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June 7, 2019 5:00 am
101 is research ministries Bill McKeever and Eric Johnson has helped many more to understand what separates Mormonism from the Christian faith. Mormonism 101 is available at your favorite sister bookstore online@mrm.org .1 examines the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from a biblical perspective view .1 Mormonism is sponsored by Mormonism research ministry since 1979 Mormonism research ministry has been dedicated to equipping the body of Christ with answers regarding the Christian faith in a manner that expresses gentleness and respect. And now, your host for today's viewpoint on Mormonism. When is self-improvement a sin welcome to this additional viewpoint on Mormonism.
I'm your host, Bill McKeever, founder director Mormonism research ministry with me today is Eric Johnson.
My colleague at MRM today. We are wrapping up our look at an article written by Dr. Albert Mohler titled moralism is not the gospel but many Christians think it is. I might mention that Dr. Albert Mohler is the president of Southern Baptist theological seminary.
He's written a number of books dealing with cultural and theological issues and if you're interested in learning more. I would highly suggest that you visit his website, which is Albert Mohler.calm and Mohler is spelled MOHLERI some Eric Dr. Moeller sure does bring out a lot of points that I think all of us as Christians need to take to heart, because as he says it's real easy to slip into this mindset and think that somehow what I'm doing and how I'm performing and how I'm living how I'm improving myself is somehow necessary if I'm going to receive the approval of the God of the Bible and certainly that is a dangerous pitfall but today we're going to look at the conclusion of this article that Dr. Mould has written and how it can actually be a sin to think that somehow your personal improvement is what's necessary to gain God's approval that says we sin against Christ and we misrepresent the gospel when we suggested centers that what God demands of them is moral improvement in accordance with the law. Moralism makes sense to centers, for it is but an expansion of what we have been taught from our earliest days, but moralism is not the gospel, and it will not save the only gospel that saves is the gospel of Christ, as Paul reminded the Galatians quote but when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, born under the law, so that he might redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons." That comes from Galatians chapter 4 verses four and five when he says moralism makes sense to centers and I think this is why it's so popular. He says the reason why it makes sense to centers because it's been an expansion of what we have been taught from our earliest days. It's a part of our culture.
I don't think any culture really escapes that doesn't I'm trying to think okay I live in the United States I live in an American culture. We certainly do reward those who behave well and punish those who do not behave well.
I was raised on the principle that if I did what was right. I would turn out to be a good citizen. Certainly I want to be a good citizen.
I want all the benefits of that. So I'm going to do everything I should so I cannot imagine any type of culture that doesn't work that way. So if that's the way it is in life. I can see exactly what Dr. Moeller saying it's it's easy to fall into that because as he says it's an expansion of what we have been taught from our earliest days and many hits you right in the face with that but moralism is not the gospel, and it will not save if you think that somehow being a good person is what qualifies you.
That's the danger that Dr. Moeller is warning against. That's the danger that the apostle Paul was warning against the book of Galatians and it makes perfect sense why Dr. Moeller would be quoting from the book of Galatians because I think Paul addresses that error very well.
I wish more Mormons would read the book of Galatians. That's one of the reasons why we did a study on this. Not too terribly long ago showing how if you're more than reading the book of Galatians to see things that Paul says that are going to probably rub you wrong things that you probably won't agree with why because you are involved in moralism, not in the New Testament gospel that's being described by the apostle Paul. He goes on and writes we are justified by faith alone saved by grace alone and redeem from our send by Christ alone. Moralism produces sinners who are potentially better behaved.
The gospel of Christ transform sinners into the adopted sons and daughters of God. I love that line moralism produces sinners who are potentially better behaved.
You are, you're just a better behaved sinner, your sins would not be forgiven and that's what is necessary. Your sins need to be forgiven. Dr. Moeller says the church must never evade, accommodate, revise or hide the law of God.
Indeed, it is the law that shows us our sin and makes clear our inadequacy and our total lack of righteousness. The law cannot impart life but as Paul insists it quote has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith."
Speaking from Galatians chapter 3.
Notice again the emphasis on justification by faith. I really think that for as many times as the apostle Paul insists that we are justified by our faith that a person who does not get that. I have to assume is not wanting to get it. Would you agree with me on that are yeah and when I think about this whole idea as well.
And the idea that the loss shows us our sin. Think about what the Bible talks about sarcomere and it shows you the way that you really are and I think a lot of sinners don't really want to take a look at how bad they really are, and they think by some self-improvement program. Or maybe some Christian churches are teaching as long as you improve yourself and get better, then somehow you're going to make yourself worthy of Christ's love and and that's not the way the law works a lot.
