CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Facing the Truth
Sometime during the mid-1850s, shortly after the Latter-day
Saints had fled the influence of the "gentile" world and the
roots of Mormon culture had begun to take a firm hold in the
isolated valleys of the Rocky Mountains, an LDS Apostle named
Orson Pratt confidently laid a dramatic challenge before the
world:
... convince us of our errors of doctrine, if we have any, by
reason, by logical arguments, or by the Word of God, and we will
be ever grateful for the information, and you ever will have the
pleasing reflection that you have been instruments in the hands
of God of redeeming your fellow beings from the darkness which
you may see enveloping their minds.1
Orson Pratt was no doubt confident that a successful case
against the claims of Mormonism would never be presented because
one simply did not exist. Over a century-and-a-half of close
scrutiny, though, has proven the opposite to be the case. It is
this fact which probably best explains why the contemporary LDS
Church has shifted from the bold, confrontational stance of
Pratt's day, to one of cautioning members to "rely on faith and
not on historical fact" (see article on p. 170). The message
coming from LDS spokesmen today appears to be more and more one
of accommodation: If facts fail to justify faith (what one
wishes to believe), then faith should overrule facts. This sort
of thinking is evasive, and must be set aside if any real
reckoning with the facts is to take place. But going back to
Pratt, the challenge he made is a valid one, and the tendency of
contemporary LDS figures to rationalize away problems instead of
confronting them only underlines the fact that serious problems
do exist. If error or falsehood within a religious system
exists, it should be exposed, and using reason and the Word of
God to do so makes a great deal of sense. Exposing error is the
right thing to do, as only good can be the ultimate result of
people learning the truth. We are not only justified, then, in
examining the evidences challenging the truth of the Book of
Abraham which God has graciously allowed to come forth, we are
firmly obligated to do so. And it is quite possible that the
case against the Book of Abraham is the strongest evidence ever
provided to test the truthfulness of Joseph Smith's claims.
What are the facts of the matter, and how should they be
applied?
Back in the year 1835, when Michael Chandler's small collection
of Egyptian antiquities first found its way into the hands of
Joseph Smith, very little was known or understood about such
things by anyone. There was no known way to read, date, or
accurately identify Egyptian artifacts and writings with any
degree of reliability, and for all anyone knew, there never
would be. Whatever representations Joseph Smith wanted to make
concerning his ability to translate ancient Egyptian writing
could be done quite safely, since there seemed to be little
prospect of disproving such claims.
The Mormon people of that era were taught to trust and believe
what their prophet told them, and seeing no reason at the time
not to, did so. They believed he could translate ancient papyri,
and (for the most part) willingly embraced the new doctrines he
taught.
By the time scholars had reached the point where they could read
Egyptian and Joseph Smith's claims could finally be tested,
several important things had happened:
Joseph Smith had been killed, abruptly ending the production of
the Book of Abraham in mid-story. It was never taken up by any
of his successors, in spite of the LDS position that they hold
whatever power and authority (keys) are supposedly necessary to
do so.2 Smith's death also brought an end to the series of
specific claims, pronouncements, and identifications he had been
in the habit of making about the Book of Abraham papyri, and
other matters. People would now be able only to recall what had
been said by him in the past about them.
The "Mormon Exodus" had occurred, placing the Mormon people in a
condition of geographic isolation from the influence and
controversies of most of the rest of the world. With immediate
proximity gone, few non-Mormons knew or cared what Mormons
regarded as scripture, and few Mormons cared about the opinions
of non-Mormons.
The LDS Church lost control of the papyri. They were retained by
Smith's widow, Emma, who refused to follow Brigham Young
westward. Eventually they were dispersed, being either sold or
given away to various parties, and were lost.
Other events overshadowed the importance of any Egyptian
controversy, both to the Mormons and to the "gentiles." The
western migration and gold rushes, the War Between the States,
followed by the Reconstruction, the "Utah War" and Johnston's
army, the Mountain Meadows Massacre, Indian wars, territorial
colonization -- all drew attention away from whatever the
scholars might have had to say. The Mormon people became
culturally entrenched in their own Rocky Mountain Kingdom.
