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Aaron, It's always a blessing to know of another Mormon who has found the true freedom in
the Lord Jesus Christ. Since today in America we gather with our families to give thanks to
God for our many blessings, I would like to take a brief moment to say that I am thankful that
God has raised up people like you, Bill, Eric and Sharon to reach out in respect and concern
to the Mormon people that they may come to know the liberating spiritual freedom that only
Jesus Christ can give— Heb 7:25
ww
To be fair, the first part of Connie's testimony could have been given by many people in Christian churches that are very legalistic and works oriented. This "problem" has plagued the Church from the time of the apostles. We read in the NT about how the apostles had to confront the grace/works paradigm continually. Paul's letter to the Galatians and also his writing in Romans highlights the problem. I've heard Christians testify as to how they were trapped in the sin, guilt, condemnation trap until they understood the Gospel. Martin Luther, the great reformer, went through this very thing. He wrote:
"At last, meditating day and night and by the mercy of God, I….began to understand that the righteousness of God is that through which the righteous live by a gift of God, namely by faith….Here I felt as if I were entirely born again and had entered paradise itself through gates that had been flung open."
For some reason, Mormons can't seem to get this idea out of their heads that Christians believe that once we come to Jesus in faith and are born again by the Holy Spirit, that we think we can sin with impunity. I've seen the correct explanation given over and over to Mormons (on this blog) and it's literally like they are spiritual deaf. I've often wondered if they are doing this on purpose (wrong understanding) or if there is a real spiritual blockage there that keeps them from understanding God's gift of eternal life through His grace and accepted by faith.
At the core of our Being, as humans, we are sinners. That's our nature. The Bible is clear about that. We are without hope; wretched and undeserving of anything but spiritual death. But God in His love, mercy and benevolence saved us while we were yet sinners. That's the Good News. Now the life we live subsequent to our "justification" is in gratitude for what Christ did for us.
The corrupting of the Gospel of Jesus Christ keeps people in bondage to their nature, without hope. Christ frees us not so we might sin, but he frees us from the penalty of sin so that we might have peace with God. Someone who knows Jesus and is committed to Him will not engage in licentious living. We trip and fall and God is there to pick us up, dust us off, heal our wounds and send us on our way down the narrow path that is illuminated by His Spirit.
Her musicianship serves as a fantastic medium for sharing the gospel. Keep pressing on Connie…
Connie's quandary points out the difference between Biblical Christianity and the religious system of Mormonism. Mormonism first of all has two levels of salvation. One level is a universal salvation that is available to everyone who ever lived. There is no separation from God for eternity based on a person's rejection of Jesus. The other level of salvation is that which is earned by merit based on a person's worthiness. In Mormonism the end goal is to become a god. So this works based system is a process of earned merit. Now if someone gets hooked into the false religious system of Mormonism, they will either be extremely prideful regarding their pace in achieving status or they will be frustrated and guilt ridden always wondering if they have done enough to merit the brass ring of becoming a deity. The Mormon system can't be found in the Bible.
In Romans 3:22-23 we are told "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus". Also in Romans 5:1-2 it says, "Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God."
Now none of this will make sense to a Mormon because their religious system, while borrowing some of the vocabulary and terms of Christianity has nothing in common with it. Mormonism can't be retrofitted into Christianity. It won't work. Those who God calls will have His truths ring (true) in their spirit. The Bible tells us that today is the day of our salvation. God reaches out to us beggars to give us the ransom of a King. We don't deserve it. We can't earn it. It is a gift. Who could turn aside this offer that God is making?
Connie and I have one interesting thing in common in that we both prayed to receive Christ in our bedrooms! We had a similar emotional reaction to our prayer…..nothing! That's right, like Connie, I didn't hear bells nor did I get what Mormons and 19th century evangelical Christians described as a "burning in the bosom". Sometimes Mormons make the mistake of thinking that a feeling, like a burning in the bosom, is a signature experience that confirms the truth of something. It is thought to have been sent by God and that it is the Holy Spirit causing the sensation. That kind of thinking can get a person into all sorts of trouble regarding what they perceive the truth to be. But let's face it, it is emotionally rewarding.
