Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer and the Great Jehovah of the Old Testament. It was Heavenly Father’s plan to send His Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins to save us. The Holy Ghost tells me it’s true. [SD]
OK. All the above sounds very "spiritual." But let me call to mind two scriptures: Jeremiah tells us that "the heart is deceitful above all things" (Jer 17:9). Proverbs adds that "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death (Prov. 14:12). There are times I have convinced myself that it was God the Holy Spirit confirming something when it was my own heart doin' the talkin'.
There are times when we need a more objective standard that merges both that which is objective coupled with the Holy Ghost, and that is the Bible. (The Holy Ghost is its very author (2 Peter 1:20-21).
I am glad that you say, Tanty, Every word, every doctrine is subject to the veto of the Holy Ghost for scripture says "Prove (test) all things; hold fast to that which is good (1 Th. 5:21).
The very "burning bosom" confirmation LDS have moved into the front burner of their spiritual life is based upon a partial truth: Look at Luke 24:32. We see there that the hearts of 2 disciples "burned" WHILE JESUS TALKED TO THEM AND WHILE HE OPENED THE SCRIPTURES TO THEM. What can we learn from that?
Notice that it was the Godhead's Second Person, Jesus Christ, who was dealing with them primarily--not the third Person (the Holy Ghost). Yet it WAS the Holy Ghost who inspired the objective standard that Jesus utilized--"the Scriptures." Jesus gave an exposition of the Scriptures. They were not convinced by the Holy Ghost apart from the Scriptures.
Finally, we must be "noble" Christians. We must be like the Bereans of Acts 17:11: "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." (Acts 17:11)
Listen: I think you (Tantiboh) mentioned on a previous post that you considered my "judgment" was at least worth considering. I thank you for that. But my judgment is worthless apart from the foundation from where it comes. Yes, the Holy Spirit guides me often in what to say; but the true nobility (or lack of it) lies in the spirit of every poster and lurker. Nobody is to take my posts at face value; they are to do what the Bereans did: search the scriptures to see if what is said is true.
Every revelation of God is to be judged by the former revelational standard. That is the Scripture given to us by Luke, who was a disciple with Jesus (Acts 17:11-12). We cannot veer from that without heading off the spiritual route marked out for us.
So, let's put this into practice:
Do your "inner testimonies" tell each of you that Joseph Smith saw the Father & Son in 1820?
Secondly does your "inner testimony" each tell you that Brigham Young was a true prophet?
Now we know Brigham said at one point: "I have never yet preached a sermon & sent it out to the children of men that they may not call Scripture" (JoD, vol. 13, p. 95)
So let's look at one of Brigham's sermons where he was very specifically discussing this first vision of Joseph's (he was not discussing any later heavenly visitations Joseph rec'd): "The Lord did not come with the armies of heaven,...But He did send His angel to this same obscure person, Joseph Smith jun., ...and informed him that he should not join any of the religious sects of the day, for they were all wrong;...(JoD, vol. 2, p. 171)
So? Well, if you "inner testimony" says that JS saw both the Father & the Son in 1820; and also that BY was a true prophet--but that BY indicates that JS only saw an angel & NOT the Father & Son in that first 1820 vision...then your inner testimony is contradictory. It would never pass muster in a court a law.
Do you really want to base your eternal future upon such shaky external testimonies as that from a 14 yo boy and upon a "prophet" who labeled every sermon was "Scripture."
Luke 24: 12 Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.
13 And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.
14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened.
15 And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.
16 But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.
17 And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?
18 And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?
19 And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people:
20 And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him.
21 But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.
22 Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre;
23 And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive.
24 And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not.
25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
28 And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further.
29 But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them. (And these two still did not realize Whom He was with them!)
30 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.
31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.
32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?
It is useful to see how scripture passages lend meaning by their context and the setting. In this case, Cleopas and his companion were down in the mouth and the stranger seemed unaware of why they were so sad, so they shared their knowledge of the events, without giving their meaning to them since their sadness witnessed of their failed comprehension. THEN Jesus gave them the context in which His empty sepulchre could be understood, opening for them the scriptures whith which they were familiar. But even then their eyes were not opened though they had been given the scriptural context of the events they saw culminating with an empty sepulchre. When Jesus broke bread and blessed it and gave it to them THEN were their eyes opened for they had remembrance of the new covenant He established with them prior to the cross, in His body and blood.
Religions focus upon events without proper context, and built doctrinal edifices for the glory of men. God, in the person of the Holy SPirit, focuses upon the Grace of God in Christ, renewing ... in this case, renewing the minds of Cleopas and his companion!