{"id":4664,"date":"2025-09-15T14:12:32","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T21:12:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novus2.com\/righteouscause\/?p=4664"},"modified":"2025-09-15T16:12:17","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T23:12:17","slug":"a-biblical-refutation-of-lds-doctrines-on-divine-nature-and-human-destiny","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novus2.com\/righteouscause\/2025\/09\/15\/a-biblical-refutation-of-lds-doctrines-on-divine-nature-and-human-destiny\/","title":{"rendered":"A Biblical Refutation of LDS Doctrines on Divine Nature and Human Destiny"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Download this PDF to print at home: LDS Doctrines<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

A 20-minute read…<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Introduction<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints presents distinctive theological positions that fundamentally diverge from orthodox Christian doctrine, particularly regarding the nature of God, humanity’s relationship to divinity, and eschatological destiny. Their official essay “Becoming Like God<\/strong><\/a>” articulates several core beliefs that warrant careful theological examination through the lens of biblical revelation and historical Christian orthodoxy. This comprehensive analysis will demonstrate how these LDS doctrines contradict essential Christian truths established through Scripture and affirmed by the historic church.<\/p>\n

The stakes of this theological discussion extend far beyond academic debate. At issue are fundamental questions about the nature of God, the condition of humanity, the means of salvation, and the ultimate destiny of human souls. The LDS positions examined here represent not merely alternative interpretations of Christian doctrine, but constitute a departure from biblical Christianity so significant as to alter the gospel itself.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The False Doctrine of Universal Divine Sonship<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

The LDS Position Examined<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The LDS essay “Becoming Like God<\/strong><\/a>” boldly asserts that “Latter-day Saints see all people as children of God in a full and complete sense; they consider every person divine in origin, nature, and potential.”<\/strong><\/em><\/span> This teaching presents a fundamental misunderstanding of biblical anthropology and soteriology, conflating the universal human bearing of God’s image with the particular spiritual relationship that defines genuine divine sonship.<\/p>\n

This doctrine suggests that all humanity possesses an inherent divine nature<\/strong><\/span> simply by virtue of biological birth, making divine sonship a matter of ontological reality rather than spiritual transformation. Such a view necessarily undermines the biblical teaching that becoming a child of God requires faith, repentance, and spiritual rebirth through Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n

Contemporary evangelical theologians have consistently critiqued this fundamental error in LDS anthropology. The distinction between being created in God’s image and possessing divine sonship represents a crucial theological boundary that Mormon doctrine systematically blurs. As noted by evangelical scholars examining LDS theology, Christians don’t believe that we’re all children of God in the soteriological sense that Mormons assert. This reflects the broader evangelical consensus that divine sonship must be distinguished from universal human dignity as image-bearers.<\/p>\n

Francis J. Beckwith, in his critical analysis of Mormon theism<\/strong><\/a>, has noted how LDS doctrine fundamentally alters traditional Christian categories by conflating ontological and relational aspects of divine-human relationships. Modern Reformed theologians consistently maintain that the biblical distinction between creation in God’s image (which all humans share) and adoption as God’s children (which only believers possess) is essential to preserving the gospel’s clarity and the uniqueness of Christian conversion.<\/p>\n

Biblical Evidence Against Universal Divine Sonship<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The Scriptures provide clear and consistent testimony against the notion that all people are automatically children of God in any salvific sense. The apostle John draws a sharp distinction between the children of God and the children of the devil: “By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother”<\/strong> <\/em><\/span>(1 John 3:10 ESV).<\/p>\n

This verse establishes behavioral and spiritual criteria for divine sonship that naturally exclude those who persist in unrighteousness. The text does not suggest that the “children of the devil”<\/strong> <\/em><\/span>are somehow also children of God in a different sense, but rather presents these as mutually exclusive categories based on spiritual reality rather than biological origin.<\/p>\n

Similarly, John’s Gospel emphasizes that divine sonship is a privilege granted through faith rather than a universal inheritance: “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”<\/strong><\/em><\/span> (John 1:12 ESV). The phrase “gave the right to become”<\/strong><\/em><\/span> clearly indicates that divine sonship is not humanity’s natural state but requires a divine act of grace in response to faith. If all people were already children of God “in a full and complete sense,”<\/strong> <\/em><\/span>this transformation would be unnecessary and meaningless.<\/p>\n

