In the Bible, to be saved means to be spared the ultimate consequences of spiritual mistakes. "And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will sav His people from their sins" (Matt 1:21). Since the "wages of sin is death" (Rom 6:23), the ultimate goal of the Gospel is to save Man from death. Death is simply a form of separation (Isa 59:2), and two types are identified in scripture. Each is a consequence of sin. Physical Death is the separation of Man's spirit from his physical body (James 2:26). It resulted from Adam's transgression, which caused the Fall. Spiritual Death is the separation of Man from God (Isa 59:2; Ps 51:10-12; Rom 8:5-10), also a consequence of the Fall, but one that is directly connected to Man's own transgressions. The Greek word translated gospel in the New Testament means "good news." The Gospel is the good news that God has provided a way for Men tobe saved from these two forms of death or separation.
Salvation From Physical Death
1 Corinthians 15 focuses onChrist's triumph over Physical Death through His resurrection, and makes the following promise to all Men (1 Cor 15:20-22 NASB):
"But now Christ has been raised fromthe dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of teh dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive."
Almost all Evangelicals will look at the above passage as referring to "Spiritual Death" caused by sin, but the verse says that "All men" will be made alive from this death. If this is referring to our sins, then it should be interpreted to mean that all men will make it to heaven (be saved in the broader sense). This of course is not Biblical. No man can escape the result of Adam's transgression, and there is nothing Men can do to overcome Physical Death. The good news is that Christ rose from the dead and brought to pass a physical resurrection whereby the bodies of all Men will be made "alive" (that is, physically immortal), thus defeating the bonds of Physical Death for all Men.
Physical Death was not part of God's original creation. God made Men physically immortal in the Garden of Eden. physical death entered into the world because of the sin of Adam. Christ's atonement overcame physical death making it possible for all Men to return to the original condition of their creation--immortality. All men, even unbelievers, will recieve Christ's free gift of salvation from Physical Death (Acts 24:15), for Christ is "the Savior of all men, especially of believers" (1 Tim 4:10 NASB). This passage in Timothy distinguishes a parity in salvation here because there are those saved from Physical Death, "all men", and there are those saved from Spiritual Death, "especially believers." Mormons are the only Christian group that I am aware of, that recognizes these two distinct different forms of salvation. The Evangelicals as a whole, seem to interpret "saved" in every usage of the word, in the exact same way. This is perhaps why LDS soteriology seems so "different" and more open for criticism. Either way, it is God who dictates LDS theology, not the Mormons themselves.
Salvation From Spiritual Death
Wjile salvation from Physical Death is a "free gift" (Rom 5:12-15), salvation from Spiritual death, though a gift, is not free in the sense of beingunconditional. Unlike Physical Death, Man's own transgressions are a factor in Spiritual Death. Justice demands, and the Bible clearly teaches, that there are conditions Men must meet in Order to overcome the seperation from God caused by their sins (Rom 6:23). Indeed, if salvation from Spiritual Death were not conditional, it would be impossible to distinguish Heaven from hell.
Salvation from Spiritual Death is frequently referred to in the Bible as eternal or everlasting life (see, e.g., Matt 19:16;25:46; Mark 10:17;30; Luke 18:18; Johm 3:15; 4:36; 5:39; ^:54, 68; 12:25; 17:2-3; Rom 2:7; 5:21; 6:23; 1 Tim 6:12, 19; Titus 1:2; 3:7; Jude 21). "Everlasting life" and "eternal life" are identical. The Greek word in each instance is anionios, which is literally translated, "agelsating." When the Bible uses the word "life"( with or without the preceding adjective), it is usually speaking of salvation from Spiritual Death (see, e.g., Ezek 33:11-19; 1 John 1:2; 5:11).
There are a variety of rewards that await those who do good (Matt 10:42; John 14:2; Rev 22:12), but the greatest of the gifts of God is eternal life (Mark 10:29-30). Eternal life is to know God (John 17:3), and ultimately to live with Him (Rev 21:1-22:6). To know God, the separation between God and Man, known as Spiritual Death must be overcome. This is possible to a limited degree in this life when Men know God (1 John 4:7) and have His Spirit with them (1 John 3:24), but eternal life in the sense of living with God in heaven represents Man's ultimate salvation, and will not be experienced until after the resurrection.
The scriptures also describe salvation from Spiritual Death as "inheriting the kingdom of God," and similar promises of residence in the realm where God dwells. Some Evangelicals teach that there is a difference between "inheriting the kigdom of God" and "inheriting eternal life," but Matthew 24:31-46 (NASB) dispels that misconception. It indicates that the Lord will judge all nations, including the righteous and the wicked, and states: "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.'" However, verse 46 contrasts the fate of teh righteous and the wicked, saying: "these [wicked] will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." Thus the reward of teh righteous is described in one verse as going "into eternal life," and in the other as inheriting "the kingdom." Clearly, these two rewards are equivalent (see also Col 3:23-23). The essence of Spiritual Death is separation from God, and Men are not separated from God when they are living with Him in His kingdom.
Evangelicals speak of the "tenses of salvation," claiming they have been saved from the guilt and penalty of sin, are being saved from the habit or pollution of sin, and will be saved from the result or presence of sin. this theological rhetoric, however nicely phrased, can be misleading. Men always feel guilty when they commit sin, unless their conscience has been completely desensitized ("seared"--1 Tim 4:2). Guilt is God's early warning system to help Men repent and live righteously (Rom 2:14-15). One should not ignore its presence on the claim that they were saved at some time inthe past. When guilt is present, sin is usually the cause, and there is no salvation in sin.
Sin has serious earthly consequences as well--physical, emotional, and even legal. God wants Men to be happy, and the reason He has forbidden sin is that it has the opposite effect-- here and hereafter. Guilt and earthly penalties for sin may seem harsh, but they are intended to benefit Man. They encourage repentance and allow Men to exercise and develop their moral agency. Salvation involves something muchmore serious than the earthly penalties for sin. It involves relief from God's ultimate punishment for sin (Matt 1:21; Rom 6:22-23). The big stakes are not the earthly concerns, but Man's ability to live the rest of eternity with God. To achieve that end, Men must be clean, for no unclean thing can enter God's presence (Deut 23:14; Gal 5:19-21; Eph 5:5), and nothing that would defile His Kingdom or detract fromits perfection will be allowed to enter (Rev 21:27). Therefore, Men must learn to live in sinless perfection (Matt 5:48), and they must be cleansed from the mistakes they make before and during the learning process (Job 25:4).
A definitive statement of the plan God has provided to accomplish that end is contained in Ephesians 2:8-9, and extremely popular passage among Evangelicals: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.".. Mormons believe in this statement as strongly as the Evangelicals. However, they disagree with the interpretation offered by Evangelicals. Because these verses contain a summary of God's all-important Plan for the Salvation of Men, it is essential to have an accurate exposition of their meaning.