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The Intersection of Mormonism and Biblical Christianity
Exploring Eternal Salvation
Live! From the "Mecca of Mormonism," SALT LAKE CITY, Utah… 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 45 Word of Wisdom II, October 28th, 2008.
And I’m Shawn McCraneyFounder of TGNN and developer of the fulfilled perspective—calling people to faith outside of religion., your host. Hey, if your family or friends can’t watch Heart of the Matter on television because they have dish or are out of the area, have them go to www.HOTM.tv, and they can watch it live streaming video from anywhere in the world! Check it out! And if you can’t get to a television set, tune into Heart of the Matter on the AM dial at AM 820 The Truth – right now – Tuesday evenings from 8 to 9 pm mountain time. That’s AM 820 The Truth and/or www.hotm.tv
WANT TO LEARN WHAT THE BIBLE IS REALLY ALL ABOUT? Join us at CAMPUS – Christian Assemblies Meeting to Prayerfully Understand Scripture – which is now underway somewhere near your home (if you live in the SLC area or north).
When? Sunday Mornings at the University of Utah from 9:15 to 10:15 am. Then, at the same time every Sunday evening – from 7-8 pm, we meet simultaneously at three separate locations. At the UofU in the Web building, Weber State at the _____________, and at Utah State at the Nutrition and Science Building (or Aggie Ice Cream Building) at 725 North 12000 East room 202. Use us as a supplement to your regular church attendance OR as your own church if you are looking for one. We go verse by verseTGNN’s Bible teaching series—book-by-book, through the lens of fulfillment and spiritual liberty. through the Bible and we are just finishing up the book of Matthew. Come January of 2009, we’re going to start the Gospel of John. All are welcome. And listen, you guys who haven’t been to church in years – this is just for you. It isn’t really church. You can wear what you want. It lasts an hour. And you’ll learn something. Geez. Go to www.calvarycampus.com for more information.
I Was a Born-Again Mormon: Moving Toward Christian Authenticity Pick one up at these fine literary establishments: UTLM.ORG or in the store itself. Oasis Books in Logan, Christian Gift and Bible in Sandy, New Life books in Layton, Sam Weller’s downtown, SLC Calvary Chapel, Dolly’s Books in Park City, Gift of Grace Bible in Springville, and at www.bornagainmormon.com. We’ve received a half a dozen calls or emails about my stance on once saved always saved. Seem like a put quite a bee in yer bonnets over this one, eh? Eh? Eh?
Clarifying Salvation and Free Will
Now let’s just all sit back and take a little hit of oxygen, and reason together, huh? On one hand, we seem to have people who must have everything painted a very dark shade of black or the whitest of white – or they just can’t (shaking) get along in life. But at the other extreme we’ve got those types who want to throw everything Jesus ever said right out the window and make their own rules! Is there a reasonable platform to address this issue?
Let me “attempt” to summarize this one more time: I am a HUGE promoter of the peace and assurance that comes by receiving Jesus and eternal salvation which is NOT conditional. Because we are NOT saved by any meritorious act or through righteous living, we cannot be “unsaved” by an act of evil or unrighteous living. Got it? Our salvation is based on His righteousness and not our own. I hope this point is abundantly clear.
At the same time, I am convinced that God will not force ANYONE to remain where they don’t want to remain. Therefore anyone and everyone has the right to walk away from their salvation if they want.
The Permanence of Walking Away
Now this is really important: When and if a person actually walks away from their salvation, it is a final and permanent action. Or, as Hebrews 6:4-6 says:
“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.”
This description is not the description of someone who messes up, turns from holy living, becomes a carnal Christian, starts drinking heavily, commits egregious sins. Why? Because we all – even the best of us – continue to commit sinMissing the mark of faith and love—no punishment, just lost growth or peace., and our salvation is not based on us, but on our faith in Him!
Allow an analogy: Say that there is a 100
The Christian Journey in Metaphor
Picture a story high rise built squarely in the middle of a 1-acre lot which is surrounded by a high brick wall. All the Christians in the world live in this highrise and mull about inside of it and on the grounds inside the walled acre. Access and entrance to the high rise is only had through the roof on the top story and the only way to the roof is to be “swept up” by a supernatural force wind and placed there. Anyone swept up to the roof is a Christian.
