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May 21, 2019 5:00 am
One member is examining the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from a biblical perspective view .1 limited to, 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 welcome to this edition of viewpoint on Mormonism. I'm your host, Bill McKeever, founder and director Mormonism research ministry with me today is Eric Johnson, my colleague, M. R.
M ¥magazine, the official monthly publication of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints had an article in its April 2019 edition. It was written by Elder Alan D. Haney, H a Y and i.e. years of the general authority 70s that would be what we normally call the first quorum of the 70s.
He had an article titled, we have to be cleaned. It's found on page 80 of the April 2019 and sigh magazine.
We've talked about what Latter Day Saints are instructed to do in order to be cleansed from their sins, but yet at the same time, Eric, we are coming across Latter Day Saints who insist that they are forgiven of their sins based on a mere confession of their sins, and an attempt not to sin again and I don't want people to misunderstand one about to say because I am not going to take away from anyone who is trying to overcome their sin. That is certainly a noble goal and I know Latter Day Saints try very hard to be the best people they can possibly be.
So I'm not faulting them there. But what I find in this article by Alan D Haney, is it is a very traditional understanding of what is necessary for Latter Day Saints to do if they hope to be cleansed from their sin because even in Mormonism in order to get the best that the Mormon religion has for its people. In order to get this celestial exultation that all faithful Latter Day Saints are striving to achieve. You have to be cleansed from your sin but why is it so many times we talk to many Latter Day Saints.
Unlike the group I was just referring to many of them don't seem to have that assurance and I think the reason why is based on what Elder Alan D Haney has to say in this article titled, we have to be clean. Maybe you're an evangelical Christian and what were talking about is kind of new to you maybe are just new to this radio program, but one of the things that you're gonna run into when you're talking to Latter Day Saints is that similarity in the language, but if you don't understand what is being said there are actually differences and so to the terms as you were talking Bill that came to my mind, were atonement of Christ. We always hear about the atonement.
We also hear about grace and if you're just a normal churchgoing Christian who doesn't know much about Mormonism you say well they believe in those things. I think the article were going to read right now is going to help us understand that the atonement is not enough by itself. Grace is not enough by itself.
In fact, the title of this article which came by the way, from a general conference talk that was titled, remembering, in whom we have trusted, but this is titled we have to be clean. We have to be clean and the subtitle says the Savior invites us to be worthy to return to our father. The idea that that the Savior is inviting us to be worthy.
It sounds like well it's an option it's not really he's not talk about you have to be clean if you want to return to heavenly father's presence and I think you make a very good point and that sometimes I think as evangelicals we do have to listen very carefully to what her LDS counterpart is saying to us, and listen to the language because when he says we have to be clean. What evangelical would deny that. Of course we have to be clean. We understand that we need a cleansing from our sin in order to not have to pay the consequence for our sin. The big question then becomes law. How do we as evangelicals do this, yes, and then the question also arises will.
How does a latter-day St. do that in here, as you mentioned are the big differences between us and that the Savior invites us to be worthy to return to our father, we would deny that we might be worthy we would have to say however that our worthiness is not based in our personal performance, because if it's based in our personal performance and are person. Our performance is tainted by our sin. How could we ever hope to be quote unquote worthy if in fact our sinfulness causes us to always come short of the glory of God as Romans 323 states and I think we need to understand when somebody uses a term like salvation atonement of Christ grace. I think we need to ask the one question we bring up all the time on this radio program. What do you mean when you say atonement of Christ or salvation or grace. Joseph Fielding Smith the 10th president of the church said that there was a difference between general salvation and what is called exultation. We have to understand exultation is not the atonement of Christ and grace. It just sets the pace for you to be able to attain everything that needs to be done by keeping the covenants that you make keeping the commandments continually.
As it says in D&C section 25 so if you're somebody who's talking a latter-day St., and they're using these terms try your best to find out what they mean very likely when they're talking about Princeton salvation and grace they're talking about. While everybody gets grace but according to Mormonism were saved by grace. After all we can do is what second Nephi 2523 says understanding where the Latter Day Saints coming from. In the words they're using.
But I think this article were going to be reading here in the next few days is going to be helpful to understand what exactly is required and what you call traditional Mormonism.
