God is love. He teaches His people in the way they should go. This includes love, compassion, discipline, self-control, and other fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). For people today, we are to test prophecy and people claiming to speak on behalf of God. The LDS claims that their founder, Joseph Smith, was a prophet. If he was, then he would live in submission to Christ's commandments. Does he do this? Did Joseph Smith live in submission to the commands of Christ?
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According to LDS history, Joseph Smith was a polygamist. Furthermore, he taught that he and his fellow leaders were essentially receiving special treatment from God in this matter. "the Prophet, over a period of years, cautiously taught the doctrine to some close associates. Eventually, he and a small number of Church leaders entered into plural marriages in the early years of the Church." - http://www.lds.org/topics/polygamy-plural-marriage?lang=eng
Today, this practice is no longer practiced by the LDS church: "Since that time, plural marriage has not been approved by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and any member adopting this practice is subject to losing his or her membership in the Church."
Does this behavior reflect a prophet of God? Is he living in submission to the Jesus, the Word of God? Christ, speaking through Paul, said:
1Co 14:37 If anyone thinks to be a prophet, or a spiritual one, let him recognize the things I write to you, that they are a commandment of the Lord.
If anyone thins they are a prophet or would claim that title, then they should acknowledge that Paul is speaking the commands of God. What does God say about this matter?
1Ti 3:2 Then it behooves the overseer to be without reproach, husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, well-ordered, hospitable, apt at teaching,
God commands that church leaders are to be the husband of one wife. This doctrine of one husband and one wife is the Biblical ideal. For the sake of establishing everything by the word of two or more witnesses (2 Corinthians 13:1), I shall review a few more passages.
Mat 19:4 And He answered and said to them, Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning "made them male and female",
In this passage, Jesus is discussing divorce. Here, he calls upon the original account of creation for authority. His point is that God's plan for His people is for one man and one wife to enter into marriage. Jesus does not allow for multiple wives in this passage. This is a consistent theme throughout scripture.
1Co 7:1 Now concerning what you wrote to me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.
Notice again that the tone is singular. There is to be a single husband and a single wife.
Mar 10:2 And tempting Him, the Pharisees came to Him and asked Him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife?
This is another account of Jesus teaching the doctrine. Here he further says that if a man marries another, it is adultery. You can not say that it is adultery because the previous wife was divorced. The Pharisee’s argument was that the second marriage was made legitimate by the act of divorce. Jesus is saying the divorcing the first woman does not take away the sinfulness of the second marriage.
The reason I make this point:
2Ti 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
These scriptures are valuable for the purpose of establishing doctrine. The reason for learning from the scriptures is so that every person who follows God may be established in righteousness. This righteousness is not random. It is defined by the Bible. The claim by Smith is that he and a select group of people essentially got a free pass to ignore the rules. That God sometimes allows special circumstances for special people who don't have to obey the commands other people have to live by. Why am I belaboring this point?
and
2Ti 2:13 If we do not believe Him, yet He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.
Joseph Smith's argument completely rests on God treating Smith and his followers differently from the rest of the church. It also requires God deny His own commands. God does not do this. Furthermore, the teaching is completely based on extra biblical sources, and is completely based on anecdotal occurrences of men in the Old Testament. God never commanded a single man in the Bible to take more than one wife and, in fact, Jesus says: "He wrote you this precept because of the hardness of your hearts. " Mark 10:5
Rom 15:4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, so that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope
The events in the Old Testament were written for our instruction and learning. Their mistakes and triumphs were both recorded so we can learn. We no longer live under the Old Testament. We live under the New. So even if Smith's teaching was plausible under the Old Testament, it is no longer valid for our age.
Return to Mormon Main
According to LDS history, Joseph Smith was a polygamist. Furthermore, he taught that he and his fellow leaders were essentially receiving special treatment from God in this matter. "the Prophet, over a period of years, cautiously taught the doctrine to some close associates. Eventually, he and a small number of Church leaders entered into plural marriages in the early years of the Church." - http://www.lds.org/topics/polygamy-plural-marriage?lang=eng
Today, this practice is no longer practiced by the LDS church: "Since that time, plural marriage has not been approved by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and any member adopting this practice is subject to losing his or her membership in the Church."
