEDIENCE AND LOVE THAT HE'S REFUSED TO GIVE HIM! Not so that he'll go to heaven. If the only reason he repents is so that he'll go to heaven, it's nothing but trying to make a deal or a bargain with God.

WHY SHOULD A SINNER GIVE UP ALL HIS SINS? WHY SHOULD HE BE CHALLENGED TO DO IT? WHY SHOULD HE MAKE RESTITUTION WHEN HE'S COMING TO CHRIST? BECAUSE GOD DESERVES THE OBEDIENCE THAT HE DEMANDS !!!

I have talked with people that have no assurance that sins are forgiven. They want to feel safe, before they're willing to commit themselves to Christ. But I believe that the only ones whom God actually witnesses by His Spirit and are born of Him, are the people, whether they say it or not, that come to Jesus Christ and say something like this, "Lord Jesus, I'm going to obey you, and love you, and serve you, and do what you want me to do, as long as I live even if I go to Hell at the end of the road, simply because YOU ARE WORTHY TO BE LOVED, AND OBEYED, AND SERVED, and I'm not trying to make a deal with you!" Do you see the difference? Do you see the difference? Between a Levite serving for ten shekels and a shirt or a Micah building a chapel because God will do you good AND someone that repents for the glory of God.

Why should a person come to the cross? Why should a person embrace death with Christ? Why should a person be willing to go, in identification, down to the cross and into the tomb and up again? I'll tell you why! BECAUSE IT'S THE ONLY WAY THAT GOD CAN GET GLORY OUT OF A HUMAN BEING !!! If you say it's because he'll get joy or peace or blessing or success or fame then it's nothing but a Levite serving for ten shekels and a shirt. THERE IS ONLY ONE REASON FOR YOU TO GO TO THE CROSS DEAR YOUNG PERSON. And that's because until you come to the place of union with Christ in death you are defrauding the Son of God of the glory that He could get out of your life. For no flesh shall glory in His sight. And until you've understood the sanctifying work of God by the Holy Ghost taking you into union with Christ in death and burial and resurrection, you have to serve in what you have and all you have which is under the sentence of death: human personality, and human nature, and human strength, and human energy. And God will get no glory out of that!

So the reason for you to go to the cross isn't that you're going to get victory, you will get victory. It isn't that you're going to have joy, you will have joy. But the reason for you to embrace the cross and press through until you know that you can testify with Paul "I am crucified with Christ" (Gal 2:20), it isn't what you're going to get out of it, but what He'll get out of it, for the glory of God. By the same token: Why aren't you pressed through to know the fullness of the Holy Spirit? Why aren't you pressed through to know the fullness of Christ? I'll tell you why? BECAUSE THE ONLY POSSIBLE WAY THAT JESUS CHRIST WILL GET GLORY OUT OF A LIFE THAT HE'S REDEEMED WITH HIS PRECIOUS BLOOD IS WHEN HE CAN FILL THAT LIFE WITH HIS PRESENCE AND LIVE THROUGH IT HIS OWN LIFE.

The genius of our faith wasn't that we were going to go through the motions like a Levite that was hired to serve God. No, No! The genius of our faith was that we'd come to a place where we knew we could do nothing, and all we could do would be to present the vessel and say Lord Jesus "You'll have to fill it. And everything that's done will have to be done by You and for You." But, oh, I know so many people that are trying to know the fullness of God, so that they can use God...

Frontline aired a special on "Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero" Monday night.

During this special they interviewed Rabbi Irwin Kula, a Conservative Jewish rabbi and president of the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership in NYC.

On the Question of God, he had to say: (bold formatting mine, for emphasis)

For me, that there's something "out there," and that I'm here, no longer meant anything, because every time I thought there was something "out there," it turns into inevitably something opposed to me. Something I have to define myself against, whether that's God, or whether that's a Christian, or whether that's a Muslim, or whether that's a Buddhist. And that's not my experience. My genuine experience of life is that there is nothing "out there." This is all there is. And when you see the seamlessness of it all, that's what I mean by "God."

