By Johnie Edwards
I. Most communities have had a visit from young men calling themselves `Mormon Elders’. They teach that the Mormon Church is the only, true church. We believe that the doctrine they teach is false and needs to be exposed.
II. This material contains brief rejoinders to Mormon doctrine and would be good to give Mormons in exchange for their study with you.
Discussion:
Continuous Revelation
The Mormon Church was established and exists today mainly because of their belief in continuous revelation. If men believed all the truth from God is contained in the Bible, then the Book of Mormon, as well as other modern revelations, would have to be rejected as being from God. One of the early Mormon `apostles’ expressed it best:
If it could be proved from scripture that God had revealed all that He ever intended to reveal, then a professed revelation would not require investigation; for it would be known at once, that everything of the kind was an imposition. It would be folly in the extreme to inquire whether a professed new revelation were true or false; for if God had declared in His word that no more was to be given, all writings or books purporting to be a new revelation could not be otherwise than false” (Orson Pratt’s Works, p. 70). (D. & C. 124:129 – Pratt an apostle)
(1) The Mormons teach that the Bible is not complete. If they thought the Bible was complete they would not have such books as the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and The Pearl of Great Price. The Book of Mormon teaches that a person is a fool if he believes that the Bible is complete. “Thou fool, that shall say; `A Bible, we have got a Bible, and we need no more Bible . . . (2 Nephi. 29:6). Again, “Wherefore because that ye have a Bible ye need not suppose that it contains all my words: neither need ye suppose that I have not caused more to be written” (2 Nephi 29:10). Ask the Mormons to give you one thing essential to salvation which is not contained in the New Testament.
(2)The Bible claims to be inspired and complete:
A. Jesus promised to give alt truth to the apostles (Jn. 14:26; Jn. 16:13).
B. Paul said that he had declared all the counsel of God (Acts 20:27).
C. All Scripture is given by the inspiration of God, (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:21).
D. We have all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3).
E. The faith, which is the gospel of Christ, was once delivered (Jude 3). Once a thing has been delivered, it does not need to be re-delivered. The faith was once for all delivered and that, long before Joseph Smith came along.
F. New Testament writings had already become a formulated body of doctrine delivered orally in the days of the Apostles. The New Testament writings were not introducing new truths, but simply bringing to the people’s remembrance what they had already been taught (2 Pet. 1:12-15; 1 Cor. 15:1-6; 1 Jn. 1:1-4; Rom. 6:17; 2 Tim. 1:13; 2 Tim. 2:2; 1 Jn. 2:21-17).
G. Because the Scriptures are complete, there is a need to guard against change, addition, subtraction or going beyond them (Gal. 1:8-9; 1 Cor. 4:6; 2 Jn. 9; Rev. 22:18-19).
H. God promised that His revelation of Truth would not be corrupted or lost (Matt. 24:35; 1 Pet. 1:23, 25).
I. The criterion given for recognizing true prophets and teaching is that one accept that which had already been given as being true (1 Cor. 14:37; 1 Jn. 2:21-27).
Since the apostles of Christ were never promised the Book of Mormon, never received the Book of Mormon, and never delivered the Book of Mormon, we must conclude that the Book of Mormon is not from God. It is the product of man’s own thinking.
Truth Magazine XXIII: 31, pp. 503-504
August 9, 1979