Being Perfect Eventually — Part 4

One member is examining the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from a biblical perspective viewpoint when Mormonism is sponsored by Mormonism research ministry since 1979 Mormonism research ministry has been dedicated to equipping the body of Christ 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 Eric Johnson.

My colleague at MRM we've been looking at some statements made by Mormon apostle Jeffrey R.

Holland. They were made of the 187 semi annual Gen. conference in Salt Lake City on Saturday morning, September 30, 2017. It was a message he titled, be ye therefore perfect eventually. And there's no doubt when you go through this entire message that Jeffrey R.

Holland was trying to alleviate some of the anxiety that many Latter Day Saints feel when they sense that they are coming up short in meeting all the requirements. The Mormon God has for them. If they are going to achieve what Mormons call exultation or godhood. Personally I don't think Mr. Holland does a very good job and this is why in some of the statements that he makes, for instance, he doesn't even quote the verses completely. And when he leaves certain portions out of any particular verse. It's easy to draw a completely different conclusion now.

Yesterday we played for you. A portion of Jeffrey Holland's message from the very beginning up to the end of the second paragraph, but what's interesting is in his third paragraph he starts to address the anxiety that I was mentioning earlier.

So let us play for you.

The third paragraph from Jeffrey Holland's talk, be therefore perfect, eventually around the church, I hear many struggled with this issue. I'm just not good enough. I fall so far short. I'll never measure up. I hear this from teenagers I hear from missionaries I hear from new converts I hear from lifelong members. One insightful Latter Day Saints sister Darla Isaacson has observed that Satan has somehow managed to make covenants and commandments seem like curses and condemnations for son. He has turned the ideals and inspiration of the gospel into self-loathing and misery, making I would not go so far as to say that there are no members of evangelical churches who have said I am not good enough or that I will never measure up. When I look at that as they don't really understand all the benefits of what the gospel of grace is all about, but it is certainly not as rapid Dimmick as it apparently is in the Mormon church earlier this week we cited from two recent & magazines. The February 2017 and the September 2017 issues where this theme was being addressed and now we have Jeffrey Holland and apostle of the church addressing that same theme in this general conference message we have seen this since April 2016 when when that Jeffrey Holling gave the talk on getting credit for trying to build. You think maybe they're having a hard time with members who are complaining of the bishops and the bishops are going to the stake presidents and their going to the upper leadership and they don't know what to do with all of the depression that's going on. I think that is what is happening with the reason why they're asking those questions is because the very Mormonism in which they are trusting is compelling them to ask those questions and I think Jeffrey Holland doesn't seriously address this in this message he just kind of all you don't have to worry about it as long as you try everything will be finding what he does to his people is he flat out ignores all the statements that have been made by his predecessors. All the statements that have been made by even some of his colleagues and I would say even a statement that Jeffrey Holland himself made in 2012 where he said Mormons are obligated to keep all of the Commandments. It sure seems like he's skirting the issue and he certainly does not use the standard works well to be able to support his point will in that paragraph.

He said one insightful Latter Day Saints sister Darla Isaacson has observed that Satan has somehow managed to make covenants and commandments seem like curses and condemnations know what I heard him say that I thought wait a minute, you're supposed to be an apostle and you don't know that that is exactly what the apostle Paul says in Galatians chapter 3 verse 10 what did Paul say about that. He said for all who rely on works of the law are under a curse, for it is written, curses be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law and do them. So Paul is the one who says that trying to keep commandments will put you under a curse because why you won't be able to live up to every single one of them yet he calls her insightful instead of calling her insightful. He should've corrected her exactly because she credits Satan for this understanding when it was Paul that clearly lays out that conclusion and why is that if you were going to try to be justified by keeping the works of the law, you have to keep all of them. That's what he is saying in this passage in Galatians chapter 3. That's what James also said in James chapter 2 verse 10. If you're going to try to be justified by the law, you better keep them all because if you offend in one point.

It's as if you offended in all the points. Interesting that a Mormon apostle didn't catch that and is going to command Darla Isaacson for observing that Satan was the one who turned covenants and commandment keeping into some kind of curse that comes with condemnation. Look at what Ezra Taft Benson said not Ezra Taft Benson was the 13th president of the Mormon church.

The quote on about to cite to you comes from a manual that was printed in 2014 on page 160 for its teachings of Presidents of the church.

Ezra Taft Benson.

