Principles of the Gospel as Found in the Bible

RESPONDING TO CONCERNS WHILE TEACHING THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS

BY ELDER JOSEPH BARTHOLOMEW

Introduction
I have been a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for a little over nine months,
and have given myself to serious study of the gospel for about two years. I will not profess to be some
master theologian, however, one of the talents I feel I have been given from the Lord is knowledge of
the scriptures. Memorizing scriptures, knowing where things are in the standard works and so on have
come easier for me than for most people. Writing this, I feel, is part of developing that talent. I honestly
am writing this more for myself than anyone else. I hope that those reading this will be able to get
something out of it. In this guide, we will take a look at our doctrines, proving them with the Bible. We
will also look at common objections and responses. This guide is intended more for missionaries
(although I hope a general audience will find it useful as well), and following that, we will follow the
order of the first three lessons as found in Preach My Gospel, then go onto other objections people may
have.

Resolving Concerns
Let's first talk about the practice of resolving concerns, and how it differs from Bible bashing. People are
naturally curious about us and our church; many of them have questions about us and our beliefs. A lot
of the time, these questions are well mannered and deserve a good, scripturally based answer. Other
times, these questions are intended to lead you to a false conclusion and tear down your faith. When
encountering "Bible bashers", you must be on your toes, and usually it's most effective to not engage at
all. As a missionary serving in the heart of the Bible Belt, I have had more than my fair share of chances
to bash. I have found it almost entirely ineffective as well as physically, emotionally and spiritually
exhausting. Towards the beginning of my mission, I thought that if I acquired the scriptural knowledge
to not make a fool of myself in a bash, then I would enjoy bashing more. This turned out to be an
entirely false precept. The degree that I knew the scriptures had absolutely no bearing on how much I
enjoyed bashing. There have only been a handful of times that I felt like bashing was not a complete
waste of time. The practice of "Bible bashing" is not without scriptural precedent, however.
The.following are quotes and scriptures about this practice and when it is appropriate:

“If a situation arises in which the Elders cannot in honor refuse a challenge to debate an issue, as when
by withdrawing from the discussion they would lose their investigators, then it may be proper to go
ahead and engage in the debate or discussion. In such instances, if the Elders are as informed as they
should be, they always come off victorious. The truth is with the Saints and the truth will stand of its own
self.” Elder Bruce R. McConkie

Additionally, we read this counsel in D&C 71: 7-10

7 Wherefore, confound your enemies; call upon them to meet you both in public and in private; and
inasmuch as ye are faithful their shame shall be made manifest.
8 Wherefore, let them bring forth their strong reasons against the Lord.
9 Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you—there is no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper;
10 And if any man lift his voice against you he shall be confounded in mine own due time.

D&C 18:20 Contend against no church, save it be the church of the devil.

Please keep in mind the difference between bashing and resolving concerns. You'll have a much higher
success rate doing the latter. Your goal should be to win hearts, not arguments.

So, with that in mind Elders and sisters, let's get into it!

God is our Loving Heavenly Father

Let's briefly talk about how our view is different than a lot of Christianity. As you already know, we differ
from the rest of Christianity in our view of the Godhead. We believe that God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy
Ghost are separate, but we also differ in other ways. A lot of Christianity takes the view that we are not
literal spirit children of God. They believe that the scriptures found in Isaiah 64:8 and similar verses
mean that we are God’s creations and only metaphorically children. What the Bible and restored
doctrine teaches is that we are literal spirit children of God. It is vital that they understand this. Later on,
we will address the other objections that come along with this. Specifically, refuting the trinity doctrine,
God having a physical body, and becoming like Gods.

Objecting scriptures: Genesis 2:7, Isaiah 64:8, Galatians 3:26

Scriptures to resolve and teach

Romans 8:16-17 The spirit bears witness that we are children of God
Acts 17:27-29 We are the offspring of God
Psalm 82:6 Ye are gods, children of the most high
1 John 4:8 God is Love
John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world...
Hebrews 12:9 listen to the Father of spirits
Matthew 7:9-11 If we being evil know how to give good gifts, how much more does our Father
in Heaven know how to

Gospel Blesses Individuals and Families

I've personally never gotten an objection on this one, but here are some scriptures regardless
1 Peter 1:8 belief brings joy
Matthew 13:20 receiving the word brings joy

Heavenly Father reveals his gospel in every dispensation

People typically don’t have problems with this principle in my experience. Here are some scriptures
about prophets you can use when you teach.

Amos 3:7 God will do nothing... his servants the prophets

Numbers 12:6- God chooses his prophets and speaks with them
Ezekiel 3:16-17 prophets warn people about things to come
Exodus 4:12 the Lord gives prophets the words they are to say.
The Saviors Earthly Ministry and Atonement
Now we start to get into some principles that people do have problems with. Really no one is going to
argue that Christ came to suffer and die for us, but they will argue that Christ didn't establish a Church.
But first, let's briefly talk about Christ’s Atonement, then we will talk about his Church.

Atonement
John 3:16-17 For God so loved...
Romans 5:11 the only instance of the word atonement in reference to Christ’s sacrifice
Matthew 20:28 Christ came to give his life a ransom for many

Christ’s Church
A lot of Christianity teach that Christ didn’t establish a church. I hear this often from Pentecostals. They
teach that the Apostles established the first church, and that they did that on the day of Pentecost in
Acts chapter 2. First off, we will discuss the errors in that view, then we will discuss the aspects of
Christ’s Church. In Acts 2:41 it simply says that they added to the church on the day of Pentecost, not
started. This implies that the church was already around.

