Gospel Topics Chapter 1 Blomberg Part 3

Unprepared to engage Mormon missionaries when they knock on your door? Perhaps the book of Mormonism. The LDS Gospel Topic Series, a scholarly engagement. The first chapter is titled Are Mormons Christian? and it's a critique by Dr. Craig Blomberg, an evangelical professor at Denver Seminary. There are some things that Dr. Blomberg says that we tend to question, and one of them has to do with his suggestion that at some future day the LDS Church should actually revise their Gospel topic essay titled Are Mormons Christian?

and add a couple of points to it. Point number four, he says, would be responding to the charge that Latter-day Saints are a religion of works, not grace, and also point number five, that Latter-day Saints do not believe that Jesus provided a full and final atonement for the sins of humanity. On that same page, he says this, in responding to point four, such a hypothetical revised document, in my opinion, he says, should refer to the kinds of teachings one finds in Robert Millet's Grace Works. Now, we've talked about Grace Works before. The actual title of the book is After All We Can Do, Grace Works.

Now, the title in and of itself doesn't sound too promising, but I have to admit, and I've read a lot of Dr. Robert Millet's works, he is sometimes all over the map. He does say things that sound very promising, but then as you read a little bit deeper into it, his Mormonism just tends to pull him right back in. But yet, it's Dr. Blomberg that thinks that Grace Works contains ideas that I'm assuming Dr. Blomberg would show that Christianity and Mormonism are not too far apart on this subject. Well, looking at page 128 of Grace Works, what does Dr. Millet say? If, as we have suggested, the works of man are necessary, then how can the words of the risen Lord be true? Quote, my grace is sufficient for thee, end quote, 2 Corinthians 12, 9. The answer lies in the final words of Moroni on the last page of the Book of Mormon, Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness. And if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind, and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you.

That's Moroni 10.32. He says, For us to enjoy the strength, enabling power, and purifying influence of the mighty arm of God, we must do all in our power to receive it. Thus we reach and stretch to take the hand of the Almighty.

We open our hand and our hearts to the proffered gift. We strive with all our souls to love our Maker and avoid unholy attitudes and behaviors and places and influence that distance us from the Holy One. Then his grace is sufficient for us.

So in other words, after you do all these things, then he gives the list, then his grace is sufficient for us. Is that a Christian teaching? Is that something that would endear me to the soteriology of the LDS Church?

I don't think so. It's not that Millet doesn't say things that sound promising, but again, I think we have to take Millet in his proper context and also realize Dr. Millet was merely a professor at Brigham Young University. He was not a general authority. Why would you think that the LDS Church would want to revise this essay, Our Mormons Christian, when some of the things that Millet says sounds like it conflicts with what LDS leaders and church manuals have said?

That's why I can't see them ever doing this. Now, he goes on to talk about 2 Nephi 2523. That's going to compel us to come back to Robert Millet because he does tend to, as some commentators do, he combines Moroni 1032 that you just read, he quoted in the book After All We Can Do, Grace Works. He combines it in his commentary that he wrote with Joseph Fielding McConkie, the son of Mormon apostle Bruce McConkie.

What does he say at the bottom of page 40, Eric? 2 Nephi 2523 remains a sticking point for many people. A straightforward reading suggests that faithful Latter-day Saints do everything they possibly can and then God graciously steps in and supplies grace for what remains.

This sounds exactly like the teaching of the Judaizers in Galatia, whom Paul condemned. Even if it did not, it should offer hope to no one because no one ever does all one could have done. We miss opportunities daily for doing more good, but when one learns that the passage may take this fact into account and mean, quote, after all you can do, which can never add up to anything that would satisfy God, we are saved by grace, end quote, or, quote, after all, there is nothing you could ever do to merit God's favor, so God saves us wholly by his grace, end quote.

Then the believer from any denomination should acknowledge this as a thoroughly Christian concept. The problem is, though, that's not what the passage says. He's gone back and he's reworded it in order to make it sound satisfying.

Now, we don't have to guess where Dr. Blomberg got this idea. He tells us in footnote number 37. He says, compare further Stephen E. Robinson following Christ, the parable of the divers, and more good news.

And this is a citation he includes in the footnote on page 87. In fact, having faith in the Savior, repenting, entering the covenant, and staying put therein are all we can do. Well, let's just examine that for a while. What does repentance involve in Mormonism? It means that you confess your sins and you never commit those sins ever again.