Mormons will take this "feelings as a test of truth" to the point where if they feel bad, it's Satan and if they feel good it's God. Connie went through some excruciating bad feelings as she worked her way out of Mormonism. As she began to resolve the inner turmoil she was experiencing, the peace of God overtook her negative emotions and provided her with a peace that passes all understanding.
What Mormons don't realize is that often times bad feelings are an impetuous to change. Bad feelings can also mean conviction. And finally our feelings can have zero basis in reality but are just the results of holding on to negative thoughts.
Truth is truth regardless of how we feel about it. Our intuition and innate sense of things can be a tremendous asset when they accurately reflect reality. But in the end we stand on the truth that God loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son……….a truth that makes me feel bad about my sin and rejoice at the same time knowing God's love and mercy saved me and drew me to Him.
There's a verse in Romans, actually chapter 5 verse 18 that says; "So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men." Let me add the next verse because it helps express the same sentiment. "For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous."
Now Connie expressed her frustration as a Mormon in never feeling "worthy". Well, quite frankly, if someone does feel worthy I'd be concerned about them. As a Christian, I never feel worthy because I know what I am, a sinner with a fallen nature. That's why those of us with a proper understanding that we have an imputed sin nature also rejoice that God has provided us with an imputed righteousness. This is a righteousness that none of us can achieve because it's sinless perfection. God in His mercy provides this gift for us so that through the blood of Christ we are declared what we can never be, sinless. This imputed righteousness causes God to passover those sins committed because we have been saved by the blood of the Lamb.
So how is a saved person suppose to behave? The apostle Paul has the answer in Romans 6:1 where he writes: "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase?" To this question Paul responds; "May it never be!" And then in verse 11; "Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus." But one of my favorite "therefores" in Paul's writing come in 8:1 when he writes; "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
That is the bottom line in the Good News.
falcon, you made some great points concerning the danger of trusting in feelings as the
barometer to evaluating truth. Prov.14:12
ww
Being a sinner, one of my favorite passages in the OT summarizes the New Heart Covenant. Here's the part I like.
"I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people….they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them….for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."
This is Christianity in its purest form. We have a righteous God from whom we are separated because of our sin. We sin because we have "heart trouble". Our hearts are hard. God gave the law which defines righteous living. The problem is there isn't anyone who can keep the law. So God performed surgery and gives to each believer, a new heart. The NT tells us that if anyone is in Christ Jesus, he is a new creature.
The motive of a born again Christian is to live a righteous life because we are "positionally" new creatures. We are thankful for what God has done for us. Our hope is in Jesus, not in ourselves.
falcon, you said, " Our hope is in Jesus, not in ourselves." What a contrast between what the
Word of God says verses what Mormon prophets and apostles teach. Mormons hope that their
leaders are truely listening to God as they interpret the scriptures otherwise they might be led
astray, Mormons hope to be good enough to pass the interview required to enter God's house
(Temple). Mormons hope their leaders are'nt hiding documents in their archives that might
paint a different picture of what transpired in the "restoration" of their church, Mormon hope that
if they can just do all the laws and commandments and rituals that their leaders have decreed
which are required to gain exaltation, that all this hope will along with faith in their Jesus will be
enough . May these prescious people see that Jesus is sufficient in and of Himself to have been
their substitute on the cross, they can trade their righteousness for His and stand before God
guilt free and pardoned today.
So what's in a testimony?
It's plain from listening to Connie's account of how she turned from the false religion of Mormonism to faith in Jesus Christ, that the primary result, beyond the salvation of her soul, was peace with God. In Mormonism she was in turmoil. She could never be good enough to satisfy the requirements of this very demanding religious system. These types of religious systems keep people enslaved to a series of empty works and duty expectations and the message is, "Are you worthy? Probably not! Keep striving."
Jesus asks one thing from us and that is that we believe and trust in Him. He knows that the result of forming a personal relationship with Him will result not only in peace, but a transformed life. With Jesus it isn't a case of us getting good enough to be accepted (by Him). It's a case of being accepted (by Him) even though we aren't good enough.
