Christmas Book Citations Jesus

Viewpoint is to examine the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints 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 welcome to this edition of viewpoint on Mormonism.

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

My colleague at M. R.

M. If you were listening to our show last week.

You know that we have been going through a series of books that were given as Christmas gifts by the first presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to other general authorities and various employees of the church. Now we don't know exactly which employees receive copies of these, but generally they were given away as gifts from the years 1981 until 2017 that why do we think this is important. Naturally, if the first presidency is going to give a book away as a gift. You would think that they feel that that book has some theological significance. In other words, what's in the book obviously is something that those leaders believe and want others to believe as well.

These books were leather bound. They were very expensive in the printing of them.

In fact they were not made available to the general public. Though you can buy copies of them on eBay and we've even found some copies on Amazon.com. But the point is we would like to demonstrate that some of the things that are in these books. Not only should be believed by Latter Day Saints. But at the same time. Like much of Mormonism. It should alarm us as New Testament Christians and I want to remind the listeners know that these books were written by authorities.

All of the presence of the church.

One.

316 wrote something some of them wrote two books we have Jamestown that you wrote three books. He was an apostle in the early 20th century.

These are very important people who are writing this material. It was republished by the first presidency president and the two counselors the first presidency, they end up giving these books to people for 37 years. If you want to look at those books, you can go to our website MRM.org/books employee gift hyphens between books employee gift. These are important books and we're going to continue what we did last week by looking at some topics and just some of the statements in these books that refer to that given topic. Today were going to start with the person of Jesus. The first quotation were going to look at is found in the book gospel doctrine which was written by the six president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Joseph F. Smith. This book was given as a gift in 1990. What is it say on page 442 Jesus had not finished his work when his body was slain. Neither did he finish it after his resurrection from the dead. Although we had accomplished the purpose for which he then came to the earth. He had not fulfilled all his work, and when will he not until he has redeemed, and saved every son and daughter of our father Adam that have been or ever will be born upon this earth to the end of time, except the Sons of perdition. That is his mission. First of all we should give some definitions here when he says except the Sons of perdition. Technically, a son of perdition, has been described in Mormonism as a person who has had full knowledge of Mormonism leaves the Mormon church fights against the Mormon church, knowing the Mormon church is true.

Now I ask you how many people like that do you think even exist. First of all, who has full knowledge of anything. Second of all, most of the people that I come in contact who have left the church did not leave because they knew it was true. They left because they knew it was false. Now they could've left for moral failings, absolutely.

But are those the ones that are really fighting against the church and normally, at least not in my experience I have found people like that there could be some like that but then again, I would fall back on my first premise in order to be a son of perdition. You have to have full knowledge of Mormonism and of course nobody has that.

But let's look carefully at this statement regarding Jesus.

Jesus had not finished his work when his body was slain. Neither did he finish it after his resurrection from the dead, Eric. What does that tell us in light of Jesus's words when he was hanging on the cross he said it is finished or it is accomplished. The Greek word to tell a sty is certainly that's what Jesus said in John chapter 19 for somebody to say that Jesus did not finish his work is said to me blasphemous because then he has more to do and he has to wait on people to the end of time before he has finished his work he did it all. It was all accomplished. As you mentioned, because he said it was in Jesus uses that phrase you have to ask yourself what did Jesus mean well as Christians. We've often assumed that what he meant was everything that needed to be done for us was either done in the body of Jesus Christ, or it was certainly set in motion now. Certainly at this time Jesus had not risen from the dead, but he had predicted that that was going to happen and we have to assume he knew that was going to happen, but let me read you a quick sentence from William Hendrickson who is a biblical commentator and this is what he says about that phrase. It is finished, he said as Jesus sought the entire work of redemption, both active and passive obedience fulfilling the law and bearing its curse had been brought to completion everything necessary for our salvation was done in the person of Jesus Christ. But it does raise another interesting issue in this comment from Joseph F.

