Who is Jesus?

Welcome to Heart of the MatterTGNN’s original show where Shawn McCraney deconstructed religion and developed fulfilled theology.
Shawn McCraneyFounder of TGNN and developer of the fulfilled perspective—calling people to faith outside of religion.

• Live call-in show
  OCTOBER 3rd 2006

A very important show planned tonight. We’re very grateful you’re here.

Gerald Tanner, Sandra Teller's husband of Utah Lighthouse Ministries, passed away a few days ago. Wonderful, accurate, and professional contribution to Christian apologetics. When most people were clamoring around Hoffman’s forgeries, Gerald and Sandra were one of the few not fooled or taken in. www.utlm.org Thank you. Praise God for your work and offer prayers for your ministry and for Sandra.

Announcements

ANNOUNCEMENT #1
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ANNOUNCEMENT #2
Now, this is great stuff here. Heart in the Home! Heart in the Home.

How would you like to host your own Heart in the Home meeting?

We were part of one last night at the McDonald's home in Sandy. It was organized by Pastor Travis Mitchell of Sandy Ridge Community Church. The home was filled with Christians and some LDS, and we had an hour or so to dialogue, ask and answer questions, and just talk about Christianity relative to Mormonism. We are willing to drive anywhere, it’s free, and it will give you an opportunity to openly discuss your faith in the confines of a good Christian home with moi. Interested? shawn@bornagainmormon.com

GAMA GAME: Get a Mormon Answer

LAST WEEK:
How much time elapsed between the time Joseph Smith announced that there were Golden Plates and when he actually presented a manuscript of his translation?

Answers Received:
7 weeks 8 months 2 years 19 days

Fact:
Sept 22nd 1823 Announced plates
June 1829 Produces Mss. – around 6 years

NEXT WEEK'S “GAMA” QUESTION:
“The Book of Abraham came from . . .”

www.shawn@bornagainmormon.com

In fact, if you have anything you would like to know about our ministry

• history
• beliefs
• message board
• complaints

Go to www.bornagainmormon.com And you should find an answer.

Understanding Intolerance

Speaking of complaints, I’d like to read and respond to a message left on our phone lines last week. Caller left no name (of course) but presented some rather angry ideas. Here is what he said:

(READ IT)

OKAY, LET’S GET TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER HERE.

First and foremost, isn’t it a contradiction of terms, an oxymoron if you will, for a person to vehemently attack another for being intolerant? I mean, doesn’t his intolerant reaction to me and my opinions prove he practices the same intolerance he accuses me of?

Second, the modern notion of tolerance is fairly pathetic. People love to flash the “intolerance card.” But their application has little to do with the reality of what tolerance and intolerance truly is. Is someone intolerant because they speak the truth or share facts?

If so, then I would be guilty of intolerance for saying that I think murder is wrong. Should we just “live and let live?” You’re a molester? God be with you, brother! You stole a car? Terrific! Because I don’t want to be accused of being intolerant.

Are we guilty of evil intolerance if we say that something people believe is wrong? If so, then all roads lead to God and all beliefs should be embraced, accepted, and praised, right!? You’re a Satanist! Terrific. What? You believe Jesus was a fraud. Fantastic! Good for you!

Is it intolerant to publicly reject the philosophies, theologies, and practices of others – especially if those practices are said to be Christian when they are clearly not? I wonder what the McDonald’s corporation would do if a chain of restaurants opened up and called themselves McDonald’s too, claiming that the first McDonald’s food chain had become corrupt and they were the only true and living McDonald's? If the McDonald's Corporation complained, sued, or argued, would they be guilty of intolerance?

Listen very carefully to my words, caller:

The LDS Church has for over 175 years stood at the doorways of our nation’s homes and said they are the ONLY true Church on the face of the earth.

. . . that Catholicism and Protestantism is of the devil.

. . . that other churches, pastors, and Christians have no authority to act in God’s name.

That the baptisms of millions of faith-filled believers are “offensive” to God!

They have gone virtually uncontested by any real mass media response in

Defending Biblical Christianity

This state for over a hundred years!

Well, not anymore. (beat – smile)

Why don’t we pick on Catholics and Baptists? Catholics and Baptists don’t claim to be the only true church on earth! Catholics and Baptists believe in the Bible as the word of God! And if I had been a Catholic or Baptist I just might aim at them instead!

Why don’t we pick on the Buddhists, and Islam, Hindus and the Jews? They don’t claim to be Christian! I am so tolerant of other faiths so long as they present what they believe fairly, clearly, and honestly. But when it comes to biblical Christianity, I’m gonna defend it tooth and nail.

Scriptural Warnings

Our scriptures tell us to “war a good warfare,” “fight the good fight of faith,” and to “earnestly contend for the faith” especially when it comes to establishing and supporting the Body of Christ. We are told to be “aware of wolves in sheep’s clothing,” of ”angels of light bearing other gospels,” and to “search the scriptures, proving and testing all things.” These warnings are specific to COUNTERFEIT gospels – Gospels that claim to represent Jesus Christ but in the end represent religious systems!

We in no way support acts of violence or seek to deny any LDS to their unalienable rights as a people. That is intolerance. But we will defend and clarify biblical Christianity especially in light of groups that present themselves as doing the same but don’t. Got it, Mr. Anonymous caller guy?

Okay . . . prayer.

Understanding Mormon Theology

Wow. Tonight we are going to start a three or four week study on guess . . . Jesus. Who is Jesus. Considering our audience, this subject has “far reaching theological implications.” The major complaint from Christians is that the LDS serve the “wrong Jesus.” We are going to spend the next few minutes – and weeks – examining what this means, if anything.

