Mormonism and the Christ no. 4 - Abinadi's Teachings

 
In our no. 4 of this current topic, the Eagle uses the words of Abinadi to the wicked King Noah to further explain our belief in Christ.  We shall start from the beginning of the sermon and proceed through to the end.

In Mosiah 13, Abinadi begins teachings the wicked King and his wicked priests of the importance of the law of Moses, and what it typifies.  He reads to them the Ten Commandments out of the scriptures, and then goes on to say, "For behold, did not Moses prophesy unto them concerning the coming of the Messiah, and that God should redeem his people?  Yea, and even all the prophets who have prophesied ever since the world began—have they not spoken more or less concerning these things?" (Mosiah 13:33).  The fact that the Ten Commandments are here read by a Prophet of God, as well as the interpretation of the meaning of the Law of Moses, is clearly an indication that the believers in the Book of Mormon both believe the Bible and also believe in Christ, and thus are Christians.

Abinadi goes on to quote Isaiah 53, wherein the Prophet describes the true Manhood of the Savior and what He will do for His people.  Abinadi then continues to teach, 

I would that ye should understand that God himself shall come down among the children of men, and shall redeem his people.  And because he dwelleth in flesh he shall be called the Son of God, and having subjected the flesh to the will of the Father, being the Father and the Son—The Father, because he was conceived by the power of God; and the Son, because of the flesh; thus becoming the Father and Son—And they are one God, yea, the very Eternal Fatherof heaven and of earth (Mosiah 15:1-4).

The teachings of Abinadi concerning "God Himself" coming down among His people may seem contradictory when one remembers that Jesus is also called the Son of God.  How, then, is Jesus Christ both God Himself as well as the Son of God?  Can He actually be the Son of Himself?  Christ is called "God Himself" by Abinadi here because it was He, under the direction of His Father Elohim, who gave Moses the Law and who appeared unto His prophets.  He always acts under the direction of His Father.  Also, the use of the phrase "they are one God" means that God the Father and Jesus Christ are distinct Personages united in one purpose.

To further and finally prove my point, Abinadi, speaking of Christ, says, "He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death. . . . redemption cometh through Christ the Lord, who is the very Eternal Father.  Amen" (Mosiah 16:9, 15). 

Thus we can plainly discern the Light by which the Mormons walk, which is Jesus Christ the Savior.  In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

From the Heart and Soul of a Mormon

I feel it needed that my witness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ be written down for generations to see.

I, Clark LeRay Herlin, know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, my Savior.  I know that the Bible is true and teaches of the need for Jesus.  I know that Jesus Christ came down as God's Only Begotten Son and atoned for my sins in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the Cross of Calvary.  I know he was resurrected after three days in the tomb.  I know He has a body of flesh and bone, like His Father's.  I know They live with bodies of flesh and bone.

I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God, and that he translated the Book of Mormon by the power of God.  I know that Joseph Smith received the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods from John the Baptist and Peter, James, and John respectively.  I know that Joseph Smith gave the Priesthood Keys he held into the hands of the entire Quorum of the Twelve Apostles before he and Hyrum were martyred.  I know those Keys are with the LDS Church today.

By knowing that the Book of Mormon is true, I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that Joseph Smith was the Prophet called of God to restore His Church, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true and living Church upon the face of the earth.  I know that the Priesthood Keys are vested within said Church, and no other church.

I know the Authority to bind families together forever can only be found and used in the Houses of the Lord built by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I know that I will have my wife in the eternities in the marriage relationship because of the Sealing Authority, which Authority is only within the LDS Church.

I know that the Word of Wisdom was given by God through Joseph Smith, and that by abiding within it's principles our temporal salvation is secure.

I know that Thomas S. Monson is a Prophet of God today - the only man authorized by God to use all the Priesthood Keys.  I know that the First Presidency and Twelve Apostles now living are prophets, seers, and revelators and speak God's will for us today.

I know that the calamities spoken by ancient and modern prophets will be poured out upon those who do not follow God's servants.  I know all I have previously written within The Mormon Eagle is true, and is my witness, forever given to the world through the medium of the Internet.

I know God lives, that the Book of Mormon is true, and that the LDS Church is true - the only true Church - through the power of the Holy Spirit.  In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Mormon Theology no. 5 - Repentance

After one has shown faith in Jesus Christ by reading the Book of Mormon and believing the doctrine resting therein and flowing therefrom (the doctrine that Jesus is the Christ and that Joseph Smith was and is His prophet in these last days), one must continually press forward by repenting of his sins so that he might enter the waters of baptism clean and pure.

That leads to the question "What is repentance? What does it mean to repent?" Repentance, plain and simply, is acknowledgment of one's sins and a complete forsaking of such. We know from both the Bible and the Book of Mormon that our Lord went around both the Old and New Worlds commanding people that "except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish (Luke 13:3)." So it still is today. If we do not repent we cannot be saved, for "no unclean thing can dwell with God".

Like Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Council of the Twelve once said, so say I, that repentance "is a rescuing, not a dour doctrine (Ensign, Nov 1991, 30)." I know that it is a rescuing doctrine, for I have and continue to repent daily. I know there is peace therein, and that we can be truly free.

Jesus Christ is the Perfect Example and has commanded to "be ye therefore perfect, even as I, or your Father in Heaven is perfect (3 Nephi 12:48)." I know we can do it if we rely on Him. In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Mormon Theology no. 4 - Faith in the Master Jesus Christ

In our previous discussions, we have focused on the Godhead, the Book of Mormon, and the Fall and Atonement. We now focus on how to bring the Atonement into effect.

