Christmas Book Citations Obedience Part 3

Viewpoint is mainly to examine the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from a viewpoint when Mormonism is 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. How do you receive full salvation. According to Mormonism welcome to this edition of viewpoint on Mormonism.

I'm your host, Bill McKeever, founder director Mormonism research ministry in with me today is Eric Johnson.

My colleague at MRM we been looking at books that were given away as Christmas gifts.

Between the years 1981 to 2017. You might wonder why 2017. Well I think that's easy to explain in 2018 Russell M.

Nelson became the 17th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and as you may know, he's made a lot of course correction since becoming the new leader of the church and I think he probably saw this as an expense that the church probably didn't really need to have because these books that were given as Christmas gifts went out to other general authorities in the church as well as some employees of the church that we don't know how far down the food chain. They went but that had to have numbered in the thousands.

Don't you think or how I think you're right and they're not just a paperback. These are leather bound everything is on quality on the on these different books that were sent out every year for 37 years, and Russell M. Nelson seems to be pragmatic when it comes to finances. He doesn't like spending money. He doesn't have to.

For instance, he decided in 2019 to shut down a number of pageants that the churches had including the one that we used to go to in anti-the more America pageant and so II firmly believe that what you're saying is true that when he got a hold of this book stopped immediately and so there was no book in 2018 the year that he took over. The reason why we think these books are important to look at is because it's doubtful that a general authority in the church. Remember the first presidency I should say would want to give away a book that contained doctrine that they themselves did not believe so. For the first presidency to offer these as a gift. We have to assume and I think rightly so, that these leaders believed what was taught in those books and if that is a fact that you would think that they would want members of the church to believe these things as well. So this is why were going through these books showing what you can find in them and I might mention again. A lot of these books even though they were given as gifts in a special type of binding many of them were replicas of books that had been on sale to the general public. Written by the same authors, for instance, the first mover going to look at today is a book written by Wilford Woodruff the fourth president of the church. It's titled the discourses of Wilford Woodruff.

Even though the book you may have is not bound the same, the content is still the same.

Now there may be some differences when it comes to the articles of faith because that book did go through several printing additions and so the pages might not be exactly the same but for the most part these books that we are citing many of them you can buy from Desiree book Amazon.com or maybe even on eBay. Getting back to that first book that I mentioned the discourses of Wilford Woodruff were discussing the subject of obedience were continuing that thought in today show what did Wilford Woodruff have to say about how men are saved according to page 23 of this book that was given as a gift. In 1997 and it cited from Journal discourses, volume 23, page 130 that he said on May 14, 1882. All men are saved by and through the blood of Jesus Christ through obedience to the gospel so Mormon is not believe that they are justified by their faith. They are going to be saved through the blood of Jesus Christ. But it only becomes efficacious if they are obedient to the gospel and as we've been bringing out in these past shows it's not just partial obedience. It's supposed to be complete obedience not to just some of the commandments, but to all of the Commandments. In fact, there is a phrase in Mormonism that they used in the phrase is full salvation. What did Woodruff say about that. How to obtain full salvation if I ever obtain a full salvation. It will be by my keeping the laws of God. That's from the Journal discourses volume 19, page 362 that he said in June 30, 1878, now a latter-day St., listening to that statement would know exactly what full salvation means in the context of Mormonism. They is synonymous to exultation or achieving entrance into the celestial kingdom of God.

Celestial exultation if you will. The only way an individual can find his way or her way into the celestial kingdom of God according to Mormonism is if they are keeping all of the laws of God as Wilford Woodruff states in this book, but there's many more things that Mormons must do and other Mormon leaders have been very consistent in what those things are working to switch gears now and go away from Wilford Woodruff's book the discourses of Wilford Woodruff and working to turn our attentions now to another book that was given away as a Christmas gift titled the teachings of George Albert Smith George Albert Smith being the eighth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and he says this on page 90 of that book. The reception of the Holy Ghost is dependent upon obedience. It is not those who say Lord Lord who enjoy the companionship of his spirit, but those who do his well. If we are not more perfect in our lives if we are not more righteous than those who are not of our faith we will be behind them and receiving the blessings of our heavenly father. But if we obey the commandments.

If we keep ourselves clean, pure, and unspotted from the sins of the world.