Every tradition has that. Every morning, three times a day since I'm five or six years old, I've been saying, "Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One." Right? It's one of our few creedal statements, the Shema. Three times a day, since I'm six years old. If you ask what 9/11 really did, it made me understand the truth of that. The truth of that, "Everything is one." Not that there's some guy hanging out there who has it all together, who we call "One," but that it is all one. We all know it deep down. We've all had those experiences, whether it's looking at our child in a crib or whether it's looking at our lover or looking at a mountaintop, or looking at a sunset. Right? We've all had those experiences. And we recognize, "Whoa. I'm much more connected here." That's what those firemen had. They recognized -- they didn't have time to think about it, right? Because actually, if you think about it, you begin to create separations. They didn't think about it. All they knew is we're absolutely connected. We're absolutely connected to the 86th floor. Well, that's where God is. That's not "where God is"; God isn't anywhere. That's what we mean when we say "God." ...

So, if you can't handle your experiences or define them through your theology, change your theology. "The Lord is One" no longer means monotheism, it now can mean pantheism.

He went on to share how he had taken the final voicemail messages left by victims on 9/11 and now prays them every morning. You see, once you divorce yourself from what the Bible teaches, you have nothing. You have to take whatever you can find and try to make that your text. You have to fashion a god in your own image, bow down and worship it, and break the moral Law.

Warren Jeffs, President of FLDS and polygamist, who even married most of his late father's widows, was arrested last week.
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has legalized homosexual "marriage."
Depending on your source, at least 40% of marriages are expected to end in divorce.

Is there hope?

On August 28, Doug Phillips posted the most beautiful wedding gallery I've seen.

The marriage of Peter Bradrick and Kelly Brown is annotated with Scripture for every symbolic element of the ceremony.

Look at the Scripture of their marriage vows.

Look around on Doug's blog for more photos related to the day.

These photos speak volumes of the marriage covenant. They give me hope. And they give me a vision of the marriages I want for my own children.

Just after 10:00 p.m. on August 21st, Pastor Joseph’s rented house was broken into by militant Hindu groups accusing him of not bowing before the Hindu gods. The 50-year-old pastor led 18 families for three years at the Kodambi Village Church, located in Hankaltaluk in Uttera Kannada district, Karnataka state. He was forced from his home in the middle of the night as Hindu radicals threw out all of his personal belongings and accused him of converting Hindus to Christianity. The attackers loaded Pastor Joseph’s possessions onto a tractor before sending him out to the Mundgode police station, nearly 20 miles from Kodambi. Taking him into custody, the officers refused to unload the pastor’s seized property. He was released shortly thereafter.

