Nov 27, 2011
The Mormon Christ
There has been a great deal of talk lately regarding whether or not Mormons are Christians. This is not a new argument, it is actually as old as the church itself. When the Church was first founded many thought the nickname of “Mormon” was somehow a reference to Mohammed and that the church was in fact an Islamic faith. In the here and now though the argument is made popular again because of a Mormon Presidential candidate. The press would like to know how Americans feel about having a president who comes from what some see as an unusual faith perspective.
What is so upsetting to those outside of our faith is that the Christ we worship is not borrowed from the traditions or doctrines of historical Christianity. We stand independent from the theological rubble of modern Chritiandom. Our testimony is that as Christ revealed Himself to the peoples and prophets of the past, so He also reveals Himself today. The testimony we have been commissioned to bear is rooted in the Spirit of revelation as that spirit has manifested itself in this dispensation. We make no claim upon the world for the priesthood we hold and in like manner we make no claim upon the world for our testimony of Christ. In regards to our knowledge of the Father, our priesthood we hold in the Name of Christ, and the testimony we have by way of revelation we are beholden to the God of Heaven and to Him alone. Those three items I have just mentioned are what really separate us from the so called Christian world, and I will speak about each of them briefly here today.
First: God the Father – “three things are necessary,” said Joseph Smith, “in order that any rational and intelligent being may exercise faith in God unto life and salvation. First, the idea that He actually exists. Secondly, a correct idea of His character, perfections, and attributes. Thirdly, an actual knowledge that the course of life which He is pursuing is according to His will.” (Lectures on faith 3:2-5) Faith is the child of knowledge. We cannot exercise faith in God until we know of the existence of God. We must first come to a knowledge of God, then as we learn of Him we can exercise faith in Him. In saying so, Joseph Smith stood alone, for many within the Christian tradition declared God to be unknowable.
Joseph Smith was a perfect witness and teacher in regards to our Father in Heaven, for he had actually seen Him. In His search for further light and knowledge he had gone to the Father in prayer, in his own words concerning this experience he states : “..After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God… I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me…. When the light rested upon me Isaw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!
From this single experience Joseph Smith knew more concerning the Father than any man since the time of the apostles. For one thing he learned that God was a man and that He had a body. Mocking the false teachings of his day Joseph stated “That which is without body, parts and passions is nothing. There is no other God in heaven but that God who has flesh and bones.” (Teachings p.181)
Joseph also learned that the Father and the Son were two separate beings. “The teachers of the day,” said Joseph, “say that the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God, and that they are al in one body and one God. Yet Jesus prayed that those that the Father had given Him out of the world might be made one in them, as they were one (One in Spirit, One in Mind, One in Purpose). If I were to testify that the Christian world were wrong on this point, my testimony would be true.” (Teaching p.311) Joseph knew this by personal revelation. He went on to say “Any person that had seen the heavens opened knows that there are three personages in the heavens who hold the keys of power, and one presides over all.” (Teachings p.312)
The revelation of God through Christ in the New Testament is limited to a single concept – the Fatherhood of God. Thus Christ in virtually every instance referred to deity as “father,”, “the Father,” or “our Father.” Similarly, in addressing Jesus the Father used but one title, “My Son.”
Our understanding of all gospel principles grows out of our understanding of the doctrine of the Fatherhood of God. The entire Bible believing world tells us that the declaration in the first chapter of Genesis that man was created in the image and likeness of God is merely figurative. However Joseph Smith declared that verse to be literal. Why? Because the scriptures restored through him declared it to be so. “In the image of his own body, male and female, created He them, and blessed them, and called their name Adam. (Moses 6:9) The God that appeared to Joseph Smith has a body and is not an abstract being as the creeds of the Christian world would tell us. He is a definable being, a personal being, and a loving Father, and as such he can have children who are literally in His image and likeness. Our spirits, which are in the likeness of our physical bodies, were begotten of Him in a pre-earth estate. The God of the Christian world is a Father only in a metaphorical sense. His creations come from nothing. Other faiths do not share our doctrine of pre-mortal existence with us.
When the Apostles were killed in the meridian of time the key of the knowledge of God was taken with them. Immediately the heavens were declared sealed, prophets became a thing of the past, and God was transformed into an incomprehensible being beyond our mortal understanding. When God becomes a mystery the scriptures become shrouded in a mist of darkness. No sure path back to him can be known. This makes pure or true faith impossible. The truths of salvation are found in living revelation, not philosophical speculation. The world loves philosophy and has a high tolerance level for many systems of worship; after all, if God is unknowable who can be certain where truth can be found? The tolerance level of the world falls short though when a system of worship declares the Heavens open again and a God that will manifest Himself to men and women on earth.
