GLOBAL CHRISTIAN OUTREACH
Preaching the Gospel to All Creation
Mark 16:15
THE HOLY BIBLE:
The Only Book of God’s Inspired and Living Word
By Annette Bonner
IS THE BIBLE
SUFFICIENT SCRIPTURE?
Mormonism and other pseudo-Christian cults have at least three trademarks.
First, they claim the Bible has many errors, omissions and mistranslations. Second, fictitiously adding to the word of God, these cults claim to have additional scripture beyond the Bible, and that the “earthly head” of their movement will provide it. Third, Mormons and other religious cultists claim their extrabiblical scripture is better than the Bible is, and that you must accept their “latter-day revelations” for God fully to accept you.
Of course, these claims are false. After penning his account of the remarkable life and mortal ministry of Christ, the apostle John wrote, “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:30, 31 NIV, italics added).
Mormons claim Christians believe the Bible is an account of everything God has said to mankind. Not true. The Lord provided the Old and New Testaments as sufficient scripture for our salvation. John 20:30 and 31 verifies this. The Bible is sufficient for us to believe in Jesus Christ. Belief in his name saves us (also see John 3:16; 36; 5:24; 6:47).
So next time people present their “scriptures” to you as “companions to the Bible,” forget it. The Bible is more than a sufficient guide to eternal life through Jesus Christ.
—Loren Franck
NEED HELP
LEAVING MORMONISM?
The authors of “Seven Reasons to Leave the Mormon Church” are eager to help you formally leave the LDS church and begin a new life with the Christ of the Bible. Both men are committed to biblical principles of “not [being] quarrelsome, but [remaining] kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth”
(2 Timothy 2:24, 25).
Loren Franck, president and executive director of Global Christian Outreach, PO Box 5761, Playa del Rey, CA 90296-5761; loren@gco4lds.org.
J. Dawn Pratt, Global Christian Outreach vice president and research director, PO Box 5761, Playa del Rey, CA 90296-5761; dawn@gco4lds.org.
WHY MORMONS BELITTLE THE BIBLE
In its Eighth Article of Faith, the LDS church claims, “We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly . . .” (italics added).
“As far as it is translated correctly”—that’s the rub. It opens the floodgates to supposed additional Mormon “scripture” besides the Bible; for instance, the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, andPearl of Great Price. Mormons also consider selected words of their church presidents as scripture.
Unlike Christianity, which is grounded on salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, Mormonism is legalistic, a religion of grace plus works. Mormons say you must be fully active in their church and keep all of God’s commandments (whatever that means; where’s Mormonism’s final and complete list of God’s commandments?) to receive an eventual reward of eternal life. Therefore, Mormons must exceed the New Testament requirements of believing in Jesus Christ. To complete his atonement, they add a lifetime of alleged good works and participation in outward ordinances.
Accordingly, the Book of Mormon asserts, “ . . . For we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do” (2 Nephi 25:23, italics added). The book further emphasizes, “ . . . 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).
The requirements for eternal life (known simply as “salvation” among Christians) in Mormonism include water baptism, confirmation and bestowal of the Holy Ghost, temple endowments, temple marriage, temple work for the dead, tithing, offerings, obeying the Word of Wisdom (no ingestion of alcohol, tobacco, coffee or tea), partaking of the sacrament (communion), performing church callings, supporting LDS church leaders (especially the “prophet”), missionary work, and many other painstaking requirements.
How far removed from what the Savior declared. “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life” (John 5:24).
—Loren Franck
Throughout the age of man, many books have been written based on the inspired words of men, but the Bible is the only book based on the inspired and living word of God. The apostle Peter, an eyewitness of the ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, addresses this issue: The Bible is the only prophetic (inspired) word of God, spoken by holy men of God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
2 Peter 1:19–21
And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation [origin], for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
Because the Bible is the only true book of God’s word, it authoritatively explains why it’s necessary that we, God’s created beings, must understand that every word in the Bible has relevance to our lives and our specific purpose for existence. The Bible is not just a storybook or history book but a book that encompasses the wisdom of Almighty God, written so you can use it as a daily living manual as you apply it to everyday circumstances. This is reaffirmed in the following passage:
2 Timothy 3:15–16
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction [training/discipline] in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Timothy takes it a step further, saying not only that the Bible is the only true book of the word of God, but that it’s a textbook or handbook of instruction on how we are to live in righteousness, that we may be knowledgeable and prepared to do every good work as children of God.
The Bible is the only book ever written that authoritatively explains that God’s word is not merely inspired but is alive as a creative force. The Greek for word is logos and was used to speak of the principle of the creative energy that generated the universe:
John 1:1–5
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
The Bible is the only book ever written that authoritatively declares the deity of Jesus Christ, the Word of God made flesh, and gives mankind a plan for redemption from sin, and presents the doctrine of salvation through Jesus Christ:
John 1:12–13
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right [authority] to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
John 1:14
And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
The Bible is the only book that authoritatively makes it clear that Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God, and that by sacrificing His blood on the cross, and by His resurrection from the dead, He has reconciled man to God, if we will only believe:
Colossians 1:15 –22
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven, and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. And you who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I Paul became a minister.
The Bible is the only book authoritatively explaining that Jesus Christ is the express image of God’s substance. In the Godhead, Jesus functions as the Revealer of God to man, and is God in reality:
Hebrews 1:1–5
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For to which of the angels did He ever say: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You . . . ”
The Bible is the only book God has authorized that offers eternal life in Christ Jesus. It offers opportunity for men that will to become sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, and through faith in Christ, they can become heirs of the promises of God:
Hebrews 2:8–11
For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren.
Galatians 3:26–29
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.
The Bible is the only book that tells us how much our Creator loves us and wants a relationship with us, even amid our failure and darkness. He willingly gave up His only Son to pay the price for our sin and bring us into a right relationship with Him—if we will only believe.
John 3:16–21
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.
The Bible is the only book authoritatively proclaiming that Almighty God, the Supreme Creator of all things, is so complete that He called Himself “I AM.” The Father sent His only Son, the holy God in the flesh, to redeem mankind from the curse of the law. In this, to teach mankind, His creation of a “Love Supreme,” He repeatedly calls to us from the Bible, His only inspired Word (scripture), to turn away from sin and darkness and come into the light of His love and enter into His rest.
Hebrews 3:12–13
Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is call “today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
Hebrews 4:1–3
Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For we who have believed do enter that rest . . .
Don’t wait another moment. Confess Jesus as Lord of your life and enter into God’s kingdom and into His rest. You’ll find that God’s word, the Bible, is alive and will bring clarity and peace to your soul if you will remain steadfast in faith and consistently feed your spirit with God’s word. As your physical body feeds on food, thereby receiving energy and strength, the word will produce the spiritual power called faith that will spiritually energize and strengthen you. It will equip you to overcome circumstances that will keep you from experiencing victory over sin. It will help you prevent defeat in your life.
Matthew 4:4
But He [Jesus] answered him [the devil] and said, “It is written, ‘Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”
Hebrews 4:11–13
Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edge sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
Bible passages in this article are from the New King James Version.
©2012 Global Christian Outreach, Inc. All Rights Reserved