That's how repentance has been defined. What is entering the covenant? It's just not agreeing that you're going to keep the covenants. It means you're going to keep the covenants.

If you do not keep your covenants, which are based on keeping the commandments, then no Latter-day Saint can have the assurance that they're going to reach exaltation. Now, Robert Millet and Stephen E. Robinson might have some independent views of how these verses need to be interpreted. But the question then becomes, how have LDS leaders interpreted this passage? And they certainly don't seem to concur with what Stephen Robinson is saying. So while Dr. Blomberg might've been friends with Dr. Robinson while he was still alive, Dr. Robinson does not speak for the church.

Neither does Robert Millet. No BYU professor speaks for the church. We get our doctrine from the leadership.

The teachings from the leaders are found in church manuals. Now, Dr. Blomberg might feel it would be nice to have it understood that way. The problem is that's not the way the church has historically looked at 2 Nephi 25, 23. Now let's go back to Dr. Millet because Dr. Millet has spoken on 2 Nephi 25, 23 a number of times. In the doctrinal commentary that he wrote with Joseph Fielding McConkie, as I said, who was the son of Mormon apostle Bruce McConkie, Dr. Millet and Joseph Fielding McConkie said this on page 295, commenting on 2 Nephi 25, 23.

Now why is this important? Because Stephen Robinson says that his interpretation of 2 Nephi 25, 23 is rather common. What did he say in footnote 51, found on page 125 of his book, Our Mormons Christian?

LDS commentators agree that the word after in this passage is used as a preposition of separation rather than of time. The sense is that apart from all we can do, it is ultimately by the grace of Christ that we are saved. This meaning is apparent from the fact that none of us actually does all he can do. Now that last phrase sounds very similar to what Dr. Blomberg said. We don't do all we can do.

Correct. That's why that passage sounds so suspicious. It doesn't sound like something that God would ordain, but let's not go through scriptural gymnastics to try and make it sound better and appealing to us. Let's take it for what it says and let's take it for how LDS leaders have talked about it. When Robinson says LDS commentators are agreed that the word after in this passage is used as a preposition of separation rather than of time, well, let's go to one of those LDS commentators.

Let's go to Robert Millet and his commentary with Joseph Fielding McConkie. He says this at the top of page 295. He says, indeed, it is only after a person has so performed a lifetime of works and faithfulness, only after he has come to deny himself of all ungodliness and every worldly lust, that the grace of God, that spiritual increment of power is efficacious. In the language of Moroni, and he's quoting from Moroni 1032, yea, come on to Christ and be perfected in him and deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and if he shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness and love God with all your might, mind, and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ. Now let me add to that what is said in volume two of the doctrinal commentary of the Book of Mormon.

You read volume one, this is volume two, page 258. It says, people do not earn eternal life. There is no scriptural reference whatsoever to anyone earning the right to go where gods and angels are. Rather, according to the words of the prophets, it is so attested in the scriptures almost a hundred times people inherit eternal life. But then he goes on to say, after we have done all that we can do, after we have denied ourselves of ungodliness and worldly lusts, then is the grace of God sufficient for us. Then we are sanctified in Christ and eventually made perfect in Christ. Sounds very similar to what you just read from volume one of the doctrinal commentary on the Book of Mormon.

But does that sound like what Stephen Robinson was saying? Bill, we have a number of quotes, dozens I will say, quotes from different leaders if they want to go to our website mrm.org slash 2 Nephi 25 23, 2 Nephi 25 23, no hyphens, and you can see dozens of similar types of quotes that we're giving right now on that verse. I want to go back to Millet and McConkie's statement about how we don't earn eternal life. We inherit eternal life.

Sounds like a bit of equivocation there. But let me just cite for you statement from Thomas Monson, who was the 16th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He said, It is the celestial glory which we seek. It is in the presence of God we desire to dwell. It is a forever family in which we want membership. Such blessings must be earned.

Now, Millet said we don't earn them. Monson also said, President Spencer W. Kimball has always been a prolific worker. He spent several summers working on a book which he later entitled The Miracle of Forgiveness. As one reads the book, particularly the first portion, one wonders if anyone will make it to the celestial kingdom. However, in reading the final portion, it is apparent that with effort, all can qualify.

With effort, he said. Thank you for listening. If you would like more information regarding Mormonism Research Ministry, we encourage you to visit our website at www.mrm.org, where you can request our free newsletter, Mormonism Researched. We hope you will join us again as we look at another viewpoint on Mormonism.