INTRODUCTION:
2 Timothy 3:16,17 - The Scriptures are inspired by God, instruct us in righteousness, and provide us to every good work. [2 Tim. 2:15; 1 John 2:3-5]
1 John 4:1,6 - However, there are many false prophets, so we must put them to the test. We do this by comparing their teachings to the teachings we know are from God. [Cf. 1 Cor. 1:13]
Galatians 1:8,9 - Any man, even an angel, must teach the same gospel taught by inspired men. Any who teach different gospels are accursed. See 2 John 9-11.
Acts 17:11,12 - The Bereans were able to determine what was or was not true by searching the Scriptures daily.
God intends for us to determine the validity of any doctrine we hear by comparing it to what we know to be His revelation. If it does not agree, then it cannot be from God and those who teach it are not pleasing to God.
This is why New Testament teachers frequently appealed to Old Testament teaching to confirm their doctrine (Acts 2:24ff; 3:18ff; 17:2-4; etc.).
True teachers will encourage listeners to compare their teaching to Scripture. If teachers belittle Scripture and object when people compare their teachings to Scripture, you can know those teachers are not from God.
The doctrines we will examine are those taught by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (the Mormons). Mormons claim to agree that the Bible is from God - we disagree about whether their "Scriptures" are from God, but we agree that the Bible is from God. If so, then we can determine the truth of Mormon teaching by comparing to the Bible.
The goal is not to harm Mormon people but to help them obey the teachings of the above Scriptures. Mormons and all of us need to know whether or not the teachings of their leaders agree with the Bible.
Note that the following points are the result of personal study comparing Mormon authorities to the Bible. To avoid misrepresenting Mormon teaching, we will cite the references in authoritative Mormon literature. (I have abbreviated the following titles of Mormon Scripture: BofM = Book of Mormon; D&C = Doctrine and Covenants, PofGP = Pearl of Great Price.)
Consider how Mormon teaching and practice compares to the Bible in the following areas:
The BofM in Mosiah 18:8-30 describes the beginning of the church in America in 147 BC. V17 says "And they were called the church of God, or the church of Christ, from that time forward."
Mosiah 23:16 says "Alma was their high priest, he being the founder of their church."
The Bible teaches that the church did not exist until after Jesus died and that Jesus was the founder of the church.
Matthew 16:18 - During His public ministry Jesus promised, "I will build my church." It did not exist then (let alone in 147 BC). But when it did begin, Jesus would be its founder.
Acts 20:28 - Jesus purchased the church with His blood. Clearly it could not be His church till after He died.
Ephesians 1:20-23 - Christ is the Head of His church, which is His body. But He did not become Head till after His resurrection (v20). Hence, the church could not function before that, else it would have been a headless body.
1 Corinthians 3:11; Ephesians 2:20 - Jesus is the foundation, the chief cornerstone on which the church is built. The church could not exist and people could not become part of it until the foundation had been laid (Eph. 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:4-8). But Christ did not become the chief cornerstone till after He had been rejected and killed (1 Peter 2:4-8; Acts 4:10,11).
If any church existed in America in 147 BC, it could not have been the church of Christ. It would have existed 180 years too early to be Jesus' church. It would have had the wrong founder. It could not have belonged to Jesus because He had not yet paid for it. It would have been a building without a foundation and a body without a head.
The BofM in Alma 46:13-16 says that in America in 73 BC, "all those who were true believers in Christ took upon them, gladly, the name of Christ, or Christians, as they were called..."
Acts 11:26 says "And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch." This is the first use of the term "Christian," and it occurred in Antioch. Hence, the BofM contradicts the Bible both in time and place, for it says the term was used over 100 years earlier in America.
The BofM has people teaching and practicing the gospel steps to salvation in America years before those doctrines were revealed in the Bible.
2 Nephi 9:23,24 - The necessity of belief in Christ, repentance, and baptism in His name is taught in about 550 BC.
2 Nephi 30:2 - About 550 BC it was expressly stated that Gentiles who repent will be God's covenant people and Jews who do not will be rejected.