Smith. The six president when he asked the question when we will. He and of course the context is when will he accomplish the purpose for which he then came to the earth if he had not fulfilled it. He says not until he has redeemed, and saved every son and daughter of our father Adam that have been or ever will be born upon this earth to the end of time we have to understand what the word saved means in Mormonism. There is different meanings. I mean, the idea that Jesus paid the price for all people through the atonement and giving giving each person the opportunity to have a kingdom of glory is like a general salvation for everybody. But that's not exaltation, but in an and what he's saying here, Joseph F.

Smith seems to say that if Jesus puts his present under a tree. The Christmas tree. It's not fully accepted until somebody opens it up and receives it.

So he's waiting on people to finish his work, but yet Mormons do refer to Jesus as the Redeemer, but according to this statement. It sounds like he has not really earned that title.

It says not until he has redeemed, and saved every son and daughter of our father Adam that has not happened because he makes it very clear here that it is referring to those who will be born upon this earth to the end of time will obviously people at the end of time. Haven't even been born yet.

So that would tell me that he's not even wearing the title of re-beaver correctly. There's something missing here. He hasn't done that yet, so his job is still not finished so again, why would Jesus say it is. And yet you have these leaders of the Mormon church, implying that he did not finish it is another quote from Joseph Fielding Smith in what's called the selections of doctrines of salvation. That's a three volume series so they just took parts of those three and put them together unique book notebook like this is ever been put together productions, a salvation on page 23.

This is what he says.

Christ worked out his own salvation.

Christ began mortality as men do.

Our Savior was a God before he was born into this world and he brought with him that same status when he came here he was as much a God when he was born into the world as he was before, but as far as this life is concerned.

It appears that he had to start just as other children do and gain his knowledge, line upon line here is another case were Mormon leaders use words but apparently didn't seem to care what the words mean when you say that Christ worked out his own salvation. I have to ask the question why would Jesus need to be saved.

The only people who need to be saved are fallen people. People who have committed sins, who had transgressed against God himself in the violated revealed law when it says our Savior was a God before he was born into this world that also becomes a little perplexing because in the grand scheme of things, according to Mormonism every human is supposed to go through a mortal probation in order to prove themselves worthy to become a God in the next life we get this impression that that was even required of God the father, the one Mormons call Elohim according to the Lorenzo Snow couplet as man is God once was, as God is man may be your man may become. This tells us that the God of Mormonism, the one they now worship is heavenly father was once a human and if he was like us. If words mean anything. He must've been a fallen human. Why is it that God the father, it seems, was a fallen human who had approved himself to become the God he is. But yet Jesus was a God before he was born into the world. Philippians 212 says that we need to work out our salvation with fear and trembling.

According to Joseph Fielding Smith, Jesus has Philippians 212 applying to him. That does not seem to people what the Bible teaches.

In fact, the Bible says in Philippians chapter 2 verses five and following that Jesus was in the very nature God, not a God, but very nature God. He did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but rather he made himself nothing to take on the nature of a servant we call that the can gnosis, he humbled himself to be able to do that, but he was God in the flesh, not a God. So there's all kinds of theological problems with what Joseph Fielding Smith is saying here I would see there be a lot of problems but see again the using that phrase Christ worked out his own salvation seems to imply that he needed to be saved. Why would it God coming to this earth need to be saved is that the ultimate goal of every Latter Day Saints to become a God. What sounds like Jesus already had accomplish that. Now how did he do that in the preexistence. It certainly is not made clear by Mormon leaders that I know of because that was the whole reason we had to leave the presence of our parents, our heavenly parents, God the father and heavenly mother was because we could only progress so far in that environment, making it necessary to come to earth to be tested and tried the problem by calling Jesus a God is how many gods do we have that and in the problem of Mormonism and tritheism you have the father son and Holy Spirit. Three separate gods. That's not the God of Christianity, the Bible says very clearly in Deuteronomy 6.

For that, there is only one God Jesus sites that met in Mark chapter 12 verse 29. So monotheism is at stake here.

Thank you for listening. If you would like more information regarding his research ministry. We encourage you to visit our website www.mrm.org you can request a free newsletter Mormonism research.

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