GLOBAL CHRISTIAN OUTREACH
Preaching the Gospel to All Creation
Mark 16:15
MORMON Q & A
Your Questions Answered Regarding
the Bible and Mormon Doctrine
By Loren Franck and Richard G. Owen
©2011 Global Christian Outreach, Inc. All Rights Reserved
ARE MORMONS CHRISTIANS?
They might be . . . except for five impermeable divides.
QUESTION
I recently spoke with a woman coworker. She’s a lifelong Mormon and insists Mormons are Christians. Not to be outdone, I told her I’ve been a lifelong Christian but that I never heard (or believed) that Mormons are Christians. My pastor says Mormons have fundamental teachings that disqualify them from being Christians. What do you say?
Leigh
Lethbridge, Alberta
ANSWER
Your question is a good one, and it arises frequently. The Bible as our reference, the answer hinges largely on the five doctrinal points discussed below.
Before addressing your question, though, we’ll explain a major difference between being a Christian and believing in Christ. Like other advocates of manmade religion, Mormons believe in their version of Jesus Christ, but they’re not Christians. How is that possible?
An Important Difference
Saying you believe in Christ means little until you identify the Jesus you believe in and what you believe about him. This requirement is as old as Christianity itself. For example, Paul warned Christians not to believe in “another Jesus than the one we proclaimed” (2 Corinthians 11:4). Which Jesus is that? The Jesus described throughout the Bible. As we discuss below, he has always existed as God, he saves by grace not by our good works, and his most significant teachings center on love for God and man, not on church leaders and their manmade doctrines.
How appropriate that Paul instructed ancient believers concerning those who claim to be Christians but fail to teach biblical doctrine exclusively. “Now I urge you, brethren,” the apostle wrote, “keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting” (Romans 16:17, 18).
“Smooth and flattering speech” that deceives” the hearts of the unsuspecting.” It all sounds just like Mormonism.
Five Counterbiblical Mormon Doctrines
1. The LDS Doctrine of God the Father
Mormon “scripture” and the LDS church’s highest leaders have long taught that God the Father was once a man, just as we are. In what borders on the absurd, they claim he achieved Godhood by obeying the laws and ordinances of the Mormon gospel. LDS people also say the Father “has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s” (Doctrine and Covenants 130:22). Joseph Smith, the Mormon church’s founding “prophet,” taught: “God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! That is the great secret. If the veil were rent today, and the great God who holds this world in its orbit, and who upholds all worlds and all things by His power, was to make himself visible—I say, if you were to see him today, you would see him like a man in form like yourselves in all the person, image, and very form as a man” (“King Follet Sermon,” History of the Church 6:302–317).
But Christians know otherwise. Basing our beliefs about God on the Bible only, followers of Jesus Christ believe the Father is a spirit, not possessing a physical body, and that he has always been God. “God is a Spirit,” Jesus testified in John 4:24 (KJV). The Bible does not teach that God the Father has a body of flesh and bones. No doctrine is more foundational to Christianity than that God has always been God, and the Bible never even suggests God was once a man. For instance, David said God is blessed “from everlasting to everlasting” (Psalm 41:13). And Nehemiah urged, “Stand up and bless the LORD your God from everlasting to everlasting” (Nehemiah 9:5). The phrase “from everlasting to everlasting” means that God has existed forever and will exist forever.
2. Mormonism’s Doctrine of the Son
Mormon church presidents have taught that Jesus is the literal firstborn Son of the Father in the spirit and the literal Only Begotten Son of God in the flesh. LDS doctrine further claims both births resulted from sex acts—the first between the Father and “our heavenly Mother,” and the second between the Father and the Virgin Mary. Brigham Young, second president of the Mormon church, claimed: “Jesus, our elder brother, was begotten in the flesh by . . . our Father in Heaven . . . Now, remember from this time forth, and for ever, that Jesus Christ was not begotten by the Holy Ghost” (Journal of Discourses 1:50).
In a 1909 doctrinal exposition, “The Origin of Man,” Mormonism’s First Presidency erroneously declared: “ . . . Man, as a spirit, was begotten and born of heavenly parents and reared to maturity in the eternal mansions of the Father, prior to coming upon the earth in a temporal body to undergo an experience in mortality. It teaches that all men existed in the spirit before any man existed in the flesh and that all who have inhabited the earth since Adam have taken bodies and become souls in like manner” (Improvement Era, November 1909, 75–81, italics added).