In the Mormon testimony, we see what's important. A Mormon must pledge their faith (in the following order) to Joseph Smith, the BoM, the Mormon church, the living prophet, and BTW Jesus. It's plain, what is the focal point of Mormonism. Jesus is not God incarnate as we know him, in the Mormon system. This Mormon Jesus is not the qualified savior of the Bible. He is another Jesus just as the Mormon restored gospel is another gospel.
There can't be any peace in Mormonism because the religion is about a false set of beliefs and completing a series of rites and rituals by which a person may become part of the pantheon of Mormon gods.
Is this in the Bible? No! Mormonism takes people away from Jesus and the salvation that God provides through Him. Mormons sign up for a system that is a rip off. It drains people of their time, treasure and allegiance with the idea that they can become gods. Systems like this are at their core abusive. People need to be under the thumb of the system, controlled and programmed.
There is no peace.
The Book of Acts is really an account of how the Holy Spirit worked in the lives of the apostles to bring people to a saving knowledge and faith in Jesus Christ. The Book is replete with fantastic accounts and some "routine" stories of people who hopelessly in sin, turned to God and through Jesus Christ had their names written in the Lamb's Book of Life.
One of the more extraordinary accounts was that of the apostle Paul, a persecutor of the Church who was knocked to the ground in a blazing light, heard the voice and saw the Savior. His life did a 180 on the spot.
Paul was dedicated to religion. He did it all. He wrote in his letter to the Phillippians that he surpassed his contemporaries in his zeal for the rites and rituals of his religion.
He wrote: "But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith."
Mormons who are locked in a system of endless, useless works, rites and rituals, thinking that some how moving through this religious system will provide for them some sort of reward, are sadly mistaken. From beginning to end, from the first to the last, it's all about Jesus and what He has done for us through His sacrifice on the cross. Our works are like filthy rags, we are told, in the sight of God, as far as our salvation goes. The transformation of our lives through God's Holy Spirit and the works that result are a fragrant offering of thanksgiving to God for what He has done for us. They play no role in our salvation.
Praise be to God for what He has done for us.
The strange part to me is how Mormons believe they have the Spirit and are doing what's right, but born again Christians also seem to be depending on the "feeling" or their own understanding of being saved. She says she feels the Holy Spirit all the time, but I've heard that from LDS friends of mine too.
I think it's rather arrogant to say you know you are saved and you know who isn't saved. We have no idea what's in someone's heart, but Jesus does. Jesus is the just judge of the world, not me. I am very aware of that fact.
Dale said,
I seem to find my self saying this a lot to people, But Dale, Have you read the Bible? Do you know what Jesus said? Do you know what the scriptures teach?
Jesus said, I am the way, the truth and the life. The Bible tells us, that ONLY THE PEOPLE that call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. So I can say that I know for 100 percent accuracy, that if I call upon Jesus I am saved. I can also say with 100 percent accuracy that if someone tells me they do not believe in the Jesus of the Bible, that died on the Cross my mine and their sins, they are not saved.
How can you be saved if you deny and reject Jesus? Now I know before you ask, you will say, or some Mormon will come and say, I believe in Jesus, so why am I/ they not saved? The Bible is clear, False Christs will arise and claim they are Jesus yet in fact they are liars. They are not following what the Bible says, They reject Gods word, or they claim Gods word is not enough and more is needed.
If someone rejects Gods word then they do not know Jesus. Then read Revelation
Mormons both add to and take away from Gods word. Now if you want to split hairs and say, This passage does not speak of any other book than the Book of revelation, and theirfore the vast majority of LDS are not adding too or taking away from Gods word, then look at it like this.
Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon both claimed God spoke to them and they needed to "Correct" the Bible, Well they supposedly "Corrected" The Book of Revelation, so they added to it and took away from it. If they were wrong on that, then what else were they wrong on? If they were wrong on other stuff, then maybe they are or did lead people astray and since then it is still going on.