God, along with being our Creator, is also the author of all our understanding concerning what is good and right. In speaking of premortal times the prophet taught “God Himself, finding that he was in the midst of spirits and glory, because he was more intelligent, saw proper to institute laws whereby the rest could have privilege to advance like Himself” (Teachings p.354). Whereas the God of the Christian World seeks to be worshipped forever and ever, our God seeks instead to exalt His children to become “equal in power, and in might, and in dominion” with Him (D&C 76:95). The topic of our growth leads us into the next subject we should discuss, namely the Priesthood of God.
For those of us with sight it is difficult, if not impossible, to appreciate what it is like to have been born without vision. So it is in the realm of spiritual things. As rightful heirs to and recipients of the blessings of the priesthood, Latter-Day Saints often do not fully realize how distinctive and unique our position really is, especially when viewed by those not of our faith. When we talk to many in the traditional Christian world about priesthood we generally assume a certain common ground and we are surprised to find that it does not exist. Most outside our faith would think of simply a minister. To ask a Latter Day saint we would find most of us have the ready answer that it is taught to us as children, Priesthood is the Power and Authority to act in the Name of God.
For us to function in the priesthood denotes authority that is traceable directly to God. It requires direct and personal communication with Him and embraces the responsibility to speak in the first person for him. We understand that this requires of us to operate by the Spirit of revelation, speak as one having authority, and function after the pattern of the prophets of old.
With the restoration of the priesthood comes the knowledge that its primary purpose is to prepare the faithful saints to come into the presence of God. With the restoration of Priesthood came the restoration of Temples, for the Lords people are not without a place in which God can manifest Himself, nor are we to be without a place where His name can perpetually dwell. Only in the Temple do men and women have the privilege, in the full and complete sense, of taking on themselves the name of Christ and becoming heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ.
In our priesthoods we men and women of the Church act for and in behalf of Jesus Christ. We emulate Him and stand for and in behalf of Him. As men we bind and seal in His name, and the women of the Church use their priesthood to create an atmosphere in our homes for the Holy Ghost to dwell that those sealing’s might be ratified. For until those sealing’s are ratified they have no binding power. In all these actions we learn to serve just as the Savior did, we learn that service draws out the best in us and begins to define us as a people who can be relied upon and trusted to do what is right and to help others. We in fact grow from grace to grace just as the Savior did.
On May 6th 1833 Joseph received a revelation that included part of a gospel written by John the Baptist. In it we learn that Christ started life the same way we did. John stated “ And I, John, saw that he received not of the fulness at the first, but received grace for grace;
And he received not of the fulness at first, but continued from grace to grace, until he received a fulness;
And thus he was called the Son of God, because he received not of the fulness at the first.
And I, John, bear record, and lo, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Ghost descended upon him in the form of a dove, and sat upon him, and there came a voice out of heaven saying: This is my beloved Son.
And I, John, bear record that he received a fulness of the glory of the Father;
And he received all power, both in heaven and on earth, and the glory of the Father was with him, for he dwelt in him.
The grace of which John the Baptist wrote is that which comes to us and grows in us while doing the work of God. The Savior bore witness to Nicodemus, “he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought of God” (John 3:21). Grace is divine help, or in other words, enabling power and strength that comes from God. The Savior increased in grace as he lived the commandments of God and blessed the lives of others. His growth was accelerated above that of His fellow men because of the reciprocal nature of receiving strength of the Spirit when extending Grace. That is, He called upon the Father for Power and strength to bless others in their need. In answer to His prayers, he was empowered and grew beyond his previous abilities, thus receiving grace for grace. Christ was foremost in reaching out in compassion to others. Therefore, He received greater grace from God in His efforts than any other person. He increased in capacity to give with each experience, continuing from grace to grace.
The point to be noted here is that Christ came into mortality as a helpless infant, knowing no more than any other child at birth. It was then up to Him to grow up into a perfect knowledge of the principles of Salvation, doing so in such a manner as to mark the path that all others seeking the same ends could follow.
As men and women enter into the Melchizedek priesthood they enter into an oath and covenant , the oath is on Gods part, the covenant is between God and the priesthood holder. Those receiving the covenant promise to magnify the office conferred upon them and to sustain those called to preside over them. They are to “live by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God” (D&C 84:44). God in turns covenants to accept the faithful priesthood holder as his heir and thus make them equal in power, might, and dominion. That is God’s Oath.
In Mormonism we understand Christ to be the messenger of the Covenant, or rather the messenger of Salvation. His atoning sacrifice gives power to all the laws and ordinances of the gospel. We would not suppose that salvation can be found in ordinances alone, we also do not expect to find salvation through the grace of Christ independent of those ordinances. Those ordinances, such as baptism, that He instructed that we comply with teach and bear testimony of Him.
We believe that through the atonement of Jesus Christ all mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel.
Like all the Lord’s people in all dispensations past we are a covenant community. We do not expect to find salvation separately and singly but rather in aiding one another. We also believe that salvation is a family affair. All gospel covenants have two purposes First to testify of Jesus Christ and second to unite the family in the eternal worlds.