But the Bible teaches a dramatically different doctrine concerning the nature of Christ. Scripture says Jesus is the physical manifestation of the one eternal God (1 Timothy 3:16). Foreseeing Christ’s birth, Isaiah prophesied concerning the Savior, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6, italics added). Earlier, in Isaiah 7:14, Jesus’ birth was called “Emmanuel,” which the means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). Clearly, Jesus is God, not merely a God or simply “our Elder Brother” (John 1:1; 20:28; Acts 20:28; Romans 9:5; Hebrews 1:8).
3. The LDS Doctrine of Salvation
Unlike Christians, Mormons believe in two kinds of salvation: general and individual. Mormons equate general salvation with resurrection. Latter-day Saints say all people will receive general salvation. But Mormons also teach that individual salvation means exaltation in the celestial kingdom, the highest of the LDS church's three eternal kingdoms of glory. Only those married in a Mormon temple “for time and for all eternity” and are “true and faithful to their covenants” will receive individual salvation. Sometimes within Mormonism, individual salvation also refers to those who live eternally in the terrestrial kingdom or those saved (but not exalted) in the celestial kingdom (see Doctrine and Covenants 76:76; 131:1–4). When Mormons discuss salvation by grace, they’re referring to resurrection or that we’re saved by grace “after all we can do” (2 Nephi 25:23).
But the Bible offers a vastly different doctrine of salvation—a much more honorable one. Remember two important points here. First, scripture doesn’t designate general and individual salvation. Throughout the Old and New Testaments, salvation means everlasting life, the highest eternal reward God gives to man. And while there is such a thing as temporal salvation—for example, David’s deliverance from his enemies—salvation in the Bible usually refers to deliverance from everlasting death and destruction. Second, salvation can’t be earned. Nowhere did Christ or the apostles even intimate that salvation could be merited. Accordingly, the Bible teaches one doctrine of eternal salvation: by grace alone through faith alone in the finished work of Jesus Christ alone. If you don’t believe that doctrine, you’re not a Christian—and you disregard the Bible.
Jesus said, “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). Similarly, John the Baptist explained, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36). To obey doesn’t mean to keep a checklist of rules and regulations. Rather, it means to believe Jesus died for your sins and, resulting from that faith, will grant you eternal life. The key is to believe in the Son.
Christ didn’t say, “Only Mormons who obey all the laws and ordinances of the LDS gospel will have eternal life.” Paul clarified that eternal life is given by grace through faith, not because of human works (Romans 4:2–6, 22; Ephesians 2:8, 9; Galatians 3:6; 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 3:3–7). He eloquently summarized the gospel when he wrote, “For our sake [the Father] made [Christ] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
4. How Mormonism’s God Bestows Eternal Life
Ancient Israel thought obeying the Mosaic Law would result in eternal life. How wrong they were. They didn’t realize the law was merely “a tutor to bring us to Christ” (Galatians 3:22 NKJV). And sad to say, Mormons believe they’re modern-day Israel, but they’re making the same mistake ancient Israel did. They believe keeping the commandments—that is, “the laws and ordinances of the [Mormon] gospel” (Third Article of Faith)—ensures Latter-day Saints of eternal life. These laws and ordinances include temple marriage, water baptism by a Mormon priesthood holder, following the Mormon prophet and other LDS church leaders, obeying the LDS Word of Wisdom (no ingestion of alcohol, tobacco, coffee or tea), tithe paying, missionary work, welfare work, temple work for the dead, wearing approved temple garments, and myriad additional prerequisites for eternal life.
But the Bible clearly reveals who receives eternal life and how God bestows it. Mormons (and other religious legalists) interpret Jesus’ teachings to mean we must keep the commandments to be saved. However, these arguments fail to mention that the same sayings don’t mention salvation in any context other than by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
God’s people aren’t left guessing. The Bible reveals how to gain eternal life. “Believe in the Lord Jesus,” it says, “and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16:31). Paul wrote that the gospel of Jesus Christ is “the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16), not to those who keep the laws and ordinances of Mormonism. In fact, Paul said the saved are not under law but under grace (Romans 4:14, 15). With that in mind, he informed Christians, “ . . . If a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe” (Galatians 3:21, 22, italics added).