Polygamy had become an accepted lifestyle for many,3 and those
who practiced it could not expect to find toleration for their
families outside of Mormon society. In most instances virtually
all of community life -- be it social, economic, or legislative
-- was centered around the hierarchy of the Mormon priesthood
authority.
All of these factors combined had the effect of causing the
Mormon people (who had long since been conditioned to regard any
criticism with suspicion) to become even less likely to be
affected by any charges against Joseph Smith or the Book of
Abraham. "Proof" of Joseph Smith's fraud offered by
Egyptologists fell on deaf ears, for the most part.
As the criticism continued, becoming more developed, refined and
widely known as time passed, the Mormon defense turned into an
attack upon the competency and motives of their critics. No mere
"outside opinions" could be considered valid by the Mormon
people as long as no examination of their Prophet's original
papyri (now missing and presumed lost forever) had ever been
made. Without such a standard of comparison, it was argued, it
was unfair for the critics to judge Joseph Smith wrong merely on
the basis of the printed facsimiles. Meanwhile, Mormons
staunchly maintained the divine nature and accuracy of Joseph
Smith's work. If anything, the average Mormon was probably
disappointed that the papyri were not available, being confident
that the critics' charges would be refuted by the evidence.
Indeed, this was the attitude which prevailed right up to the
time the papyri were re-discovered.
However, prior to that rediscovery, LDS apologists enjoyed
essentially the same position Joseph Smith had taken advantage
of as he translated the papyri into the Book of Abraham, knowing
the Egyptian language was not readable. By insisting upon
comparisons that could not be made and demanding proof they
believed did not exist, Mormon apologists could make almost any
claim, advance any position, or deny any argument. As with
Joseph Smith, there seemed little likelihood anything would
happen to prove them wrong.
Then, quite unexpectedly, a major portion of Joseph Smith's
original papyri collection reappeared. Suddenly, every condition
that Latter-day Saints had been insisting on over the years was
met. Every claim could be tested, every position examined, every
argument answered.
As certain facts were established, a number of beliefs once
thought safe from ever being proven false were shown to be
wrong. Consider the following:
Belief: " ... one of the rolls [of papyrus] contained the
writings of Abraham, another the writings of Joseph of Egypt ...
" ( July, 1835, History of the Church, Vol. 2, p. 236)
Belief: "The writings of Abraham while he was in Egypt, called
the Book of Abraham, written by his own hand, upon papyrus ... "
(Introduction to the Book of Abraham)
Fact: Based on comparisons of the Metropolitan papyri to every
available resource, including descriptions contemporary with
Joseph Smith of the so-called Abraham and Joseph scrolls, as
well as to a number of original translation manuscripts and
other notes of the time, the papyrus scroll Joseph Smith
represented as containing "the writings of Abraham" was shown to
be merely a common pagan funeral papyrus of late date known as
the Book of Breathings. The scroll thought to contain "the
writings of Joseph of Egypt" was also identified as a typical
late copy of the Egyptian Book of the Dead, which had been
prepared for a woman named Ta-shert-Min. Neither scroll ever had
anything to do with the biblical patriarchs Abraham or Joseph,
except in the mind of Joseph Smith. Belief: "... Joseph the Seer
has presented to us (the Twelve) some of the Book of Abraham
which was written by his own hand but hid from the knowledge of
man for the last four thousand years but has now come to light
... " (diary of Wilford Woodruff, Feb. 19, 1842)
Belief: ''It is evident that the writings of Abraham while he
was in Egypt, of which our printed Book of Abraham is a copy,
must of necessity be older than the original text of Genesis. I
say this in passing because some of our brethren have exhibited
surprise when told that the text of the Book of Abraham is older
than that of Genesis'' (Dr. Sidney B. Sperry (of BYU) in his
book, Ancient Records Testify in Papyrus and Stone, p. 83).
Fact: The Book of Breathings scroll that Joseph Smith
represented as being the Book of Abraham was prepared between
about 50 BC and AD 50 in Thebes for a man named Hor, who was a
priest, or purifier, to the Egyptian god Amon at Karnak. It was
written in hieratic script, a cursive adaptation of hieroglyphic
writing that first appeared around 600 BC -- at least a dozen
centuries too late to have been used by Abraham. Moreover, the
Book of Breathings itself had not even been composed until about
the third or fourth-century before Christ.