To prove that Christ established a church, show them Matthew 18:15-17, where Christ instructs His
Apostles to tell things to the Church. What this establishes is that in Christ’s time, there was a Church
that He established and his Apostles were part of that Church. Additionally, Ephesians 4:11-14 outlines
some of the aspects of Christ’s Church. We will talk about those aspects and that scripture again in a
minute. What I want to focus on are two key phrases here. One is "and He gave some" and the other is
"for the perfecting of the saints." Why the first is important is that it tells us that Christ set up these
aspects, and he tells us why in the second phrase. "For the perfecting of the saints" explains that the it
was for the Saints, or members of the Church (see 1 Corinthians 1:2, Ephesians 1:1). So, Christ set up
these different positions to help the members of the Church during his mortal ministry. Let's look at
some of the aspects of the Church he set up:

Ephesians 2:19-20 built on the foundation of Prophets, apostles

Ephesians 4:11-14 Prophets, apostles, evangelists, teachers.

Another note on this scripture. Some people will tell you (including some Catholics) that apostles and
prophets were temporary positions not meant to be there for long, but let's look at verse 13 "till we all
come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God." This very clearly explains that
apostles and prophets were there for much longer than just the first bit of Christ’s church. We have
never come in a unity of the faith; therefore, we still need apostles and prophets. You could also bring
up how important apostles were to the early church, and they did their best to maintain the quorum of
12 by calling more apostles when one died.

Acts 1:23-26 Matthias is ordained to replace Judas Iscariot

Acts 13:1-3 Paul and Barnabas called as apostles, set apart by laying on of hands
Galatians 1:19 James Christ's brother
The Great Apostacy
The apostacy of the early Christian church is a touchy subject for some, especially Catholics, who teach
that there was no apostacy. Other churches teach that there was no apostacy because there was no
church to apostasize from. Since we’ve already established that there was a church, let's talk about the
Catholics argument. A quick note on Catholics before we do that though. In my experience, many
Catholics aren’t practicing and don’t know their own theology well enough to even try to argue with
you. They typically respond "Oh, I'm Catholic" when you try to say anything, because apparently that's
the end all argument against listening to us.

What the Catholic church teaches is that there was no apostacy. Peter was the first Pope, and he gave
the authority to Pope Linus, who gave it to the next Pope and to the next and so on. Let's quickly discuss
the only scripture they might pull on you:

Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my
church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

What they'll claim is that Peter is the rock that he will build his church, and that the gates of hell
wouldn't prevail against the church, so there could be no apostacy. We see this differently. The rock that
he was referencing here was revelation, not Peter. If you read this scripture in context, it’s talking about
how Peter knew Christ was the son of God because of revelation. Then Christ says, “And I say also unto
thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock [revelation] I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall
not prevail against it.” He doesn't say "thou art Peter, and I will build my church on you". Additionally,
we get clarification on what the rock is in 1 Corinthians 10:4. Christ is the Rock, and he leads by
revelation. Additionally, Peter could not have possibly been the rock or foundation. As we read in 1
Corinthians 3:11 there is no other foundation besides Christ.

Now, let's further approach the Catholic view, then talk about the actual great apostacy. Catholicism
claims that after Pope Peter, Pope Linus was God’s chosen leader for the whole church in about 67 AD.
If Linus was the one to preside over the whole church, it would be hard to understand why it was John
that was receiving revelation for the church at about 98 AD on the island of Patmos.

Below are some scriptures that discuss the apostacy.

Ephesians 2:19-20 foundation of prophets, apostles, Jesus Christ. Connect that with Matthew
24:9-11 where Christ says the apostles will be killed. That foundation fell.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 before the second coming there must be a following away
Amos 8:11-12 famine of hearing the word of God. (Some will claim this is talking about the 400
year gap between Malachi and Matthew, but most won’t)
2 Timothy 3:1-8 prophecy of what the apostacy will look like
Jeremiah 23:1-4, 21 woe to the pastors, prophets that destroy the sheep of my pasture
Acts 20:28-30 people will rise up and try to get their own followers

The Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the

Prophet Joseph Smith
This principle is a hinge point. This point often makes or breaks the lesson. Let's talk about the
objections people will bring up with this principle.

1. “No one can see God face to face.”

This false concept comes from the following scriptures.
Exodus 33:20 No man can see me and live
John 1:18 No man hath at any time seen God.
John 6:46 No one has seen the Father unless he is of God

Let's respond to those scriptures. First, take Exodus 33:20. If you look back at verse 11, it reads, "And
the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend". So if God spoke to Moses
face to face in verse 11, verse 20 can’t mean that no one can ever see God. You can’t get too much
clearer than that. While we're at it, let's talk about other people who saw God face to face.

Genesis 32:30 Jacob (Israel) sees God face to face

Numbers 12:6, 8 God appears and speaks to prophets mouth to mouth
Deuteronomy 34:10 Moses (again)

Now let's look at the scripture in John 1:18. To respond to that, let's look at John 6:46 which clarifies it
by saying "save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father". Now let's turn to 3 John 1:11 to find out
what it means to be "of God". In 3 John 1:11, we read "Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that
which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God."