5. Man’s Greatest Responsibility
Since 1830, when their church was organized, Mormons have written extensively concerning man’s greatest responsibility. Joseph Smith insisted it’s to “seek after our dead” (History of the Church 6:313), meaning to have Mormon temple ordinances performed on their behalf. Joseph Fielding Smith, tenth president of the church, similarly taught: “It is our duty as individuals to seek after our immediate dead—those of our own line. This is the greatest individual responsibility that we have, and we should carry it through in behalf of our fathers who have gone before.” (Doctrines of Salvation 2:146, italics added).
But again, like scores of other Mormon doctrines, this teaching contradicts the Bible. Mormonism’s eerie notion of “salvation for the dead” has no part in the gospel of Jesus Christ. “ . . . Behold, now is the favorable time,” Paul explained. “Behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). David probably had this in mind when he wrote, “For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise?” (Psalm 6:5). In a later psalm, referring to God, David asked rhetorically, “Is your steadfast love declared in the grave, or your faithfulness in Abaddon? Are your wonders known in the darkness, or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?” (Psalm 88:11, 12; also see Psalm 115:17). And with crystal clarity, denouncing any hint of salvation for the dead, the prophet Isaiah maintained, “For Sheol does not thank you; death does not praise you; those who go down to the pit do not hope for your faithfulness” (Isaiah 38:18, italics added).
In contrast to Mormonism, man’s greatest responsibility is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30). Whether of Israel or members of Christ’s church, God’s people are to give him the consummate glory he richly deserves (Isaiah 43:7). Essentially, as John 4:24 urges, we’re to “worship God in spirit and truth.”
The Essence of Being a Christian
So, bottom line, are Mormons Christians? Mormons insist they are, insisting they believe in Jesus as their Savior. They even cite the official name of their church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to verify their Christianity. But we’ve presented overwhelming evidence that, while Mormons claim to be Christians, they trust “another Jesus,” as 2 Corinthians 11:4 describes. They believe Jesus was born as a spirit in the “preexistence” and born of the Virgin Mary into mortality. They believe Jesus saves by grace “after all we can do.”
As we’ve seen, though, the Bible teaches otherwise. “To [Jesus] all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (Acts 10:43, italics added). That doesn’t describe Mormonism or life in the LDS church. However, the verse does explain the essence of being a Christian. Jesus is our hope, righteousness and the only way to eternal life (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). Without beginning of days or end of years, he’s God revealed in the flesh. Taking our place on the cross, Jesus “did away with sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Hebrews 9:26).
And if you believe that, forsaking Mormonism’s manmade doctrines, you’re definitely a Christian.
Unless noted otherwise, all Bible quotations were taken from the English Standard Version.
Have questions regarding the Bible or the gospel of Jesus Christ? Contact us at info@gco4lds.org. And don't forget to visit our award-winning blog.
CONTINUOUS REVELATION
Why Aren’t New Sections Being Added to the Doctrine and Covenants as in Joseph Smith’s Lifetime?
QUESTION
I’m LDS but haven’t been active [haven’t attended church regularly]. Contradictions between past Mormon leaders and those of today have influenced me to avoid the LDS church. God’s truths are eternal and do not change. But many of the church’s teachings have changed; for example, the LDS position on the practice of plural marriage, Adam being God, blood atonement, and black males holding the priesthood.
One change that really bothers me? Continuous revelation in the Doctrine and Covenants since Joseph Smith’s death is nonexistent. Moses, Isaiah and many other prophets received revelations frequently—and they wrote them down. Joseph Smith recorded supposed revelations too, but since his time, continuous recorded revelation has been missing. Why?
Eve
Via e-mail
ANSWER
Like thousands who’ve resigned their Mormon church memberships, you’ve noticed that Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah and other Bible prophets furnished direct divine revelation to God’s people. Joseph Smith, the inaugural Mormon prophet, claimed to do so as well, and to a lesser extent, so did Brigham Young, the LDS church’s second president. Young wrote Doctrine and Covenants Section 136, which has a noticeably different “flavor” than earlier sections.