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Mormonism	Christianity
Many Gods Joseph Smith taught, "I have always declared God to be a distinct personage, Jesus Christ a separate and distinct personage from God the Father, and that the Holy Ghost was a distinct personage and a Spirit: and these three constitute three distinct personages and three Gods" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 370; emphasis added).	One Trinitarian God The Bible teaches that the Father is God, the Son is God (John 1:1; 20:28) and the Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4); and that they are distinct Persons in the Godhead-not to be confused with one another (Matthew 28:19; 1 Corinthians 12:4-6). There is only one true God (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 43:10; 1 Corinthians 8:4).
God, Once a Man, Progressed to Godhood Joseph Smith taught, "God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man. . . . I am going to tell you how God came to be God. We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea, and take away the veil, so that you may see. . . . [H]e was once a man like us; yea, that God himself, the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth, the same as Jesus Christ himself did. . ." (Ibid., 345, 346; italics in original).	God Has Always Been God God has always been God (Genesis 21:33; Psalm 90:2; Isaiah 40:28). God is spirit, not an exalted man with flesh and bone (John 4:24; Luke 24:39; Hosea 11:9; Numbers 23:19). God does not change (Malachi 3:6), nor does he grow in knowledge (Isaiah 40:13). There is none like him, he is unique, he is the only true God (Exodus 8:10; 2 Samuel 7:22; Isaiah 43:10; 44:6-8; 45:5, 21-22; 46:9; 1 Corinthians 8:5). (Note that though Jesus, being God, did become human in his incarnation [John 1:1, 14], this is quite different from a man progressing to become a god.)
Humans Can Become Gods Joseph Smith taught, "Here, then, is eternal life—to know the only wise and true God; and you have got to learn how to be Gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all Gods have done before you" (Ibid., 346).	Humans Cannot Become Gods Men cannot become gods (Isaiah 43:10). Man is a created being, unlike God—who has always been (Genesis 21:33). God will not share his glory with another (Isaiah 42:8).
Humans Were Procreated in the Preexistence M. Russell Ballard wrote, "Before the world was created, we all lived as the spirit children of our Heavenly Father [and Mother]. Through a natural process of inheritance we received in embryo the traits and attributes of our Heavenly Father" (Ballard, Our Search for Happiness, 70). Mormons also infer this from the preexistence of Jesus Christ.	Humans Were Created Humans are created, not procreated, by God (Genesis 1:26; 2:7). Our existence begins in the womb of our mothers (Psalm 139:13). Humans cannot compare themselves to Jesus and his preexistence, for they are not deity by nature, as is Jesus. He preexisted because he is God (Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1; 17:5; Philippians 2:6-7). Jesus alone is from heaven, we are from the earth (John 3:13, 31; 8:23-24).
A Complete Apostasy of the Church M. Russell Ballard wrote, "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that God's full authority was lost from the earth for centuries following the mortal ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. . . . In short, the church Christ organized gradually disintegrated, and the fullness of the gospel was lost" (Ibid., 26, 31).	The Church Remains Forever In Matthew 16:18 Jesus declared, "I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Given that Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth, we can trust that this promise would not fail (Matthew 28:18). While there are several passages that refer to an apostasy, it is never said to be a universal or complete apostasy (e.g., Acts 20:30; 2 Thessalonians 2:3; 1 Timothy 4:1). Rather, we know that God will be glorified in the Church throughout all ages (Ephesians 3:21), and that Christians have received a kingdom that cannot be shaken (Hebrews 12:28; cf. Daniel 2:44).
The Bible is Corrupted and Incomplete Gordon B. Hinckley wrote, "Latter-day Saints recognize that errors have crept into this sacred work because of the manner in which the book has come to us. Moreover, they regard it as not being complete as a guide" (Hinckley, What of the Mormons?, 26).	The Bible is Reliable and Sufficient God has promised that his word, the Bible, would stand forever (Isaiah 40:3). We know that his word is true (John 17:17), contains wisdom unto salvation, and thoroughly equips God’s people for every good work (2 Timothy 3:15-17). God has given us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:2).
Works Necessary to Live with God Forever (Salvation) M Russell Ballard wrote, "Jesus Christ accomplished two incomparable feats through His atoning sacrifice. First, He conquered death, and as a result all people will have the privilege of everlasting life with a resurrected body. Second, He suffered the burden and pains of our sins so that we might have the privilege of eternal life in the presence of God if we have faith in Christ as our Savior and choose to repent of our sins and keep His commandments" (Ballard, Our Search for Happiness, 88).	Salvation is Based on the Righteousness of Christ The Bible never interprets mere resurrection as salvation (John 5:29). Those who receive Jesus will have eternal life, but the wrath of God remains on those who reject him (John 3:36). While Christians are called to keep God's commandments (e.g. John 14:15), salvation is in no way based on our own righteous deeds (Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 3:5-8). It is through the atonement of Christ that we are made perfect (Hebrews 10:13-18). The atonement took place, not in the Garden of Gethsemane but through his blood shed on the cross (Colossians 1:20; 1 Peter 2:24).
Heaven(s) There are three heavenly kingdoms: the celestial, terrestrial and telestial. Mormons argue for this belief from 1 Corinthians 15:40-41 and 2 Corinthians 12:2 (where the apostle Paul says he was caught up to the "third heaven"). See "Three Levels of Heaven" under "The Beliefs of Mormonism".	Heaven The context of 1 Corinthians 15:40-41 is the contrast between resurrection (celestial or heavenly) and pre-resurrection (terrestrial or earthly) bodies, not heavenly kingdoms. The Bible does speak of three heavens: the atmospheric heaven, where birds fly and from which the rains fall (Genesis 7:23;8:2); the astronomic heaven, where the stars and planets reside (Genesis 1:14, 15; 22:17); and the third heaven, the throne of God (Matthew 6:9; Revelation 4:2).
Hell Joseph Fielding Smith wrote, "Those who live lives of wickedness may also be heirs of salvation, that is, they too shall be redeemed from death and from hell eventually. These, however, must suffer in hell the torments of the damned until they pay the price of their sinning, for the blood of Christ will not cleanse them" (Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 2, 133-134).	Hell One's abode in hell is as eternal as one's abode in heaven (Matthew 25:46). There is no second chance after death (Hebrews 9:27). At the final judgment, men either receive the resurrection of life or the resurrection of condemnation (Daniel 12:2; John 5:29)—they are assigned either to heaven or hell.

Kevin Bywater, "Mormonism: A Survey and Biblical Critique," Christian Answers Network Web site (Gilbert, AZ: Eden Communications, 1996).

Key Verses:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. - John 3:16 (ESV)

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. - Romans 10:4 (ESV)

For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” - Romans 10:10-13 (ESV)

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. - Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV)