In order to understand the relationship between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and the early Christian church, we need to understand three terms: apostacy, restoration, and dispensation.
An apostacy is when a group of people or an individual fall away from the true church. They reject the gospel of Jesus Christ and fail to teach it to their children.
A restoration is when God calls a new prophet to restore gospel truths that had been lost during the apostacy.
A dispensation is a period of time during which the true church is present upon the earth. The members of the church have the uncorrupted gospel of Jesus Christ and the authority to act in His name--the Priesthood.
Throughout the Bible, we become familiar with a pattern of apostacy, repentance, and restoration. God established His church through Adam, the first man. Adam taught his children to worship God and to live and obey the principles and ordinances of the gospel. His was the first dispensation. After some time, his descendents became wicked and fell away from the church. Some of them taught their own versions of the gospel, many of which included false gods and idols. And so they fell into apostacy.
Each time the people fell into apostacy, God mercifully sent prophets like Enoch and Noah to restore the gospel and set His church in order. Before Christ's ministry, the Jewish people were in a state of apostacy. They had the teachings of many prophets--Moses, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and others--but they did not understand them. The Pharisees and Sadducees bickered and argued over various points of doctrine. And so Jesus Christ restored the same church that He had established with Adam. He taught them the true gospel, called apostles to lead His disciples, and set His church in order.
As had happened so many times before, the members of the church fell into apostacy. We have evidence in the New Testament that the apostles knew this would happen:
"Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
"That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;" (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3)
Just as Paul prophesied, the early Christians fell into apostacy and lost many "plain and most precious" truths. Many righteous men struggled to pick up the pieces, and we enjoy the fruits of their efforts when we read the Bible. But it is apparent by the vast number of churches, all claiming to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ but unable to agree on critical points of doctrine, that the Bible is not all that is required in order to have the church of Jesus Christ. This "falling away" after the ministry of Christ is known as the Great Apostacy.
In the early 1800s, God the Father and His son Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith. It was through this modern day prophet that the Church of Jesus Christ was re-established. Gospel truths and the authority to administer gospel ordinances--the Priesthood--were restored. Just as so many prophets before him, Joseph Smith was accused of being a false prophet. Jesus Christ taught:
"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
"Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
"Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit...
"Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." (Matthew 7:15-17, 20)
I have judged Joseph Smith by his fruits--the Book of Mormon. I have read it and I have asked God if it is true. I know that Joseph Smith was called of God, and that the Church of Jesus Christ was restored through him. In this, the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times, the church is still led by Jesus Christ through a living prophet.
Showing posts with label restoration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label restoration. Show all posts
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Sunday, July 13, 2008
One True Church
"And also those to whom these commandments were given, might have power to lay the foundation of the church, and to bring it forth out of obscurity and out of darkness, the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well pleased, speaking unto the church collectively and not individually." (Doctrine and Covenants 1:30)
On the surface, the claim of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to be "the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth" appears arrogant and elitist. And without an understanding of LDS doctrine, it seems to set up a terrible scenario: Mormons go to Heaven and the rest of the world goes to Hell. But this is not at all true.
First, let's take a look at why such a claim would be made. Latter-day saints believe that Jesus Christ, known as Jehovah in the Old Testament, founded His church through an ancient prophet, Adam. Adam was given the two things necessary in order to have the church--the truth (the gospel), and the authority (the priesthood). When Adam's descendents became wicked, they stopped teaching the gospel as it had been revealed from God through prophets. And they were no longer worthy of the priesthood. And so the church was lost and had to be restored when the people were again ready for it. This was done through another prophet. This happened several times throughout the Bible. Although the church was restored through different prophets in different eras, it was always the same church because Jesus Christ was at its head.
How can two churches, one founded by men and one founded by Jesus Christ, that both teach completely different doctrines both be true? If one church teaches that the priesthood is passed down by the laying on of hands and one church teaches that such an ordinance is not necessary, they can't both be right! If one church teaches that baptism is necessary for salvation and another church teaches that it is optional, they can't both be right! Any argument to the contrary is simply illogical.
We believe that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was restored by Jesus Christ through a modern day prophet. Because the church is led by Jesus Christ, it contains the fullness of the gospel. No church that teaches doctrine contrary to that revealed by Jesus Christ can be true. And no church that is missing the authority to act in God's name can be "true and living." Many churches have in their possession the revealed word of God--the Bible. And so they teach many true principles of the gospel. But the fact that there are so many different Christian sects teaching so many different doctrines is evidence of the need for a restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ by Jesus Christ Himself.