His power will rest upon us and the virtues of the third and fourth generation of the church will be billed upon by following generations and the purity of their lives will establish a race that will people of the earth. I should mention at this point that we as evangelical Christians are not at all against any individual wanting to live good wholesome pure lives. The problem we have, however, is when someone assumes that only by living these pure, wholesome lives that they are going to be qualified not only for this full salvation that we been talking about today, but also in this context that they would receive the Holy Ghost of the Holy Spirit and that is dependent upon this obedience. This is why a lot of latter-day Saints are threatened with the departure of the Holy Ghost in their life if they are not doing everything they are supposed to do but think about it folks. We are all falling people. We all have our good days we have our bad days. Does the Holy Ghost really jump in and out of our lives at such a rate when we maybe have a bad thought. He disappears from us or we do something good.

He also all of a sudden comes back will if you're doing the good thing in order to get something from God. Would that really be a good thing. You see, this becomes really problematic if you're going to think that your goodness has something to do with you being justified or forgiven, or, in the context of Mormonism being qualified for celestial exultation built when he says it is not those who say Lord Lord who enjoy the companionship of his spirit, but those who do his will. I find it interesting because in Matthew chapter 7 Jesus said there will be many who are going to say, Lord, Lord, and basically saying look at all the good things I didn't. Jesus says I never knew you.

And yet in Mormonism. It's based on the things that you do not, based upon the grace grace certainly plays a role, but at the same time is not what gives you salvation by faith alone is what Christianity teaches. The next quote were going to look at starts off in a way where I have to be quite honest Eric when I read this I thought. You've got to be kidding. That is certainly not a truism but it's also taken from this book that was given as a gift in 2000, the teachings of George Albert Smith, page 97. He says the church does not compel obedience.

I am grateful that I belong to a church that does not compel obedience. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints does not coerce the gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of love intelligence.

A wonderful guide for our lives. That is what it is for. It is for everybody. Yet we find people who resist the very thing that would make them happy. They will not live the gospel but seek happiness only in the pleasures of life that will not endure me ask you something or let me just take that opening line that you read the church does not compel obedience. Could I not say along the same lines that the IRS doesn't compel you to pay your taxes, I could honestly say that the IRS does not compel you to pay your taxes, you don't have to but if you don't, you can expect that there's going to be repercussions – and wouldn't there be also repercussions for the latter-day St., if they are not obedient will, of course, there are repercussions we been reading them this very day.

If they don't do what they are told if they do not live up to that standard, as we just read you one of the things that you will find yourself not having would be the reception of the Holy Ghost. If you don't live the commandments if you don't obey what you're supposed to obey the Holy Ghost leaves you as a latter-day say so you could say, well, the church doesn't compel obedience but technically if you don't obey, you certainly don't get the benefits that the church is offering its membership another quote on page 97 where he starts off by saying obedience in this life is a foundation for eternal happiness.

He says we must keep the commandments of our heavenly father, we are told in other scripture that those who do not keep the commandments of God will forfeit their right to the blessings of the celestial kingdom. And of course the celestial kingdom is the very best, the latter-day St. hopes to get that families can be together forever and and you become as God is and so you have to keep the commandments us over and over. That's the foundation obedience and one other quote that we need to give. This is found on page 98 of that same book by George Albert Smith. I find this one fascinating obedience protects us from evil. No matter whether the clouds may gather no matter how the war drums may be, no matter what conditions may arise in the world here in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints wherever we are honoring and keeping the commandments of God, there will be protection from the powers of evil and men and women will be permitted to live upon the earth until their lives are finished in honor and glory. If they will keep the commandments of our heavenly father and a bill that sounds almost like a prosperity teacher saying if you do this, then you are promised prosperity and long life, but that's not the case and according to the Bible. It reminds me to what I've heard from those who have left the Mormon church.

Perhaps they've left the church and let's say they went through some financial difficulties. It's not unusual for Latter Day Saints that they left behind as they see that evil came upon them because of their disobedience and they left the church.

Certainly, that's a logical fallacy to assume that what happened later was the result of something that was done before but still this is something that we've heard and it's something that I'm sure a lot of latter-day St. to have left the church of probably heard if they've gone through difficult times afterwards when it says that that men and women will be permitted to live upon the earth until their lives are finished in honor and glory. If they will keep the commandments of our heavenly father.

What does that really say to those who maybe are faithful in the Mormon church, but die at a young age.

I guess the excuse would be well, it must mean that that was the end of their life. That's what got it already planned to begin with, that's an easy way to explain that, I suppose, but it does give you the impression by the way he's worded this, that if you're doing everything you're supposed to do, you're probably going to have a long life, wouldn't you assume yeah I think so. In real life. We know that that isn't the way it always is. These are just some of the quotes that you will find in that book, the teachings of George Albert Smith, which was given as a Christmas gift to employees of the church as well as other general authorities by the first presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the year 2000. Thank you for listening.

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