Paul’s teaching in Romans further clarifies this distinction: “This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring”<\/strong> <\/em><\/span>(Romans 9:8 ESV). Here, the apostle explicitly rejects any notion that biological descent or natural birth establishes divine sonship. Instead, he grounds this relationship in God’s sovereign promise and gracious election.<\/p>\n

The same apostle reinforces this teaching elsewhere: “Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning”<\/strong><\/em><\/span> (1 John 3:7-8 ESV). Again, we see the clear division between those who belong to God and those who belong to the devil, based not on universal divine nature but on moral and spiritual alignment.<\/p>\n

Paul’s letter to the Romans provides additional clarity: “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him”<\/strong> <\/em><\/span>(Romans 8:9 ESV). This passage establishes the indwelling Holy Spirit as the distinguishing mark of those who belong to Christ, implying that those without this Spirit do not possess such a relationship.<\/p>\n

The Galatian epistle reinforces the conditional nature of divine sonship: “for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith”<\/strong><\/em><\/span> (Galatians 3:26 ESV). The prepositional phrase “through faith”<\/strong><\/em><\/span> indicates the means by which divine sonship is obtained, contradicting any notion that it is universal or automatic.<\/p>\n

Perhaps most significantly, Jesus himself addressed this issue directly when confronting religious leaders: “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him”<\/strong><\/em><\/span> (John 8:44 ESV). These words, spoken to religious individuals who claimed Abraham as their father and presumably considered themselves children of God, demolish any theory of universal divine sonship.<\/p>\n

Historical Christian Understanding<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The historic Christian church has consistently understood divine sonship as a privilege granted through grace rather than a universal human condition. Augustine, the great theologian of the early church, clearly articulated this distinction: “We were not born of God in the manner in which the Only-begotten was born of Him, but were adopted by His grace.”<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

This Augustinian formulation captures the biblical distinction between Christ’s natural sonship and the believer’s adopted sonship. While Christ is the eternal Son by nature, believers become children of God through divine adoption\u2014a legal and spiritual act that transforms their relationship to the Father. This adoption requires faith, repentance, and spiritual regeneration, making it fundamentally different from natural birth.<\/p>\n

The Protestant Reformers maintained this understanding, emphasizing that divine sonship results from justification by faith alone rather than inherent human nature. The Westminster Confession of Faith expresses this clearly: “All those that are justified God vouchsafes, in and for His only Son Jesus Christ, to make partakers of the grace of adoption: by which they are taken into the number, and enjoy the liberties and privileges of the children of God.”<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The Soteriological Implications<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The LDS doctrine of universal divine sonship fundamentally alters the gospel message by suggesting that all people already possess what the Bible presents as the goal of redemption. If every person is already a child of God “in a full and complete sense,”<\/strong><\/em><\/span> then the gospel’s call to “become”<\/strong><\/em><\/span> children of God becomes superfluous. This effectively eliminates the necessity of the new birth that Jesus declared essential for entering the kingdom of God (John 3:3).<\/p>\n

Furthermore, this teaching obscures the radical nature of the transformation that occurs in genuine conversion. The Bible presents salvation not as the recognition of existing divine sonship but as a fundamental change from spiritual death to spiritual life, from darkness to light, from the kingdom of Satan to the kingdom of God. The LDS position minimizes this transformation by suggesting it merely actualizes what was already true rather than creating something genuinely new.<\/p>\n

The Heretical Teaching of Human Deification<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

The LDS Doctrine Examined<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Among the most distinctive and problematic LDS teachings is the doctrine of human deification, summarized in Lorenzo Snow’s famous couplet: “As man now is, God once was: As God now is, man may be.”<\/strong> <\/em><\/span>This doctrine, reinforced by Joseph Smith’s teaching that believers “have got to learn how to be a god yourself,”<\/strong><\/em><\/span> represents a fundamental departure from biblical monotheism and the Creator-creature distinction.<\/p>\n

The LDS essay “Becoming Like God<\/strong><\/a>” attempts to present this doctrine as merely an extension of the biblical teaching about being “partakers of the divine nature”<\/strong> <\/em><\/span>(2 Peter 1:4), but this interpretation grossly distorts the biblical text’s meaning. The doctrine goes far beyond moral transformation or spiritual participation in God’s life to assert actual ontological transformation into deity.<\/p>\n

Spencer W. Kimball’s elaboration of this doctrine makes its radical nature unmistakable: “Each one of you has it within the realm of his possibility to develop a kingdom over which you will preside as its king and god. You will need to develop yourself and grow in ability and power and worthiness, to govern such a world with all of its people.”<\/strong> <\/em><\/span>This teaching explicitly promises believers that they will become gods ruling over their own worlds and peoples.<\/p>\n