I told this to my friend. She said Mormon scholars disagree that Revelation was the last book. So this verse means nothing to her. Somehow because this is truly 'out of chronological order', this has no bearing on mormonism. Any discussion begins with 'mormon scholars have proven this untrue.' And then what do I say?
Violet,
MRM discussed Revelation 20:18-19 some time back. I recall that the guys at MC were appealing to Christians not to use this verse to "prove" that the canon of scripture was closed, and it was probably because of the timeline of the verses authorship. (I can't recall the details).
Personally, I think the use of Rev 20:18-19 is not as weak as this. I believe it is quite apt for the people who compiled the Bible to have "signed off" with such a verse. In doing so, I acknowledge that I'm relying on the Inspiration of the Holy Spirit in the compilation of the Bible, not just in the authorship of its component texts. This seems entirely fair because the people who wrote the Bible and those who put it together had a common understanding of what the Christian Gospel was.
However, my argument could be used to preach that the texts were re-arranged and corrupted, but I believe that's highly unlikely given the immediacy of the aural traditions in the first couple of centuries AD. In any case, Mormons say that the Bible is the Word of God (present tense), not was, thus rendering the discussion on how it came to be the way it is today (or at least the KJV version of it) redundant.
These are technicalities, and they may impress your friend and they may not.
A much harder issue to tackle, in my (limited) experience is to try to persuade Mormons to take the Bible seriously, or to take the words of their Prophets seriously. Its like they say "we know what they say, but it's not going to change what I believe".
This week, I've been posting on the blog of LDS_anarchist. (See here http://ldsanarchy.wordpress.com/2007/10/19/romans…. One thing that I've noticed is that despite the many quotes from the Bible and Joseph Smith and Brigham Young and some others that I have posted, LDS_anarchist does not seem to have any use for them, resorting instead to his own (I presume he's a "he") internal experiences.
My response to this is to point to the Testimony of Stephen before the Sanhedrin in Acts 7. Stephen gives them a history lesson – it's all history, history, history – and his life is on trial for it. One thing that should be obvious from this is that the early Christians looked outside of themselves for truth – their internal experience of what they perceived to be "truth" seems almost incidental. They saw God acting on the world in a public manner that was independent of how they felt about it. Sure, it was their prerogative to understand why God did what he did, but it was also their responsibility to take notice of what he was doing. How many verses in the Bible condemn God's people for not "seeing" what he was showing them?
The tendency to look inside yourself is a quintessential post-modern (or gnostic) paradigm, and modern Mormons seem to pick it up and run a mile with it. I can't think of a "magic bullet" to get your friend to seriously think about it, but you could start by challenging your friend that she has unknowingly capitulated to the spirit of the times (which she has).
Violet,
That's one of those throw away lines that Mormons use that I call "all better now blankies". For a Mormon who is not at what jackg calls the "contemplative" stage, it satisfies them. I think a way to answer it is by asking follow up questions. I'd ask, "Who are these Mormon scholars? Can you tell me where I might find their research?" It has to be remembered that it doesn't take much before the average Mormon has their back against the wall and they either go to "you're persecuting me" or "I bear my testimony".
There's a really good video out that Andrew Watson (who occasionally posts here) sent me. I can't lay my hands on it right now but I think it's called "The Bible vs. Joseph Smith". It's a documentary that shows a Christian apologist with a Mormon in the Holy Land. The Christian asks the Mormon a series of questions and it isn't long before the Mormon is sitting their wide-eyed having considered things he's never considered. It's quite a scene and demonstrates what a little bubble Mormons live in, accepting as fact things that the Mormon church feeds them.
Go to this website: http://www.iamexmormon.com
It's a take off on the "and…..I'm a Mormon" PR ads the Mormon church is pushing. You get a real cross-section of different types of folks who were in the Mormon church and have left. They do have one thing in common, they all figured out that the Mormon church isn't true. The tortured process that many of them go through in leaving is quite common. That's why the simplistic answers given by Mormons are meant to protect their fragile faith. It can't stand-up to evidence so it's generally back to the old "burning in the bosom" to justify what can't be supported with evidence.
Violet,
If I were you I would reply like this.
