Who Has Priority In Your Life?

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD,

My soul shall be joyful in my God;

For He has clothed me with the

Garments of salvation, He has

Covered me with the robe of

Righteousness, as a bridegroom
decks himself with ornaments,

And as a bride adorns herself

With her jewels.

For as the earth brings forth its bud,

As the garden causes the things that

Are sown in it to spring forth,

So the LORD God will cause

Righteousness and praise to

Spring forth before all the nations.

Isaiah 61:10–11

            I took some time off due to doctors appointment and to take time to study more on the subject at hand. This subject is immense in its scope for it reaches from the early 600 B.C. periods into our present age and those who developed philosophies that have had a major impact on the world. This large investigation has been the bane for many Christians and they have ignored its importance and even, in some cases succumbed to the negative influence assigning what they believe as to be “Christian.” Yet, are we to agree that all that is called “Christian” is Scriptural? Have certain religions, denominations, digested the philosophies of the past, i.e., Plato, or Aristotle, etc.? The Mormons claim to be “Christian” because the use the name Jesus Christ, even believe that He is the Savior; but because of this claim are they Christian? Jehovah Witnesses believe that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. Does this make them Christian? The question that must be asked and investigated is not what they say, rather is what is it they believe; their foundational suppositions. Jesus made this statement: “Therefore by their fruits you will know them. Not everyone who says to Me ‘Lord, ‘Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your Name?’ And then I will declare in them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’(Matthew 7:20–23). Many will declare the name of Jesus, even have some form of devotion to Him, they feel pious, even righteous, and that they have the truth, but the rugged reality that is shown to us in Scripture are non–existent. There is a belief, a practice in prayer and devotion and they feel that this is all that is required. The cross, the passion of Jesus Christ has little power in their lives, Christianity cost them little. Notice this fact, the New Testament speaks of the cross, and talks about nothing else. All that a Christian does is derived from the cross, the death of Jesus Christ. If one does not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, that this relationship is their Christian experience, all they have is a Christian experience that is detached from the Person of Jesus Christ. There is no regeneration, rather an emotional experience that causes them to feel pious yet they are not born again, Jesus is only an idea, an ideal, a pattern. Jesus is our Pattern, but He is not a figurehead of any religion, not just an example. He is more! Jesus is the objectivity of Christians that by means of the Holy Spirit does in me subjectively, but only when a person coverts, and is committed to God, to our Savior Jesus Christ and to the Holy Spirit, then the gift of God that has given to that person the faith to believe, to convert, to truly humble themselves before our God and Savior will that person receive this gift.

            Scripture is clear, Jesus is God, not a god, but God, the same essence as God, is God and Man, One Person of the Trinity, the Godhead. The Mormons believe that there are three gods, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Jehovah Witnesses believe that there are two gods, The Father and the Son. This is not what Scripture teaches rather this type of thinking is that which has been derived from Plato, Aristotle, and others who have adapted, at least in part some of these men teachings. I will list some of the teaching of the Mormon Church and then give the teaching of Plato and you can determine if Platoism or Neo–Platonism has played in part in their doctrines and beliefs:

Mormon beliefs: The Mormons have 13, at one time 14, articles of faith that are handed out to their members, yet are not all of the doctrines of the Mormon faith.

1. God was once a man who lived on another planet. God was once a mortal man who by his obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel became a god, first by dying and then being resurrected to a god. That he is still married and created this world. That he is a the true god among billions of other gods and that man on earth will become gods and goddess creating spirit children and peopling other worlds. Journal of Discourses Vol. 6 Page 4, 1844. Joseph Smith speaking: "...you have to learn to be Gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all Gods have done before you, - namely, by going from one small degree to another..."

Reference: Journal of Discourses Vol. 6 Page 275, 1852. Brigham Young speaking:
"After men have got their exaltations and their crowns - have become Gods..."

2. We are co–eternal with God. We believe we existed first as “intelligences”, then were give spirit bodies in a heaven by eternal parents. Our “intelligences” have existed forever just like God’s and that we have been around forever in some form, God just has advanced ahead of us. Journal of Discourses Vol. 6 Page 7, 1844. Joseph Smith speaking:
"God himself, finding he was in the midst of spirits and glory, because he was more intelligent, saw proper to institute laws whereby the rest could have a privilege to advance like himself"

3. The origin of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was begotten by a physical union, that is God had sexual relations with Mary. This is possible for God has a body of flesh and bones. This made Jesus part God and part man. It said that Jesus who being the begotten by the Father in heaven and his mother Mary created our spirits using our “intelligences” as the foundation of our spirits for our “intelligences” were floating around in the universe and needed organization. This Mormon position is that Jesus had a “higher” “intelligence”  because he was first born a spirit and is the most important of all creation. Therefore, when the Father in heaven and the earthly mother of Jesus, Mary it was this spirit Jesus that received a physical body just as our spirits were put into our human bodies. Jesus has the Father as his dad, the rest of us have earthly dads. While some Mormons object this teaching of the Church’s position a few quotes by their early leaders will speak what has been traditionally the teaching of the Mormon Church: In the Journal of Discourses Vol. 1, p. 51, 1852, Brigham Young stated: “Jesus our elder Brother was begotten in the flesh by the same character that was in the garden of Eden, and who is our Father in Heaven.” Further, Brigham Young stated in the Journal of Discourses Vol. 1, p. 51, 1852; Vol. 15, p. 770, 1853: “Now remember from this time forth, and for ever, that Jesus Christ was not begotten by the Holy Ghost…if the Son was begotten by the Holy Ghost, it would be a very dangerous to baptize and confirm females, and give the Holy Ghost to them, lest he should beget children…”

4. Truth is determined by feelings and by feelings Mormons believe that they know the truth by their feelings. Mormons teach not to rely on and disregard any facts that contradict what their feeling tell them is true. Example: if someone tells them that Joseph Smith Jr. was a fraud and they fell bad by what is told them, then the know that Joseph Smith Jr. was a prophet because falsehoods create bad feelings and then when this produces in them bad feelings what is being told them are lies. When a Mormon reads the Book of Mormon and feel good, then the Book of Mormon must be true for their feelings that are good give them validation. When it comes to archeology, genetics, science, metallurgy, agriculture, and animal studies they dismiss the facts as being irrelevant because their feelings that what is stated in the Book of Mormon that has produced good feelings, then they believe the Book of Mormon of known scientific facts. Feelings guide the Mormon’s life in all aspects for if they pray about something and they feel good about what they prayed then their lives are determined according to their feelings.

            There is more to come on Mormonism and how this religion has been greatly influenced by Plato and other philosophers that have similar views as Plato. Therefore in the next blogs I will align Plato’s teaching with the teaching of this religion so that you can see how this is so. I not just picking on the  Mormons for I will use other religions who claim to be “Christian” to see whether or not they have been so influenced by men who do not uphold Scriptural doctrines. This is taking time but so worth it for we are speaking of growing our faith in the truth, the truth as is revealed in Scripture. The only way this can occur is examining those religions that claim they have the truth, and also for other important philosophies that have expanded these early philosophers ideologies and have in their own way influenced men and women, even men and women in the Church. The goal as always is to change from the inside out.

For the LORD gives wisdom;

            From His mouth come

Knowledge and understanding;

            He stores up sound wisdom

For the upright; He is a shield to those

            Who walk uprightly; He guards

The paths of justice, and preserves the way

            Of His saints. Then you will understand

Righteousness and justice, equity and every good path.

                                                Proverbs 2:6–9

Make Keeping All The Commandments Of God Your Priority

Richard L. Crumb