Main Topic: Divine Authority in Religion

Live! From the “Mecca of Mormonism” – THIS – Is Heart of the MatterTGNN’s original show where Shawn McCraney deconstructed religion and developed fulfilled theology.! Where Mormonism meets Biblical Christianity face to face! Show 22 Seventeen Points – Part VI Divine Authority May 20th, 2008

…And I’m your host, Shawn McCraneyFounder of TGNN and developer of the fulfilled perspective—calling people to faith outside of religion..

Lord'sWord

You know, we started getting together almost a year ago in downtown Salt Lake City to pray, worship, and study the Word of God. We call it Lord’sWord. We started Lord’sWord to help people sort of “test the water” of going to church who have otherwise been reticent to swim. We have no memberships. No dress codes. No freaky stuff. We worship the Lord with music. We pray together and for others. We study God’s Word. All in an hour's time. Join us, won’t you? Every Sunday morning at the Gateway Theaters downtown from 9:15 am to 10:15 am. We also meet Sunday evenings at the University of Utah for you guys who like to sleep in on Sundays.

Project Abandon Ship

Have you abandoned ship yet? Meaning, have you written your letter asking to be removed from the LDS Church records! Join us in Project Abandon Ship! Send a message loud and clear to Mormon headquarters: “Until you change your stance on this, this, and this, I want NOTHING to do with you… so take my name off your records. NOW!” Go to our website at Bornagainmormon.com or to UTLM.org for instructions on how to… ABANDON SHIP! Get free from the sinking ship and safe in the lifeboat of the Lord! If you listen closely you might hear some “cheers” from your LDS neighbors on this one – but I consider it “par for this course” we have chosen to walk.

Last week we received a rather thick envelope from the Internal Revenue Service. It seems they have decided to challenge our ministry's 501(c)3 status as a tax-exempt corporation because of our 2007 December 11th show titled, “A Mormon President.” The package – which actually included a copy of my notes for the show – contained a cover letter which read, in part: “We are conducting an examination of your organization. At this time, the focus of our examination is limited to determining whether your organization intervened or participated in a political campaign on behalf of, or in opposition to, a candidate for public office.” We were asked to supply detailed information to fifteen specific demands. We are going to fight this investigation and seek your prayers on our behalf.

The day after I received the package by certified mail, I woke early and rode my bike to the beach before going to work. In the neighborhood in which I live there are noise abatement laws. Trucks cannot travel the streets of the area before 8am and no construction work or lawn mowing is supposed to occur before this designated time either – and this is a good thing, a good law. Every Sunday morning – much to the behest of my daughters – starts his mower right at 8am and I’m sure if this law didn’t exist he would rev it up at 6! So, I suppose this law is good.

Never the less, as I peddled my bike down the street at 5 something AM the other day, I noticed something I had not really considered before – the singing birds. Swallows, crows, seagulls were gathered in a cacophonous choir in the trees and on the telephone lines and light fixtures above. They were totally unconcerned and certainly unaware of the abatement laws of our community and just sang what they were meant to sing. Suddenly I was filled with joy. A smile crossed my face and I have to admit, I began to laugh out loud. So even though I probably looked like a lunatic that morning, riding my bike in the wee hours and laughing maniacally along the way, I realized that our job in this ministry is to sing the truth, regardless of whether our tax-exempt status is in jeopardy or not. If God knows and cares for the sparrows of the air, I am certain He knows and cares for us too and I am confident all things will turn out as He desires and designs. So, onward, Christian soldiers. And with this, let’s have a prayer.

PRAYER PRAYER PRAYER

We're still covering the Seventeen Points the LDS claim are signs of the True Church.

The Fifth Point: Divine Authority

The fifth point says: “The True Church must claim divine authority.” I would have to agree. Anyone in the employ of God – doing His bidding, sharing His Word, proclaiming the Gospel – must have and claim the authority from God, right? Otherwise, they are just doing it “unto themselves.” Where does the

The Question of Religious Authority

Authority come from to serve God, anyway? To speak, and teach, and/or preach His Word?

Now really think about this for a moment: Jesus delivered the “good news.” The Holy Spirit came at Pentecost to all men and women who believed. We have a book called the Bible. It contains the Word of God . . . . And Jesus said to those gathered at the great commission to go out into the world and teach and baptize, right?