After all this, we clearly see that people can see God face to face and not die.

2. There are no more prophets and/or John (the Baptist) was the last prophet.
This objection comes from a few scriptures. Matthew 11:13 and Luke 16:16 both basically say that the
law and prophets were until John. Additionally, Hebrews 1:1-2 basically says that God spoke to men by
prophets in times of old, but in these last days has spoken to us by his Son.

To counter the scriptures in Matthew and Luke, explain that this is referring to the way prophets in the
Old Testament and through John spoke about the Law of Moses. Now that Christ has come, He explains
that He is the end of the Law of Moses and He speaks for God. Notice that these come from the Gospels,
where the Savior is physically on the earth.

For both the Scriptures in the gospels and the one in Hebrews, I would suggest the following passages.

Amos 3:7 Surely the Lord God will do nothing...

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.

If God worked through prophets in the past, wouldn't he work through prophets now?
You could also go the following route to prove that there were prophets after Christ.

Luke 11:49 tells us that Christ will send prophets and apostles, and they will be rejected.
Ephesisans 4:11-14 tells us that Christ called prophets in his church.
Revelation 11:3, 7-10 also tell us that before the second coming, two prophets will be killed in
Jerusalem
Acts 13:1, Acts 15:32, Acts 11:27-28 These show prophets called after Christ’s death
3. The next objection you might have thrown your way is that no restoration was prophesied of .
This is wrong. Let's prove why.

Acts 3:19-21 tells us that there will be a time of refreshing and restitution
Ephesians 1:10 tells us of a dispensation of the fullness of times
Malachi 4:5-6 tells us that Elijah the prophet will come in the last days and fill a special role
Revelation 14:6 tells us John saw an angel will the fullness of the everlasting gospel to preach.

Why would there be an angel with the fullness of the gospel if it wasn’t going to be lost? Modern-day
revelation has revealed that this angel was Moroni, who had the fullness of the everlasting gospel
(including the Book of Mormon) that has been brought forth and preached of.

People may also ask where Joseph Smith's name is in the Bible if he was so important. Simply ask them
to point out where Jesus Christ's name was in the Old Testament, and they won’t be able to find it.

Another objection that may come up about the Angel Moroni is a scripture in Galatians 1:8 which says
"But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have
preached unto you, let him be accursed."
To respond to this objection, you have a few options.

1. Ask what other gospel did the angel Moroni preach? (The answer is that he didn’t teach a
different gospel)
2. Point out in Revelation 1:1, John has an angel teach him (there are also many other passages
about the visitation of angels in the New Testament)
3. Point out the context of the scripture. Paul was writing this epistle because the people
weren't teaching correct doctrine and apostacy was creeping into the church. What he was
saying is not to listen to those teaching false doctrines, no matter how grand their claims were.
He was not saying that revelation was bad, because he says in verse 12 of that that chapter that
he learned the gospel through revelation.

The Book of Mormon

Here are some common objections people have about the Book of Mormon.

1. Revelation 22:18-19 basically says to not add or take away from the words of this book, and
that if you do, God will take your name out of the book of life. This is a classic objection, and the
people that typically use this scripture usually think they know enough to make good arguments,
however the fact that they tried using this scripture reveals how little they know. People that actually
know what they're talking about don’t use this scripture because they know how illogical it is to do so.
There are several different routes of responding to that scripture.

1. Deuteronomy 4:2, Deuteronomy 12:32, and Proverbs 30:5-6 all say the same thing- that you
shouldn't add or take away from these words. If the person that presented you with this
scripture is philosophically consistent, then their argument would mean that everything after
Deuteronomy is false and they're stuck living the Law of Moses. Explain that each book was
once independent and the warning refers simply to that particular book or scroll.
 2. The Book of Revelation was written before the Gospel of John and 1st, 2nd and 3rd John. If
that scripture meant that anything written after it is false, that would make the Gospel of John,
as well as 1st, 2nd and 3rd John false. Once again explain that the scripture is just referring to
the sanctity of that particular book.
3. Ask them what book the warning in Revelation is referring to. They will probably say "the
Bible." That would be plausible, but the Bible wasn’t compiled until the fourth century, so there
is no way that this could have been referring to the Bible because the Bible wasn’t around until
over 300 years later. Before then, there were just individual scrolls or manuscripts of individual
writing, and there was no central cannon. So, it would follow that this scripture could only be
referring to the Book of Revelation, not the whole Bible as we know it today.

2. Another objection is the claim that there’s no scriptures in the Bible where that the Book of Mormon
is referred to. Let's discuss where it is prophesied of.

