Living Word

I was reading an article this morning that can be found at the following link:

http://www.lightplanet.com/mormons/basic/godhead/Godhood_EOM.htm

The article, which is really a combination of 2 articles, one written by K. Codell Carter and one written by FARMS (Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies), goes to painstaking lengths to explain and justify the LDS view that we can become gods. As the fifth President of the LDS Church, Lorenzo Snow wrote, "...As man now is, God once was: as God now is, man may be." The second article cites several early Christian theologians in justifying the belief. "The doctrine of the deification of man is not an exclusive teaching of the restored Church of Jesus Christ. Rather, it can be found in early Christian history."

Colossians 2:8-9, which I quoted yesterday, took on a whole new meaning as I read this article (what a wonderful example of the living word!). Let me repeat it now.

"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily."

I was reminded that regardless of how revered these early Christians may have been, or what position they were given in the church of their time, we do not put our faith in the interpretation of man, but rather should be like those in Berea (found in Acts 17:10-12) who "received the word with all the readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." When you examine scripture, this doctrine of men becoming gods becomes less of a misunderstanding about us, and much more a misunderstanding of who God is. God is everlasting, omnipotent, unknowable, unique, our savior, not subject to the boundaries of time or space, but rather the creator of them. He says it best, "I AM THAT I AM" (Exodus 3:14). Is it difficult, even impossible for us, who are subject to the laws of physics and confined by space and time, to comprehend a God who cannot be contained by the heavens (see 1 Kings 8:27)? Absolutely! The reason it's difficult is because God did not intend for us to wrap our brains around who He is, but to worship Him for His greatness!

There is no better way to describe the following quotes from the first Prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Joseph Smith, Jr., than "philosophy and vain deceit, after the traditions of men":

"I have always declared God to be a distinct personage, Jesus Christ a separate and distinct personage from God the Father, and that the Holy Ghost was a distinct personage and a Spirit, and these three constitute three distinct personages and three Gods. If this is in accordance with the New Testament, lo and behold! we have three Gods anyhow, and they are plural: and who can contradict it?" (History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 6:474)

"Many men say there is one God; the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost are only one God! I say that is a strange God anyhow--three in one, and one in three! It is a curious organization. "Father, I pray not for the world, but I pray for them which thou hast given me " "Holy Father, keep through Thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one as we are." All are to be crammed into one God, according to sectarianism. It would make the biggest God in all the world. He would be a wonderfully big God--he would be a giant or a monster." (History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 6:476:76)

Joseph Smith deeply misunderstands the scripture in the last quotation, thinking that by Jesus praying for the unity of his believers, he would be saying that we would one day be all squashed together in physical unity as God. Part of the wonder of the Trinity, or Tri-unity of God is that it demonstrates His omnipresence, that He can be all places at once and have a seeming lack of physical unity but an abundance of unity in His nature as God (see Psalms 139:6-10, Matthew 28:20, and Jeremiah 23:24 for verses describing the omnipresence of each member of the Trinity). Jeremiah prophesied this about men who call themselves prophets, but who pervert the words of the Lord:

"Behold, I [am] against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith. Behold, I [am] against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD... And the burden of the LORD shall ye mention no more: for every man's word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God."

(Jeremiah 23:31-32, 36)

Galatians 1:6-9 also talks about men who pervert the gospel of Christ. Paul wrote this passage, and recognizes that no man, himself included, is immune from teaching false doctrine because of our sinful nature. "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." The scenario that is always brought to mind when I read that passage is that of Joseph Smith receiving the gold plates from the angel Meroni, on which was the "restored gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ" and "Another Testament of Jesus Christ," the Book of Mormon (see Joseph Smith--History 1:59-61). Doctrine that attempts to bring God down to our level of comprehension is God-limiting, and is deceitful. Do not allow yourself to be led astray by vain philosophy after the principles of this world! God is not subject to the principles of this world (time, space, gravity, sustenance, etc.), so to limit your understanding of who He is based on what you know of yourself is ludicrous!