Also proven wrong were Joseph Smith's claims to be able to
translate Egyptian:
Belief: " ... spent the day in translating the Egyptian records
... " (Diary of Joseph Smith, Nov. 19, 1835)
Belief: " ... spent the day in translating, and made rapid
progress ... " (Ibid, Nov. 20, 1835)
Belief: " ... in the afternoon we translated some of the
Egyptian records ... "(Ibid, Nov. 24, 1835)
Belief: "The remainder of this month, I was continually engaged
in translating an alphabet to the Book of Abraham, and arranging
a grammar of the Egyptian language as practiced by the ancients"
(Joseph Smith, July, 1835, History of the Church, Vol. 2, p.
238).
Belief: " ... [Joseph Smith's] most notable achievement was the
development at Kirtland of a grammar for the Egyptian
hieroglyphic form of writing. This was used by him, as well as
divine aid, in translating ancient writings of the patriarch
Abraham (William E. Berrett in his book, The Restored Church,
1956 ed., p. 133).
Belief: "A study of the document [Joseph Smith's Egyptian
Alphabet and Grammar] suggests that it was formulated by an
ancient writer, probably Abraham, to assist a translator in
deciphering the language in which the record was written. If
this conclusion is correct, Joseph Smith literally translated an
alphabet to the Book of Abraham" (Hyrum L. Andrus in his book
Doctrinal Commentary on the Pearl of Great Price, 1967, 1970, p.
25).
Fact: Not a single word, thought, or concept from Joseph Smith's
Book of Abraham, including his explanations of his three
facsimiles, is in any way related to the subject matter of the
common Egyptian funeral texts from which they were supposedly
translated. Furthermore, modern examination of the "Egyptian
Alphabet and Grammar" papers that had once so greatly enhanced
the Mormon Prophet's claim to be a true translator has exposed
them as a collection of gibberish, having no connection to
genuine ancient Egyptian.
One by one, virtually every Mormon belief about the Book of
Abraham once considered essential to its support and regarded as
faith promoting, has been shattered by the facts.
Not one trace of reliable evidence has appeared that would
support the LDS view of the Book of Abraham as an authentic
scripture, while an enormous amount of evidence is available to
show that it is a man-made production of the nineteenth century,
created by Joseph Smith to support his claim among his people to
be a "prophet, seer, and revelator."
The evidence against the Book of Abraham is so overwhelming, as
earlier chapters of this book have enumerated and demonstrated
in detail, that many consider it a God-given means to
demonstrate the fraudulent nature of Joseph Smith's claim to be
a prophet of God.
The Book of Abraham cannot possibly be what it is represented to
be; and if it is not authentic, neither are the doctrines it
teaches, nor the system to which it belongs.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Moving Beyond Rationalizations
I bear you my testimony," a Mormon will say, "that the LDS
Church is true; I know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet, and
that the Church is led by a prophet today. I know that the Book
of Mormon is true, that it is the word of God, and that the Book
of Abraham is likewise God's word ... " and on it goes.
Virtually every Latter-day Saint has "borne his testimony" at
one time or another to family or friends, before the members of
his ward, or for the benefit of someone he would like to see
join the LDS Church. Mormons are encouraged to do so at every
opportunity. In fact, one church service each month is regularly
set aside for members to publicly share their testimonies with
each other,1 and at a very early age children are taught the
basic pattern, such as using the positive term "I know" rather
than what is regarded as the weaker expression "I believe."
However, is such a testimony a valid truth test? Is it a
biblical truth test?
There is no reason to doubt that the majority of these
testimonies are honest and sincere. But this in itself is no
indication they are reliable. That portion of a testimony that
pertains to things uniquely Mormon usually follows from the
Latter-day Saint's exposure to an impressive presentation on a
subject such as Joseph Smith's First Vision, the Book of Mormon,
or the Book of Abraham. Once persuaded, Mormons learn to regard
the conviction they feel as "the testimony of the Holy Ghost"
that what they have accepted is true -- and this is considered
an absolute, unshakable proof.2
The real power of a Mormon testimony, then, can actually be a
potential trap that a person falls into by failing to realize
that we can literally talk ourselves into anything if we want to
believe it badly enough.