Ezekiel 37:16-18 stick of Judah (Bible) stick of Ephraim (Book of Mormon)

Isaiah 29:4, 11-18 a book of speaking out of the dust, brings it to one learned and he isnt able to
read it because its sealed- that person was Charles Anthon read JSH 1:63-65
John 10:16 Other sheep I have... they shall hear my voice. This scripture is talking about the
sheep in America. Some will claim that this scripture is talking about the Gentiles, not the people
in America, but this is mistaken. Christ never visited the Gentiles, so they couldn't be the people
he was referring to.
Psalm 85:11 truth shall spring forth pit of the ground

Pray to know the truth through the Holy Ghost

Most people don’t have objections to this point. Some may pull Jeremiah 17:9 that basically says that
the heart is deceitful. But that argument doesn't hold much, if any, weight. Here are some scriptures I
like to use about the Holy Ghost in the Bible:

John 14:26 the Holy ghost will teach you all things
Matthew 7:7-8 ask, seek, knock
James 1:5 if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God
1 Kings 19:11-12 God speaks in a still, small voice

The plan of salvation

Like the restoration, this message is very unique to us. I'm my experience, this lesson, perhaps above all
others, needs to have scriptures to back it up. The scriptures and the spirit will be your best tools in this
lesson. Just about every point of this lesson is unique to us, so gird up your loins because we're about to
get into it!

Pre-Mortal Life
Right off the bat, we enter some interesting territory. Teaching a pre-mortal existence is a damnable
heresy in the Catholic church, but luckily for us, the concept of a pre-mortal existence is taught all over
in the Bible. We’ll look first at some of the scriptures used as an objection to the concept, and then
those that support it.

Zechariah 12:1 says that the spirit of man is formed within us

Genesis 2:7 says that God created man THEN breathed his spirit into him (People use this
scripture to argue that there is no pre-earth life, but nowhere in it does it state that the spirit
didn’t exist before.

First, before explaining pre-mortal life, you may need to establish two important doctrines. The first
being that we our body and spirit are two different things. To do this, use the following scriptures.

Job 32:8 there is a spirit in man

James 2:26 death is the separation of body and spirit
1 Corinthians 2:11 the spirit of man is inside of us and helps us understand eternal principles
Luke 8:52-55 when Christ raised the young girl from the dead, her spirit came back to her body

The second important doctrine to establish is that our spirit's father is God. To prove this, use the
following scriptures.

Romans 8:16 the spirit bears witness to our spirit that we are children of God
Hebrews 12:9 give reverence to the father of spirits (God)
Acts 17:29 we are the offspring of God

Now that you've established those two important concepts, you can go on to explain premortal life with
the following scriptures.

Jeremiah 1:4-5 before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee. Some will say that this scripture
simply means that God knew of Jeremiah, but the scriptures says that he "knew" him. How
could he have known Jeremiah if Jeremiah hadn't already existed?
Job 1:6 the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord.
Job 38:4-7 the Lord asks Job where he was when he laid the foundations of the world, when all
the sons of God shouted for joy. This scripture proves we were around a long time before we
were born.
John 3:13 no one can go up to heaven unless he comes down. So, we were in heaven before
Proverbs 8:22-31 this scripture talks about how even before the creation, we were with God. I
love this scripture, it's actually one of my favorites to use because it so clearly and beautifully
demonstrates where we were before this life
Ecclesiastes 12:7 the spirit will return to the God who gave it life. You can’t exactly return to
somewhere you haven't already been.
John 9:1-3 the disciples ask Christ if a man who had been blind since birth sinned to bring upon
himself his blindness. Christ doesn't tell his apostles that he couldn't have sinned, but instead
Christ tells them that it was so God could show forth his power. Christ didn’t correct them and
say that he couldn't have sinned. This man was blind from birth, therefore, there was
opportunity for him to sin before coming to the earth. The very nature of the apostle’s question
implies an understanding of premortal life.
These are just a few of the scriptures that I like to use. There are plenty more out there though.

The creation
Most people think that God alone created the world. They use these scriptures to make their point.
Genesis 1:1 in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth
Genesis 2:7 the Lord God formed man

Scriptures that you can use to teach:

Ephesians 3:9 God created all things by Jesus Christ. I like this scripture because of how clear
and concise it it. It leaves little room for interpretation
John 1:1-3, 10-14 the "Word" created all things, the "Word" is Christ.
Hebrews 1:2 Christ created the worlds

Agency and the fall of Adam and Eve

This is a hard one to teach without 2 Nephi 2. For this one, use the Spirit, some scriptures and
philosophical theology to teach this. The main objection to this doctrine is the mistaken idea that we are
teaching that sinning is a good thing. The way that I have found the most success explaining the fall
from the Bible is to explain that in the garden of Eden, they didn’t have the knowledge to know right
from wrong (Genesis 3:5), they couldn't have children (Genesis 2:25 Adam and Eve were naked and not
ashamed, so no worldly lusts, no children), and that for then to progress, they had to partake of the
fruit. God knew that they were going to partake of the fruit, so he provided a way for them to overcome
the effects if the fall, and that way is Christ, who was foreordained from the foundation of the world to
be the savior (1 Peter 1:18-20).