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The founder of the Latter-day Saint movement, Joseph Smith, Jr., explicitly taught this doctrine. In his 1844 “King Follett discourse,” he stated, “God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens!”<\/strong> <\/em><\/span>He continued by saying, “…you have got to learn how to be gods yourselves… the same as all gods have done”.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

More recent and modern leaders of the LDS Church have continued to affirm the doctrine, though the phrasing has often shifted to emphasize that believers can become\u00a0like<\/em>\u00a0God, rather than explicitly becoming a “god”<\/strong><\/em><\/span> themselves. However, official publications and scripts still affirm the core concept of exaltation, with faithful believers inheriting “all that the Father has”.<\/strong> <\/em><\/span>An official Church website states that through following Christ’s teachings, all people can become “partakers of the divine nature”.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The Biblical Testimony Against Human Deification<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The Scriptures present an uncompromising monotheistic worldview that categorically rejects any possibility of human beings becoming gods. The Lord’s declaration through Isaiah leaves no ambiguity: “Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be after me”<\/strong><\/em><\/span> (Isaiah 43:10 ESV). This verse establishes both the eternality of God’s existence and the impossibility of any being becoming god after Him.<\/p>\n

The broader context of Isaiah 43 reinforces this truth as God declares His absolute uniqueness: “I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior”<\/strong> <\/em><\/span>(Isaiah 43:11 ESV). The repetition of the first-person pronoun emphasizes God’s exclusive claim to deity, while the phrase “besides me there is no savior”<\/strong><\/span> extends this exclusivity to the soteriological realm.<\/p>\n

Deuteronomy provides equally clear testimony: “To you it was shown, that you might know that the Lord is God; there is no other besides him”<\/strong><\/em><\/span> (Deuteronomy 4:35 ESV). This verse was specifically given to help Israel understand God’s absolute uniqueness in deity. The phrase “there is no other besides him”<\/strong> <\/em><\/span>admits no exceptions and allows no room for created beings to ascend to godhood.<\/p>\n

Additional Old Testament passages reinforce this theme. God declares through Isaiah: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god”<\/strong> <\/em><\/span>(Isaiah 44:6 ESV). The temporal language “first”<\/strong><\/em><\/span> and “last”<\/strong><\/em><\/span> encompasses all of time and eternity, leaving no space for other beings to become gods either before or after the true God.<\/p>\n

The New Testament maintains this strict monotheism while revealing the Trinitarian nature of the one God. Paul affirms: “There is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist”<\/strong><\/em><\/span> (1 Corinthians 8:6 ESV). This verse affirms both the oneness of God and the eternality of Christ’s lordship while maintaining the Creator-creature distinction.<\/p>\n

The Ontological Impossibility of Deification<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The biblical worldview establishes an absolute ontological distinction between Creator and creation that cannot be bridged by any creature, regardless of moral development or spiritual progress. This distinction is not merely one of degree but of kind\u2014God is uncreated, eternal, and self-existent, while all other beings are created, temporal, and dependent.<\/p>\n

The doctrine of creation ex nihilo, clearly taught in Scripture, establishes that everything other than God came into existence through God’s creative act. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth”<\/strong><\/em><\/span> (Genesis 1:1 ESV). This creative act establishes an unbridgeable ontological gulf between the Creator and everything He has made.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, the attributes that define deity\u2014such as self-existence, eternality, omniscience, omnipotence, and immutability\u2014cannot be acquired or developed. These are not enhanced versions of creaturely attributes but qualitatively different characteristics that belong to God’s essential nature. A being that developed these attributes would not truly possess them, since true self-existence cannot be derived, and genuine eternality cannot have a beginning.<\/p>\n

The Christological Confusion<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The LDS doctrine of human deification creates significant christological problems by suggesting that Jesus Christ’s divinity is merely an example of what all faithful humans can achieve. This reduces the Incarnation from a unique hypostatic union of divine and human natures to simply one instance of a repeatable process of human deification.<\/p>\n

Scripture presents Christ’s divine sonship as fundamentally different from the adopted sonship available to believers. Jesus is “the only begotten Son”<\/strong><\/em><\/span> (John 3:16 KJV), a title that emphasizes His unique relationship to the Father. The Greek term “monogenes<\/strong><\/em><\/span>” indicates not only uniqueness but also the idea of being “one of a kind”<\/strong><\/em><\/span> or “in a class by himself.”<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Moreover, Christ’s pre-existence as the eternal Word (John 1:1) distinguishes His divine nature from any possibility of acquired deity. He did not become God through moral development or spiritual progress, but “was God”<\/strong><\/em><\/span> from eternity past. This eternal deity is precisely what enables Him to serve as the perfect mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5).<\/p>\n