Does this behavior reflect a prophet of God? Is he living in submission to the Jesus, the Word of God? Christ, speaking through Paul, said:
1Co 14:37 If anyone thinks to be a prophet, or a spiritual one, let him recognize the things I write to you, that they are a commandment of the Lord.
If anyone thins they are a prophet or would claim that title, then they should acknowledge that Paul is speaking the commands of God. What does God say about this matter?
1Ti 3:2 Then it behooves the overseer to be without reproach, husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, well-ordered, hospitable, apt at teaching,
God commands that church leaders are to be the husband of one wife. This doctrine of one husband and one wife is the Biblical ideal. For the sake of establishing everything by the word of two or more witnesses (2 Corinthians 13:1), I shall review a few more passages.
Mat 19:4 And He answered and said to them, Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning "made them male and female",
Mat 19:5 and said, For this cause a man shall leave father and mother and shall cling to his wife, and the two of them shall be one flesh?
Mat 19:6 Therefore they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.
In this passage, Jesus is discussing divorce. Here, he calls upon the original account of creation for authority. His point is that God's plan for His people is for one man and one wife to enter into marriage. Jesus does not allow for multiple wives in this passage. This is a consistent theme throughout scripture.
1Co 7:1 Now concerning what you wrote to me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.
1Co 7:2 But, because of the fornications, let each have his own wife, and let each have her own husband.
1Co 7:3 Let the husband give to the wife proper kindness, and likewise the wife also to the husband.
Notice again that the tone is singular. There is to be a single husband and a single wife.
Mar 10:2 And tempting Him, the Pharisees came to Him and asked Him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife?
Mar 10:3 And He answered and said to them, What did Moses command you?
Mar 10:4 And they said, Moses allowed a bill of divorce to be written, and to put her away.
Mar 10:5 And Jesus answered and said to them, He wrote you this precept because of the hardness of your hearts.
Mar 10:6 But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.
Mar 10:7 For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother and shall cleave to his wife.
Mar 10:8 And the two of them shall be one flesh. So then they are no longer two, but one flesh.
Mar 10:9 Therefore what God has joined together, let not man put apart.
Mar 10:10 And in the house His disciples asked Him again about the same.
Mar 10:11 And He said to them, Whoever shall put away his wife and marries another commits adultery against her.
Mar 10:12 And if a woman shall put away her husband and marries to another, she commits adultery.
The reason I make this point:
2Ti 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
2Ti 3:17 that the man of God may be perfected, thoroughly furnished to every good work.
These scriptures are valuable for the purpose of establishing doctrine. The reason for learning from the scriptures is so that every person who follows God may be established in righteousness. This righteousness is not random. It is defined by the Bible. The claim by Smith is that he and a select group of people essentially got a free pass to ignore the rules. That God sometimes allows special circumstances for special people who don't have to obey the commands other people have to live by. Why am I belaboring this point?
Act 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth and said, Truly I see that God is no respecter of persons;
and
2Ti 2:13 If we do not believe Him, yet He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.
Joseph Smith's argument completely rests on God treating Smith and his followers differently from the rest of the church. It also requires God deny His own commands. God does not do this. Furthermore, the teaching is completely based on extra biblical sources, and is completely based on anecdotal occurrences of men in the Old Testament. God never commanded a single man in the Bible to take more than one wife and, in fact, Jesus says: "He wrote you this precept because of the hardness of your hearts. " Mark 10:5
Rom 15:4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, so that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope
The events in the Old Testament were written for our instruction and learning. Their mistakes and triumphs were both recorded so we can learn. We no longer live under the Old Testament. We live under the New. So even if Smith's teaching was plausible under the Old Testament, it is no longer valid for our age.
Return to Mormon Main
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