Israel’s Prophetic Pattern
One simply can study the Old Testament to see how God’s prophets relay his word. Scripture sets the pattern, so countless examples abound. For instance, the Lord revealed through Moses, “Thus says the Lord, ‘By this you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood’” (Exodus 7:17 ESV, italics added). Exodus 10:3 presents a similar template. “ . . . Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me’” (italics added).
When the prophet Nathan confronted David after the latter’s sexual sin with Bathsheba, the prophetic message was, " . . . Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul’” (1 Samuel 12:7, italics added). Likewise, the Lord explained through Isaiah, a role model for all prophets, “But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine’” (Isaiah 43:1, italics added). And through Zechariah, the Almighty proclaimed, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: behold, I will save my people from the east country and from the west country” (Zechariah 8:7, italics added).
When Jesus commenced his ministry, however, prophets such as Moses, Isaiah and Zechariah were no longer necessary. Christ became the supreme prophet of God (Deuteronomy 18:15–19; Acts 3:22–24). Additional verses affirm that Jesus as the prophet of God’s people. “Long ago, at many times and in many ways,” says the Bible, “God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world” (Hebrews 1:1, 2 ESV). The Lord reaffirmed this important transition when he explained, “The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached . . . ” (Luke 16:16 ESV).
Joseph Smith’s Imitates the Pattern
Desiring to appear prophetic and biblical, Mormonism’s founding “prophet,” Joseph Smith, imitated scriptural language to lend authenticity to his writings. The pivotal phrase was “thus saith the Lord” or something synonymous. For example, in the opening line of the first section of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord (through Smith) allegedly said, “Hearken, O ye people of my church, saith the voice of him who dwells on high, and whose eyes are upon all men . . . ” (Doctrine and Covenants 1:2, italics added).
Rebuking disobedient Mormons, Smith wrote elsewhere, “First among those among you [sic], saith the Lord, who have professed to know my name and have not known me, and have blasphemed against me in the midst of my house,saith the Lord” (Doctrine and Covenants 112:26, italics added). On another occasion, Smith recorded, “Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you who have assembled yourselves together to receive his will concerning you . . . ” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:1, italics added).
The expression “thus saith the Lord” or its equivalent occurs more than 160 times in Smith’s “revelations.”
Today’s Missing Element
The words “thus saith the Lord” are painfully absent in modern Mormon literature. After Smith died in an 1844 gunfight, LDS church leadership transitioned (amid overwhelming controversy) from him to Brigham Young. To be consistent with the Bible and with Joseph Smith, however, “thus saith the Lord” should abound in modern-day Mormon revelation.
For many years, Mormons, especially their top leaders, have realized that fact. So, to minimize the contradiction, they rationalize. For instance, on February 26, 1980, Mormon Apostle Ezra Taft Benson told a Brigham Young University audience, “The Prophet does not have to say ‘Thus saith the Lord’ to give us scripture.” (Loren Franck, senior author of Mormon Q & A and a BYU senior at that time, was in the audience that day.) Unsurprisingly, then, even Official Declaration—2 of the Doctrine and Covenants, which overturns Mormonism’s priesthood ban for males of African descent, lacks the phrase “thus saith the Lord.”
Actually, Official Declaration—2 isn’t a revelation at all, but rather, a June 8, 1978, letter from Mormonism’s First Presidency announcing the change. Of course, the compelling question is, Where’s the tangible revelation containing the words “thus saith the Lord”? It’s required for consistency, since even numerous sections of the Doctrine and Covenants that address trivial matters and not the entire LDS church include the phrase (for instance, see Sections 9, 31 and 69).
And if you’re looking for revelation that includes “thus saith the Lord” among the words of Mormonism’s current “prophet,” Thomas S. Monson, look again. The words aren’t there. An excellent example? His closing remarks at the April 2011 LDS General Conference. During his brief address, he mentioned the Mormon process of voting on church leaders and their ecclesiastical decisions (known in LDS circles as “common consent”). He also discussed his affection for his counselors in the First Presidency and quoted an Easter poem by Emily Harris.
Then Monson uttered these startling words: “In three weeks’ time the entire Christian world will be celebrating Easter. I believe that none of us can conceive the full import of what Christ did for us in Gethsemane, but I am grateful every day of my life for His atoning sacrifice in our behalf” (italics added).