Our life on earth

On this point, you typically won’t encounter too much opposition. Most of the objections are about
accountability, which we will cover in the Gospel of Jesus Christ section. The biblical scriptures I like to
teach about our life on earth are:
Joshua 24:15 Choose you this day who you will serve
Matthew 16:24 Christ invites us to pick up our cross and follow him
1 Kings 18:21 if the Lord be God, follow Him
Deuteronomy 30:19-20 we have life and death before us, a blessing and a cursing, the Lord
wants us to choose life by obeying His voice

The Atonement of Jesus Christ

You don’t really get too many objections on this point. Below are some nice scriptures to use anyway.
Acts 4:12 Christ is the only name that salvation comes by
John 3:16-17 God sent his Son to save us
Hebrews 5:9 Christ, being made perfect, became the author of salvation

The Spirit World

Most of Christianity teaches very little about what happens between death and resurrection. Those that
do discuss it usually teach that when people die, they simply go to sleep until the resurrection. About
the only verse they have to support this is 1st Thessalonians 4:14 that says that believers sleep in Christ.
However, this concept is simply mistaken. Let's look at why.
 Matthew 17:1-5 Moses and Elias were speaking on the Mount of Transfiguration. Moses and
Elias had been dead for a long time, yet they sure aren’t asleep in this passage.
1 Peter 3:18-20, 4:6 Christ preached to the spirits in prison while he was in the tomb. He did this
because you can’t be judged on something you don’t know. This is a really good spirit world
scripture.
Luke 23:43 and John 20:17 the scripture in Luke has Christ telling the thief next to him that
today, the thief will be with him in paradise, but as we learn in John, three days later, Christ
hadn't yet ascended to the Father. So what was he doing during those three days? Like we read
in 1 Peter, he was teaching in the spirit world.
Isaiah 24:22 after many days, the prisoners of the pit will be visited. This visitation is that of
Christ in 1 Peter.

Resurrection
The promised resurrection of a physical body is one that isn’t taught in a lot of churches. Many churches
teach that the resurrection is solely of a spiritual nature. Here are the scriptures that they may use to try
to disprove our belief in a physical resurrection.
1 Corinthians 15:50 flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven
1 Corinthians 15:42-44 we will be resurrected to a spiritual body

And here are scriptures to combat those.

Job 19:26 in my flesh, I shall see God
Philippians 3:20-21 Christ will change our vile body to be like his glorious body. What is his
glorious body like? Let's take a look at the next scripture:
Luke 24:36-39 Christ’s resurrected body was of flesh and bone, and a few verses later, in verses
41-43, He ate food. Then in verse 51, He was carried into heaven. He didn’t go behind a
mountain and dump his body or anything. With his physical body, He ascended into heaven.
What's more is that in Acts 1:11, we know He is going to return the same way He went up, that
is, with a physical body.
Romans 6:5 we will be resurrected in the likeness of Christ’s resurrection (so, as we've
established, with a physical body)

Judgement
A lot of the objections regarding judgement are about accountability, which we will cover more in depth
in the Gospel of Jesus Christ section. For now, let's talk about the objections people have.
Romans 10:9, 13 if you call on the name of the Lord, you will be saved
John 3:15 whoever believes will be saved

Various other scriptures that say similar things. Now, let's talk about why their interpretations of these
scriptures are incomplete.

Matthew 7:21-23 those that simply call on the name of the Lord will not enter into the kingdom
of heaven, but those that do the will of the Father will
Revelation 20:12 we will be judged according to our works
John 5:22 Christ, not God will judge us
2 Corinthians 5:10 we will be judged on what we did
Matthew 16:27 when Christ comes again, He will reward every man according to his works
 Ecclesiastes 12:14 God will bring all works, good and bad into judgement

Degrees of glory
Ah yes, this is probably the most contested point of doctrine out there. You really should never teach
this principle without a scripture. Here are the 3 I use. I won’t even get into objecting scriptures,
because they will pull from anywhere it says heaven, and the Bible says that a lot.
John 14:2-3 many mansions in my Father's house
1 Corinthians 15:40-42 bodies of the glory of sun, moon and stars
2 Corinthians 12:2 a man caught up to the third heaven

The Gospel of Jesus Christ

This message is not entirely unique to us like the past two, however, views on what's required to make it
back to our Heavenly Father vary greatly, so it is imperative to know how to teach from the scriptures
this doctrine.

Accountability, faith, grace

These aren’t principles outlined in Preach my Gospel, but these ideas should be discussed before we talk
about the rest of them. Most objections regarding this lesson follow the lines of whether or not we are
going to be held accountable for our actions, if all of us are going to be "saved", and if we are saved by
simply calling on the name of the Lord. The roots of this doctrine go deep, and have a lot to do with the
reformation movement. There are two reigning philosophies regarding this, sola fide and sola gratia,
that is, only by faith, or only by grace. This is the idea that faith and/or grace alone save us. Nothing
that we do, that the Church does or anything else saves us. Therefore, baptism, repentance and so on is
not necessary. There’s a lot more to it than that, but this will suffice as a summary. Those who adhere
to this idea may cite the following scriptures.
Ephesians 2:8-9 by grace ye are saved through faith
John 3:15 whoever believes will have eternal life
Romans 10:9, 13 if you confess that Jesus is the Lord, you'll be saved
Romans 11:6 if we're saved by grace, we can’t be saved by works, otherwise grace wouldn't be
grace. Something to note here is that the works talked about here are the works of the Law of
Moses. Keep that in mind when presented with other scriptures about how works are done
away or not necessary, because lots of them are taking about the Law of Moses.
Galatians 2:16, 21 we are justified only by faith and grace, not works

Now, let's examine first the idea that confessing the Lord is all you need to do to be saved.
Matthew 7:21-23 Not everyone that says Lord, Lord will go to heaven, only those that do the will
of the Father
Phillipians 2:10-11 (see also Hebrews 14:11) every knee shall bow to Christ and confess to God.
You can point out that in this way, everyone will be saved. Then take the opportunity to talk
about the difference between salvation and exaltation. Preach My Gospel explains it in detail,
but I will summarize. Salvation means that because of Jesus Christ and His grace, all will be
resurrected (1 Corinthians 15:20-22), and receive a perfect, immortal body. But our works
determine where we spend eternity. (Revelation 20:12). Exaltation is to be with God and Christ
 and know them perfectly (John 17:3). There are different degrees of glory according to our
works (1 Corinthians 15:40-42). For more clarification on the glory of the sun, see Matthew
13:43.