It is a painful fact of life, though, that sincerity is not a
guarantee against being wrong. Faith must have some basis in
fact. For a testimony about anything to be valid, there must be
something to support it, to serve as a witness for it.
Conversely, there must be nothing that legitimately discredits
it.
While spiritual insight or faith is one valid measure in
spiritual matters, true spiritual insight never directly
contradicts valid intellectual insight or facts in the physical
world. Faith may go beyond reason, but does not go against it.
It never blatantly contradicts the facts which we perceive with
our God-given common sense. Faith and fact point in a single
direction. When they do not, something is seriously wrong. This
is why, in spiritual matters, we are admonished to "believe not
every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God" (I
John 4:1) and to "prove all things; hold fast to that which is
good" (I Thessalonians 5:21). God does not usually create faith
by first offering evidence, but at some point He does provide
the evidence necessary to support true faith. A Mormon believes
his testimony about the Book of Abraham is supported by factual
proofs, but a careful investigation shows that no such proofs
exist, while there is overwhelming evidence against it. In the
absence of valid evidence for the object of his faith, the
Latter-day Saint is left with only subjective feelings, which
are inconclusive. In order to be objective, one must be willing
to examine the evidence both for and against religious claims.
Unfortunately, a Mormon testimony cannot be successfully
maintained in this way, and many Mormons will refuse to attempt
it. As a result, even the most well-meaning, hopeful LDS
testimony is invalid because it fails to wholly address truth.
This is not to say that every part of a Mormon testimony is
invalid, however.
Like all honest and sincere people, Latter-day Saints have
firsthand knowledge of the value of such things as loyalty,
integrity, patience, thrift, modesty, a desire to know God, and
of course love. All of these things make up a major share of
what Mormons believe in and try to stand for. However, high
standards alone can only provide a system of partial truth at
best. A willingness to accept facts as they exist, and to learn
to use them to test the views one holds rather than falling back
on subjective experience or rationalizations, is the first step
towards discovering genuine truth.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Does It Really Matter?
In the long run, does all this really matter? This is a very
important question. To the person who doubts the existence of
God or feels that God is not all that concerned with truth,
probably not. The question of the authenticity of the Book of
Abraham and the exclusive claims of the Mormon Church is, after
all, primarily a religious one, and to those who have no real
doctrine they hold dear, the issue must not seem all that
important. One pleasant life-style may seem every bit as worthy
as another, and if it is well-organized and impressive, so much
the better.
However, the ultimate promise of a religious system lies not in
its life-style -- its buildings, programs, or fraternity -- but
in its ability to reconcile us to God. Mormonism's ability to
meet this need stands or falls with the claim that its
scriptures (including the Book of Abraham) are true revelations
from God. If this claim is false, the system -- no matter how
admirable -- is invalid and misleading. Its promises are empty;
it cannot ''deliver on them.''
Again, this point may not matter to those who do not believe
that there is a God, and that He has a plan for our lives. But
it should matter very much to those who are genuinely trying to
learn and obey God's will.
This book has dealt at some length in previous chapters with
such subjects as accommodation, rationalization, and vested
interests, and discussed ways in which each may have its own
influence upon the Latter-day Saint who has been exposed to
controversy. At this point, however, it might be helpful for the
reader to gain an idea of the extent to which some people can be
affected by such things.
On pages 182-187 there are photostatic reproductions of four
letters, spanning an eight-year period, written by a man named
Thomas Stuart Ferguson. Mr. Ferguson, now deceased, is often
recalled by older Latter-day Saints as a stalwart defender of
the faith who, among other things, established the New World
Archaeological Foundation at Brigham Young University. Ferguson,
once a general officer of BYU's Society for Early Historic
Archaeology, wrote the popular LDS book One Fold and One
Shepherd, and was co-author with Apostle Milton R. Hunter of the
book Ancient America and the Book of Mormon. For many years
Ferguson had attempted to uncover and present proofs for Mormon
claims through the field of archaeology, and had even received
substantial grants from the LDS Church to further these efforts.