“What Christ did for us in Gethsemane?” Scripture teaches that his eternal sacrifice for sin occurred on Calvary’s cross, not in Gethsemane (see Ephesians 2:6, 13; Colossians 1:20; 2:14; 1 Peter 2:24 and others). No one rooted in God’s word and speaking under the Holy spirit’s influence would commit such an egregious error. Plus Monson’s remarks about the atonement are blatantly disingenuous, since Mormons teach that “it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do” (2 Nephi 25:33, italics added). In fact, as the Book of Mormon elaborates, “Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ . . . ” (Moroni 10:32, italics added).
What’s more, Monson didn’t present any new revelations during the conference, which is strange because Mormons claim to be guided by “continuous revelation.” The words “thus saith the Lord” were again missing.
So there’s a reason the Mormon church isn’t publishing revelations as it did throughout Joseph Smith’s tenure as church president. The church has simply stopped pretending its prophet is an unending source of scripture. After all, the LDS church doesn’t need to continue the charade. Its self-serving doctrines eliminate the requirement for revelation such as Moses, Isaiah and Zechariah offered, or even that which Joseph Smith fabricated. The Mormon church claims that when its priesthood leaders speak, “ . . . Whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation” (Doctrine and Covenants 68:4, italics added).
And with that kind of thinking, the Mormon church can teach whatever it wants. And sad to say, like deaf, dumb and blind sheep, many LDS people will follow.
If you have questions regarding the Bible or the gospel of Jesus Christ, contact us today at info@gco4lds.org. And remember to visit our award-winning blog.
THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS
Did Elijah Restore the Keys of the Sealing Power to Joseph Smith?
QUESTION
A Mormon neighbor and I recently discussed the LDS temple nearby [La Jolla, Calif.]. He mentioned Malachi 4:5 and 6: “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.”
My neighbor claimed this prophesied that the sealing power of the Mormon Melchizedek priesthood would be “restored” through Joseph Smith. He said the turning of the hearts among fathers and children is the sealing power that enables men, women and families to be sealed “for time and for all eternity.”
As far as I know, the Bible doesn’t teach this . . . Or does it? What do you say?
Hugh
La Costa, Calif.
ANSWER
Not to worry. The Bible doesn’t teach that Elijah had—or ever restored—any sealing power keys. However, your Mormon neighbor provided an accurate description of his church’s doctrine regarding Elijah. Mormons believe Elijah returned to earth on April 3, 1836, and restored sealing power keys to Joseph Smith and his assistant, Oliver Cowdery.
The Mormon Position
The article “Elijah” in the online LDS Bible Dictionary explains the Mormon position on Elijah and the supposed sealing power: “ . . . Elijah held the sealing power of the Melchizedek Priesthood and was the last prophet to do so before the time of Jesus Christ . . . He appeared again, in company with Moses and others, on April 3, 1836, in the Kirtland (Ohio) Temple and conferred the same keys upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. All of this was in preparation for the coming of the Lord, as spoken of in Malachi 4:5–6 ([Doctrine and Covenants] 110:13–16) . . . The power of Elijah is the sealing power of the priesthood by which things bound or loosed on earth are bound or loosed in heaven” (italics added).
Mormons claim the sealing power joins husbands and wives eternally, and that family units can exist forever in heaven. Because of this alleged power, sealing ordinances frequently occur in Mormon temples on behalf of the living and the deceased.
What the Bible Teaches
The biblical position on Elijah’s mission and on what is bound in heaven and loosed in heaven differs dramatically from what the LDS church teaches. In short, Mormons have twisted the truth about Elijah’s mission to meet their needs. So, when asking whether Elijah restored sealing power keys to Smith and Cowdery, consider the seven following facts:
1. The “Elijah” to Come
During his mortal ministry, Jesus knew many of his teachings would fall on spiritually deaf ears. One difficult tenet was that John the Baptist was the Elijah cited in Malachi 4. “For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John,” Jesus explained. “And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 11:13, 14, italics added).
Similarly, other passages confirm that John the Baptist was the Elijah to come. For example, Mark 9:11–13 says: “They asked [Jesus], saying, ‘Why is it that the scribes say that Elijah must come first?’ And [Jesus] said to them, ‘Elijah does first come and restore all things . . . But I say to you that Elijah has indeed come, and they did to him whatever they wished, just as it is written of him” (italics added).
