How the Book of Mormon contradicts the Bible

Latter-day Saints claim that the Book of Mormon helps interpret the Bible. 2 Nephi 25:23 says,

“…for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.”

A comparable passage in the Bible, Ephesians 2:8-19, says,

“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.”

These two passages are teaching mutually exclusive things. Though Joseph Smith attempted to make Mormonism out to be the “true” Christianity—restoring those truths that had been distorted over centuries of Christian church history—contradictions like this demonstrate that Joseph Smith was the one who distorted the truth of the Gospel.

The Book of Mormon teaches that the grace of God helps us in getting salvation. What Paul is saying in the Bible is that our salvation comes completely from the grace of God, and is not dependent on works. Scripture is clear about this issue: salvation is by the grace of God and is to be received by faith, not by works.

Mormonism’s claim that the Bible and the Book of Mormon reveal the same Gospel is an easily testable claim. The Bible tells Christians to not despise prophecy, but to test everything and hold fast to what is good (1 Thessalonians 5:20-21). But when examined, the LDS Church’s claim that the Book of Mormon and Bible are in perfect harmony is refuted.