Posted on 04/21/2004 9:40:18 PM PDT by restornu
What is stolen (and redefined, the same way a stolen car might be disguised to camouflage its plain interpretation of what it is) is the very language--the heritage of the body of faith delivered once for all to the saints (Jude 3):
eternal Hell is usurped to = a temporary spirit prison; salvation for "narrow is the way that leads to life" is redefined as "salvation" for almost all in 3 degrees; sin is co-opted to mean a "fall upward"--whatever that means (as if war, murder, abortion, rape, abuse, etc. were spiritual advances upward); "Jesus" is redefined as the elder spiritual brother of Lucipher who didn't create anything; Elohim is redefined in our image--body parts and all; Gospel is redefined as dos and don'ts, rules and ordinances; the atonement is redefined as to what Jesus did in Gethsemane vs. what He did on Calvary; etc. etc. etc.
"I repent and turn to the Christ of the bible":>)
That is precisely what we Latter-Day Saints have done.
I like that definition--it's refreshing.
How would I sum up distinctions between how Mormons tend to live the faith they profess vs. Evangelicals/Protestants/born-agains...failings within each of our camps?
Mormons:
...tend to focus on living responsibly--the heart of stewardship; they focus on the myriad of precepts and ordinances woven from multiple sources; they focus on the policies, advice, counsel and dictums of general authorities; they focus on doctrines & covenants; they focus on principles; they focus on the 16 things you need to do to become eligible for exaltation [without ever putting it together as a single list]; they focus on serving via missionary ventures.
But servants don't always know the Father's business purposes, as John 15:15 indicates: "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business."
Mormons misstep here, making it their ultimate purpose in life--and thinking it's God's primary purpose for them--to one day approach Elohim and say, "I'm glad you've welcomed me to the neighborhood; you may refer to me as Lord XYZ...when's the next godhood council meeting?"
When godhood is riding upon performance that translates into worthiness, then even most good things done on behalf of others is ultimately self-centered & thereby self-defeating in the quest...Can you imagine if Jesus Christ did not share the Father's glory from eternity (John 17:5)? Were His goal merely manhood to godhood, then even the cross would have been a self-centered stairway to heaven, wood constructed more for His divinity than for our sins.
Evangelicals, born-agains & Protestants...
...tend to misstep on the previous verse--John 15:14--a verse many Mormons probably know by heart but one our encampment so easily forgets: "You are my friends if you do what I command."
We tend to engage in licentious behavior, so easily forgetting that obedience is a natural by-product of friends who know their father's business purposes.
We also tend to forget the warning Jesus gave us long ago: "You search the Scriptures for you think that in them, you have eternal life. But I tell you they testify to me." The book is not eternal life--His words are not--He, Himself is eternal life.
We are like Mary when we tell Jesus, "Yup, we'll rise again at the last day" (see John 11:24). Jesus gently rebukes us by reminding us that He, Himself is the resurrection and the life (v. 25)...a resurrection and new life we can encounter now! "He who believes in me will live, even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
We think heaven is primarily a place when in actuality what is the place is the Person: "I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almight and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its Lamp." (Rev. 21:22-23).
We think of eternal life as being future tense when we die when the Bible describes it as present tense (John 3:36; John 5:24)...because Jesus defined eternal life as knowing Him (John 17:3), which is a now relationship.
Jesus is looking for new wineskins to pour Himself--the Holy Spirit--into...will our traditions & religious tenets stand in the way?
So you claim -- for the moment. But I would be more circumspect. The day will come when everything the Lord has done in every age of the world will be made known to you, and you will be reminded of all the people the Lord has sent to you to bear witness of these things, and what your response to them was.
The prophet Moroni wrote this, about 420 AD, as he was preparing to entrust the Book of Mormon plates to the Lord's care and keeping, to come forth to the world centuries later:
Book of Mormon, Moroni 10:27-30The prophet Moroni bears witness, the Holy Spirit bears witness, and I bear witness.
27 And I exhort you to remember these things; for the time speedily cometh that ye shall know that I lie not, for ye shall see me at the bar of God; and the Lord God will say unto you: Did I not declare my words unto you, which were written by this man, like as one crying from the dead, yea, even as one speaking out of the dust?
28 I declare these things unto the fulfilling of the prophecies. And behold, they shall proceed forth out of the mouth of the everlasting God; and his word shall hiss forth from generation to generation.
29 And God shall show unto you, that that which I have written is true.
30 And again I would exhort you that ye would come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing.
Take heed lest the stone you reject now becomes the head of the corner. As with the Lord Himself (Matthew 21:42), so with His Word, sent forth anciently, and sent forth in our day.
Pray for the gift of discernment, that you may know what is the Word of God and what are the doctrines of men, and be polite and respectful to all, so you will not be haunted at the last day by memories of treating people poorly.
Matthew 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
I haven't run across any Latter-Day Saints of the kind you describe, but you do a good job proclaiming the Word of God as the standard we all should live by.
I encourage you to exhort everyone to study it prayerfully and live accordingly.
Jesus had given signs and wonders aplenty, yet the doubters still asked for a sign. Jesus has given a lot of Scripture to the world in the latter days, should you not receive it first, before you insist on more?
The Lord gives frequent guidance to His apostles today without asking them to publish and canonize it.
2 Peter 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
The Lord decides when He wants something added to the canon of Scripture.
There is, however, a wealth of new material each year to study and ponder, as the apostles and other leaders expound upon the wealth of Scripture that we have. We hold a General Conference every six months, at which each of the apostles speaks, emphasizing those things we need to bear in mind and attend to during the next six months. They write books, articles in the Church magazines, etc.
But if you look through all that only seeking occasion to find fault, then supposed faults is all you will come up with. Check those supposed faults against the Scriptures they are expounding before you proclaim (as many endlessly do) that we believe something faulty.
If you insist that they must break new ground each time they get up to speak, you will come to know that is not the Lord's way.
We all need to appreciate better, live better, that is, believe better, what the Lord has already given us, and we need to hear the Word of God each week, at Church on Sunday and in family and individual Scripture study at home.
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