Describing John the Baptist’s fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy concerning Elijah, scripture further avers, “For he will be great in the sight of the Lord . . . And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children’ and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:15–17, italics added).
2. Elijah’s Role
From the Savior’s words, we know Elijah did not appear to Smith and Cowdery to restore the sealing power. John the Baptist is the man mentioned in Malachi 4:5 and 6. But what about the turning of the hearts of the fathers to the children and vice versa? What does that pivotal phrase mean? And what’s Elijah’s function preparatory to Christ’s second coming? For the answer, turn to 1 Kings 18, which records Elijah’s confrontation with 450 prophets of Baal.
“At the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice,” says the Bible, “Elijah the prophet came near and said, ‘O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and I have done all these things at Your word. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that You, O Lord, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again.’”
(1 Kings 18:36, 37, italics added).
Malachi 4:5 and 6 predict Israel’s repentance—the turning of their hearts back to the Lord—not that Elijah would appear to Joseph Smith. This is specified in 1 Kings 18:37, Malachi 4:5 and Luke 1:17. The similarity of wording is striking, and you can be sure that if Israel’s hearts don’t return to the Lord, the earth will indeed be cursed.
3. Keys of the Kingdom
When the Lord established his church during his earthly ministry, he assured Peter, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19). Shortly thereafter, while explaining essentials of church discipline, the Lord reiterated, “Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven” (Matthew 18:18).
What are the keys of the kingdom the Lord bestowed on Peter? They’re simply the position and authority to open the gates of God’s kingdom to those who receive its king, even Jesus Christ (John 1:12). Keys unlock gates, doors and windows. They enable access, and Jesus was conveying that imagery when addressing Peter. Contrary to LDS teachings, keys are not the right of presidency associated with the Melchizedek priesthood.
4. Bound and Loosed
Besides providing believers access to God’s kingdom, the apostles’ church-related earthly actions are also effective in heaven. Authority and action pertaining to God’s earthly and heavenly kingdoms remain synchronized. Clearly, then, the binding and loosing Christ mentioned have no relationship to Mormon temple ordinances. That LDS assertion is a clear case of “some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:16).
Pastor John MacArthur, who has faithfully defended and proclaimed the gospel for more than 40 years, offers an excellent explanation of what the Lord meant in Matthew by “bound” and “loosed.” MacArthur explains: “The church’s authority is not to determine [forgiveness], but to declare the judgment of heaven based on the principles of the Word. When they [church officials] make such judgments based on God’s Word, they can be sure heaven will be in accord. In other words, whatever they ‘bind’ or ‘loose’ on earth is already ‘bound’ or ‘loosed’ in heaven. When the church says the unrepentant person is bound in sin, the church is saying what God says about that person. When the church acknowledges that a repentant person has been loosed from that sin, God agrees” (The MacArthur Study Bible, New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition, 2006, p. 1391).
6. “Sealing Power” Isn’t Necessary
There are dozens of extravagant Mormon temples throughout much of the world. Each costs millions of dollars to build as well as maintain. That money could be much better spent feeding, clothing, housing and provided medical care for homeless people and others among the poor. The ordinance work for the living and for the dead is based on Mormonism’s false notions of the sealing power. Mormons claim those ordinances must be performed in temples.
But God no longer requires manmade temples. The Bible is unyielding on this point. “The God who made the world and all things in it . . . does not dwell in temples made with hands,” Acts 17:24 says. And Stephen, a man “full of grace and power” (Acts 6:8), offered similar remarks on the futility of modern-day temples. He explained that God would not dwell in manmade temples after Christ’s resurrection. “ . . . It was Solomon who built a house for [God],” Stephen declared. “However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet says: Heaven is My throne, And earth is the footstool of My feet . . .” (Acts 7:47–49; also see Isaiah 66:1).
After Christ’s consummate sacrifice for sin on the cross and his resurrection from the dead, all individual believers became temples of God. The apostle Paul queried, “Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are” (1 Corinthians 3:16, 17). Shortly thereafter, Paul again asked believers, “ . . . Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:9).
The word of God abounds in passages confirming that he dwells within believers’ hearts. Paul urged the Ephesians to “be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith . . . ” (Ephesians 3:16, 17, italics added). The apostle also explained that “God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you . . . ” (Colossians 1:27, italics added).