Historical Christian Response to Deification Errors<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The early Christian church confronted similar errors in the form of Gnosticism and various forms of mysticism that promised human participation in divinity. The church consistently rejected any teaching that blurred the Creator-creature distinction or promised ontological transformation into deity.<\/p>\n

The Nicene Creed’s affirmation that Christ is “true God and true man”<\/strong><\/em><\/span> was formulated partly to maintain the uniqueness of the Incarnation against various errors that would make it merely an example of human deification. The Council of Chalcedon further clarified that Christ’s divine and human natures remain distinct even in their union, preventing any notion that humanity can be absorbed into divinity.<\/p>\n

Medieval mysticism occasionally flirted with deification themes, but orthodox theologians like Thomas Aquinas carefully distinguished between participation in God’s life through grace and any kind of ontological transformation into deity. Aquinas taught that the highest created good\u2014the beatific vision\u2014involves seeing God as He truly is but does not involve becoming God.<\/p>\n

The Gnostic Error of Divine Seeds<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

The LDS Teaching on Seeds of Divinity<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The LDS assertion that “all human beings are children of loving heavenly parents and possess seeds of divinity within them”<\/strong><\/em><\/span> represents a contemporary manifestation of ancient Gnostic errors that plagued the early church. This doctrine suggests that human beings possess an inherent divine essence that merely requires development or awakening rather than the radical transformation described in Scripture.<\/p>\n

This “seeds of divinity”<\/strong><\/em><\/span> concept necessarily implies that the essential problem of humanity is ignorance or underdevelopment rather than sin and spiritual death. According to this view, salvation becomes a matter of education, spiritual development, or the activation of latent divine potential rather than the forgiveness of sins and spiritual regeneration.<\/p>\n

Biblical Anthropology and Human Nature<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The biblical understanding of human nature provides a fundamentally different perspective on humanity’s condition and potential. While Scripture affirms that humans are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), it clearly distinguishes this from possessing divine nature or divine seeds.<\/p>\n

The image of God (imago Dei<\/strong><\/em><\/span>) refers to humanity’s unique capacity for rational thought, moral responsibility, spiritual fellowship with God, and dominion over creation. However, this image does not constitute divinity but rather represents the particular way in which humans reflect their Creator while remaining fundamentally different from Him in nature and being.<\/p>\n

The fall described in Genesis 3 resulted in the corruption of this divine image without eliminating it entirely. Humans retain their status as image-bearers, which provides the foundation for human dignity and moral responsibility, but they do not possess “seeds of divinity”<\/strong> <\/em><\/span>that merely require cultivation.<\/p>\n

GotQuestions.org: What does it mean that humanity is made in the image of God (imago dei)?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Having the \u201cimage\u201d<\/strong><\/span> or \u201clikeness\u201d<\/strong><\/span> of God means, in the simplest terms, that we were made to resemble God. Adam did not resemble God in the sense of God\u2019s having flesh and blood. Scripture says that \u201cGod is spirit\u201d<\/strong> <\/span>(John 4:24) and therefore exists without a body. However, Adam\u2019s body did mirror the life of God insofar as it was created in perfect health and was not subject to death.<\/p>\n

The image of God (Latin, imago dei) refers to the immaterial part of humanity. It sets human beings apart from the animal world, fits them for the dominion God intended them to have over the earth (Genesis 1:28), and enables them to commune with their Maker. It is a likeness mentally, morally, and socially.<\/p>\n

Part of being made in God\u2019s image is that Adam had the capacity to make free choices. Although they were given a righteous nature, Adam and Eve made an evil choice to rebel against their Creator. In so doing, they marred the image of God within themselves, and passed that damaged likeness on to all their descendants (Romans 5:121<\/a><\/sup>Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned\u2014<\/span>). Today, we still bear the image of God (James 3:92<\/a><\/sup>With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.<\/span>), but we also bear the scars of sin. Mentally, morally, socially, and physically, we show the effects of sin.<\/p>\n