Now there is a door on the roof which leads to the interior of the highrise. It might symbolize receiving baptism. And making residence in the actual high rise might signify our individual sanctification process. But when God comes to take His Church, everyone who has ever been lifted to the roof will go with Him – everyone – regardless of whether they have entered the door, taken up residence, or are mulling around on the grounds outside.
Challenges and Assurance
On the grounds? Well let’s say there are people who get to playing around the roofs ledge 100 floors up and accidentally fall over and plummet to the surrounding concrete below. Were these elevated to the entrance above? Yes, they were. Are they still on the high rise ground? Yes, they are – though they might be a little busted up. Will they be received by God? Absolutely. And what if they want to get back into the building again? Well everyone who goes overboard has a long strong rope constantly extended down to them, and all they have to do is reach up and grab it – and their “standing” as a Christian will improve.
Now, there seems to be some – for whatever reason – who purposefully leap off the building or out of a window. But even that is okay. Because like all Christians they were carried to the roof by the wind, right? And even though they jumped, they are still on the grounds below. But these types, once they land, crawl bleeding and broken AWAY from the property of Christ. They want nothing to do with it. And when a rope is extended down to them to help them back up, they lunge with all their energy for it, reach as high as they can, and cut it off, and once they fall back to the ground they will never, ever reach for it again. Then they struggle and wiggle and get themselves to the perimeter wall, climb over, and leave the property in total. They didn’t accidentally lose their salvation. They didn’t make an error, or fail to overcome some sin. They left their salvation purposefully and permanently. And when a once committed believer leaves it, there is no going back. He is an apostate forever.
A Message of Hope
Let me conclude with this message of hope. I don’t know anyone who fits this category. I know a lot of people who fail – some purposefully. All I have to do is look in the mirror and I can see one anytime I want. I know people who make mistake after mistake after mistake. I even know people who are laying on the high rise sidewalk bleeding and broken and dying, smoking, drinking, whatever – but still loving Jesus – and in my opinion, they are saved. But there are those few who will intentionally walk from Jesus once and for all. They are why I will not preach once saved always saved. And scripture supports this position.
Before we go into Part II of the Word of Wisdom tonight, I want to remind you of something. Joseph Smith died at the age of thirty-eight. People today hail His name as a true and living prophet. Before he died, Joseph Smith taught openly and frankly that he had personally met with God the Father, Jesus Christ, John the Baptist, the apostles Peter, James, and John, with Moses, Elijah, Michael the arch-angel (who was really Adam according to the LDS), with Elias, with Nephi, with Moroni, with Mormon, with Raphael, and I may have missed a few others. Joseph Smith claimed to find golden plates buried in a hill near his home, a hill where he said one of the largest battles on earth took place. He claimed to be able to look into a magic stone to translate these secret plates. Joseph convinced people before and after translating the secret plates that he could see buried treasure with his stone too. The story Joseph Smith said he translated from these plates was about an ancient civilization who arrived in the Americas.
Joseph Smith and the Kinderhook Plates
Joseph was given six brass plates which were supposedly found in the earth near Kinderhook, Illinois. These plates were brought to him by some men who wanted to see if he would authenticate them by translating them. He did! And what he said is recorded in “History of the Church” Vol. 5 page 372: “I have translated a portion of them, and find they contain the history of the person with whom they were found. He was a descendent of Ham, through the loins of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and He received his kingdom from the ruler of heaven and earth.” What has come to be called the Kinderhook plates were a complete fraud, manufactured by men. Egyptian papyri were brought to Joseph Smith. He claimed these were the writings of Abraham! These papyri writings have been proven to be nothing of the sort.
Joseph Smith claimed, and claimed, and proclaimed, and prophesied, and assured and reassured everyone that has met, that he could “see,” that he could translate – and millions of people – good people, have bought into his deceptions. While it sounds like anti-Mormon propaganda, Joseph Smith even suggested that the moon was inhabited! Who would ever prove him wrong? Time. Time proves all false prophets false. All deceptors deceptive. Isn’t it time you wake up and take a stand for Jesus Christ and His word? Isn’t it time you say, I am not going to spend my life – the life given to me by God – following a man and his claims blindly. Isn’t it time you check these things out for yourself, with your own eyes, and ears, and mind?
The Word of Wisdom
Last week, we aired part I of the Word of Wisdom where we talked about the Health Movements in America which preceded and surrounded Joseph Smith before he dictated the Word of Wisdom. We also gave some historical setting to what led to the revelation, where, when, and how he “received it.”
