The Faith Once Delivered & Joseph Smith

My wife and I recently moved into a neighborhood where several Mormon families live. I really like Mormon people, and you should too. They are some of the most friendly and sincere folks you’ll come across.

However, engaging in dialogues with them about Jesus can be a little tricky. You see, Mormons talk just like Christians. They use the same Christianese words and phrases as we do, and quote some of the same standard Bible verses that we have memorized. But although they may be using similar words, they have different definitions for those words.

For instance, according to Mormons, “Heavenly Father” (also known as Elohim) used to be a physical man like J. J. Watt. He died a physical death and was exalted to godhood where he had endless celestial sex with his many spiritual wives and produced countless spiritual offspring.

You will hear Mormons say that the only way to salvation is through Jesus Christ. They also believe it is by grace through faith we are saved. However, their own prophets say that we are saved by grace… after all we can do.

To Mormons, Elohim (one of the Hebrew words for God) is just one of a plethora of actual gods, and though he is the only god they worship, he is neither the first nor the last actual god. Elohim’s first created spiritual offspring was Jesus, and one of his next was Lucifer, thus making Jesus and Lucifer brothers.

I could go on an on about their doctrine, but you’re probably wondering who came up with this belief system.

Joseph Smith founded the Mormon faith in the 1820s. He believed that Elohim manifested himself in a vision, telling Joseph to not join any of the standard churches. According to Smith, Elohim said that all of the Christian denominations had fallen from the path, their creeds were an abomination, and their professors (the Christians) were all corrupt. Also, the Bible was missing many plain and precious things.

If one is to trust Joseph Smith, God restored both His true revelation of the gospel and the correct translation and interpretation of the Scriptures in the 1800s. Thus, if we are to believe Joseph Smith, God cannot preserve His own Scriptures, Jesus’ words did pass away, and the faith once and for all time delivered to the Church by the apostles under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit was corrupted in its infant stages.

But are those beliefs accurate? Did the Church mutilate the gospel immediately after receiving it from the Apostles?

First, we have thousands of Greek New Testament manuscripts from the first few centuries. Our modern word-for-word translations are not translated from earlier English translations or even Latin translations. Our modern word-for-word Bibles (Like the NASB and ESV) are translated directly from those earliest Greek manuscripts. You can absolutely trust that these types of Bibles are giving you the words that the Holy Spirit originally breathed out.

However, some may argue that the proper interpretations of the Scriptures became corrupted. This is where the earliest Christian writings particularly display their value. For instance, Polycarp was the Bishop of Smyrna in the early 2^nd century, and a personal disciple of John the Apostle. His testimony, therefore, provides us with a unique window into the teaching and legacy of the Apostles.

So, what does Polycarp have to say about the faith handed down to him from the Apostles?  

If we entreat the Lord to forgive us, we ought also to forgive others; for we are before the eyes of our Lord and God, and “we must all appear at the judgment-seat of Christ.” … Let us then serve Him in fear, and with all reverence, even as He Himself has commanded us, and as the apostles who preached the Gospel unto us, and the prophets who proclaimed beforehand the coming of the Lord [have alike taught us]. … Wherefore, forsaking the vanity of many, and their false doctrines, let us return to the word which has been handed down to us from the beginning. … Let us then continually persevere in our hope, and the earnest of our righteousness, which is Jesus Christ, “who bore our sins in His own body on the tree,” “who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth,” but endured all things for us, that we might live in Him. Let us then be imitators of His patience; and if we suffer for His name’s sake, let us glorify Him. For He has set us this example in Himself, and we have believed that such is the case. – Polycarp 125CE, ANF Volume 1, p. 60-61 [CD-ROM]

According to Polycarp, the faith that was handed down to the Church once for all by the Apostles was first and foremost to make the Lord God Jesus Christ our beginning and end point. We start with Him and we end with Him. He is our righteous example. No one else.

Mormons may say they are Christians, but they clearly don’t worship the same heavenly Father as we do. They may say believe the gospel, but they obviously have a different understanding of salvation. They say they believe in Jesus, but they don’t believe He is the one true God. They are often very good people, but Joseph Smith, not Jesus, is their example.