His mom is a good thing. In fact, Ray comfort uses this very well when he goes through all the different questions to find out if people think they're good and then he takes the 10 Commandments and he compares what they say they say mama good person, I've never done anything really that bad. Oh, have you ever stolen anything yeah what is that make you a thief. Have you ever lusted after somebody yeah what is it make you that makes an adulterer and he goes through and shows how pretty much I think everybody has broken every single commandment. And just because you only did it once or twice.
Her only 10 times it still makes you a lawbreaker.
So the law is not a bad thing. It's a good thing and that's with the book of Galatians trying to tell us it's a tutor to lead us to Christ. With that in mind. Paul wants the centers to understand but also good people. People who consider themselves to be good. You need to understand, you're not able to do it.
You never will be able to do it. The law is a tool, as Paul brings out it was a tool it was meant to be like a tutor who leads us to Christ, as you just mentioned, it would be like using a pipe wrench to drive a nail using the wrong tool you're in another category that's for something else and I think unfortunately too many people they look at the law and they somehow think about law instead of opening my eyes to my own sinfulness. I'm going to use as a stepping stone to get up to God they're misapplying that tool they don't seem to understand why it's there. This is why an adequate Bible study becomes very important. Unfortunately, I don't think a lot of well let me be so bold as to say a lot of professing Christians don't read enough of the Bible are biblically illiterate. They know some of what it says but I don't think they know enough of it to get a full grasp of what God wants for us and I would certainly say that of many of the Latter Day Saints that I've personally talk to probably mention that story too many times of the two fine young missionaries that came into my house and as we were discussing some of these issues confessed to me that they had never read the New Testament. If you have read the New Testament, then how can you possibly know what God wants for you. I am looking at your little doll of Martin Luther on your on your bookcase and he's staring at you and you know what Martin Luther understood only when he read the Bible. He had learned all the things and when he was a monk of all the traditions and everything else.
But when he started to have to teach God's word to other people and he looked at the book of Romans, and he looked at the book of Galatians, he understood what Paul says here in Galatians 324 justified by faith. It's called justification by faith alone. So a few days, and it's what the Protestant Reformation is built on. Where did that idea come from, not from man-made rules.
It came from God's word and remember, in the story of Martin Luther.
Did you talk about my little bobble head that staring at me, and while recording the suffering and the grief and the anguish he went through before his eyes were enlightened by mean he took his sins seriously. I would say Martin Luther probably took his sins more more serious than many of us today. Often times, sadly, we do take God's grace for granted.
He goes on in this piece to say the deadly danger of moralism has been a constant temptation to the church and an ever convenient substitute for the gospel clearly millions of our neighbors believe that moralism is our message when I read that I couldn't help but feel convicted if that is really the message that many of our neighbors are getting from our proclaiming, we think the gospel is that shame on us. That's a horrible way of describing this. If that's really the way it is clearly millions of our neighbors believe that moralism is our message. It shouldn't be our message. He goes on to say nothing less than the boldest preaching of the gospel will suffice to correct this impression, and to lead sinners to salvation in Christ.
That last paragraph. What is he said hello will be highly populated with those who are raised right. The citizens of heaven will be those who by the sheer grace and mercy of God, are there solely because of the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ. Many ends. Moralism is not the gospel. You know what he says hello will be highly populated with those who were raised right. It goes back to that old statement. The way to hell is paved with good intentions and how many people are certainly following that horrible road, not realizing that just because your good person doesn't make you good enough to get in the presence of an all holy God. And this is what support he talks about in this final paragraph the imputed righteousness of Christ, a subject that I doubt is never talked about in most Mormon wards on the Sunday morning. Do you think they ever really talk about the imputed righteousness of Christ. You know I say they don't if they understood the imputed righteousness of Christ. A lot of what is being talked about here would not even be necessary and we need to understand imputation is the credit of righteousness given to a person based on faith that is not being taught in Mormonism, or any other works based religion going back to the idea of nothing less than the boldest preaching of the gospel will suffice. I'm going to say too many Christians think that like St. Francis of Assisi has been falsely attributed to say preach the gospel if necessary use words what the problem is if were not using words and were not explaining things they're going to take the assumption that you must think that only good works that you do are somehow saving you and so I think there's going to be a time we as Christians need to make a statement and to tell the center that he needs imputed righteousness that can only be given through faith and not by any of the works that we do what I think Dr. Moeller is absolutely correct when he says hello will be highly populated with those who were raised right and I might add that heaven is not going to be populated with good people.
Heaven is only going to be a populated with people who have been forgiven. Thank you for listening you would like more information regarding his research ministry. We encourage you to visit our website www.mrm.org you can request a free newsletter Mormonism research. We hope you join us again as we look at another viewpoint is