2 Nephi 31 - An express description of baptism in water, in the Holy Spirit, and in fire (about 550 BC).
Mosiah 4:2 - Men cry for the atoning blood of Jesus to forgive their sins (about 124 BC).
Mosiah 18:10-17 - Alma baptized people in water in the name of the Lord, so they were added to the church (about 147 BC).
Alma 39:15-19 - Alma clearly taught the gospel. When people "marvel why these things should be known so long beforehand," Alma replied, "Is it not as necessary that the plan of redemption should be made known unto this people as well as unto their children" (73 BC). [Cf. 1 Nephi 10:19]
Hence, the BofM has the entire plan of salvation, including baptism and forgiveness by Jesus' blood, taught and in effect hundreds of years before Jesus died to shed His blood. According to the defense offered, logically the plan should have been known and practiced in every generation since Adam!
The Bible states that these doctrines were not clearly revealed before the life of Christ.
Matthew 13:17 - Jesus said, regarding the things He taught His disciples, that many prophets and righteous men desired to see and hear those things, but had not seen nor heard them.
1 Peter 1:10-12 says salvation was not ministered to Old Testament prophets. They predicted it, but did not understand it or participate in it.
Luke 24:47 - After His resurrection, Jesus said repentance and remission of sins should be preached in Christ's name beginning at Jerusalem. Yet the BofM has this being preached long before Jesus said it would begin, and in a completely different place (America).
Ephesians 3:3-6,9,10 - In Paul's day the gospel was revealed to the apostles and prophets, but in other ages it was not made known to the sons of men. This mystery had been hid in Christ. This hidden mystery included the fact that Gentiles would be redeemed by the gospel. Yet the BofM has all this made known long before the time the Bible says it was revealed. [Note Rom. 16:25,26; 1 Cor. 2:7-10; Col. 1:25,26.]
Romans 6:3 - As many as are baptized into Christ are baptized into His death. It would therefore have been impossible to practice gospel baptism prior to Jesus' death.
Hebrews 9:16,17 - A testament is of force only after the death of the testator. But baptism, the church, and forgiveness by Jesus' death are all part of His New Testament. Therefore, none of them could have been in effect before He died.
Again the BofM contradicts the Bible because it has many aspects of salvation being practiced long before they were truly in effect.
D&C 28:6; 42:11; 107:65 says that the Mormon church has a prophet who serves as President and head of the church.
Ephesians 1:22,23 - Jesus is Head over ALL things to His church. What does this leave for a man to be head over? If a church has a human head, how can it be Jesus' church?
Ephesians 5:22,23 - Christ is head of the church as a husband is head of his wife, and He is the Savior of the body. Does a body have more than one head? Does the church have more than one Savior? Can a wife have more than one husband? If not, then no one but Jesus can serve as head of His church.
2 Corinthians 11:5; 12:11 - Paul was not a whit behind the chiefest apostle. Like Catholics, Mormons say Peter was the first head of the church. If so, then Paul was also head of the church, for he was not a whit behind Peter. That would make two human heads for the church!
The Mormon church claims to have restored the true New Testament church. One of its major arguments to prove this is that it has restored the organization of the church. But where does the New Testament mention a "president" for the church? Where does it mention a human head for the church?
Mormonism has not restored Bible teaching but has again contradicted it.
D&C 107:7,15 distinguishes "elders" from "bishops." In the Mormon church these are two separate offices in two separate priesthoods.
"Elders" in the Mormon church are often young, unmarried men, who have no children.
In the Mormon church, males can become "deacons" as young as 12 years of age.
Titus 1:5,6 says, in order to be appointed an elder, one must be "the husband of one wife" and must have children. Many Mormon "elders" do not fit the Bible qualifications. (Cf. 1 Tim. 3:2,4.)
1 Peter 5:1,2 - "Elders" (v1) are to "serve as overseers" of the flock (v2). "Overseers" is the verb form of the Greek word for "bishop." So elders do the work of bishops.