What is required by God to be able to teach, pray over, preach to, and counsel others with the good News? Organized and institutionalized religions have proposed and even demanded that a person must do “this thing,” or have “that thing,” or “jump through this hoop” or “fulfill that requirement” in order to act in God’s name. Mormonism has developed an entire mythic-system of “priesthood” authority which is so repeatedly reinforced to their members that action outside of it seems “indecent – even blasphemous.” Now I really want to avoid being redundant in our topics here on the show, and so I remind viewers that we have examined the LDS “priesthood” claims in the past – Shows ________________________and

So tonight, I am going to give additional refutation for their claims to their mythically reconstituted priesthood claims.

The Claim of Priesthood Authority

LDS missionaries and teachers will present their “priesthoods” as necessary to the function and operation of the “true religion” and they usually use Hebrews 5:4 to support their stance. It reads:

Heb 5:4 “And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.”

The missionaries will then usually ask an investigator: “And how was Aaron called of God?” “Well, I’m not sure?” comes the response. Then the missionary will say something to the effect that “God has never let just anyone have His authority to do things in His name. Instead, He only let Aaron and his Sons have the honor and they were ordained to their work by the laying on of hands by one holding the proper priesthood authority.” This is the same way God gives His authority today! (then they bear testimony: “I want you to know, that I know . . .)

You see Joseph Smith claimed he received “the Aaronic priesthood authority” to act in God’s name from John the Baptist and then the Melchizedek priesthood authority from Peter, James, and John. Joseph then gave this supposed “restored priesthood authority” to other men by the laying on of hands, who in turn gave it to other men in the same LDS manner, and so on and so on, until the supposed priesthood authority has today been well re-established among worthy LDS males.

Trouble is discovered, like it is always discovered, when we look at the Bible for contextual meaning of priesthood.

Contextual Meaning of Priesthood

In an attempt to set themselves up as the authoritatively restored true religion on earth – like the Children of Israel were prior to the coming of Jesus – Joseph resurrected concepts from the Old Testament priesthoods – including genealogical study – and applied it to his religious movement. Therefore, because this supposed “authority” was miraculously (and I must add, suspiciously) restored to Joseph Smith and only passed down to their own male members over the years, no salvation or access to heaven is possible outside Mormonism!

Everyone want to lay claim to having the magic recipe, don’t they? It always makes for bigger sales figures. Now the “lesser priesthood” in Mormonism is called the Aaronic Priesthood – referring to Aaron. It’s the one the 12 year old boys get to “hold.” As I said, this was supposedly restored to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in May of 1829. Exodus 28 and 29 tells us what Aaron actually had to do in order to have this call “laid upon him” and I can assure you it includes far more than having hands laid on them.

Once a Mormon boy turns 18, he is eligible to receive the Melchizedek priesthood. There is great suspicion as to whether there was ever an exact time or place when the Lord’s apostles, “Peter, James, and John” gave Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery this priesthood. I would strongly recommend Grant Palmer’s Insiders View of Mormon Origins for an easy to read expose on this bit.

Anyway, the Doctrine and Covenants 107:2 states that the higher Mormon priesthood is called the Melchizedek Priesthood because Melchizedek was such a great High Priest. We cover what the Melchizedek priesthood was and is in the earlier shows. But in addition to what has been said before, anyone who understands the New and

The Priesthoods in Christianity

Old Testaments can safely say some things relative to the LDS claim to these “priesthoods.” First, there has never been and never would be an Aaronic or a Melchizedek priesthood in the New Testament with the exception of Jesus Christ being our one and only High Priest after the order of Melchizedek. God commanded that “priests” were to come directly through the tribe of Levi through Aaron and His Sons. Most Mormons, based on their patriarchal blessings, supposedly come from the tribes of Ephraim or Manasseh! And what important thing did these priests do (among others)? They offered BLOOD sacrifices! Why? In anticipation for Jesus to come! Are the deacons, teachers, and Aaronic priesthood priests doing this today? NO. In fact, no more blood sacrifices are needed – so no more Aaronic priests are needed – since, as Hebrews says, “Jesus offered one sacrifice for sins forever,” on our behalf!