As a priesthood bearing church we invite all of mankind to come and enter into a covenant with God, and to seek after the burden of the priesthood, and take upon the name of Christ. We send out missionaries with this invitation and ask people to pray and ask God if these things we teach are true. We ask no one to be baptized until they have received just such a revelation. This brings us to our final point – We believe in continuous revelation from God.
No doctrine is more fundamental to the message of the restoration than the simple injunction to ask God. Each member of the Church is expected to have a personal testimony, one born of the Spirit of revelation, that Jesus is the Christ, that Joseph Smith is a prophet, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the only true and living Church on the face of the whole earth. Without that witness born of the Spirit, no one should be invited to the waters of baptism, be allowed to hold office or position, participate in sacred ordinances, or be called upon to preach or teach the gospel. Personal testimony that comes by the power of the Holy Ghost is fundamental to our faith.
“ye are commanded” the Lord said “in all things to ask of God, who giveth liberally; and that which the Spirit testifies unto you even so I would that ye should do in all holiness of heart, walking uprightly before me, considering the end of your salvation, doing all things with prayer and thanksgiving, that ye may not be seduced by evil spirits, or doctrines of devils, or the commandments of men; for some are of men, and others of devils. (D&C 46:7)
As baptism is a commandment essential to salvation, so is the charge to receive the Holy Ghost. “You might as well baptize a bag of sand as a man,” the Prophet said, “if not done in view of the remission of sins and getting of the Holy Ghost. Baptism by water is but half a baptism, and is good for nothing without the other half – that is, the baptism of the Holy Ghost.” (Teachings p.314) To enjoy the companionship of the Holy Ghost is to enjoy the Spirit of revelation. Joseph Smith put it this way: “No man can receive the Holy Ghost without receiving revelation. The Holy Ghost is a revelator. (ibid p.328)
Without revelation there is neither the Church of God nor the possibility of salvation. Joseph Smith stated “The plea of many in this day is, that we have no right to receive revelations; but if we do not get revelations, we do not have the oracles of God, and if they have not the oracles of God, they are not the people of God. But say you, what will become of the world, or the various professors of religion who do not believe in revelation and the oracles of God as continued to His Church in all the ages of the world, when He has a people on the earth? I ell you, in the name of Jesus Christ, they will be damned; and when you get into the eternal world, you will find it will be so, they cannot escape the damnation of hell.” (ibid p.272)
The death of Christ and his Apostles brought an end to revelation and thus to the New Testament Church that was founded on revelation. Thereafter the heavens were declared to be sealed and the canon of scripture to be complete. In restoring the principle of revelation, Joseph Smith also restored a wealth of knowledge about how revelation comes. Indeed, no other writer in holy writ has done more to teach the honest truth seeker how to part the veil and receive divine direction than the prophet Joseph Smith. “It is,” the prophet said, “the privilege of any officer of the Church to obtain revelations, so far as relates to their particular calling and duty in the Church.” (ibid p.111)
He further stated “A person may profit by noticing the first intimation of the spirit of revelation, for instance, when you feel a sudden stroke of ideas, so that by noticing it, you may find it fulfilled the same day or soon; those things that were presented unto your minds by the Spirit of God and understanding it, you may grow into the principle of revelation, until you become perfect in Christ Jesus.” (ibid p.151)
Revelation, the prophet taught, was to be immediate and personal. We have no right, he explained, to lay claim to the promises made to another people in another time. As their curses are not our curses, so their promises are not our promises. “reading the experience of others, or the revelations given to them, can never give us a comprehensive view of our condition and true relation to God. Knowledge of these things can only be obtained by experience through the ordinances of God set forth for that purpose. Could you gaze into heaven five minutes, you would know more than you would by reading all that ever was written on the subject.” (p.324)
As latter day saints “we believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God” (AOF 9). “My works are without end,” the Lord told Moses, “and also my words, for they never cease” (Moses 1:4) As long as God has children, they will have claim on their divine Father to know His mind and will.
Doctrine and Covenants 84:61 states “For I will forgive you of your sins with this commandment—that you remain steadfast in your minds in solemnity and the spirit of prayer, in bearing testimony to all the world of those things which are communicated unto you.”
How are we sanctified and made ready for the kingdom? In living and bearing testimony of the things that are communicated to us by way of revelation. As we live what we have been taught we are sanctified, sanctified and prepared to enter into the Lord’s presence. It was by acting upon what I had been taught that I received for myself a manifestation of the Holy Ghost. I know by that manifestation that the Church is true and I can never deny it.
A Loving Father, Authority to act in His name, and a living gospel which allows us to communicate with God. Members of the LDS Church know and understand in and of themselves who God is. We do not rest our faith on the words of scholars or the opinions of so called intellectuals but in personal experience with Deity. All those within the Church are called upon to be Priests and Priestesses unto the Most High, called upon to declare to the world that the Father and His Son live. To these truths I add my own testimony, in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.
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