Christmas Book Citations Jesus Part 2

I'm prepared to engage Mormon missionaries may knock on your door. Perhaps the book is 101 will help Mormonism 101. Published by Baker is your favorite Christian bookstore .1 examines the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from a biblical perspective view .1 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, a non-Mormon have a legitimate testimony of Jesus. Welcome to this addition of viewpoint on Mormonism on your host, Bill McKeever, founder and director Mormonism research ministry and with me today is Eric Johnson. My colleague at MRM we continue to go through some of the books that were given away as Christmas gifts by the first presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints between the years 1981 until 2017. There's a lot to glean from these books but as we said before, the fact that the first presidency were given these books away, tells us that they probably believed what was in those books and of course one of the people who receive the books as a gift to believe the same as well today were looking at the topic of Jesus and the book that were going to look at. Specifically, today is a book that was given away in 2003 Christmas 2003 title sermons and writings of Pres. Ezra Taft Benson now don't confuse this with the other book teachings of Ezra Taft Benson.

It is not the same book. This book was purposely put together just to give away at Christmas in the year 2003, but let's look at one of the quotes found Eric on page 12. He wrote to possess the testimony of Jesus is to know that he voluntarily took upon himself the sins of all mankind in the garden of Gethsemane, which caused him to suffer in both body and spirit, and to bleed from every pore. All this he did so that we would not have to suffer if we would repent and then he says see doctrine and covenants section 19 verses 16 and 18 and of course this idea that Jesus toned in the garden of Gethsemane is certainly unique to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. But the point I want to bring out is if believing that is absolutely essential in order to have as it says a testimony of Jesus. How many non-Latter Day Saints can truly have a testimony of Jesus. If in fact that's what qualifies you to have the testimony that I don't believe that Jesus atone for the sins of mankind in the garden of Gethsemane, so would that mean I don't have a legitimate testimony of Jesus. Will you would think, according to what Ezra Taft Benson is saying here and he was the 13th president of the church. I would not have a legitimate testimony that he doesn't only mention the garden of Gethsemane, but we need to realize that many Latter Day Saints today will also include the cross. In fact, much of your writing in LDS materials are going to use the garden Gethsemane and the cross, but you don't see that here. In fact in older writings. You just see the garden Gethsemane because that has always been the place where Jesus paid for the sins of humanity make a good point Eric and I think it could be because a lot of us Christians have been harping on the fact that rarely do you hear the cross mention when it comes to the atonement until recent years. Now it's almost kind of thrown in as an afterthought. Not that it was never mentioned.

Certainly it has been mentioned, but more so in recent years that in the past, especially during the time of Ezra Taft Benson who died in the mid-1980s. Here's another quote from Benson in that same book on page 21 he writes there are some that are matched to sponsor the sophistry that this appearance of God the father and his son Jesus Christ was not literal that it was probably a product of Joseph Smith's own imaginings.

This is not true. This is an attempt to discredit the testimony of Joseph Smith.

It is also an attempt to discredit the testimony of Jesus himself who came to Joseph as a witness of his own resurrection. The appearance of God the father and his son Jesus Christ to Joseph Smith is the greatest event that has occurred in this world since the resurrection of the master. As the restored Church of Jesus Christ we humbly and gratefully bear this witness to all men. It is the truth intended for all of our father's children back to the beginning of that statement. Eric Murray says there are some in our midst to sponsor the sophistry and of course sophistry is just the fallacious argument that this appearance of God the father and his son Jesus Christ was not literal that it was probably a product of Joseph Smith's own imaginings. Now, that's certainly the position that we take. We do not believe that Joseph Smith had a vision or saw God the father in Jesus, and of course in that encounter. He was told he claims that all the churches are wrong.

Other creeds are an abomination in their professors are all corrupt, but let me ask you though.

Eric wouldn't really be an example of sophistry or of a fallacious argument when we bring up the fact that we don't believe this is because Scripture tells us it couldn't have happened that way that you can look at Exodus 3320, which clearly says that you cannot see the face of God and live. And of course Joseph Smith claims he did. He lived to tell about it.

But if you look at Exodus 3320 in the Joseph Smith translation we've read that portion many times on this show all the extra words that Joseph Smith adds to Exodus 3320 makes it very clear that Smith was not qualified, even according to his own quote" translation of the Bible, but let me bring out something else in this argument here.