The Old Covenant Priesthood

Do you see the problem of Joseph attempting to resurrect this Old Covenant priesthood AFTER the deathSeparation from God—now overcome. Physical death remains, but it no longer separates us from life with God. and resurrection of Jesus? And then there has only been ONE Melchizedek priest since Melchizedek roamed the earth as a picture of this one priest which was to come – JESUS CHRIST! Again, do you see the inherently sinister and presumptuous audacity Joseph had to say he had received this concocted priesthood from Peter, James, and John and then has passed it on to men today? That there are men today who claim to be “High Priests who hold the Melchizedek Priesthood” when there has only ever been one High Priest holding a Melchizedek Priesthood – and His name again, is Jesus Christ! I want to warn you right now, my friends, you are messing with fire with these claims. Absolute fire. Which is another good reason to “Abandon Ship!”

Genealogy and Lineage

Well, what biblical supports are there (besides the ones we’ve already spoke of tonight and other shows) for priesthoods in Christianity? First, let’s talk about genealogy. The reason for endless genealogies in the Old Testament and the Gospels was to show lineage. Why? Because it was evidenced in the lineage of a man whether he was permitted to hold the Levitical priesthoods and what line or family tribe from where they originated. But guess what happened? When Jesus was alive He foretold that Jerusalem would fall. And it did. Titus, in 70 A.D. came in and guess what God allowed him to destroy? All of the genealogical records of the Jews. These records had been tediously kept for a thousand years plus and in one fell swoop – GONE.

Why? Because the authority to act in God’s name, by virtue of the death of Christ and as evidenced by the tearing of the veil, was given to all people. All believers are part of this chosen generation, all believers are included in this royal priesthood – all – men, dwarfs, maimed, women, teens, blacks – black dwarf women – ALL. Get it! This is why 1st Timothy 1:4 admonishes believers to: “Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.”

Titus 3:9 says

“But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.”

Get it? Do you see the connection to between it being our faith that allows us to take action in God’s kingdom today and not a lineal priesthood authority and it is also by our faith that we are saved and NOT by the works or deeds of the Law? The Jewish System was discarded for a system of grace, my friends! Neither Paul, nor Peter ever claimed to be priests – Melchizedek or Aaronic – but only in the sense that every Christian becomes a royal priest by virtue of their faith in Jesus’ finished work! Salvation comes by faith in the FINISHED WORK of Jesus Christ, not in a savior who paid for sinMissing the mark of faith and love—no punishment, just lost growth or peace. but re-established a priestly hierarchy whereby men save themselves through ordinances and rituals!

There were perhaps no more religious people on earth – and perhaps will never be a more religiously observant people on earth – than the Jewish Pharisees. He unquestionably had the right authority, he without a doubt belonged to “the true Church” in that it contained the system God has so instituted to please Him. The Pharisee was by men’s standards, a very good man. A very pious man. A very religious man. There is a story in Luke where a Pharisee stood and prayed, saying: “God, I thank thee that I am not like other men are – extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. Why, I fast twice a week and I give”

Justification in Jesus' Parable

“Tithes of all I possess.”

Now a publican must have been standing near-by. He was a Jew who was in the friendly employ of the Roman conquerors. And he collected inflated taxes from his own Jewish brothers, paid the Romans less, and kept the remainder for himself. He was a moral mess, to the Pharisees. He held no authority. Was in this case possibly an unjust extortion bearing adulterer with no cleanliness, priesthood, or works to present!

And what was his prayer?

“God be merciful to me, a sinner.”

Jesus, in telling this story asks:

Which of these went home “justified?”

The man with the pedigree, works, and righteousness, or the degraded publican?

Outcome of Justification

Jesus said, The publican went home justified!

Let me wrap tonight’s monologue up with a biblical truth that sort-of exemplifies this story and what we have been speaking of tonight. It is a biblical gospel truth which the LDS and other religionists HATE to hear, let alone consider as true.

In apartment 2 lives a man who had never, ever helped anyone with anything in his life, had been mean, and bitter, and stingy, and angry, violent, and abusive – a man who lived every single day for himself – and in apartment 3 lives a man who loved people, served people endlessly, gave his money to the poor, walked dogs, and was polite to all but on the last day of his life.

A Tale of Two Beliefs

One afternoon, a giant neutron bomb was dropped out of an airplane and fell hurling toward the roofs of apartments 2 and 3. Right before the bomb was dropped, the man in apartment 2 came to believe in Jesus in his heart and confessed Him with His mouth, and the man in apartment 3 renounced Jesus as necessary to his going to heaven but instead believed it was his life and action that would qualify him – which would live eternally with God?

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Hey, check out our website at bornagainmormon.com for more information about what is going on in the ministry, for free access to all of our archived shows and for recent news. God bless you all. We’ll see you next week, here, on Heart of the Matter.