These verse in the Book of Revelation are speaking about Gods word. They are found in the Book of Revelation, So if you want to split hairs and say, It's not speaking of the entire word of God, then at the very least it is speaking of the Book of revelation. Also we know at the very least it is speaking of the Book of revelation because the verse says, "words of the prophecy of this book". The Book of revelation is a very prophetic book.
I would then ask my friend, According to the D and C, God commanded JS and SR to "Correct" The Bible. So first off, what book(s) of the Bible do LDS say the verses in Revelation are speaking about if not the Book of revelation? Then, if JS and SR were told by God to correct the Bible, why would they not use it?
I know they will say they use parts of it, but they will also say, the RLDS own the rights to it, thats why they cannot and do not use it. Then if they say that, I would say, Well if they own the rights to it, how come you use some parts of it, and why would God allow his word to fall into the hands of an apostate church, since according to the LDS church, the RLDS are not the true LDS church so they are an apostate church. I can go on if you need more help, I'm here to help, just ask, or send me an email at my email account. You can click on my name, go to my food blog and find it, or write the Mods and ask them for it. I would simply post it here since I dont care who writes me, I'm not paranoid or scared to pass it out, since I post it publicly on my food blog. But I'm not sure if it's allowed.
Thank you Rick. I just stood there 'dumbfounded'. Now I have somewhere to go. Thanks again.
Violet, you may already be aware of this, but it can't be emphasized to much. Namely, if we
tell Mormons that they are " stupid " or are " demon possessed " or that they are " evil " , then
chances are we'll not see a change in them towards considering the true gospel. [ 1Pt.3:15 ]
Don't stop praying for your friend !
ww
Falcon. Lots of great ideas. Thank you. Love to see new websites. Appreciate your posts. My husband says I print too many of these posts, but I think they are gems. Thanks to you again. The mormon scholars argument left me stunned. Its almost a slap in the face, but in a very nice way.
Thank you Martin. You are right in every way. Her mind cannot be changed. Thank you for your post. Every day I learn something new at this site. The mix of psychology, religion, the psychology of influence, and devotion is so facsinating, I am surprised how little people know of mormonism. Mitt Romney, Glenn Beck and now the I am a mormon commercials, you would think there would be more programs, books front and center at bookstores. I am in the midwest, am am 43, and this is just 'wow'. I love my friend, and her four children. It the heartstrings, the devotion, the purpose that are beautiful, yet somehow I feel she doesn't know all the answers. I can't tell her all I know, because it would crush her. She cannot believe me anyway. I would be satan driving a wedge between her and her husband, their family and the afterlife. I have brought up my doubts, observations and mentioned the last verse of the bible. We sort of left, agreeing to disagree. My favorite lately is the Glenn Beck, we are Christians, Saved by Grace just like you thing. How can he get away with that? Thank you for your advice. I will print all three posts to save. Thank you again.
Sorry,
That website is: http://www.iamanexmormon.com
I forgot to put in the "an". Sorry if this caused too much confusion. What you'll see is that exMormons come in all kinds of sizes, shapes, colors, genders and "after Mormon" state of spirituality and mind set.
It's worth a look!
Violet,
Thanks for the thanks (if you know what I mean).
I'd like to conclude with my own personal mission-statement when it comes to talking to Mormons (or people of any religious persuasion, for that matter).
If all I do is persuade them that they are wrong, then I have failed.
My job is to try to bring people to faith in Christ. For sure, it means tackling the enemies of the Gospel (as I see them) head on, but it's not about simply telling them what Jesus Christ is not, it's also telling them what He is.
Violet,
Their is nothing wrong with taking our information, putting it in your own words or sayings, and asking your friend hard question. She might not have all the answers, but at the very least you will cause her to think and start looking for answers and God will take care of the rest.