The good news is that when God redeems an individual, He begins to restore the original image of God, creating a \u201cnew self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness\u201d<\/strong><\/span> (Ephesians 4:24). That redemption is only available by God\u2019s grace through faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior from the sin that separates us from God (Ephesians 2:8-93<\/a><\/sup>For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.<\/span>). Through Christ, we are made new creations in the likeness of God (2 Corinthians 5:174<\/a><\/sup>Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.<\/span>).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Biblical Testimony Against Inherent Divine Seeds<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Scripture presents a sobering assessment of human nature that contradicts any notion of inherent divine seeds. David’s confession in Psalm 51 reveals the depth of human corruption: “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me”<\/strong> <\/em><\/span>(Psalm 51:5 ESV). This verse indicates that sin affects human nature from the very beginning of life, making it impossible for humans to possess uncorrupted divine seeds.<\/p>\n

Paul’s description of humanity’s natural condition reinforces this biblical anthropology: “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience\u2014among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind”<\/strong><\/em><\/span> (Ephesians 2:1-3 ESV).<\/p>\n

This passage describes unregenerate humanity as “dead”<\/strong><\/em><\/span> in sin, following Satan (“the prince of the power of the air”<\/strong><\/em><\/span>), and being “by nature children of wrath.”<\/strong><\/em><\/span> Such descriptions are incompatible with the possession of divine seeds that merely require development. Instead, they indicate that human nature is fundamentally corrupted and requires supernatural intervention for transformation.<\/p>\n

Genesis provides additional insight into humanity’s post-fall condition: “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually”<\/strong><\/em><\/span> (Genesis 6:5 ESV). The comprehensive nature of this corruption\u2014affecting “every intention”<\/strong><\/em><\/span> and being “only evil continually”<\/strong><\/em><\/span>\u2014leaves no room for uncorrupted divine seeds within human nature.<\/p>\n

Paul’s letter to the Romans further develops this theme: “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out”<\/strong><\/span><\/em> (Romans 7:18 ESV). Even the regenerate Paul acknowledges that “nothing good dwells”<\/strong><\/em><\/span> in his flesh, contradicting any notion that human nature contains inherent divine seeds.<\/p>\n

The Gnostic Parallel<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The LDS teaching about seeds of divinity bears striking similarities to ancient Gnostic doctrines that the early church identified as heretical. Gnosticism taught that humans possess a divine spark trapped within material bodies, and that salvation consists of awakening this spark through special knowledge (gnosis) rather than through faith in Christ’s atoning work.<\/p>\n

Like the LDS doctrine, Gnosticism minimized the problem of sin by suggesting that humanity’s fundamental issue was ignorance rather than moral corruption. This led to a view of salvation as enlightenment or development rather than forgiveness and regeneration.<\/p>\n

The apostle John’s first epistle appears to address early forms of Gnostic teaching: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us”<\/strong><\/em><\/span> (1 John 1:8 ESV). This warning directly contradicts any teaching that suggests human nature contains uncorrupted divine elements that merely require development.<\/p>\n

Similarly, John’s emphasis on the necessity of Christ’s atoning sacrifice counters any teaching that makes salvation a matter of developing inherent divinity: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”<\/strong><\/em><\/span> (1 John 1:9 ESV). The need for forgiveness and cleansing presupposes genuine moral corruption rather than merely undeveloped divine potential.<\/p>\n

The Soteriological Implications<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The doctrine of divine seeds fundamentally alters the gospel message by changing the problem that salvation addresses. Instead of presenting humans as sinners in need of forgiveness, this teaching suggests that humans are divine beings in need of development. This shift necessarily changes salvation from a divine rescue operation to a self-improvement project.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, this doctrine undermines the necessity of Christ’s atoning sacrifice by suggesting that humanity’s problem can be solved through spiritual development rather than the payment of sin’s penalty. If humans possess divine seeds that merely require cultivation, then Christ’s death becomes optional or merely helpful rather than absolutely necessary.<\/p>\n

The biblical gospel, by contrast, presents salvation as God’s gracious response to humanity’s desperate spiritual condition. Humans are not divine beings who have forgotten their true nature but rebels who have violated God’s law and deserve His judgment. Salvation comes not through developing divine potential but through faith in Christ’s substitutionary atonement and the supernatural gift of spiritual regeneration.<\/p>\n

An outline confirming the biblical basis for the statement can be constructed by examining the Bible’s teachings on humanity’s sinful nature, God’s gracious response, Christ’s atoning sacrifice, and the supernatural act of regeneration.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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I. Humanity’s desperate spiritual condition as rebellious sinners<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n