In order to really understand Mormonism and it’s teachings of Jesus, let me first build a solid foundation for you. Mormon theology does NOT begin with Joseph Smith, Jesus, or even God. It begins with the belief in eternal, immutable laws and principles.

“Joseph Smith said, “Every principle proceeding from God is eternal and any principle which is not eternal is of the devil. The first step in the salvation of man is the laws of eternal and self existent principles.” (TPJS pg. 181)

“Self-existing principles” have no original source, were not created, and are a forerunner to even God, meaning God Himself is not the author of them, but that He is subject to them.

D&C 130:20-21 tells the LDS that when they receive a blessing from God it is by obedience to the (eternal) law upon which it is predicated. In addition to eternal and immutable Laws and Principles, another brick in the foundation of Mormon theology is the idea that everything that can be considered real and good is composed of matter and that matter cannot be created or destroyed.

The Role of Matter

D&C 141:7-8 states that “There is no such thing as immaterial matter.” Early LDS apostle Parley P Pratt said “Nothing exists which is not material. The elementary principles of the material universe are eternal; they never originated from non-entity, and they can never be annihilated. Immateriality is another name for non-entity.”

So, our LDS theology has a foundation of which two VERY important ideas are present: Laws and Principles are uncreated and eternal, superseding even God. Anything real is made of matter and matter cannot be created or destroyed – even by GOD! You got that?

Now listen . . . from this, we are able to configure the origins of the Mormon Jesus. Ready?

There was once a man, who through obedience to the Eternal Laws and Principles became a God. An Eternal Law and Principle in Mormon theology is marriage and so this man also had a wife who became a Goddess (for lack of a better word). Progression is an eternal principle and so God and His wife, seeking to progress, looked out into yonder space and saw zillions of objects of intelligences – like little cells of intelligent lights – made of matter, since matter cannot be created or destroyed. God and His wife gathered these intelligence orbs and formed them into spirit beings – spirit children, if you will. The best and brightest of these spirit beings was Jesus. (Gospel Principles 1986 pg. 9) He was first born in the spirit would later be the first born of God in the Flesh (which we’ll cover next week).

Lucifer, Luce- Light, was also one of

The Nature of Jesus in Christianity and Mormonism

The first formed, and, along with the rest of God’s spirit children, was a spirit brother of Jesus. As a result, Mormons often refer to Jesus as an “Elder Brother.” The difference between you and I and Jesus, in this pre-mortal life, is “in degree, not in kind.” I am going to stop here in our examination of Who Jesus is relative to Mormonism and explain who He is relative to Christianity.

Latter-day Saints understand that Jesus is Jehovah (Yahweh) of the Old Testament, but they do not understand the full implication of His name. Yahwey never came into being but has existed eternally as God. How do we know this? The name itself implies it. We know that Jesus Himself is the creator of ALL things. ALL. (Col 1:16) Colossians 1:17 says that Jesus is “before all things and by Him all things exist.”

Biblical Affirmation of Jesus' Divinity

Hebrews 13:8

Jesus Christ is the SAME, yesterday, today and forever!

John 1, remember: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God!

Isaiah 9:6

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

As Christians, we emphatically stand on the fact that Jesus – is uncreated. is God is the Alpha and Omega. is the creator of ALL things. is NOT our spirit brother. And we maintain on this show and in our ministry that the LDS version of Jesus lowers His rightful place in our lives, eliminates worship of Him, and legitimizes His glory while fortifying the glory of Man.

Additional Considerations and Course to Christ

From David F. Wells, The Person of Christ:

If Yahweh is . . . our sanctifier (Exodus 31:13) omnipresent (Psalms 139:7-10) our peace (Judges 6:24) our righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6) our victory (Exodus 17:8-16) and our healer (Exodus 15:26)

. . . then so is Christ all of these things (1st Corinthians 1:30; Colossians 1:27; Ephesians 2:14).

If the Gospel is God’s (1st Thessalonians 2:2) then it is also Christ’s (1st Thessalonians 3:2 & Galatians 1:7). If the Church is God’s (Galatians 1:13) then it is also Jesus’ (Romans 16:16). God’s kingdom (1st Thessalonians 2:12) is also Christ’s (Ephesians 5:5). God’s love is Christ’s love. (Ephesians 1:3-5 / Romans 8:35) God’s Word is Christ’s Word. (Colossians 1:25 / 1st Thessalonians 1:8) God’s Spirit is Christ’s Spirit. (1st Thessalonians 4:8 / Phil. 1:19) God’s peace is Christ’s peace. (Galatians 5:22 / Colossians 3:15) God’s day of Judgment is Christ’s day of judgment. (Isaiah 13:6 / Phil. 1:6) God’s grace is Christ’s grace. (Ephesians 2:8 / 1st Thessalonians 5:28) God’s salvation is Christ’s salvation. (Colossians 1:13 / 1st Thessalonians 1:10) Paul said he was both God’s slave and Christ’s slave (Romans 1:9 / Romans 1:1) That to know God is to know Jesus. (Galatians 4:8 / 2nd Corinthians 4:6)

Conclusion

Heart in the Home! Heart in the Home.

How would you like to host your own Heart in the Home meeting? We are willing to drive anywhere, it’s free, and it will give you an opportunity to openly discuss your faith in the confines of a good Christian home with moi. Interested? shawn@bornagainmormon.com

Next week, the Virgin Birth!