Acts 20:17,28 - Paul told the "elders" at Ephesus that they were "overseers" of the flock. "Overseers" is sometimes here translated "bishops" (ASV) and is the same word elsewhere translated "bishop" (cf. Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:1; etc.). So elders are bishops.
Titus 1:5-7ff - Paul said elders must have the qualifications of bishops. This makes sense only if both terms refer to the same office.
1 Timothy 3:8-12 - Deacons should be husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. Are the twelve-year-old Mormon "deacons" "husbands of one wife? Do they rule their children and their houses well?
Again Mormon teaching clearly contradicts Bible teaching.
D&C 107 - Sometime after they become Christians, males who meet special qualifications can become priests by being specially ordained. Some become high priests. Only special priests have the authority to baptize. Formerly black people could not serve in the priesthood, but that doctrine was changed in relatively recent times. See also Marvelous Work and a Wonder, p. 91f.
Each of these priesthoods contain many men (D&C 107:1). Smith was granted both priesthoods - PofGP, Joseph Smith, 2:69-72. The priesthood had to be restored to Smith so men could receive authority to baptize and so restore the church.
The Old Testament had a special priesthood, but the New Testament makes all Christians priests.
1 Peter 2:5,9 - You are a holy priesthood. Who does this refer to? Those who: are elect according to Jesus' blood (1:1,2), have faith unto salvation and will receive the inheritance of heaven (1:3-5,9), are obedient children of the Father (1:14-17), are redeemed by Jesus' blood (1:18-21), are born again, having purified their souls by obeying the truth (1:22-25), make up God's spiritual house (2:5) which is the church (1 Tim. 3:15), believe in Christ (2:7), are called from darkness to light to be God's special people (2:9,10).
Revelation 1:5,6; 5:9,10 - Those who are washed from their sins in Jesus' blood and redeemed by His blood have been made priests.
Romans 12:1; Hebrews 13:15 - All Christians offer sacrifices to God.
Clearly the New Testament teaches that all Christians are priests. Where does the New Testament teach a concept of a special priesthood which includes some Christians but not all Christians?
Only fleshly descendants of Aaron could be priests after the order of Aaron.
Any others who tried to serve as priests should be put to death - Num. 3:10; 16:39,40; 2 Chron. 26:16-18.
Even Jesus could not serve as priest according to the law of Moses because He was of the tribe of Judah. He served as priest only because the law changed - Heb. 7:11-14.
Joseph Smith himself later said in D&C 107:16 that a man cannot be a bishop in the priesthood of Aaron unless he be a "literal descendant of Aaron."
Are all Mormon priests descendants of Aaron of the tribe of Levi? Mormons claim Joseph Smith was of the tribe of Joseph, so how could he be priest? If the Aaronic priesthood IS still in existence, then Mormon priests are not of the proper ancestry and therefore deserve death!
The Aaronic priesthood ceased when Jesus died and the law was changed.
Hebrews 8:3; 5:1 - The work of priests was to offer animal sacrifices. [7:27; 10:11]
Hebrews 10:1-14 - Animal sacrifices ceased when Jesus died because they are no longer needed.
Hebrews 7:12 - As shown above, the whole law changed when Jesus died, so He could become a priest.
Many other Scriptures show that, when Jesus died, the whole Old Testament law was removed, including the Aaronic priesthood. Hence, there is no such thing as an Aaronic priesthood with God's approval today.
See Hebrews 8:6-13; 9:1-4; 2 Corinthians 3:6-11; Galatians 3:24,25; 5:1-6; Romans 7:1-7; Ephesians 2:11-16; Colossians 2:13-17.
Hebrews 5:1-6 - Jesus was ordained High Priest, after the order of Melchizedek, by a special promise addressed to Him as God's begotten Son (v5).
Hebrews 7:20-25 - Old Testament priests had successors because they died. Jesus continues as our priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek, having an unchanging priesthood. Hence, He has no successors.
