Joseph Smith once relayed a message that he had
received from an angelic visitation that declared, “that my name should be had
for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should
be both good and evil spoken of among all people” (Joseph Smith - History 1:33)
While we probably have a long way to go before all
nations, kindreds, and tongues will have mentioned Joseph Smith in either a
positive or negative light; it seems that this prophecy carries some
weight. Certainly wherever Joesph Smith’s
name has been proclaimed, the truth of that phrase has been evident. Some receive his message, and others abhor
it.
The reason I bring that prophecy up is because of
its accuracy. Whether it was used
responsibly or not, I do believe that Joseph Smith was given a gift to see and
hear the supernatural. I believe that he
had a genuine call from the Lord towards prophetic ministry, and even to build
a prophetic movement.
He lived in a day where the gift of prophecy did
genuinely need to be restored to Jesus’ Church.
He was very gifted, very charismatic, and an incredibly strong
leader; and I honor the gifts that the Lord placed in him at an early age.
So... why don't I follow his teachings?? I'd like to try to explain just one of the reasons:
In 1 Corinthians 12:27-28, the Holy Spirit
through Paul says, “Now ye are the body of Christ,
and members in particular. And God hath
set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers,
after that miracles then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of
tongues."
I believe there’s a reason that Paul says first
apostles. To understand why the
apostolic is placed at the head, we must understand the nature of apostolic
ministry. We generally view those in these positions as overseers. As a priest or
pastor looks over a single congregation, an apostolic figure would look over
many congregations.
But what, then, is their primary task?
Athanasius once referred to “the actual original tradition, teaching and
faith of the Catholic church, [catholic meaning all-encompassing] which the
Lord bestowed, the apostles proclaimed and the fathers safeguarded.” I believe this hits upon the role of apostolic ministry. The original Apostles of the Lord had a
special anointing to proclaim the message that Jesus had bestowed upon
them. Their successors, the ones who
would carry apostolic authority in their stead, 'safeguarded' that same
message. That was and is their primary
role. To preserve,and to
carefully pass on the same message that Jesus bestowed and the Apostles
proclaimed.
The reason apostles come first in Paul’s list is
because it is the apostolic figures that are responsible for ensuring that the
message of the gospel remains pure. All
other ministries are to be submitted to that authority. Within that structure, the prophets and
apostles have a unique relationship.
They walk together in a special way.
The prophets hear what God is saying now, and the apostolic
authorities measure that against what God has always said. The prophet asks “What is God revealing
today?” The apostolic figure asks “How
does what God is revealing today line up with what God has already revealed?”
What that all boils down to is the basic truth that
God cannot contradict himself.
Paul gives this kind of order to the ministries of
the Church as a safeguard. The message
of the gospel must remain pure. First
apostles, second prophets.
So what?
Joseph Smith began his public ministry with a
battle cry. He claimed that all of the
churches were corrupt and that all of their creeds were an abomination! (Joseph Smith History 1:19). The Mormon Church is founded upon this
revelation. This revelation that contains within it an attempt to reverse, or to overthrow the model of Church order that was put in place by the Apostle Paul.
Smith elevated prophecy above apostolic
authority. In Mormonism, what God is
speaking now is considered more important than what God has spoken in the past.
The creeds of the Christian faith were not just
made up on a whim. The creeds came about
primarily in response to heresy. As
Jesus warned us, false teachers began to come into the Church. In response to that, the apostolic leaders of
the day – the men responsible for 'safeguarding' the message of the gospel – got
together, to speak, debate and work on a statement of faith that could help
explain to the common man what the essential beliefs of our faith are. The creeds are a ‘safeguard’. Not
everybody had access to the Scriptures, or could even read; but if they knew
the creeds, then the message of the gospel could stay pure.
So, about 318 of the apostolic leaders of
the fourth century got together to fight against a heresy that originated with
a man named Arius. The result of that
work is the Nicene Creed. Joseph Smith, the
prophet, spent some time in prayer alone and received a revelation that all
the creeds are an abomination to God.
Now, suppose for the sake of argument that he heard
right? What if that was true? Remembering Paul’s words, 'first apostles, and
second prophets', what should be done?