Now we will examine scriptures that disprove sola fide:

James 2:14-26 famous faith without works is dead verses. Some people won’t even listen to
anything from the Book of James because it is so contrary to their views. Martin Luther called it
the "Epistle of straw" because it so greatly disagreed with his theology of sola fide. If they won’t
listen to James, ask them why they reject it. Don’t just take their "Oh, James thinks you can earn
your way to heaven", and move on. If you need a scripture to back up the sanctity of his words,
use 2 Timothy 3:16-17, which says that scripture is supposed to lead to good works.
Revelation 20:12 judged according to our works
Matthew 16:27 at Christ’s 2nd coming, we will be rewarded according to our works
Psalms 62:12 God will render to us according to our works

The divine mission of Jesus Christ

Not many people have objections to this one. Nevertheless, there are excellent Biblical scriptures about
Christ’s mission.
John 3:16-17 for God so loved the world
Matthew 1:21 Christ came to cleanse us from sin
Matthew 20:28 Christ came to give his life a ransom for many
Titus 2:14 Christ gave himself to redeem us

Faith
Here are some scriptures I like to use to teach about faith.
Hebrews 11:1 faith is the substance of things hoped for, not seen
2 Corinthians 5:7 we are to walk by faith and not sight
Matthew 17:20 if you will have faith as a grain of mustard, you could move this mountain
Hebrews 10:17 faith comes by hearing the word

Repentance
In some denominations, repentance isn’t emphasized. Let's examine some scriptures that teach the
necessity of repentance.
Luke 13:3 unless you repent, you'll perish
Acts 3:19 repent so your sins will be blotted out
2 Corinthians 7:10 godly sorrow works repentance to salvation
Luke 15:7 there is great joy in heaven over the person who repents

Baptism
Christianity is very divided on baptism, both on how it's done, and if it's necessary. Since we've already
talked about the counterpoints to the necessity of baptism (see accountability, faith, grace, works), let’s
here look at scriptures that say baptism is essential.
John 3:5 except a man be born of the water and of the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of
heaven
Mark 16:16 he that believes and is baptized will be saved
Acts 16:30-33 a man asks what he needs to do to be saved. Paul tells him to believe in Christ,
 and he will be saved, then baptized him.

Baptism by immersion
Matthew 3:16-17 when Christ was baptized, he went straightaway out of the water (so he was
first in the water)
John 3:23 John the Baptist baptized in Salim because there was much water there
Romans 6:3-5 the symbolism of baptism is being buried, then raised from the dead (only
immersion symbolizes this, not sprinkling)
Acts 8:38 when Philip baptized the eunuch, they went INTO the water

Infant baptism
The doctrine of infant baptism is unbiblical, and one not practiced in the early church. The conception of
this doctrine started in the late 3rd Century, and went hand in hand with another false doctrine, that of
"original sin." To discuss infant baptism, you must also have a good grasp on the idea of original sin. The
premise of this doctrine is that since baptism is necessary (John 3:5), and since (according to them) we
are all born into sin (see original sin scriptures), infants must be baptized. To refute this doctrine, use the
following scriptures and theological thoughts:

Mark 1:4 tells us that baptism is to be done for the remission of sins and repentance. Let's look
at how that doesn’t apply to infants:
1 John 2:12 little children's sins are forgiven for Christ’s name sake
Romans 4:15 where there is no law given, there’s no sin.
Thus we see that little children can’t repent because they don’t have a law given to them until
they understand and become accountable, and the grace of Christ covers any sins that little
children have. Additionally, in Matthew 19:13-15 Christ blesses, not baptizes, children. In
another example, in response to Philip's teaching, many were converted, and as we read in Acts
8:12, both men and women were baptized. Notice that it didn’t include children in the list of
people who were baptized.

While we are on the topic of when we are to be baptized, to talk about why we baptize at 8, you could
use the following scriptures to explain:

1 Peter 3:20-21 ... save it were eight souls were saved by water, the like figure of baptism, which
doth now save us. It's a bit of a stretch, but the figure referenced at the end of verse 20 was
eight, and that same figure of eight is that of baptism. Therefore, you could make the claim that
this scripture is teaching us to baptize at eight. The number eight had great symbolism in the
Bible. For example, men were circumcised at eight days old (see Luke 2:21), and under the Law
of Moses, that was the first ordinance. Under the higher law that Christ gave us, baptism is the
first covenant, so it would make sense that the figure eight would still be used.

The Gift of the Holy Ghost

Many churches teach that you either receive the gift of the Holy Ghost after you confess Christ as your
Savior, or you just receive it after baptism. Some also teach that we no longer need prophets because
Christ left us the Holy Ghost after he left. We will discuss what the Holy Ghost is and how we receive it,
but first, let's cover the objections that people may have and the scriptures they use.