Then, in 1968 he was caught up in the Book of Abraham
controversy.
Though excerpts from some of these letters have appeared from
time to time in various printed works during the past several
years, this is the first time these letters have been published
in their entirety.1
One safety net which many Mormons fall back on when confronted
with damaging evidence against their belief-system -- such as
that which the Book of Abraham case presents -- is to reason
along these lines: "if there were really anything wrong,
so-and-so (any of a number of well-known scholars and
intellectuals in the Church) who understands much more about the
subject than I ever will,would have discovered it and left the
Church. But he has not."
The letters of Thomas Stuart Ferguson illustrate the fallacy of
such reasoning, for his study led him to reject Joseph Smith's
claim to divine revelation, though Ferguson kept these
conclusions private. His conclusions were shared with only a few
during his lifetime, and when Ferguson died, it was as a member
in full fellowship of the LDS Church, respected by many who
thought he shared their religious beliefs.
It would be a serious mistake to assume that all, or even most
intelligent Mormons must inevitably fall into Ferguson's
category, for a great many are undeniably sincere in their
beliefs. Still, Ferguson himself placed the number of those who
"enjoy the good things and keep their mouths shut" in the
"thousands."2
To be quite candid, it seems to have become almost fashionable
for many to redefine their principles in a similar way, all in
the high-sounding name of "charity" or "tolerance." Those who
hold to this rather condescending attitude of "keeping up
appearances for the sake of others" seem to feel they are doing
their peers a great favor; protecting them, as it were, from
"the chasm of death and extinction" which they perceive as being
"the real truth."
Unfortunately, their actions run the risk of producing far more
harm than the good they had originally intended. It is
unrealistic to expect people to remain ignorant indefinitely.
When an individual fails to respond openly and honestly to such
a problem it only passes the problem -- and the pain of dealing
with it -- to someone else, multiplying ignorance and hurt in
the process. It is one thing for an insincere person to decide
he enjoys being "comfortable," but quite another when he does so
at the expense of others who are sincere, allowing them to one
day discover they, too, have been deceived.
So much potential pain to loved ones and future generations
could be avoided! How? By placing truth ahead of convenience, by
being honest with ourselves and with others.
The question of meeting challenges to our faith really does
matter, because truth matters. The Bible gives us the promise
that "the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32) -- and that
includes being free from delusion.
There is another kind of freedom we can experience also, and
that is the subject of the next and final chapter.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The Alternative: Biblical Christianity
Charles Larson with Floyd McElveen
I was once asked by a young Mormon whether I personally felt
that Mormonism was "Christian." "I know that all individuals can
be considered separate cases," he told me, "and that only God
can truly judge what is in a person's heart -- but I want to
know if you consider my church to be 'Christian' on your terms,
the same way you think of your church as being 'Christian.' "
What the young man apparently did not know was that I had once
been a believing and dedicated Latter-day Saint myself. After
considering for a moment, I told him that I felt the proportion
of orthodox Christians who considered Mormonism to be Christian
was probably about the same as that of Latter-day Saints who
considered orthodox Christianity acceptable in God's sight.
There was a pause before he responded, and I suspected he was
recalling, as I was, the memorized words of the popular account
of Joseph Smith's First Vision --
" ... My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know
which of all the sects was right . . . I asked the Personages
who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was
right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that
all were wrong) ... I was answered that I must join none of
them, for they were all wrong; and the Personages who addressed
me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight;
that all those professors were corrupt" ... (Pearl of Great
Price, Joseph Smith -- History 1:18,19)
"That was a very good answer," he finally responded, obviously
surprised. So was I. I take no credit for the answer -- I
believe God gave it to me to use at that particular moment.
The fact remains that Latter-day Saints would like very much to
be recognized as part of the Christian community and called by
the label "Christian." This, despite the fact that they consider
orthodox Christians (members of ''the sects," as they call them)
to be in an apostate condition; incomplete at best, corrupt at
worst. The LDS Church holds that the "Apostasy" of Christendom
was the whole reason for the "Restoration" which the teachings
of Mormonism are supposed to represent. Every believing
Latter-day Saint bases his or her acceptance of the Mormon
Church on this premise. Of course the Mormon charge that
orthodox Christianity is apostate assumes that Mormonism is
itself true. But as this book has demonstrated, the evidence
overwhelmingly proves otherwise. However, the Latter-day Saint
who discovers that his organization is not what he thought it
was is not left with only the alternative of a ''chasm of death
and extinction,'' as Ferguson suggested. Biblical Christianity
still remains, waiting to be examined and tested on its own
terms.