My friend is the perfect princess 'if I could just be like her I would'. I would never call her evil or wrong. She is the one with all the answers. The problem is she is burdened, exhausted, and self-defeating. She thinks she could always, make more bread, help friends more, serve the church more, give the church more money (they have none yet husband is doctor-school loans minus charity = not much left.) I am trying to witness a Christian life with joy and freedom knowing what God has done for me. We went to their ward, and did everything humanly possible, removed all boundaries and I noticed I could never do enough for her. That is how I believe she was raised and that is the 'norm', keep giving 100% equals a 'depression'. I would never call her evil, the opposite, actually. I wish I could give her the Truth but there are so many walls. I wish I could ease her burden. She is having her fifth child and she is so young, a transplant away from any family except the church. The circle is so small and there is nothing I can do. Just being there for her equalled endless favors so she could get more done. Its hard to explain. Its like the sweetest person being taken advantage of by her church, and its sad.
Rick, I agree with you that LDS Prophets may have taken people astray, but you also need to remember that Jesus said in Matthew 7:21.
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
As much as I want to say I know for 100% sure I am saved, Jesus warns us that we can fool ourselves. Remember, the Mormons think they are saved too.
You can argue that you know who is not saved, but where does Scripture direct us to make these judgments about another person's salvation? It doesn't.
Rather Jesus tells us to be concerned with our own faith.
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? (Matt 7:1-3)
I am not LDS, but I have LDS friends, and when I tell them what it says in Revelation, they often quote Deut 4:2 which reads:
Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you.
If we followed the commandment in its original contents, it would exclude even what's said in Revelation and the entire New Testament. Even I do not know what to say to my LDS friends when they bring this up.
One thing I almost forgot. It's interesting to me how Christians will use Revelation to say "Do not add or subtract from the Bible" yet Martin Luther removed the Apocrypha from the Old Testament and even thought about removing the Epistle of James. He even demeaned it as an "epistle of straw." Martin Luther and other reforms wanted to "correct" the Bible too. Yet no one ever refers to the Protestant Reformers as anti-Christs.
Amen, falcon.
Wonderful clarity in your post. Thanks for the quotation from Martin Luther, as well.
Dale,
Well, I just want to add some Scripture in reply; first, John 3:16-18. Many people, even those who have not accepted Jesus as their Savior, are familiar with John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
I've had a few people respond to my sharing of John 3:16 with John 3:17 (For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.) They explained that, in their opinion, I was trying to be judgmental of people who were not believers and that a loving God would not condemn anyone.
Almost none of those people, however, seemed to have read on to John 3:18 – “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
To people who reply with John 3:17, I quote John 3:18 and just say that I can't and don't condemn them. Also, that Jesus came to save them, not to condemn them; but, that by not believing on Jesus, they condemn themselves.
Then, for those who preach a different Jesus and a different Gospel, there are so many verses that show the true Jesus and the true Gospel. The Jesus who said, of Himself, in John 11:25, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. The Jesus who said, of Himself, in John 14:9, He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
The Jesus, of whom the Bible says, in Acts 4:12, Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Hebrews 7:25 says, of Jesus, Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. Colossians 1:15-17 says, of Jesus, He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. Colossians 2:9 says, of Jesus, For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and Philippians 2:9-11 says, of Jesus, 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Notice that God says, of Himself, in Isaiah 45:22-23, 22 “ Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. 23 I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return, That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath.)
Reading these Scriptures feeds my spirit! I can see why Connie Raddon was so excited when she looked at the Scriptures anew after she had trusted Jesus as her Savior!
Dale, I gpark5 replied with a lot of scripture and could not have said it better myself. So I guess I wont bother rehashing somethings. Honestly, as far as Martin Luther goes, I dont know mush about him, I'm sure someone will say something about that, but like I said before, I look to scripture and what the Bible says, not mere mortal man.
Just because ML said or did or wanted to do something means nothing to me, unlike LDS who claim prophets that speak for God, The only person that speaks for God that I listen to Is Jesus. And the Word is clear, Jesus is the word, and Hebrews tell us God spoke to US in these last days through His Son Jesus.
Thanks for this wonderful post, gpark5!
I love the scripture you have shared. The 45th chapter in Isaiah is incredible, isn't it? I have found such peace and joy in the Bible, and am so happy that Connie Raddon has too. God bless her, and all our LDS friends who are visiting this site.