1. You receive the Holy Ghost when you are baptized.

Acts 2:37-38 Repent, be baptized and you shall receive the Holy Ghost

2. You don’t need to be baptized to have the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Acts 2:1-4 on the day of Pentecost, people were filled with the Holy Ghost

3. I don't need prophets; I've got the Holy Ghost.

John 14:26 the Holy Ghost will teach you and bring all things to your remembrance

To respond to that last objection, share the scriptures in the restoration section about prophets, and
Acts 2:37 where the Holy Ghost confirms the truth of what was being taught by a prophet.

To respond to the other two objections and teach that we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost by the
laying on of hands, share:
Acts 19:2-6 Paul re baptized people who weren't baptized by proper authority (I wouldn't get
into authority right here though), and lays hand on their heads to give them the Holy Ghost. This
is an awesome scripture to use. It clearly teaches that just because you're baptized, doesn't
mean you receive the Holy Ghost.
Acts 8:14-17 prayed for the holy ghost, didnt receive it until hands were laid on their heads
Acts 9:17 Paul receives the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands
And as far as the necessity goes, I'd refer you back to John 3:5 and Acts 2:35-37

Role of the Holy Ghost

John 14:26 teach you all things, bring all things to your remembrance
Galatians 5:22-23 fruits of the spirit

Endure to the end

The principle of enduring to the end can most effectively be taught from the Bible using the previous
accountability scriptures as well as
Matthew 24:13 if you endure to the end, you'll be saved.
2 Timothy 3:14 continue if the things that you've learned

Other Objections
Now that we are done with the first 3 lessons, we will move on to some of the other objections you may
face.

The Trinity
One of the more common ones is the trinity. First, we will look at why most of Christianity (but not us or
the Jehovah’s Witnesses) believe it, then we will look at the scriptural support they use for it. In my
opinion, the ability to combat the trinity doctrine is a fundamental bashing principle. The origin of the
trinity doctrine goes back to the early 4th century when a very famous council was held, The Council of
Nicaea. A lot of rumors are out there among missionaries on what happened at the Council of Nicaea. I
have done a good deal of study on this council, so I am going to do my best to present the truth about
the council to you. I am not an expert, but the sources I'm drawing on are from experts and provide a
good factual look at this council.

The basics of how this council happened are interesting. In 318 A.D., Bishop Alexander of Alexandria
gave a sermon on the unity of the Father and son. One of the clergy in attendance, a man named Arius,
disagreed with the theology behind it and it started a big debate in the church in Alexandria. Arius
taught that Christ was a creature of God; that is, that he was had the ability to sin and experience
temptation. Alexander believed that this philosophy that Christ could sin took away from the divinity of
Christ. Arius was very clear that he believed that though Christ could sin, he didn't, a view that is
consistent with LDS theology.

This debate grew and because Alexander had more power in the church, he had more people that rallied
around him. He and his followers excommunicated Arius from the church. This heated things up
significantly, and though Arius was excommunicated, the fire had been lit. The church became
increasingly divided over this issue, and finally in late 324 A.D., Emperor Constantine decided to hold a
council to unify the church. In May of 325 AD, 250-300 clergymen descended on Nicaea, and there for
four to six weeks debated several things. This included how church discipline should be handled, when
Easter should be celebrated, and most significantly, the relationship between the Father and the Son.
The debate wasn't initially so much about whether the Father and Son were one, but more about the
relationship and divinity of both the Father and the Son. Eventually, in order (in their eyes) to preserve
the divinity of the Son, they decided that he had to be of the same "substance" or "essence" as the
father, and thusly, they had to be one. The creed itself actually reads:

We believe in one God, Father almighty, maker of all things visible and invisible; And [we believe] in one
Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten from the Father, only-begotten, that is, from the substance
of the Father, God from God, Lightfrom Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one
substance with the Father, through whom all things came into being, things in heaven and things on
earth, who for us humans and for our salvation came down and became incarnate, becoming
human, suffered and rose again on the third day, and ascended into the heavens, is coming to judge the
living and the dead; 3. And [we believe] in the Holy Spirit 4. But those who say “there was when
he was not,” and “before he was born he was not,” and that “he was made of things that were not,” or
assert that the Son of God is of a different essence or substance [ from the Father] or that he is a
creature, or subject to change or alteration—these the Catholic and Apostolic Church anathematizes.

It is worth noting that most of the time that the last clause (4) is omitted. When we look at the creed in
context, the reason it was written the way it was makes more sense. Essentially, the implications of this
creed meant that most churches began teaching that the Father and the Son were one in the same, not
really the same, but yet the same.

The next council we need to discuss is the First Council of Constantinople in 381 A.D.. Notice that in the
Council of Nicaea, they barely touched on the Holy Ghost. There was only one brief clause about the
Holy Ghost. After the Council decided that God and Christ were one, they decided that the Holy Ghost
had to be so as well to protect its divinity. The Constantine Creed reads:

1. We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and
invisible 2. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all
worlds (æons), Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with
the Father; 3. by whom all things were made; 4. who for us men, and for our salvation, came down
from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost and of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; 5. he
was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried, and the third day he rose again,
according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father; 6.
from thence he shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have
no end. 7. And in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceedeth from the Father, who with
the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spake by the prophets. In one holy
catholic and apostolic Church; we acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; we look for the
resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

This creed is the one most people look at today to explain the trinity. Despite its prevalence today, it is
worth mentioning that it wasn’t until 451 A.D. that the trinity doctrine was canonized law, and it didn’t
become complete dogma until the 1400s.