We need no priest but Jesus between us and God (1 Tim. 2:5). He is our only high priest, and all Christians are priests below Him. To claim we need some other high priest is to exalt men to the position the Bible says belongs only to Jesus.
If a church needs a priesthood to be Jesus' true church, then the Mormon church is not the true church, for its priesthood clearly violates the Scriptures.
Ephesians 2:20 - The church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Mormons say this means apostles and prophets must be living on earth in order for the true church to exist, and any church which does not have living apostles on earth cannot be the true church.
In order to restore the church in the 1800's, Joseph Smith had to appoint 12 apostles. When any apostle dies, the Mormon church replaces him.
D&C 7:1-3 says John the apostle was given power to live (not die), tarry, prophesy, and bring souls to Jesus till Jesus comes in glory.
The BofM in 3 Nephi 28 says Jesus chose 12 "disciples" in America exactly like the 12 apostles in the Bible. They could teach by inspiration, baptize, give the Holy Spirit, etc.
Of these 12 American disciples, three were given power like John to "never taste of death" (v6,7). They would never die but would live in the flesh till Jesus comes again (v7,8,38,40,25). Jails, fire, and wild animals could not hold or harm them (v19-22). They would bring the souls of men to Jesus while the earth shall stand (v9).
True apostles must be eyewitnesses of the resurrected Christ.
See Acts 1:21,22 (26:16; 1 Cor. 9:1; 15:8).
1 Corinthians 15:8 - Paul also witnessed Jesus, but he was exceptional ("last of all … born out of due time") in that He witnessed Jesus after He had ascended.
Mormon apostles do not generally claim to be eyewitnesses of the resurrected Christ. If they did, they would all be like Paul, which would make them the rule, not the exception.
True apostles must do the signs of an apostle.
2 Corinthians 12:11,12 - The signs that prove a man to be an apostle are "signs, wonders, and mighty deeds." Mormon apostles do not do miracles to prove their qualifications.
If a church must have living apostles on earth in order to be Jesus' true church, then the Mormon church is not Jesus' true church, since its apostles do not have the qualifications of true apostles.
Ephesians 2:20 - The work of the apostles pertained to the foundation of the church, but Jesus is the chief cornerstone. Must Jesus be living on earth in order for the church to exist? Then why must we have apostles and prophets living on earth in order for the church to exist? We no more need apostles living on earth today than we need Jesus living on earth today.
Luke 16:29-31 - We "have" apostles and prophets in the church today like the Jews in Jesus' day "had" Moses and the prophets. We have the written word, which is the result of the work they did.
Apostles and prophets were needed at the beginning of the church, but no Scripture says they need to continue living on earth in order for the church to continue to exist.
Why didn't the true church exist before Smith restored it?
In his first revelation from God, Smith is supposed to have asked God "which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join." He was told "join none of them, for they are all wrong" - PofGP, Joseph Smith 2:18,19. Smith was eventually led to "restore" the LDS church.
But if these four apostle/disciples were on earth bringing souls to Christ while the world stands, where were all the souls they converted? And surely the four themselves would have been in the church on earth. So why didn't the church exist already before Smith "restored" it? It cannot be said that no one in Smith's day was receptive to the truth, for hundreds accepted his message when he preached it. Why hadn't they been receiving the message of the four apostle/disciples?
Why did God have to send Smith so many revelations in order to restore the church?
We are told that, in order to restore the truth, the priesthood, and the church, Smith had revelations and messages from the Father and Son, Moroni, John the Baptist, etc. Why go through all this if there already four apostle/disciples on earth?
These four men already had the truth, had priesthood authority to baptize, etc., till Jesus returns. Why not just send these men to Smith? In fact, why was Smith needed at all since these four men were clearly more experienced and qualified than Smith to teach, baptize, etc.?
Why does the Mormon church ordain a successor for the apostle John? And does it replace the missing American disciples?
The Mormon church says it must have 12 apostles, so they replace them as they die. However, the BofM in 4 Nephi 1:14 says the original twelve American disciples died and were replaced by other men, except for the three who were to tarry on earth.