According to Ezra Taft Benson. He says that if you don't believe this and that it was merely to you a product of Joseph Smith's own imaginings, then what you're doing is you're attempting to not only discredit the testimony of Joseph Smith but it's also an attempt to discredit the testimony of Jesus himself. I would argue that this is circular reasoning because he's assuming the conclusion supports the premise and I would argue no it doesn't. You have to assume that the first vision was a real event in order to discredit Jesus, and of course we don't but yet a Mormon definitely would believe that, but I would still argue this is circular reasoning, and it's not a very good argument to raise what Benson does here is expose the soft underbelly of Mormonism because, listen to what he says. The appearance of God the father and his son Jesus Christ to Joseph Smith is the greatest event that has occurred in this world since the resurrection of the master. There are two historical events in Mormonism. We talked about this many times before that if you were to say they were not true, Mormonism, false, and that would be this first vision supposedly 1820 and then the appearance of Moron I in 1823 are the two historical events that are so important Mormonism. Without them, you can't have Mormonism. I find it fascinating that I think it's a fictional event and he says it's the second only to the resurrection of the master bill. If I were to ask you. Did you come up with other historical events that are more important than Joseph Smith receiving a revelation from God the father and Jesus. How about let's just call Pentecost you know that Pentecost next chapter to the Holy Spirit coming down upon the early disciples. This is a more important event than Pentecost. And there are many other places we could go to, but if this event never took place, then Ezra Taft Benson has a major problem. So, Bill. There's one other quote that we need to talk about here today, and that's found on page 3 of the sermons and writings of Pres. Ezra Taft Benson and he wrote to qualify as the Redeemer of all our father's children. Jesus had to be perfectly obedient to all the laws of God because he subjected himself to the will of the father. He grew from grace to grace until he received a fullness of the father's power, thus he had all power both in heaven and on earth any siding from doctrine and covenants section 93 verses 13 and 17. It's interesting that the title of Redeemer is given to Jesus by Ezra Taft Benson and then yesterday show we we gave a quote from Joseph F.

Smith. The six president of the church that basically said that he is not really accomplish the purpose of being a Redeemer until every single son and daughter of our father Adam has been or ever will be born upon this earth to the end of time has had that opportunity to receive the benefits of the atonement. So here he is called the Redeemer and even though he hasn't fully met the requirement of being the Redeemer of everyone, at least not in this time in history of Mormonism is to be true, but it's interesting how it says that Jesus grew from grace to grace until he received the fullness of the father's power he siding here.

Doctrine and covenants section 93 verse 13 and 17 but if you look at doctrine and covenants section 93 and it's a really strange chapter for unique doctrine. I should probably say in verse 12 it gives credit for this statement to the apostle John and I John saw that he received none of the fullness at the first but received grace for grace.

And he received not of the fullness at first, but continued from grace to grace until he received a fullness. Now here's what's fascinating. This talks about Jesus having to perfectly obey all the laws of God in order to qualify as the Redeemer but yet in verse 20. It says, for if you keep my commandments you shall receive of his fullness, and be glorified in me as I am in the father. Therefore I say unto you, you shall receive grace for grace and that seem almost contradictory bill to say that you have to keep the commandments to receive grace we've always talked about Ephesians 289 is not by works, grace is something that's given not because you deserve it but because somebody wants to give it to you. I find it kind of interesting to say that Jesus, in order to be the Redeemer had a perfectly obey all the laws will Mormons are supposed to do that to their supposed to keep all the laws and commandments and keep their covenants.

That's called the covenant path, but I think what they're doing here is using the word perfectly, meaning that Jesus never fell at all. He always was obedient to the laws of God. But the fact is folks, latter-day saying's are supposed to keep the commandments not just some of them are supposed to keep all of them and then they will receive this grace for grace.

And in verse one of section 93 it says, verily, thus saith the Lord, it shall come to pass, that every soul who forsake his sins and come up in me and call upon my name and obey my voice and keep with my commandments shall see my face and know that I am is a lot of responsibility for an individual is not just the grace of God or what Jesus did for us, but you have to pay the price and when it says obey my voice and keep my commandments.

All you need do folks is just ask your latter-day same acquaintance.

Does that mean I only need to keep some of them they will tell you know you have to keep all of them that will be a prompt for you to ask them if they are doing that, which of course they are not let me in the show by just saying as an appreciation for those of you who help finance this radio ministry. We would like to send you two PDFs one being a copy of my book in their own words. It's almost 400 pages of quotations, put in a topical format as well as a PDF of the notes that we are using for last week and this week of this series regarding these books that were given as Christmas gifts to get these you need to go to our website MRM.org go to our donate button it'll take you to PayPal. There's a box there the box is called add a note put the letters PDF as well as the call letters of the radio station that you listen to. If you listen by podcast. All we ask is that you put the state in which you live. That will be a great help to us in continuing this radio ministry. Thank you for listening you would like more information when guarding his research ministry. We encourage you to visit our website www.mrm.org you can request a free newsletter Mormonism research. We hope you will join us again as we look at another viewpoint is