Tonight we are going to look at how committed Joseph Smith himself was to His own WOW, and how Doctrine and Covenants 89 was once understood and how it is understood today. So how committed was Joseph Smith personally to the WOW and how has the enforcement of the Word of Wisdom been enforced since 1833 when it was introduced?
Examination of Joseph Smith's Adherence
LDS writer John L. Stewart wrote a book called Joseph Smith the Prophet. On page 90 of this book, he presents a very typical representation of Joseph Smith to the reader saying: “The Prophet himself carefully observed the Word of Wisdom, and insisted upon its observance by other men in high positions.” These types of characterizations are the bread and butter of LDS Sunday School teachings because they serve to keep the myth of Joseph alive while at the same time creating a false role model for the believers to follow.
LDS scholar Hugh Nibley in his book Sounding Brass once wrote: “Where is the evidence that Joseph Smith drank alcohol?” Statements like this are especially evil because they come from a respected LDS scholar and so automatically anyone reading it would assume: He wouldn’t ask such a question if evidence existed. Not so. Prior to the Word of Wisdom revelation, Joseph certainly consumed alcohol. You can read about it in History of the Church Vol. 2 page 26. But this is permissible and not hypocritical in the least. I would suppose that most people in that day would sneak a nip here and there.
But did Joseph drink or approve of drinking alcohol AFTER 1833 when the WOW came forth? Absolutely. May 2nd, 1843 – even ten years later, you can read in Joseph Smith’s History of the Church vol 5. page 380 that Joseph had a glass of wine with one Sister Jenetta Richards (who, if memory serves, was one of Joseph’s secret plural wives). January 1836 – Joseph Smith’s History of the Church Vol. 2 page 369: "We then partook of some refreshments, and our hearts were made glad with the fruit of the vine."
Instances of Alcohol Consumption
Joseph Smith’s History of the Church Vol. 2 page 378: (add quote)
Even on the day he died, History of the Church reveals that the prophet consumed alcohol AFTER the WOW was delivered. (Vol. 6 page 616) (add quote here) We know Joseph Smith passed an ordinance in Nauvoo allowing the right to sell alcohol within the city and then he established a bar right in his own.
The Complexities of Historical Accounts in Mormonism
When Emma protested (good ol Emma) he shut it down. What about tobacco? In a Brigham Young University Masters thesis, “Joseph Smith as Administrator, May 1969 page 161 we read that Joseph “rode through the street of Nauvoo smoking a cigar.” Juanita Brooks reported that wine was used amply during the construction of the Nauvoo temple. And speaking of temples, just a few days ago Truman Madsen did a program about Mormonism and their very own day of Pentecost. This occurred in Kirtland, Ohio in the Kirtland temple.
The Kirtland Pentecost
LDS reporters and propagandists paint this event as though it was another Day of Pentecost which occurred in the Bible in Acts chapter 2 when the Holy Spirit fell down upon Peter and the Apostles and three thousand were saved. Joseph Smith and the Mormons at Kirtland had been waiting for their own spiritual Pentecost and as the LDS will put it, received it there in the Kirtland temple one evening. The LDS report that the spirit came down and rested upon people like tongues of fire. What they DON’T report is how much alcohol was consumed prior to this blessed event.
Myth-making, propaganda to keep YOU believing in this story. Before we go to the phones, let me give you a few more examples of the junk the “brethren” have pulled to keep people in the dark about the reality of their history.
Historical Integrity and Revelation
What does it say to you when you read of a supposed revelation from God to Joseph and he doesn’t follow the advice Himself? Do you think Joseph really received such a revelation? What does it say to you when in one of the most “historical moments” of Mormon spiritual history – the Kirtland Pentecost – that great amounts of alcohol were consumed – yes, even prescribed? What does it say to you when the Church you accept alters the historical record? Why? Do you want to stand up and defend something that has lied to you? Again, I think the WOW is great advice. But that is all it is. Walk into any chain bookstore on earth and you can find advice on what to eat, drink and avoid.
But Joseph presented His advice as a direct revelation for Almighty God – and then had the audacity to not even comply with it. What does THAT say – about him . . . and His supposed revelatory claims?
Contact and Engagement
Let’s go to the phones:
(801) 973-8820
(801) 973-tv20
First time callers please!
LDS callers please!
If you have a comment or a question, make it succinct and clear – please.
Emails:
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Conclusion
