Posted on 10/23/2013 11:12:44 AM PDT by Colofornian
Not even close? I’ve demonstrated right here on this thread what a Bible-believing, New Testament reading Christian should expect.
1. One faith, one Lord, one baptism.
2. Anointings
3. A priesthood
4. Apostles, bishops, deacons, etc.
5. Sacraments, including baptism by immersion.
I could go on and on, but until you find the truth, don’t stop looking.
Does God have a body? Jesus does, if you believe the Bible.
You win the Internet for hanging in this long.
I’m going to take the train to Al Gore’s house to collect my prize!
Have you seen this before?:
http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/duty_calls.png
That’s how I look.
False on the first count; not completely true on the second count.
5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. 6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. 7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, 8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they-9 were appointed. 9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light; (1 Peter 2:5-9)
See also Revelation 1:5-6
Ya know, 1010, I make quite an effort to understand Mormonism...the least you could do is be closer to standards shown even by secularized books:
Here...go to the "Protestantism" entry in a book like the QPB Dictionary of Ideas...and you'll find:
"The CHIEF characteristics of the ORIGINAL Protestantism are the acceptance of the bible as the only source of truth, the UNIVERSAL PRIESTHOOD OF ALL BELIEVERS, and forgiveness of sins solely through faith in Jesus Christ." (p. 429, published in the UK, 1994)
"The liturgy of baptism in the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, Anglican, and Methodist traditions makes clear reference to baptism as not only a symbolic burial and resurrection, but an actual supernatural transformation, one that draws parallels to the experience of Noah and the passage of the Israelites through the Red Sea divided by Moses. Thus, baptism is literally and symbolically not only cleansing, but also dying and rising again with Christ. Catholics believe that baptism is necessary for the cleansing of the taint of original sin... Since the Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Methodist and Lutheran> churches teach that baptism is a sacrament that has actual spiritual and salvific effects...
Baptism
Please don't try to speak for all of Protestantism when you snub its very roots...and can't represent even its current positions very well.
Except I just proved -- see post #124 -- that the Reformers did NOT reject baptism as a Sacrament (Luther never did)...
And Protestants did NOT reject the priesthood...but simply defined it as the New Testament (Peter & John the Revelator) did...
So the consensus here is that Mormons are Christians.
I’m glad that’s settled.
Sorry, I wasn’t doing a comprehensive dissertation on all the myriad schismatic Catholics, nor every branch of that dense bush. There are some that do still honor baptism as a Sacrament, but I’d reckon a majority don’t.
Let’s explore for a moment the heresy of a universal priesthood of believers. There is, on its face, a definitional problem here. What is a “believer”? Call me when all of Christendom agrees on that.
The second is that the Bible doesn’t support a universal priesthood. The Priesthood is reserved. Let’s look at First Peter 1:1-2.
“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood:
Grace and peace be yours in abundance.”
So we have a some establishing facts:
1. Peter is an apostle and we should expect apostles in God’s True Church.
2. His audience isn’t everybody, but he addresses himself to the elect. The elect are both blessed by the grace of Christ (sprinkled with his blood) and, here’s the kicker - they’re obedient.
Let’s continue. 1 Pet 1:3-9 reads:
“3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
Here we get some very interesting Biblical insights that sound very Mormon.
1. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Note bene the conjunction “and”. In English you could write, “Praise be to the God of our Lord Jesus Christ!” and “Praise be to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!”
The conjunction “and” simply allows us to join those two sentences into one.
2. The above establishes clearly that Jesus the Lord has a God and that Jesus the Lord has a Father. They are two distinct personages.
3. He speaks of an inheritance. Keep in mind the very grave import of this word to the New Testament world. Today we don’t take inheritances as seriously as they did, but an inheritance was a portion of the father’s estate. Think on that.
4. Peter then closes with a clear and lovely disposition on the importance of faith, works and our own effort to remain obedient, despite not seeing Christ in the flesh. The reward for which is “praise, glory and honor” from God the Father, when Christ is revealed to all the world at the 2nd Coming.
Now comes the coup de grace for your heretical doctrine via 1 Peter 1:13-25.
“13 Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”[a]
17 Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. 18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.
22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.[b] 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For,
“All people are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
25 but the word of the Lord endures forever.”[c]
And this is the word that was preached to you.”
As you can read plainly and for yourself, Peter calls for us to be holy.
It is a call for action.
Actions take effort and effort is measured by work.
God the Father judges work.
Christ was chosen before the world began.
With utter clarity you can see that “through him [Jesus Christ} you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.” God and Jesus Christ are distinct personages with distinct duties.
The situation for believers is dynamic: “22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.[b] 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.”
We must purify ourselves by obedience to the truth which leads to a sincere love and being born again via continuing revelation.
1st Peter is an excellent exposition, but it doesn’t certify a universal priesthood, quite the opposite.
The irony is that Peter could stand up in an LDS meeting hall and give this very dissertation. He sounds like a Mormon.
My apologies. What I meant is that your Mother Church, the Roman Catholic Church, still longs to embrace you and return you to her flock, but that Reformers by and large reject that embrace and vigorously. It used to be that all Catholics were going to hell, but that doctrine, like all the silly putty doctrine of the Reformers, was dropped by some, but not all. You see what I mean?
Ah the stunt Mormon returneth...
And yet you will not say you are a part of this excellent church.
Odd that...
Stunts? Tiger, I’m working without a net, it’s all real.
Frankly, here’s what’s really happening:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PQ6335puOc
When do the lamentations begin?
1010 is our best player. The Mormon Cheerleader who will either not admit to being a Mormon or lacks the courage of their conviction to join the faith. Either way...
So you are a Mormon now?
Ah...
the old “Let’s get the C’s and P’s at each other so we can slink away” ploy.
And half my brain is tied behind my back, but I'm wearing the full Armor of God. ;-]
But does the Father have a body?
Of COURSE he does!
How ELSE could he have impregnated MARY?
I thought the consensus said you are a rabble-rouser?
Just a teaser:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1p0_R8ZLB0
You know that life’s too important to be taken seriously?
Like I said, your lack of dedication to your own arguments speaks far more than any post you can make, and you try and make some dillys...
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