Several of these brief videos cover the obvious ‘Christian’; topics like: Who is God; Evidence for God’s Existence; The Miracle of Humankind and Jesus Christ as the Son of God. Each of these videos would be appear ‘Christian’ to those who know little or nothing about Mormonism. Then, after lulling you in and convincing you that they are a Christian church, you are hit with the first Mormon distinctive.
The video entitled: How Can It Not Be True – Joseph Smith, informs us that during his earthly ministry Christ established his church. They are not wrong. In his gospel account, Matthew records the words of Jesus:
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Matthew 16:18
This is not usually the verse Mormons use to make their case and I will return to this in part 2.
The video continues by saying that the church, founded by Jesus, bore His name, and had a foundation of ‘prophets and apostles’.
The church founded by Christ, clearly did bear His name. Those who put their faith in Christ were first called Christians in Antioch (Acts 11:26), because of their allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ. So, we can agree on this, but what about the foundation of prophets and apostles?
The verse most often used to discuss the church having a foundation of apostles and prophets is Ephesians 2:20, which reads:
‘…built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone…’
Something that is worth noticing is way in which the video reverses the order, saying prophets and apostles, rather than apostles and prophets. I would suggest that there is a reason for this. They teach that the true church was restored through a ‘prophet’, not an apostle.
Now with regards to Ephesians 2:20, there are differing views on its meaning within the Christian church, but the three usual understandings are here given by Andrew Wilson:
1. The universal church is built on the foundation of the New Testament and the Old Testament, with Jesus as the cornerstone. The foundation here is primarily Scripture.
2. The universal church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets in the first generation of the church, with Jesus as the cornerstone. The foundation here is primarily the revelation of the gospel and its extension to all nations.
3. The local church is built on the foundation of apostolic and prophetic ministry as apostles and prophets serve the congregation, with Jesus as the cornerstone. The foundation here is primarily the human leaders given to the church in all generations by the risen Christ.[1]
Wilson goes on to say that he is convinced the answer is number 2, and I would agree with him. His reasoning has a lot to do with the context of Ephesians 2:20. Context is always the key to a clearer understanding.
Let’s read from chapter 2:19 through to chapter 3:6:
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. For this reason, I Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
From the context, Wilson concludes:
I think it’s pretty hard to argue, given the flow of thought, that these two mentions of the “apostles and prophets” refer to different things. And in 3:5, Paul seems to be talking about #2: the new covenant apostles and prophets of the first generation, to whom the mystery of the inclusion of the Gentiles has now been revealed, as it hadn’t been previously. That would probably mean he is also talking about this in 2:20 – the united church of God, both Jew and Gentile, is built on the foundation of revelation given to the apostles and prophets, in the first generation of the church, about God’s worldwide purposes.[2]
It will be of no surprise that the Mormon church would disagree with him. Their view would be more akin to number 3. They insist that, after a lengthy period of having no authoritative leadership, God restored Prophets and Apostles to his Church, and these Prophets and Apostles exist today within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth. (LDS Articles of Faith 6)
It is the prophets and apostles in the Mormon church that hold sway, particular the leader – known as the living prophet.[3]
‘We are most fortunate to have a living prophet at the head of the Church to guide us, and all who heed his counsel will be partakers of the promised blessings which will not be enjoyed by those who fail to accept his messages … Whose side are we on? When the prophet speaks the debate is over’.[4]
This is a quote from old-school Mormonism, and though it would still be accepted by the majority notionally, it would not always be the case in practice.
Next time I will continue to consider the case made by the video – How Can It Not Be True – Joseph Smith – for the authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Comments