"Then Jesus said to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then ye are my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free... He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God." (John 8:32 & 47-- Read the whole passage of John 8, I don't want to write it all out, but Jesus is trying to tell the Jews who he is-- that if they really knew God they would recognize him (Jesus), and that he (Jesus) is not of this world. In verse 58, Jesus uses the words "I am" to describe himself, just like we saw God do (above), and says he existed before Abraham, demonstrating that he, because of his nature as a member of the Trinity, is not subject to the boundaries of time; he is eternal! How cool!)

"Thank you Lord for your word that sustains me. I praise you for your greatness, and through faith I am able to worship that which I cannot comprehend. Lord show me your ways. Let me grow in you, direct my path wherever you would have me go. I am yours, Lord, and I thank you for keeping me, that no one can pluck me from your hand. Father, it is through desperation that I seek you, recognizing that I cannot strive to know you of my own accord, but that you choose to reveal yourself to me. Let me be an example of one who is sanctified, set apart for your works, that others may know you as well, especially those who you have called me to. I love you and seek you, that I may become less so you may become greater in me. Amen."

My Eternal Companion

It doesn't take much listening in LDS circles before you hear the phrase "eternal companion," but what exactly does that entail? Let me elaborate.

It is no secret that mormons believe they can become exalted to godhood after living worthy lives and fulfilling several ordinances of the Church, namely baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, priesthood ordination, temple Endowment, and celestial marriage. Celestial marriage means that good, "temple-bound" mormons are "sealed" to their spouse for all time & eternity, and after being exalted to godhood, will eternally procreate, adding to the heavenly family their own spirit children. These ordinances are so crucial to the LDS view of eternity that special ceremonies are conducted inside their temples where the ordinances are performed vicariously through a living person on behalf of a deceased person that had no opportunity to receive those ordinances during their mortal lives. I have major problems with this doctrine, not the least being that it is clear in the Bible what happens when we, as humans, try to be exalted to godhood. Take for example Adam & Eve being removed from the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3:5, the Tower of Babel being destroyed in Genesis 11:1-9, and Satan's most critical sin that got him cast out of heaven as described in Isaiah 14:12-15 and Ezekiel 28:11-19. God is also repeatedly clear in the Bible that he alone is God (and no, this doesn't break from my firm belief that Jesus is God in the flesh, because Jesus is just one aspect of the Trinity, all three parts being one and the same God, just manifested differently). You can read Isaiah 43:10-11 and Isaiah 45:5. Additionally, the Bible states that even demons believe that there is only one God, and they tremble (James 2:19)!

While that is obviously an important issue, it is a topic I would like to save for a later date. The belief I would like to rest on for now is the idea that marriage is eternal, and a necessary step to spending eternity in the presence of the Most High God.

Paul spends a lot of time writing about marriage in 1 Corinthians 7. He states in verse 7 that he wishes all men were as he was-- unmarried. He repeatedly says that it's better for a widow or a virgin to remain unmarried, but why? Because our time on earth is short, and we should not care as much for the things of this world (like pleasing a spouse), but rather we should care about pleasing the Lord (verses 32-35). Furthermore, he states the non-permanence of the marriage bond upon entering into eternity in verse 39:

"The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord."

Then there's the kicker-- Paul, despite being unmarried, recognizes that he is not missing out on anything that God has for him:

"I think also that I have the Spirit of God." (verse 40)

Given Paul's aversion to entering into a marriage relationship, would mormons also believe that Paul, who was beheaded for his faith, got less in the Kingdom of Heaven?

Furthermore, Jesus says this in Luke 20:34-36:

"...The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: Neither can they die anymore: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection."

My second issue with the teaching of eternal marriage is that it completely ignores that we, Christ's Church, have already been promised to Christ as his bride. This relationship is described in Revelation 21:9, Ephesians 5:31-32, and also beautifully in 2 Corinthians 11:2 (and how unique that just after saying we are promised to Christ, verse 3 talks about how Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning and Paul is afraid our minds may also be led astray from sincere and pure devotion to Christ!) to list a few. On that note, mormons believe that Jesus was exalted to godhood after his resurrection, but how was he able to attain that status without the ordinance of marriage? It is certainly not Biblical to believe that he was married, so who is his "eternal companion"?

