Born-Again
Perspective

John Milton (1608–1674)

“The end of all learning is to know God.”

Which Best Expresses Your Beliefs?

A) Mormonism is based on the teachings of the Bible.

B) Mormonism is based upon latter-day revelation and
       agrees with the Bible.

C) Mormonism is based upon latter-day revelation but
       disagrees with much that is taught in the Bible.

B) Mormonism is based upon latter-day revelation and
       agrees with the Bible.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Bible, Inerrancy of. Retrieved December 7, 2018 from https://www.lds.org/topics/bible-inerrancy-of?lang=eng

God’s Nature and Man’s

The Bible puts all existence into only two categories:

Today, we’re going to talk about the Creator.

Creator

Creature

GOD IS ETERNAL

  • Eternal Name: Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God (Genesis 21:33).
  • Eternal Nature: Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God (Psalm 90:2).
  • Eternal Claims: “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty (Revelation 1:8).

Greek Alphabet

alpha

omega

GOD IS EXCLUSIVE

  • In Power: “All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, ‘What have you done?’” (Daniel 4:35).
  • In Existence: “Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any” (Isaiah 44:8).

GOD IS SPIRITUAL

  • According to Moses: For the LORD your God is a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24).
  • According to Jesus: God is a spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth (John 4:24).
  • According to John: No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known (John 1:18).
  • According to Paul: To the King of Ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen (1 Timothy 1:17).

GOD ALONE IS WORTHY OF WORSHIP

  • You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth (Exodus 20:3-4).
  • You shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God (Exodus 34:14).

CREATION IS UNWORTHY OF WORSHIP

Deuteronomy 4:16

Beware lest you act corruptly by making a carved image for yourselves, in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female.

Humans

CREATION IS UNWORTHY OF WORSHIP

Colossians 2:18

Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind.

Spirits

CREATION IS UNWORTHY OF WORSHIP

Romans 1:22–23

Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

Animals

CREATION IS UNWORTHY OF WORSHIP

Isaiah 37:18–19

Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire. For they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed.

Wood/Stone

CREATION IS UNWORTHY OF WORSHIP

Deuteronomy 4:19

And beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them, things that the LORD your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven.

Heavenly Bodies

WORSHIPING CREATURES BRINGS WRATH

  • Because they have forsaken me and have made offerings to other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore my wrath will be kindled against this place, and it will not be quenched (2 Kings 22:17).
  • But they rebelled against me and were not willing to listen to me. None of them cast away the detestable things their eyes feasted on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. “Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them” (Ezekiel 20:8).
  • Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming (Colossians 3:5–6).

Stop: Let’s INTERACT

STOP: LET’S INTERACT

  • What does the Bible say about the Creator, about creatures, and about worship?
  • Why do you think God is so passionate against idolatry?
  • Who gets to define God?
  • Determining truth about God by reasoning upward from man is like trying to draw conclusions about adults while looking only at a newborn. 

LET’S TRANSITION TO HEAVENLY FATHER

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. “Chapter 2: God the Eternal Father,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith (2011), 36–44. Retrieved December 7, 2018 from https://www.lds.org/manual/teachings-joseph-smith/chapter-2?lang=eng

ACCORDING TO JOSEPH SMITH

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. “Chapter 5: The Grand Destiny of the Faithful,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Lorenzo Snow. Retrieved December 7, 2018 from https://www.lds.org/manual/teachings-of-presidents-of-the-church-lorenzo-snow/chapter-5-the-grand-destiny-of-the-faithful?lang=eng

ACCORDING TO LORENZO SNOW

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Becoming Like God. Retrieved March 22, 2019 from https://www.lds.org/topics/becoming-like-god?lang=eng

ACCORDING TO GORDON B. HINCKLEY

WHAT IS THE DOCTRINE OF
ETERNAL PROGRESSION?

THE PLAN OF SALVATION

Adams, Lisa Ramsey. Eternal Progression. Retrieved March 22, 2019 from https://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Eternal_Progression.

LDS SCRIPTURE IS SILENT ON PROGRESSION

WHERE IS THE DOCTRINE TAUGHT?

  • First taught publicly by Joseph Smith in a funeral sermon for Elder King Follett (April 7, 1844 – The King Follett Discourse).

  • In future years...

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Becoming Like God. Retrieved March 22, 2019 from https://www.lds.org/topics/becoming-like-god?lang=eng

ISSUES WITH ETERNAL PROGRESSION

  • Contradicts the Bible: Before Me, no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me (Isaiah 43:10).
  • Contradicts Itself: Man #1 had to live without God #1. Where did Man #1 come from? Where did God #1 come from?
  • Contradicts Mormonism: Jesus cannot progress to deity because He was never sealed in eternal marriage; the Holy Spirit cannot progress to deity because He never took a body.

ARE THESE THE SAME PERSON?

WHICH BEST EXPRESSES YOUR BELIEFS?

A) Mormonism is based on the teachings of the Bible.

 

B) Mormonism is based upon Latter-day revelation and agrees
     with the Bible.

 

C) Mormonism is based upon Latter-day revelation, but disagrees
     with much that is taught in the Bible.​

The Most Important Question

If the Bible is right about God’s nature,
what would that mean for you?