Beliefs of Melvin J. Ballard Part 5

One member is examining the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from a biblical perspective view .1 Mormonism sponsored by Mormonism research ministry since 1979 Mormonism research ministry has been dedicated to equipping the body of Christ with answers regarding the Christian faith in a manner that expresses gentleness and respect. And now, your host for today's viewpoint on Mormonism welcome to this edition of viewpoint on Mormonism.

I'm your host, Bill McKeever, founder and director Mormonism research ministry with me today is Johnson. My colleague at MRM today we wrap up our look at a very short article that was found on the church news.com it was an article titled Pres. Ballard opens up about one thing he wishes he could ask his grandfather if you didn't listen to the previous broadcast will be just bring you up to speed here. The opening paragraph reads during a recent visit to new England president M. Russell Ballard acting president of the quorum of the 12 apostles spoke of his grandfather, Elder Melvin J. Ballard. The article talks about a question that Mr. Ballard wishes he could have asked his grandfather, and as we discussed this week.

We thought the question that he raise was really kind of strange.

He says I would've wanted to know more about what it meant to be an apostle, because as the article states M. Russell Ballard is serving in the same position that his grandfather, Melvin J. Ballard served him before he died in 1939, and since M.

Russell Ballard has served in that position for quite a while just seems like an odd question to ask when there were so many things that his grandfather must've experienced during the time in which he lived. He was born in 1873, he was there during the time of the manifesto of 1891 the turmoil of polygamy in the Mormon church was going on. He was ordained an apostle by Heber J. Grant, the last polygamist prophet of the LDS church. It just seems strange to me that that would be the question he would think of when there's so many things you could've asked your grandfather in this hypothetical. That would've given you a better understanding as to what his grandfather believed and so that's what we've been discussing what were some of the beliefs that his grandfather had and we discussed several of them this week but today we want to talk about what his grandfather believed regarding the person of heavenly father and were going to examine that from a conference message that Melvin J. Ballard gave in April 1927.

You can find this in conference reports April 1927, page 159.

What is it say, speaking of heavenly father. All he can do is to warn us pointed out the danger show us the way of escape, and when we resisted all we bind God we speak of binding the devil and the devil will be bound and have no power over us when we resist him, but we may resist the Lord in the same manner and thus bind his hands so that he can do nothing for us, for he himself is ruled by law, he cannot set aside the majesty of eternal law, nor save men in their sins.

That's its expression coming to us as evangelicals seems a little bit odd that God can be bound in anything out.

Granted we as Christians believe that God cannot do anything contrary to his nature. But when he speaks of God himself, being ruled by law. When you think about it, though this law that the God of Mormonism is ruled by is not a law that he put forth. It had to of been in effect prior to God becoming God because remember Joseph Smith taught we have imagine, and suppose that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea and take away the veil so that you may see. So in Mormonism. They view their God is being bound by a set of laws that he is not the author of these laws were already in effect.

So when he uses the example here. He cannot set aside the majesty of eternal law he's talking about an eternal law that even God himself can't claim to be the author of because he's not eternally God and that's a great point though because the law almost becomes more powerful than God himself because God did not create this. That was already in existence at what point in time. Latter Day Saints scholars have never been able to point out they don't know very much they say about this but that still is very strange that you would say that law is greater than God himself will he also uses the expression, nor can this god save men in their sins. Now that seems to be a clear reference to Elmo 1137 in the book of Mormon. Let me just read it to you very quickly, and Elmo 11 starting with verse 37 it says and I say unto you again that key speaking of God cannot save them in their sins, for he cannot deny his word and he said that no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, how can you be saved except you inherit the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, you cannot be saved in your sins. Well that has raised a number of questions because if all have sinned and come short of the glory of God as it says in Romans chapter 3 verse 23 all of us obviously have this sin nature, and that were not going to shed this sin nature before we die, but yet we find that Ballard made a comment regarding our sins in our evil tendencies and he states that these sins, and evil tendencies will be with us, even beyond the grave.

What did he say in the book sermons and missionary services of Melvin J.

Ballard, pages 240 to 241 Eric, a man may receive the priesthood and all its privileges and blessings, but until he learns to overcome the flesh. His temper his tong his disposition to indulge in the things God is forbidden. He cannot come into the celestial kingdom of God, he must overcome either in this life or in the life to come, that this life is the time in which men are to repent. Do not let any of us imagine that we can go down to the grave not having overcome the corruptions of the flesh and then lose in the grave all our sins and evil tendencies. They will be with us. They will be with the spirit. When separated from the body. I have to confess this is one of the more confusing aspects of Mormonism that I've come across. How can you assume that your sins and evil tendencies are going to go with you in the grave that this is the time in which men are to repent. But then it goes on to say that he must overcome either in this life or in the life to come.