I am reminded of the following admonition in Colossians 2:8-9:

"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily."

If you choose to open your heart to the Word of the Lord, and let it speak to you void of human philosophy, you will start to see a wonderful picture of who Jesus is and what God has done for his Church. I pray that God will draw you to himself as you learn more about Him, and that someday the Truth will set you free. I love you friends!

Sufficient Grace

I was on the "seeker-friendly" website that the LDS church publishes earlier this morning, www.mormon.org. I do that from time to time because I feel like God reminds me about himself-- like as I'm reading a little "ping" goes off in my spirit & a verse flies to the front of my consciousness that doesn't seem to jive with the doctrine I'm reading. Never has that happened to me more vividly than today. This is what popped into the little window when I clicked on the word "grace":

"It is through the grace of the Lord Jesus, made possible by his atoning sacrifice, that mankind will be raised in immortality, every person receiving his body from the grave in a condition of everlasting life. It is likewise through the grace of the Lord that individuals, through faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance of their sins, receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means. This grace is an enabling power that allows men & women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts."

SMACK!

Isaiah 64:6, "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away."

In a book I was reading recently called "Crazy Love" by an author named Francis Chan, it was vividly pointed out that the literal translation of the phrase "filthy rags" is menstrual garments (think used tampons). Now keeping this in mind, I'd like to tell you a story.

Her life was cut short, only in her mid-thirties the Lord called her home. She had lived a good life, one that would make her mother proud, one that was primarily characterized by her sweet and gentle approach and love of people. Now she was confronted with a table that had two chairs, one on each side, but facing each other. It reminded her of the tables she saw on the crime dramas she used to watch, the ones where suspects and witnesses would be questioned. The single light hanging above it added to this familiar ambiance. A man appeared and sat at one end, motioning for her to sit opposite him. As she sat, he broke the silence with a question.

"So what do you have that might get you out of this mess?"

She raised her arms quizzically and glanced around at the floor beside her chair. There it was-- she recognized it because it was one of her most prized possessions, something she clung to in times of self-doubt. Beside her sat a big bag full of gold coins, but these coins had pictures on them of the many good deeds she had done throughout her relatively short life. She reminisced as she picked one up, this one had a picture of her painting a house that was re-built after a hurricane. She tenderly set it on the table in front of her. Instantly it was transformed into something ugly, a repulsive rag. In her embarrassment, she hurriedly brushed it onto the floor. More careful to select something really treasured, she sifted through the bag. Her face lit up as she pulled out one of her most valuable coins. This coin had a picture of her child on it. She knew that raising him was left to someone else now, but she had taught him the most important life lessons the best she could. Cautiously, she set the coin down. Again it became different, and again she brushed it onto the floor. Over and over she frantically set her coins on the table, trying to show this man that she did a whole lot of good things, but they all ended up in a pile on the floor. Disheartened, she stood up next to her pile of rags and began crying, apologizing for not having anything better to give.

The man stood up from his chair, and approached her with his hands outstretched. The wounds were familiar, the blood still fresh.

"My child," he said, "have you forgotten? It is by grace you are saved through faith, and not by works so that no man can boast. It is my gift!" (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Melting, she sobbed. She did remember, but had become distracted by the pride she felt watching her coin collection grow. Now it was so clear, nothing she brought to the table was good enough, only the faith she displayed by clinging to her Savior could wash away her sin. She had been saved by grace.

"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." (2 Corinthians 12:9)

I agree that God's grace gives us the strength to do the things he calls us to do (see also 2 Corinthians 9:8), but when it comes to our SALVATION, there is no "best efforts." HIS GRACE IS SUFFICIENT! If pride, or anything else, has been keeping you from receiving God's grace fully, it's time to repent and ask Him to give you more of what He has for you. Grace is God's plan of salvation.

This post is dedicated to my sweet dad and my dear friend Katy (the ultimate perfectionist). I pray daily that someday you might embrace grace.