Does the Mormon church today choose replacements for the American disciples as they die, like they replace the 12 New Testament apostles? If so, do they replace only nine of the 12, like the BofM says, since there are still three living on earth?
Furthermore, if three American disciples were not to be replaced because they continued to live, then the same should be true of John the apostle. No successors should be chosen for him since he is living on earth. Is John one of the apostles in the Mormon church today? Are the three living American disciples counted among the Mormon apostles?
The fact is that all twelve Mormon apostles are men who die and are replaced. None of them has lived on the earth since the first century. Hence, they are replacing John! And either they are not replacing the missing nine American disciples at all, or else they are replacing the three who should not be replaced!
Anyway you count, the Mormon church has either too many apostles or too few. They are not following the Bible or the Book of Mormon! And if the church must have 12 apostles living on earth to be the true church, then the Mormon church cannot be the true church, since they have the wrong number of apostles!
[Note: In John 21:21-23 Jesus clarified that He was NOT saying John would live till Jesus returned. He was only telling Peter this was none of his affair.]
Smith in D&C 89:5,6 said regarding the Lord's supper: "...to offer up your sacraments before him … this should be wine." [See also 3 Nephi 18:1-9; Moroni 5.]
However, he also said in D&C 27:2 that it does not matter what substance is used.
The Mormon church today uses water in the communion.
Matthew 26:29; Mark 14:25; Luke 22:18 - Jesus clearly taught that the element used in the Lord's supper should be "fruit of the vine."
Once again the Mormon church teaches and practices different from the Lord's instructions.
Mormons, of course, have historically practiced polygamy, though they do not openly practice it now because it is illegal. Consider their teaching.
Jacob 1:15 - The Nephites indulged in "wicked practices, such as like unto David of old desiring many wives and concubines, and also Solomon..."
Jacob 2:23,24,27 - "Grosser crimes" included whoredoms like David, etc. "Behold David and Solomon truly had many wives and concubines, which thing was an abomination before me, saith the Lord." "...hearken to the word of the Lord: For there shall not be any man among you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none." (Cf. 3:5; D&C 49:16; 42:22.)
Hence the BofM explicitly condemned polygamy, quite specifically the polygamy of David and Solomon.
D&C 132 condones polygamy as an everlasting covenant which, if men reject, they will be damned (v4,6,55,61f)! Hence, the writer of the book of Jacob will be damned, along with everyone who believes what he wrote in the BofM!
Specifically, Smith then justified David and Solomon, saying that God said: "David also received many wives and concubines, and also Solomon … and in nothing did they sin … David's wives and concubines were given unto him by me, by the hand of Nathan, my servant … and in none of those things did he sin against me save in the case of Uriah and his wife..." - 132:38,39.
So in the BofM Smith has the Lord saying that David and Solomon's many wives and concubines were an abomination to the Lord. But later in D&C Smith has the Lord saying that David and Solomon's many wives were given to them by the Lord, and in nothing did they sin! Believe it who can!
The New Testament (under which we live) expressly condemns plural wives.
Matthew 19:3-9 - Jesus condemned divorce and remarriage as being adultery. He said God from the beginning intended for one man to be joined to one woman. Subsequent marriages would be adultery. Under the law, Moses allowed plural wives because of the hardness of the people's hearts. But Jesus no longer allows this. (Genesis 2:24; Ephesians 5:31)
Romans 7:2,3 - Man and woman are joined for life. Marriage to another partner while the first one lives is adultery.
Titus 1:5-7; 1 Timothy 3:2,12 - Specifically elders (bishops) and deacons must be husbands of one wife! Interestingly, these are the very people that Mormons believed ought to have more than one wife.
Once again, Smith's revelations contradict both themselves and the Bible.
1 Nephi 13:40 - The BofM claims that it will make known certain "plain and precious things which have been taken away" from the Bible.
D&C 27:5; 35:12; 20:14,15 - The Bible alone will not save if one rejects the BofM!