This is what it says. Listen to the spiritual promise.

All saints who remember to keep and do these sayings walking in obedience to the commandments to the commandments. I might mention is in italics, and then there's an ellipses. And that was in the original. They shall find wisdom and great treasures in knowledge, even hidden treasures.

Some have thought this promise was contingent on just keeping the provisions of the word of wisdom. That of course would be the Mormon health code and Benson goes on to say, but you will notice we must walk in obedience to all the commandments and all is in italics, then we shall receive specific spiritual promises. This means we must obey the law of tithing keep the Sabbath day holy keep morally clean and chaste and obey all other commandments, it seems like as are to have Benson understands how the law operates.

You have to keep all of them.

So when Jeffrey Holland tries to make the idea of covenant and commandment, keeping a positive thing. It's only positive if you were able to keep them all if you do not keep them, then they definitely become negative or in the words of Paul. They become a curse.

Thomas S.

Monson is 1/16 president of the church. He was not at this conference were Jeffrey R.

Holling gave this talk because of health reasons, but he has some things to say about this issue in the & MA 2010 at conference talk that was given in April 2010. This is what he says don't put your eternal life at risk. Keep the commandments of God thing is pretty simple.

Bill and I think he was implying just keep some of them.

No, not at all, or keep the commandments of God.

Eventually, now, keep the commandments of God now is what he certainly meant and then he also said in an conference message from October 2015. He said we remember the words of the familiar him keep the commandments in this there is safety in this there is peace, our heavenly father loves us enough to say thou shalt not lie. Thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, and so on.

We know the commandments, he understands that when we keep the commandments.

Our lives will be happier, more fulfilling and less complicated are challenges and problems will be easier to bear. And we will receive his promised blessings. But while he gives us laws and commandments.

He also allows us to choose whether to accept them or to reject them all our decisions in this regard will determine our destiny. Let me give you another quotation from Ezra Taft Benson and this is found in the book, the teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, page 442. He said we go to war chapels each week to worship the Lord and renew our covenants by partaking of the sacrament.

We thereby promise to take his name upon us to always remember him and keep all his commandments. Our agreement to keep all the commandments is our covenant with God only as we do this, may we deserve his blessings and merit his mercy now in this talk, Jeffrey Holland talks about mercy but folks mercy in Mormonism is something that must be earned as well. And yet that completely contradicts the definition of what mercy is.

Mercy has to be undeserved. There's no way you can earn mercy yet that's an expression that's being used here by the 13th president of the Mormon church. This is what the gospel principles a general manual that was produced in 2009 on page 81 says within the gospel.

A covenant means a sacred agreement or mutual promise between God and a person or a group of people in making a covenant God promises a blessing for obedience to particular commandments.

He sets the term of his covenants and he reveals these terms to his prophets. If we choose to obey the terms of the covenant we received promised blessings. If we choose not to obey. He withholds the blessings and in some instances, a penalty also is given.

Now we can understand why Darla Isaacson who is the person that Jeffrey Holland refers to observes that covenants and commandment seem like curses and condemnation because folks they are. If you don't live up to the covenant. If you don't live up to the commandment that you're supposed to keep there is going to be a curse or condemnation. Not only have Mormon leaders said this in their writings and in the manuals that the Mormons are supposed to read and listen to, but even the temple endowment ceremony. It says this were the character playing Lucifer looks into the camera and says, as he is talking to the people that are present. I have a word to say concerning these people if they do not walk up to every covenant they make at these altars in this temple this day they will be in my power, is it any wonder that Darla Isaacson would observe commandment keeping in covenant making as a curse or condemnation because if you don't live up to it. According to the temple endowment ceremony you are going to be in the devil's power. Eric, do you think that Jeffrey Holland takes away that anxiety in this message that he gave on September 30, 2017. While I think for some they're going to hear this and they're going to take what they want to hear and what Holland seems to be implying. But if you're not going to use a standard works if you're not going to use what your predecessors have said, I think that's a major problem and I think Latter Day Saints need to take a closer look. Because is it possible that Jeffrey R. Holland is a false apostle in the midst of the brethren. Well, I would also add that after a Mormon listens to Jeffrey Holland say what he said in that particular talk.

Then they go to the temple, don't you think that the Mormon hears Lucifer say something like that. I would hope that they would see there's a glaring contradiction between what the endowment ceremony says and what Jeffrey Holland was saying in this conference message. Thank you for listening.

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