The apostles understood that God dwells within believers’ hearts. Christ carefully explained that doctrine to them. Soon before his crucifixion, Jesus said the Spirit of Truth, which is the Holy Spirit (John 15:26; 16:13), would abide with them and be in them (John 14:17). The Lord later explained, “ . . . If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him” (John 14:23).
7. Christ is the Master Key
Anyone possessing an elementary understanding of the New Testament and Christ’s mission knows that Mormon temples, their ordinances, the alleged return of Elijah to Joseph Smith, and the purported sealing power are foreign to the gospel. They’re among Mormonism’s many add-ons to the simplicity that’s in Christ (2 Corinthians 11:3).
The New Testament path to eternal life through Christ is simple. Jesus mentioned the process frequently. He said it doesn’t involve belonging to a “restored” church, following a so-called living prophet, or being married “for time and for all eternity” in a lavish temple. Rather, the Lord emphasized: “ . . . If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive . . . ” (John 7:37, 38, italics added) These words echo what Jesus said previously about transitioning from spiritual death to life in Christ: “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. But there are some of you who do not believe” (John 6:63, 64, italics added). Heartfelt belief in Christ is vital.
To receive eternal life and complete forgiveness of sins, you must confess Jesus as Lord and Savior (Matthew 12:37), believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead (Romans 10:8–13), and then produce lifelong fruit that manifests your new life in Chris (John 15:5, 6; Colossians 1:10). Eternal life does not result from good works or from obeying laws and ordinances (Romans 6:14, 15; Titus 3:3–7).
“I am the resurrection and the life,” Jesus proclaimed. “The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die” (John 11:25, italics added).
If you have questions regarding the Bible or the gospel of Jesus Christ, contact us today at info@gco4lds.org. And remember to visit our award-winning blog.
Like other LDS temples, the one in Los Angeles (above) features baptisms and marriages for dead people.
Doors to Mormon temples, such as this one in La Jolla, Calif., are locked to everyone except Mormons possessing “temple recommends.” Mormon doc-trine says you must be married in the temple to gain eternal life. But Jesus declared, “ . . . the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:14–16, italics added).
VISIT OUR BLOG
Christians are to “demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and . . . take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV).
The place? GCO’s award-winning blog.
Click here to visit.
Mormons believe the official name of their church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, proves it’s the only true church of God
(3 Nephi 27:8; Doctrine and Covenants 115:4). However, this is erroneous. Christ’s true church features only his teachings (found exclusively in the Bible) and followers who believe that only the biblical Jesus is the Christ.
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WANT TO KNOW?
1. The Great Apostasy: Fact or Fiction? Find the truth here.
2. Is Joseph Smith’s doctrine of plural gods biblical? Read God's answer here.
3. What are the seven best biblical reasons to leave Mormonism? Click here to find out.
4. Was Christ the Father’s first begotten Son in the preexistence? The truth may surprise you.
5. What’s on our readers’ minds concerning Christ, his gospel and the false teachings of Mormonism? Our e-mails and letters column tells you.
YOU HAVE THE POWER
When you’re ready to improve your life, empowerment is paramount.
Empowerment is especially important in your relationship with God. For instance, you need God-given power to understand Christ’s saving truths, to separate yourself from Mormonism and other religious cults, to receive forgiveness of all your sins, and to possess the gift of eternal life. Speaking of Christ’s loving outreach to “those in opposition,” Paul wrote, “ . . . God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will” (2 Timothy 2:25, 26).
When God grants repentance to unbelievers, plus through the Bible and Holy Spirit escorts them to the truth, they obtain God’s power to escape the adversary.
How to obtain that power? Ask God for it. “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children,” Jesus instructed, “how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” (Luke 11:13). Paul explained the process in these words: “For the Scripture says, ‘Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for 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 10:11–13 ESV).
With the Lord’s help, you have power to leave the Mormon church—or any other manmade religion. You have the power to avoid their meetings, to stop tithing, and to quit obeying their leaders. You can stop believing their foolish, damning doctrines and begin to believe in Jesus as revealed in the Bible. Paul said you can call upon the name of the Lord and be saved—no tithing, no temple, no Mormon “prophet.”
You don’t need religion or its leaders. All you need is a new life in Christ. And with God on your side, you have the power to receive it.
—Loren Franck