However, some people are confused by the different Christian
denominations. ''Why are there so many churches,'' they ask?
''And which is the true Church?'' For want of a better analogy,
this is like shopping for a vase in which to put some flowers,
and, on seeing many different styles of vases, exclaiming, ''But
which is the right vase?''
The fact is that vases can differ a good deal in size and shape,
and still share the essential requirements necessary to hold
flowers. And so it is with the various denominations within
orthodox Christianity. Though they differ a good deal in outward
appearance (secondary doctrinal matters, worship style, etc.),
they share the essentials of biblical Christianity. None of
these denominations is the one true Church. Instead, all true
believers in these various churches are a part of what the New
Testament calls the ''Body of Christ'' (1 Corinthians 12:27;
Ephesians 5:25-32), the Church Universal.
Local Christian congregations are temporal vehicles for worship,
fellowship, and the edification of believers. It is natural that
a Christian will want to become a part of a local assembly of
believers where he find can encouragement and edification, and
Scripture commands us to seek such fellowship (Hebrews 10:25).
However, the Bible makes it clear that a person's salvation is
based on his relationship with Jesus Christ, not membership in a
Christian congregation.
Following is a thumbnail outline of the essential doctrines of
historic, biblical Christianity shared by all orthodox
Christians regardless of denominational labels:
The Bible is God's unique, final, and infallible revelation. It
is this solid foundation of the inspired writings of the
apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:20), on which the Christian
Church was established, Christ himself being the cornerstone.
There is only God (Isaiah 44:6,8) and He has eternally existed
as God (Psalm 90:2). He is the Creator of all things, but is
Himself is self-existent and uncreated.
One biblical passage in which Jesus himself brings together the
teaching of the Old and New Testaments on this point in Mark
12:28-34, where Christ is being questioned by Jewish religious
leaders. One of them asks him, "Which is the greatest
commandment of all?" The Lord Jesus responds by quoting the
great Old Testament confession of faith found in Deuteronomy
6:4,5 -- "The first of all the commandments is, Hear O Israel,
The Lord your God is one Lord." The scribe's response shows both
that he fully endorsed Jesus' answer, and that the Jews
understood the Old Testament passage Jesus had quoted to teach
that there is only one God: "And the scribe said unto him, Well,
Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God, and
there is none other but he." Jesus, in turn, gives his approval
to the scribe's statement of faith: "And when Jesus saw that he
answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the
kingdom of God." (Other important Scriptures that emphasize that
there is only one God include Isaiah 43:10,11; 44:6,8; 45:21,22;
46:9.)
All men are born in a fallen condition, separated from God in
His holiness by the awful moral gulf of sin. God created man in
a state of innocence and fellowship with Himself, but this
fellowship was broken by the sinful disobedience of Adam and
Eve. Their disobedience unleashed the power of sin and death in
the world. All men are thus born with a sinful nature, and will
be judged for the sins they commit (Ezekiel 18:20), unless they
receive God's offer of grace through Jesus Christ. Romans
3:23,24 says that, "All have sinned and come short of the glory
of God; Being freely justified by his grace through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus." God's Word describes us as
"dead in our trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1,5). We can do
nothing through our own works or merit to remedy our separation
from God --dead men are powerless to help themselves.
Holiness and love are equal attributes of God's character. God's
holiness demands that He judge all sin. However, His love has
moved Him to make a gracious provision to save lost mankind.
God's attributes of holiness and love are reflected,
respectively, in the Old Testament moral law (ten commandments)
and ceremonial law (system of animal sacrifices). The moral law
was given to make man aware of his inability to meet the perfect
demands of God's holiness (Romans 5:20; 7:7; Galatians 3:19),
and the ceremonial law was given to point to God's gracious
provision of atonement and reconciliation that was ultimately
accomplished in Jesus Christ, "the Lamb of God who taketh away
the sin of the world" (John 1:29; see also, Hebrews 9:11-14;
10:1-14).