I think this is Mormonism according to what the unique LDS standard works are all about the book of Mormon and the doctrine and covenants, especially talking about what is required and so this article starts off this way when I was nine years old my white-haired 4'11" maternal grandmother came to spend a few weeks at our home. One afternoon while she was there.
My brothers and I decided to dig a hole in a field across the street we got a little dirty, but nothing that would get us into too much trouble, then other boy started to help and we all got dirtier together. The ground was hard so we dragged a garden hose over and put a little water into the hole we got some mud on us as we dug, but the hole did get deeper then someone decided we should turn our hole into a swimming pool so we filled it with water. I was persuaded to jump in and try it out. Now I was really dirty when it started to get cold.
I cross the street, intending to walk into my house. My grandmother met me at the door and refused to let me in. I was wet, muddy and cold.
Finally, I asked her what I had to do to come into the house.
Now let me stop you there because you can kinda see where this is going, and this is not uncommon as to how Mormon speakers get to the point they usually tell you a little folksy story.
So here we have.
He's now filthy dirty from jumping in a mud hole and I can relate to that because I remember doing the same exact thing as kids taken the hose and softening the dirt in order to dig it up when it was hard but then when he says finally. I asked her what I had to do to come into the house. Now what do you think the house is going to represent in this story is he's going to bring out it's getting back into the presence of heavenly father getting into that celestial kingdom. And as I mentioned earlier, all faithful Mormons are hoping to achieve. He continues, I stood in the backyard while she sprayed me off with the hose. After what seemed like an eternity she pronounced McLean and let me come into the house where I was able to warm up and put on dry cleaning close to me stop you there because I don't know if Mr. Haney meant this when he uses that expression, but when he says after what seemed like an eternity again. I don't know what he meant when he said this. I'm only going by this article here was he perhaps implying that maybe has some Mormons think that you're going to have the ability throughout eternity to get this kind of cleansing because I don't think that's where he's going to go with this. Although the reason I asked that is because we have talked to Latter Day Saints who give you the impression that hey, if I don't do everything I'm supposed to do during this mortality, that's okay. Heavenly father loves me and he's going to give me the opportunity to make up for lost time after I die.
That might make a lot of Latter Day Saints feel good but I don't think you're going to be able to support that from either your own Scripture or even from the statements of general authorities gone by. We've talked about this verse. A lot of times, but let's go back Elmo 34 makes it very clear in the book of Mormon that now is the time for men to prepare to meet God. You cannot procrastinate your repentance even until death and expect God to somehow wink at your sin. Remember the God of Mormonism in the doctrine and covenants section 1 makes it very clear that he cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance and here I would say Eric is a Christian, I would agree with that statement. I don't think the God of the Bible looks upon sin with the least degree of allowance either. That's why I think having a clear understanding of what is expected in order to be cleansed from our sin becomes oh so important and if what Mr. Haney is going to say in this article regarding how a latter-day St. gets cleansed, I would think that they would be many.
Listening to him and as you mention this is adapted from a conference message that he gave back in October 2015. It can be found in the November 15 & beginning on page 121. It was title remembering, in whom we have trusted. I would think most Latter Day Saints would probably be a little nervous as to whether or not they feel assured that they in fact are clean as Mr. Haney is going to describe here how many times do you have to sin in order to be classified as a center. For instance, the me give this example if you were to tell 999 troops and one lie. What would that make you will obviously would make you a liar or use tell the judge will you know I haven't murdered 999 other people, but I did murder.
This one, but I'm pretty good because that's pretty good batting average. Well, the point is, according to the book of Mormon as you mention Elma 34 you can't take care of that sin in the next life. Let me read verse 35 we read this before but I want to read it again because I think it's powerful for behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold, he had become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he does seal you his. Therefore, the spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you and have no place in you and the devil hath all power over you and this is the final state of the wicked. Now we don't believe the book of Mormon is true, but Latter Day Saints do if this is the truth.
Then you have to take care of it in this lifetime. I think if you look at Elma 34 in its proper context. This is the time this life is the time for men to prepare. I don't know how you can read Elma 34 and draw any other conclusion. You certainly cannot go to those passages and make the assumption that you have a chance after you die, but how many times we talk to D's