How does it make any sense.

I don't understand the connection there. But it seems to be that the reason why Mormon leaders such as Ballard himself emphasizes using this lifetime opportunity to repent. It seems odd to me because because it doesn't seem like you're able to do anything with that and you're not even capable of doing it in the first place all and that's something that Spencer Kimball citing this very passage from Ballard in his book the miracle of forgiveness. On page 168 described and he said you need a body to be able to overcome the things you can't do it in the this is what Kimball writes on page 168. After citing that portion from Ballard clearly it is difficult to repent in the spirit world of sins involving physical habits and actions there, one has a spirit in mind, but not the physical power to overcome a physical habit he can desire to change his life and how can he overcome the lust of the flesh, unless he has flesh to control and transform. How can he overcome the tobacco or the drink habit in the spirit world where there is no liquor nor tobacco and no flesh to crave it.

Similarly with other sins involving lack of control over the body so the idea that you have to have this done in this life because when you get to the next life.

You won't be dealing with those things but you go to the grave with them and you can live with them, apparently. I guess into eternity will in that same book. Melvin J. Ballard makes this comment. He says this life is the time to repent. That is why I presume it will take a thousand years after the first resurrection until the last group will be prepared to come forth. It will take them a thousand years to do what it would've taken but threescore years and 10 to accomplish in this life, then every man and woman was putting off until the next life. The task of correcting and overcoming the weaknesses of the flesh are sentencing themselves to years of bondage for no man or woman will come forth in the resurrection until they have completed their work until they have overcome until they have done as much as they can do. How were they going to do this if the book of Mormon is to be believed in Alma 34 that there is not going to be an opportunity for labor to be performed. It seems like Ballard has made it clear that because you need a body and you can't do these things without a body. It's going to be practically impossible to accomplish this, so why even give them the hope that there might be a possibility of doing so. It just seems so confusing to me and if a latter-day St. is hoping that perhaps there is an open door to correct things that they didn't do during this lifetime. I would say boy, that's a pretty risky business to be involved in because this whole idea that it will take them a thousand years to do would've taken threescore and 10 to accomplish in this life were we find that in any of the standard works of Mormonism. We had talked fair about that possibility. If Mr. Ballard and Mr. Campbell knew each other if they had a chance to know each other. They probably would've been good friends and on page 11. This citation is given from Ballard in the book the miracle of forgiveness again. I'm fascinated with this because it almost seems like there is a possible out.

Maybe there's a thousand years that it takes maybe that's referring to the millennium, but Kimball cites Ballard's quote just after he gets done saying on page 10. The previous page.

The burden of the prophetic warning has been that the time to act is now. In this mortal life. One cannot with impunity delay his compliance with God's commandments and then he cites out of the famous we talk about it all the time how much chapter 34.

He cites verses 21 through 34. What you just said in the standard works does not teach any idea that you would have even a thousand years to be able to do this, but if you're going to the grave with these tendencies that you can't solve, because you no longer have a physical body and what ability to work out the sense is there. It seems like there would be none whatsoever.

So to even offer some kind of vague hope is almost speaking kinda mean you would think to the old yes it's given them a false hope. I would assume it just doesn't seem possible. And also I would say this notion that some latter-day Saints have that they can correct things that they didn't get right in this mortality in my opinion, that goes against the whole idea of a mortal probation to begin with because Kimball also as well as others, has made it very clear that the reason why we are here right now in this mortality is to prove ourselves worthy of a call with the mortal probation.

Well, if this is our mortal probation.

When does that probation and well it ends when we die. All of this is the time that we been given to make sure we do everything were supposed to do and what would be the point of that. If we can actually have the opportunity to do it after we die. It just doesn't seem to make sense to me that words in this context just seem to have no meaning whatsoever.

I guess you could say these are some of the questions that I would probably have wanted to ask Melvin J. Ballard. If I'd had the opportunity to do so. Unfortunately, it seems that M.

Russell Ballard, his grandson didn't have the same thought processes that I have and I can understand that. I guess, but it seems like there's a lot of things that I wish we could have clarified in Mormon doctrine that perhaps a lot of this confusion can be alleviated, but it seems that even though the leaders that are been put in place by God to solve a lot of these dilemmas tend to only make some of these dilemmas even worse, thank you for listening you would like more information regarding his research ministry.

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