Jesus Christ is God, co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and
the Holy Spirit; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not separate
Gods, but are Persons within the one Tri-une Godhead. As we have
seen, Jesus re-affirmed the Old Testament teaching that there is
only one God. At the same time, the New Testament clarifies what
is hinted at in the Old Testament (Genesis 1:26; 11:7), that
there are three Persons within the one Godhead (Matthew
28:19,20; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Peter 1:2). Therefore, we must
reasonably understand that God is Tri-une.
While never ceasing to be God, at the appointed time the Son
voluntarily laid aside the glory He shared with the Father and
became flesh for our salvation (John 17:4, 5; Galatians 4:4,5;
Philippians 2:6-11). His incarnation was accomplished through
being conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. On the
cross He took the personal sins of all men -- past, present and
future -- in His own body and bore the judgement of God in our
place (1 Peter 2:24). Jesus' atonement was first and foremost a
solution for our sin problem. His shed blood propitiated
(satisfied) the demands of God's holiness (1 John 2:2) and is
the only basis by which God can grant us forgiveness and eternal
salvation.
God who is "rich in mercy" and "not willing that any should
perish," came to reveal His love by identifying with us. Wonder
of wonders, Jesus, the Creator of this universe and of all that
is, fulfilled centuries of prophecy by word and picture.
Millions of lambs were slain on Jewish altars pointing to Him,
the Lamb of God. His blood shed on the cross as He bore your
sins and mine in incredible pain and abandonment by God and man,
forever paid the sin debt, and sin is all that ever has or could
separate us from God. This is nothing left to be done, added or
paid, for our complete and eternal salvation! To infer such is
to cheapen the sacrifice of Jesus as if it were not
all-sufficient (Galatians 2:21), and to minimize His great love.
He did not die just so we would be resurrected from the dead.
All men are resurrected, some to eternal damnation in the Lake
of Fire (John 5:29; Revelation 20:14-15). The brutal, bloody
death of the Son of God on the cross is graphic testimony to the
fact that we are already lost, a condemned race (John 3:18), in
danger night and day of plunging into a lost eternity in Hell.
To be in Hell is to be without hope, without God, in a place of
torment, the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:14-15). The Savior
knows this, He wept for us, as He did over Jerusalem (Luke
19:41-44). He pleads with us to be saved 'now' (2 Corinthians
6:2), as He knows the awfulness of Hell, the urgent need to be
saved from our sinful 'going our own way,' acting as our own
god.
The Savior also longs to dwell in us, to have sweet fellowship
with us. For this we were created. He wants us to bring glory to
Him and to bring others into His kingdom. He longs to shower His
love upon us, but He cannot fellowship with us in our
self-righteousness and sin. He wants us to have a new quality of
life here, with peace, and certainty and joy in Him, and then to
share the glory of Heaven with Him forever. He wants us to
understand that we do not become new creatures by our own
efforts, however 'good' and religious, and then invite Him into
our lives. We are washed from our sins, and made children of God
with a new nature, when enters He our life and we become "new
creatures in Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:17). He wants us to be
absolutely sure that we will go to Heaven, and not to Hell (1
John 5:9-13). No more sorrow, death, tears, parting, heartbreak,
wickedness, war, sin, but instead, incomparable beauty, basking
in His great love and sharing Heaven with Him and all the saved
in His family forever. This is what He died for, shed his blood
in agony for, rose again and conquered death for, to save people
like you and me, now and forever. Oh, how He loves us! The cross
proves that. He wants to give you new life in Him right now.
That is what He wants. What do you want?
Dear reader, by a simple prayer of faith you can make the
decision today to receive God's free offer of salvation.
Recognizing your own helplessness and the precious provision of
Jesus on the cross, you only need to confess your sin and ask
God to forgive you and save you through the shed blood of Jesus
Christ. The Word of God declares,
"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and
shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the
dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto
righteousness; and with the mouth is confession made unto
salvation" (Romans 10:9,10).