1 Nephi 1:3; Jacob 1:2; Ether 5:1 - It was written according to man's knowledge, to the best of their memory.
1 Nephi 19:6 - If the writer did err, he would excuse himself because of the weakness of the flesh.
3 Nephi 23:6-13 - Jesus rebuked Nephi for omitting something from the record which he should have included!
Mormon 8:12,17 - If there are faults in the record, it is the fault of men, but don't condemn the book anyway, even if it has faults, or you'll be in danger of hell fire!
Mormon 9:30-34 - Don't condemn the writers of the BofM for their imperfections. If they could have written in Hebrew there would have been no imperfection, but they couldn't because the plates weren't big enough!
The Bible claims it is from God.
2 Timothy 3:16,17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Galatians 1:11,12; 1 Corinthians 14:37. (See also Eph. 3:3-5; Luke 10:16; 2 Peter 1:20,21.)
The Bible claims its very words were revealed from God.
1 Corinthians 2:10-13 - The Spirit guided men so they received, not just the ideas from God, but also the words from God.
Deuteronomy 18:18,19 - God put His words in the prophet's mouth, so the prophet spoke (or wrote) the very words chosen by God Himself.
(See 1 Cor. 2:3-5; Matt. 10:19,20; 2 Sam. 23:1,2; Ex. 24:3,4,7; Isa. 51:l6; Jer. 1:5-9.)
It follows that the Bible is infallible.
The message of the inspired writers cannot possibly be wrong because God does not make mistakes.
Psalm 119:128 - God's word is always true and right.
Titus 1:2 - God cannot lie or be wrong.
Matthew 22:32; Galatians 3:16 - The Scriptures are so accurate that we can rely even on the tense of the verbs and the plurality or singularity of words.
We should approach the Bible with faith that every word is exactly right and true.
(Cf. John 17:17; Psalm 33:4; 19:8; 147:4,5; Rom. 3:4; Job 37:16; Num. 23:19; Heb. 6:18; Deut. 18:20-22).
[Nothing has been removed from the Bible. See my study on the preservation of the Bible.]
Mormons claim the Bible contains errors and omissions. Yet the Bible admits no errors but claims infallibility.
Then Mormonism says that the errors in the Bible were corrected by a book that admits it was written by human memory and may contain errors!
Jesus supposedly rebuked a writer in the BofM for omitting what should be included. Mormons say the Bible (the Old Testament in particular) omits "plain and precious things," yet where did Jesus or God ever rebuke any Bible writer for errors? Jesus repeatedly quoted the Old Testament, citing it as Divine authority, but never implied anything was wrong with it.
The BofM says it would contain no errors if it could have been written in Hebrew. Yet Mormons say there are many things missing from the Old Testament, and it WAS written in Hebrew! If BofM writers would have made no errors had they written in Hebrew, since the Old Testament was written in Hebrew, how could it have errors?
Mormons claim that the Catholic church removed important teachings from the Bible. There is absolutely no evidence for this claim. Yet the Bible repeatedly condemns Catholic doctrine, just like it does Mormon doctrine. In fact Mormonism and Catholicism are often condemned for the very same errors! If Catholics changed the Bible, why did they leave in it so many things that condemn their own practice?
So Mormonism tells us we cannot trust just the Bible because it contains errors. Then they tell us that, instead we should place our trust in a different book, which openly admits it may contain errors! Then they tell us, if we reject their book for its errors and try to follow only the book that claims it has no errors, that we will be condemned! Believe it who can!
The truth is that the Book of Mormon and all Mormon Scriptures do indeed contain numerous errors - not just historical errors but doctrinal errors and direct contradictions to the Bible.
The BofM tells us that we should believe it despite its errors. But we began this study by showing that we should test every doctrine whether or not it is true. The way to test is to compare doctrines to the Bible. Doctrine that contradicts the Bible, is false and must be rejected.
Mormonism calls upon you to accept it despite its errors. The Bible calls upon you to reject error and accept the Bible because it contains all truth and only truth. Which will you choose?
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