When combining the idea that there is only one true church with the "mainstream" Christian teaching that Christians will go to Heaven and non-Christians will go to Hell, it is easy to assume that LDS church members believe Mormons will go to Heaven and non-Mormons will go to Hell. This is NOT the case. If a little boy in the jungles of Africa never hears the name of Jesus Christ, will a just and merciful God condemn him to Hell for not being a Christian? Of course not! Similarly, God will not condemn people who have not had a chance to accept the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. And yet, Jesus Christ teaches, "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (John 3:5) So how does a person who has never had an adequate opportunity to accept the gospel of Jesus Christ and be baptized escape Hell?
In 1 Peter 3:18-19 we read, "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison..." And in 1 Peter 4:6 we read, "For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit." And so we learn that this life is not the only chance mankind has to hear the gospel. But what about those who accept the gospel after death? How can they be baptized?
"Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?" (1 Corinthians 15:29) Paul makes reference to an ordinance forgotten by mainstream Christianity--baptism for the dead. Latter-day saints believe that our ancestors, those that never had a chance in mortality to accept the gospel but accepted the gospel when it was preached to them after death, can be baptized by proxy. This is one of the ordinances performed in LDS temples.
In summary, we believe that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is "the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth," and that every person will have a chance in this life or the next to accept Jesus Christ as their savior, and to exercise their faith in Him by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel.
On the surface, the claim of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to be "the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth" appears arrogant and elitist. And without an understanding of LDS doctrine, it seems to set up a terrible scenario: Mormons go to Heaven and the rest of the world goes to Hell. But this is not at all true.
First, let's take a look at why such a claim would be made. Latter-day saints believe that Jesus Christ, known as Jehovah in the Old Testament, founded His church through an ancient prophet, Adam. Adam was given the two things necessary in order to have the church--the truth (the gospel), and the authority (the priesthood). When Adam's descendents became wicked, they stopped teaching the gospel as it had been revealed from God through prophets. And they were no longer worthy of the priesthood. And so the church was lost and had to be restored when the people were again ready for it. This was done through another prophet. This happened several times throughout the Bible. Although the church was restored through different prophets in different eras, it was always the same church because Jesus Christ was at its head.
How can two churches, one founded by men and one founded by Jesus Christ, that both teach completely different doctrines both be true? If one church teaches that the priesthood is passed down by the laying on of hands and one church teaches that such an ordinance is not necessary, they can't both be right! If one church teaches that baptism is necessary for salvation and another church teaches that it is optional, they can't both be right! Any argument to the contrary is simply illogical.
We believe that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was restored by Jesus Christ through a modern day prophet. Because the church is led by Jesus Christ, it contains the fullness of the gospel. No church that teaches doctrine contrary to that revealed by Jesus Christ can be true. And no church that is missing the authority to act in God's name can be "true and living." Many churches have in their possession the revealed word of God--the Bible. And so they teach many true principles of the gospel. But the fact that there are so many different Christian sects teaching so many different doctrines is evidence of the need for a restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ by Jesus Christ Himself.
When combining the idea that there is only one true church with the "mainstream" Christian teaching that Christians will go to Heaven and non-Christians will go to Hell, it is easy to assume that LDS church members believe Mormons will go to Heaven and non-Mormons will go to Hell. This is NOT the case. If a little boy in the jungles of Africa never hears the name of Jesus Christ, will a just and merciful God condemn him to Hell for not being a Christian? Of course not! Similarly, God will not condemn people who have not had a chance to accept the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. And yet, Jesus Christ teaches, "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (John 3:5) So how does a person who has never had an adequate opportunity to accept the gospel of Jesus Christ and be baptized escape Hell?
In 1 Peter 3:18-19 we read, "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison..." And in 1 Peter 4:6 we read, "For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit." And so we learn that this life is not the only chance mankind has to hear the gospel. But what about those who accept the gospel after death? How can they be baptized?
"Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?" (1 Corinthians 15:29) Paul makes reference to an ordinance forgotten by mainstream Christianity--baptism for the dead. Latter-day saints believe that our ancestors, those that never had a chance in mortality to accept the gospel but accepted the gospel when it was preached to them after death, can be baptized by proxy. This is one of the ordinances performed in LDS temples.
In summary, we believe that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is "the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth," and that every person will have a chance in this life or the next to accept Jesus Christ as their savior, and to exercise their faith in Him by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel.
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