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that faith is the moving cause of all action, both physical and mental, and that if there was no faith, we would cease to exist. He also taught that faith is a principle of power, and that when it is increased or exercised through prayer or reading God's Word, our POWER in Christ actually increases.

Alma 32 is the most prolific and helpful sermon on faith we have on record. The prophet Alma compares faith to a seed or flower bud. In order for a flower to grow, you must weed it, water it, protect it from the elements, and do everything in your power to keep it growing upward so it doesn't wilt and die. So it is with faith: we must pull up the weeds of doubt, pour on the Living Water, protect our faith (or testimony) from the temptations that so easily beset us, and always pray to God that He will help us maintain the Holy Ghost so that our faith increases upward towards Him, therefore obtaining more power of, in, for, and from Christ.

Brethren and Sisters, let us, as Alma admonishes, nurture our faith by study of Christ's Gospel, by prayer, and by Church attendance, and therefore obtain more power in Him. I know that the Savior lives and loves us, and beckons us upward with His words, "Come, follow me." Let us always strive to follow Him in faith, and have that faith increase, I hope and pray, in the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Mormon Theology no. 2 - Fall of Man and Atonement

In the Book of Mormon, the Fall of Man, the Atonement of Jesus Christ and His Resurrection - are taught so well that, as President Ezra Taft Benson observed, "even children can learn the ways of salvation and exaltation (Ensign, Nov 1986, 4)."

THE FALL
Our purpose on Earth can best be understood by knowing how things went from easy to not-so-easy.

When God the Father created Adam and Eve, He placed them in the Garden of Eden and gave them two commandments. One was to multiply and replenish the earth, and the second was to not partake of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Most Christians believe that the Fall was a mistake; this the Mormons refute because of new revelation given in the Book of Mormon. In that Book, the prophet Lehi taught that had Adam and Eve not transgressed (eaten the fruit) they would have remained in the Garden of Eden in a stagnant state of no progression - no knowing good or evil because they were innocent. Because of their eating of the fruit, however, they were cast out of the Garden of Eden to toil and work all their days, which would be filled with opposition to promote growth and learning (see 2 Nephi 2 in the Book of Mormon). Thus, according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Fall of Adam was paramount to our coming to Earth.

THE BLOOD ATONEMENT AND RESURRECTION
In addition to pain and suffering, sin and death also entered the world through the Fall of Adam and Eve. Because of our being mortals, we cannot rid ourselves of our sin, nor can anything sinful enter the presence of God. There must be a way for this to occur, however. But, what is the way? Only through Jesus Christ the Savior.

He, Jesus Christ, volunteered and was ordained before the world was made to be our Savior - to free us from death unconditionally and from sin if we would follow Him. He did free us from sin on the condition that we repent when He suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane, bleeding from every pore, as well as when He died on the Cross of Calvary. He was able to do this for us because He is a God.

Three days later, He rose from the tomb as "the first begotten of the dead (Rev. 1:5)", to use John's phrase. As this "first begotten" God, He freed all people from death. We will no longer have to suffer throughout eternity without our bodies, but will live again as He did!  What joyous proclamations should be heralded throughout the wide expanse of all the earth!!!  Freedom from death!!!  Those fathers and mothers, husbands and wives, brothers and sister, sons and daughters who die, and whose siblings and spouses and parents mourn, will truly have their tears wiped away because of the Lord that is faithful!!!  If they repent while in the flesh, they shall live with their families throughout eternity. This binding of families is made available in Holy Temples, 130 of which are operating at furious rates.

So, I say to all, come unto Christ the Lord and His only true Church. Come unto the Authority that binds forever and ever and you will be saved!! This I declare in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, Amen

Mormon Theology no. 3 - The Book of Mormon

To truly understand the LDS nature of the Godhead and all other doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ, one must understand where that doctrine comes from - the Book of Mormon.

The Book of Mormon is the hinge upon which the door to our other doctrines is opened. All our doctrines can be found in the Book of Mormon. But before the doctrines can be understood, the nature of the Book must be understood first.

The Book of Mormon was written between the years 600 BC and AD 421 by many prophets and apostles that lived on the American continent. The preeminent figure in the Book is the Lord Jesus Christ. The purpose of the Book is to bring all unto Christ to obtain salvation in His only true and living Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the only book in the world to be hand delivered by an angel to a boy whom God hand picked.

If the Lord's words in the Holy Bible are sufficient enough, then what of the Mormons claiming new and additional revelations? Does not the Bible contain sufficient? The answer is that it does not. Throughout the Bible, the Savior's prophets and apostles have spoken about Israel being restored a SECOND TIME to the land of their inheritance. The Book of Mormon teaches that it alone is proof of this second gathering of the Lord's people. The Mormon Missionaries are called to go to California, Chile, Korea, Japan, Germany, and all the world to find the remnants of Israel. They go out preaching Jesus Christ and Him crucified through this ever-revelatory book. This preaching comes with a prescript: obey the teachings within the Book of Mormon, repent of past sins, be baptized by immersion by those having proper authority, and receive eternal salvation in the Kingdom of God or be damned for all eternity. We say this because it is a fact that if one rejects the Book of Mormon and the teachings of Jesus Christ within it, that person rejects Jesus Christ as the Savior and Redeemer of the world.

Having said this, I extend an invitation to all people. Come! Come and begin to read this marvelous book known to the world as The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Doing this will answer all your questions (especially those questions about the nature of the afterlife) and will lead you to total joy. This I know because i have read the Book of Mormon and seen it change people's lives, including my own. It can change your life as well. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!