What about you? Is the Lord God Jesus Christ honestly your example for righteous living? Do you believe in the faith once delivered?

Grace Pt. 12: Finish Strong

Though basketball has always been my favorite sport, I loved running track as a kid. My favorite races were the 400 and 4x400 relay.

At a track meet, one of the members of my 4x400 relay team was sick, so we had another kid (who was more of a sprinter) take his place running the first leg. Our coach advised him on how to run this longer race, but he decided to do things his way and try to sprint the entire length of the track. Though he started well, by the 200-meter mark the kid was exhausted.

By the time he handed off the baton, our second leg runner was already half-a-lap behind the first place team. It was a seemingly insurmountable lead to overcome, but steadily the second and third leg runners gained ground. By the time I got the baton for the anchor leg, we were neck and neck, and we ended up winning that 4x400 by about 50 meters.

That race taught me an invaluable life lesson: It’s more important to finish strong than to start strong. 

The Apostle Paul made the same point in his first letter to the Corinthians concerning a Christian’s salvation.

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified. – 1 Corinthians 10:24-27

Wait a minute… Paul believed he could be disqualified from the race of salvation? Didn’t Paul preach grace? Yes. He absolutely did. Look at what he wrote at the beginning of the same letter:

I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. – 1 Corinthians 1:4-8

So is Paul speaking out of both sides of his mouth? How can Paul first write of Jesus confirming us blameless to the end, and then a few pages later write that he must beat his body into submission so he won’t be disqualified for the prize of heaven? Is our salvation secure or not?

Perhaps what’s going on is that Paul is being like his Teacher.

Look at these words from Jesus:

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. – John 10:27-29

I don’t know about you, but I am comforted by these words of Jesus. No outside force, not a demon or even Satan himself can cause us to lose our salvation. Now look at what Jesus says to His disciples in John 15:

I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. … Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. – John 15:5-6, 9-10

What is Jesus trying to do to them? If they are already 100% secure in Him, why would He tell them that unless they bear fruit (by loving Him and obeying His commands) they will be thrown away into the fire and burned? The only way that isn’t some sick mind game is if it’s truly possible.

The truth is, there is a tension within promises of God. All of the passages about the immense security in a relationship with God are true, and so are the ones that show how that security is conditional. Unfortunately, instead of living within the tension, we often tend to get out our spiritual scissors and act like Thomas Jefferson, cutting and pasting together a Bible that is acceptable to our personal tastes.

Some Hyper Grace teachers have cut the red letters of Jesus right out of their Bibles and proclaim Paul as their standard of truth. However, what should we do with the tension Paul creates for Christians with these promises?

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

First, Paul says that Christians have become the new holy of holies. Then Paul says that God promises to destroy anyone who destroys a Christian. Marinate on that promise for a minute.

What percentage of the people fighting in the Revolutionary War claimed Christianity? What about the Civil War? The Texas Revolution? Are all God’s promises true?

With all the horrific events occurring in our society lately, we need to be reminded that it’s more important to finish strong in the faith than to start strong in the faith. God will give us the grace to run His race well and finish strong. But we need to depend on our King by faith, and not allow worldly governments and media to exploit and destroy us by convincing us that Jesus’ way just won’t cut it.

Don’t let fear and anger turn you into a modern day Judas.

Christians, we need each other now more than ever to hold each other accountable to the commands of Jesus Christ. We need to make sure that none of us develops an evil, unbelieving heart that chooses to forsake the living God. For, as one early Christian teacher wrote in reference to Jesus’ words, “It is neither the faith, nor the love, nor the hope, nor the endurance of one day; rather, “He that endures to the end will be saved.”

If there was ever a Christian who finished strong in the midst of severe persecution it was Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna and a personal disciple of the Apostle John. I encourage you to read the story of his martyrdom. But for now, be encouraged by his exhortation to the Philippians to give your allegiance to Jesus above all and finish strong by the grace of God.