The promise of God's Word is clear and certain, "But as many as
received him (Jesus Christ), to them gave he power to become
sons (children) of God, even to them that believe on his name"
(John 1:12). If you agree with what God has said in His Word,
that you are separated from Him by your sin, and you understand
the good news that Jesus Christ died in your place so that you
can be forgiven, why not bow your head right now and ask God to
save you?
The following prayer may help you express your decision to place
you faith completely in Jesus Christ and ask him to save you:
''Dear Lord , I acknowledge before you today that I am a sinner
and fall short of your holy demands. I understand that I need to
be reconciled to you, and that I cannot make myself acceptable
to you through good works. I believe that you love me and sent
Jesus Christ to die on the cross in my place so that through Him
I can be forgiven and accepted by you. Here and now I ask you to
forgive me and save through Jesus Christ. I pray this in Jesus'
name, amen.''
If you have prayed to receive Jesus Christ as your personal
Savior, consider the words of John 6:47 carefully: "Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting
life." Believing, receiving, calling upon, and 'opening the
door' (Revelation 3:20), are expressions used more or less
interchangeably in the Bible. They mean that the kind of heart
(not head) belief which saves is the kind that makes a definite
decision at a point in time to accept, receive, believe in, call
on, Christ.
''He that believeth on the Son, hath (already has) everlasting
life.'' So, what do you have right now, if you truly believed in
Jesus Christ when you called on Him? What kind of life? Where
are you sins? Who has them? Could anyone or anything ever take
this 'everlasting' life from you? Where would you go if you were
to die right now?
If you now realize that Jesus Christ has come into your life,
saved you, and given you everlasting life, if you now know,
based on the Word of God, that if you were to die you would go
to Heaven to be with the Lord Jesus Christ, please bow your head
and thank Him for saving your soul. Then tell others you have
been saved by simply trusting Jesus Christ, and begin
immediately a life of obedience to Him. This will demonstrate
the reality of your salvation.
If you are still in doubt, you may not really be believing Him,
and He only saves by faith. Or, you may not understand. Or, you
may be clinging to some sin, or some false teaching that you are
unwilling to turn over to Jesus.
Most likely, however, you are waiting for some 'feeling' to
confirm your salvation. We are not saved by feelings, but by
faith in Jesus, and in what God's Word says about saving us when
we trust Him. Feelings come and go, but resting in God's Word is
what gives permanent assurance of our salvation. To call on
Jesus to save us, and then to wonder if He did, means we are
doubting His integrity. In essence, this makes God a liar -- 1
John 5:10. It also casts doubt on His love. Would He love you
enough to die for you in sheer torture and blood, and the turn
you down when you call on Him to save you?
Feelings are important -- God gave us emotions, but never is our
salvation to be based on feelings. They are too untrustworthy,
deceitful at times, and fluctuate too much. Our salvation is
based on the Word of God. The Spirit of God acts on the Word of
God as we trust Jesus, to bring about the new birth in our
hearts (1 Peter 1:23; Romans 10:17).
If an honest man promises us $1000 simply for the asking, and we
do ask him for the $1000, he must give the money to us,
regardless of how we feel or don't feel, or any other
considerations. God is more honest than any man. If you asked
Jesus to save you, you can know, based on His promise, that you
have Jesus and His salvation.
Finally, knowing you are saved, because God said so, will time
and again bring great joy and peace into your heart! You can
memorize John 6:47 and Romans 10:13, and use them as a soft
pillow for a tired head for the rest of your life, knowing, that
if you were to die, you would go to heaven to be with Jesus
Christ forever. Keep the order straight: Fact, faith, and
feelings. Sometimes, God withdraws all feelings, so we can
develop and walk by faith. Then the joy in Him eventually is
increased.
Rejoice in Him and His salvation, and live obediently for Him
the rest of your life. Read the Bible, pray, serve Him in
church, and love Him with all your heart.
If you would like further counsel on this matter, or if you have
questions about anything discussed in the book, you are
cordially invited to contact the publisher:
Institute for Religious Research
1340 Monroe Ave., NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49505-4604
U.S.A.
Suggested further reading: John R. Stott, Basic Christianity, C.
S. Lewis, Mere Christianity , J. I. Packer, Knowing God.