Biblical Reasons Ministry
Week Two:
God’s Nature and the Nature of
Jesus
From last week: The LDS concept of Eternal Progression includes the belief that God hasn’t always been God but became God by obedience to LDS laws, ordinances and principles. Mormons are expected to follow that same path to “exaltation.”
Premortal (spirit) to mortal (physical bodies) to Gods.
Book of Abraham ch. 3, corporeal God from a throne, place, or planet near a star called Kolob. Mormonism errs. John 4:24 and Luke 24:39.
Who is Jesus? Who is God?
Compare that to LDS understanding.
“Let me ask, are we not taught that we as sons of God may become like him? Is not this a glorious thought? Yet we have to pass through mortality and receive the resurrection and then go on to perfection just as our Father did before us. The Prophet taught that our Father had a Father and so on. Is not this a reasonable thought, especially when we remember that the promises are made to us that we may become like him?” 10th LDS President Joseph Fielding Smith Doctrines of Salvation 1:12 1970-197212th President Spencer W. Kimball said, “Christ became perfect through overcoming. Only as we overcome shall we become perfect and move toward godhood. As I have indicated previously, the time to do this is now, in mortality” (The Miracle of Forgiveness, p.210).
“Mormon prophets have continuously taught the sublime truth that God the Eternal Father was once a mortal man who passed through a school of earth life similar to that through which we are now passing.” -Milton R. Hunter, First Council of the Seventy 1945-1975
Verse taken from context. Eisegesis. Psalm 82. “I said ye are gods.” In this case, "gods" means magistrates, judges, humans to whom the oracles of God were delivered to rule a theocracy. Unjust judges who died, as men do.
First 11 minutes of video: Jesus Christ / Joseph Smith
Make note of Scripture references from DVD Jesus Christ / Joseph Smith for discussion. John 4:24 and Luke 24:39.
Contrast Book of Abraham, God of flesh and bone.
Who do you say I am? Matt 13:16. The son of the living God. The LDS religion would have us believe that Jesus is the literal offspring of heavenly parents.
The Bible states that Jesus is the Son of God. “Sonship” in this case is a state of being; of preeminence; a place of honor. The firstborn among many brethren.
Romans 8:29, God’s only begotten son. John 1:1 and 14 “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and was God … and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”
C.S. Lewis in his classic, Mere Christianity:
I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: “I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept his claim to be God.” That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic--on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg--or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon, or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come away with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.
Sincerity of belief can never create truth. Just because one believes a thing doesn’t make it so. We see that Mormonism errs on the important nature of God and Jesus Christ. Context matters.
Jesus Saves
Mormon Testimonies Turned to Christ
Updated 5.08
Why Mormonism?
Mormon Temples
Secret or Sacred?
What Happens In There?
The Mormon Miracle Pageant
That’s my King! (S M Lockridge) – free video
"Jesus' blood on the altar was the ultimate payment. He made us worthy permanently. When Jesus died on the cross the veil covering the Holy of Holies tore in half. The mercy seat lay exposed to mankind. There is no veil, anymore, between God and man. Jesus ripped it down. But Mormonism has hung up a new one." -Kathleen Baldwin
"When I was LDS (not that long
ago) I saw a lot of things that made me question my membership in the LDS
church, but I sure wouldn't admit it for a long time (not even to myself). I
just knew there had to be good explanations for all of those silly criticisms,
if I just looked in the right place...or prayed about it long enough. I was
wrong." - Former Mormon, Marsha Bette
More...
Editor's note:
If the quote above describes you, please know that God loves you and has a
wonderful plan for your life. Visit Testimonies Turned to Christ at
the top of this section to understand that you're not alone in your feelings.