How do you handle a revelation like that responsibly?
- Well, first of all, he should probably seek further
revelation on what it is that actually makes the churches corrupt. What is it exactly that makes the creeds an
abomination? Where do they depart from
the gospel message proclaimed by Jesus and the original Apostles? A lot of very intelligent and God fearing men
gave up a good portion of their lives to combat heresy and compose these
creeds. They did so in good faith, and
they did so in reverence for Christ and for the Scriptures. I’m not suggesting that that is reason enough
to stay with them, but if we’re going to depart from them, then we need to
understand why.
- Secondly, what are the points that are
unmoving? If the creeds are wrong, then
what’s right? Is Scripture
reliable? Because the Creeds are based
on Scriptural truths, and it was
basically the same group of men that canonized Scripture as composed the creeds,
(just a few generations apart). If
Scripture is not reliable, and the Creeds aren’t reliable, and the Church is
not reliable, then what’s left? Is there
any solid ground that we can stand on?
What are our foundations? What do
we know about God that is true, and what is the source of that
revelation? Is that source reliable?
I could be wrong, but that, I believe, would be the
beginning of an apostolic response to the revelation. And already you can see that it has begun to
fall apart. There’s nothing really left.
I’ve asked many Mormons those questions, (Why are
the creeds corrupt? Where exactly do
they depart from the gospel that Jesus proclaimed?), and I’ve never received a
straight answer back... And I get the impression that it doesn’t even matter to them... Because what God is speaking now is more important and more valid than
what God has spoken in the past.
Do you see the dangers in that?
If what God is saying now is not interpreted
in the light of all that God has already revealed, then there is no absolute
truth. Everything is variable. If even God's Word is changing, then what can possibly be relied upon? We have no sure
foundations. There is nothing left. In the words of Mormon chapter 9, God becomes
a god who doth vary, and in whom there is shadow of changing. And this is not the God of miracles, this is
not the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and this is not the God of
creation. Mormon 9:9-11 – A god
who changes is no God at all.
This reversing in order of holding what God is
saying today to be more valid than what God has always said has trickled down
from the leader that originated it, to be at the very forefront of Mormonism,
and the greatest thing that continues to advance it.
Before someone becomes Mormon, they are asked to
pray. Pray and ask God if the Book of
Mormon is true and Joseph Smith was really a prophet. In response to your prayer, you are assured
that you will receive a confirmation by the Spirit, (this promise is found in Moroni 10:3-5). Once received, your entire faith is built
around this testimony. “I know it’s true
because the Spirit himself told me”, “I know it’s true because I felt it”. That’s powerful stuff!!!
Is the experience valid? Sure it is!
Something spiritual is happening.
Should the experience have more weight than the things which God has
already revealed? No! God does not contradict himself.
If you have a spiritual experience that testifies to the validity of a prophet,
and yet the tests of Scripture confirm that the prophet is false – Scripture
wins. Every time. If Scripture does not carry more weight than
your experience, then every truth is subject to change. You've lost all sense of foundation. There is no absolute truth. If the message of the gospel is to be
safeguarded in this generation, then our prophetic experiences must be
submitted to apostolic authority.
I began by speaking about the genuine prophetic gift of Joseph Smith. When I think about his life and the impact
that he had on the world, I can’t help but think that this is maybe one of the
greatest tragedies in all of Christian history. What if Joseph Smith had submitted his prophetic gifting to
true apostolic authority? How would that have affected the Christian world? A restoration of the gift of prophecy to Jesus’ Church, and a
restoration of proper order – a healthy relationship between apostolic and
prophetic ministries. The humility of
Christ exemplified in a prophet that could say to an apostolic authority, “This
is what I’m hearing from the Lord today; could you help me interpret it in the
light of all that God has already revealed to us?”
Imagine if Joseph Smith had asked those kinds of questions. Where would we be now? How much more united would Jesus' Church be? How much healthier? How much closer to Jesus' return?
Mormons, grieve the loss of Joseph Smith at his
martyrdom in Carthage. As a Christian, I
grieve the loss of Joseph Smith in the grove.
Please take a moment to pray for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Thank you.