Though you never saw Him for yourselves, yet you believe in Him … knowing that it is by His grace you are saved, not of your own doing but by the will of God through Jesus Christ. So gird up your loins now and serve God in fear and sincerity. … Put your trust in Him who raised our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. … And He that raised Him from the dead will raise us also, if we do His will and live by His commandments,  and love what He loved, keeping ourselves from all unrighteousness, covetousness, love of money, evil speaking, false witness; “not rendering evil for evil.”  – Polycarp 135CE, Volume 1, p. 57 [CD-ROM]

Lord's Prayer Pt. 5 - Forgive Us As We Forgive

In the Christian culture where I was raised, we were taught to view the Bible as the inerrant, infallible word of God. I’m glad that I was given that foundation, because scripture teaches that it is completely inspired by God… breathed out by the Holy Spirit Himself. Looking back, though, I have noticed that there were several instances in the church where it was insinuated that the pastor or teacher’s interpretation was more authoritative than the simple words of Christ.

For instance, let’s explore Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness.

The Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6:12 calls us to pray, “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Did you notice that little word as? It means ‘in the same way’. Little word – big implications.

Do you really forgive all people of their sins in the same way you want God to forgive you of your sins? And do you believe He will answer this prayer?

Perhaps the most detailed and shocking story told by Jesus on the importance of forgiveness is found in Matthew 18:21-35. A servant is mercifully forgiven an unimaginable debt by his master, yet afterwards refuses to forgive a fellow servant of a minor debt in comparison. When the master hears of the injustice, he hands him over to the torturers until his debt can be paid off (he owed more than 150,000 years worth of salary). Jesus concludes this parable by saying, “My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart. (vs. 35)”

Do you really believe that God will have His servants tortured if they don’t forgive other Christians from their heart?

Though my church culture growing up believed it was imperative to forgive, they didn't really teach that a Christian refusing to forgive others could affect that Christian's eternal experience. The early Christians took the matter of forgiveness with the utmost seriousness and believed it did affect our eternal standing with God. Look at these two examples:

If then we ask the Lord to forgive us, we ought to also forgive; for we are before the eyes of our Lord and God, and “we must all appear at the judgment-seat of Christ, and must every one give an account of himself.” Let us then serve Him in fear, and with all reverence, even as He Himself has commanded us, and as the apostles who preached the Gospel unto us. – Polycarp 135CE, Volume 1, p. 60 [CD-ROM]

He has clearly … bound us by a certain condition and engagement, that we should ask that our debts be forgiven us in such a manner as we ourselves forgive our debtors, knowing that that which we seek for our sins cannot be obtained unless we ourselves have acted in a similar way in respect of our debtors. … There remains no ground of excuse in the day of judgment, when you will be judged according to your own sentence; and whatever you have done, that you will also suffer. For God commands us to be peacemakers. – Cyprian 250CE, Volume 5, p. 793-794 [CD-ROM]

Being a parent will just about force you to learn how to be forgiving if you struggle with that issue. I’ve never had to offer forgiveness more often in a two year period than I have since Steph and I adopted siblings in 2014. It was a difficult adjustment for me during that first year, primarily because I was being pulled out of deep levels of selfishness I didn't know existed.

There was one point early in year one when I was getting repeatedly lied to and hurt every day, and began to harbor a significant amount of bitterness. It was affecting my mood, concentration, patience, relationships, driving and sleep. One day I felt God calling me to get down on my knees at my bed to confess this bitterness and forgive my kids.

As I began to confess the bitterness, an oppressive force seemed to manifest. I know this sounds weird, but something began to choke me. I tried to rebuke whatever it was in Jesus’ name, but I couldn’t breathe or speak. Finally, after about 20 seconds of crying out to God in my heart and mind, I managed to eek out, “Spirit of bitterness, I rebuke you in Jesus’ name.” And just like that, everything went back to normal. I quickly forgave my kids.

I’ve never experienced anything like that before, and, praise God, never anything like that since.

Bringing this to a head, there are many phrases in the Lord’s Prayer that the human heart just doesn’t want to take seriously. Yet, of all the things Jesus could say in response to the vital issues we are commanded to pray for, He immediately follows the prayer with, “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions (Matt. 6:14-15).”

So I ask, do you really believe Jesus that if you don’t forgive other people their sins, God will not forgive you of your sins?

Who do you need to make amends with today?