With all that in mind, let's take a look at the scriptures that people will use to try to prove that Christ,
God and the Holy Ghost are one.
John 10:30 I and my Father are one
John 1:1, 14 the Word was God, the word be and flesh
John 14:9 he that hath seen me, has seen the father

There are a few other scriptures that people may use to prove the trinity doctrine, but these are the
main ones you'll get.

To explain our perspective on the unity of the Godhead, first explain that we believe these scriptures to
mean that God the Father and Jesus Christ are one in purpose. To explain this, take a look at the
scriptures below.

Mark 10:7-8 Husband and wife shall be one flesh. Are they literally one flesh? Of course not! It’s
merely an expression of unity. Let's go on.
John 17:20-22 I pray that they (the apostles, believers) may be one, as the Father and I are one.
Christ in the great Intercessory Prayer explains how He and the Father are one. Here, He prays
that his disciples may be one, the same way that He and His Father are one. Does He want His
disciples to be one gelatinous mass of flesh? No, He wants unity and singleness of purpose.
John 14:20 you'll know that I'm in the Father, you in me, and me in you
Once again, figuratively one, not literally one.

Now, we will go on to prove that the trinity doctrine does not match the scriptures.
Acts 7:55-56 at the stoning of Steven, he sees Christ at the right hand of God. Two beings, not
one.
Matthew 26:39 Christ pleading with the Father in the Garden. Is Christ praying to himself??
Matthew 27:46 Christ on the cross crying that His Father has forsaken him. How is this possible
if they're one being?
Matthew 3:16-17 Christ’s baptism when He is in the water, the holy ghost is descending in the
form of a dove, and the Father is speaking from heaven. I don’t know about you, but they sound
pretty separate.
Matthew 24:36 Only God knows when the second coming is, Christ doesn't know. If they're one
person, this wouldn't make any sense.
 John 5:22 God doesn't judge anyone, only Christ does.
John 14:28 I go to my Father, who is greater than I
John 20:17 I will ascend to my God, and your God, my Father, and your Father. Is Christ going
ascend to himself?
Romans 14:11 every knee shall bow to Christ, and confess to God. Two separate beings.
Genesis 1:26-27 Let us create man in our image. Our is plural, not singular.
Genesis 3:22 behold, the man is like one of us. Us is plural, not singular.

There are plenty of other scriptures to use, these are just the ones that I like to use.

Priesthood Authority
Some people start to get really nervous when you bring up and prove the necessity of priesthood
authority, largely because there’s a definite need for authority according to the Bible, and only Catholics
claim to have authority actually from Christ. Most other churches claim authority from study, or from
intent or desire. They'll hold up a doctrine called "priesthood of all believers", and the scripture they use
to support it is 1 Peter 2:9 where it says that you're a chosen generation, royal priesthood, holy nation
and so on.

Now, let’s look at the scriptures that teach the need for authority.
Hebrews 5:4 no man take this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God as was Aaron.
This scripture is a good place to start. No one can give themselves the priesthood, and they have
to be called of God, like Aaron, and Aaron was called of God, by a prophet, Moses.
Matthew 16:19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom... bind in earth and in heaven. Here,
Christ is talking to Peter and promising him power and authority to bind on earth and in heaven.
This verse makes it clear the Christ had to give the keys. Just because Peter believed, didn’t
grant him that power.
John 15:16 I have chosen you and ordained you. Christ calls people and gives them authority.
Luke 9:1-2 Christ gives his apostles authority and power over devils and to heal. Once again, it is
clear that this power is not taken upon one’s self.
Acts 8:17-20 The priesthood can’t be bought with money

Now let's talk about how that authority is given.

Acts 6:2-7 ordained by apostles by the laying on of hands
Acts 13:1-3 laying on of hands
Numbers 27:18-23 Joshua is called and set apart by the laying on of hands.

Original Sin
This is the largely Catholic idea that we are born in sin, and we will be punished for Adam's
transgression. This can be based on a reading of Romans 5:12, 18-19, where it states that because of the
Fall, sin entered into the world, and all have sinned. That is basically the entire scriptural basis that there
is for this point of doctrine. To refute it, use the following.
Ezekiel 18:20 the son shall not bear the sins of his father
Isaiah 59:2 your sins separate you from God

Sabbath Day is on Saturday

The 7th day Adventist doctrine teaches that the Sabbath is on Saturday. Under the law of Moses, the
Sabbath in fact was on Saturday. However, early Christian's met on the Lord’s day, or Sunday. It is
worth bringing up that we may or may not be following the same calendar as they were at the time of
Christ, and more than anything, it's important to just keep the principles of the sabbath day regardless
of whether it falls on Saturday or Sunday. However, I have found that sometimes 7th day Adventists like
to argue a lot, so here are some scriptures you can use to teach:

Acts 20:7 disciples met on the first day of the week to break bread
1 Corinthians 16:1-2 met on first day of the week
Colossians 2:16-17 don’t let anyone judge you in respect of Sabbath days

Temples
Most of Christianity teaches that temples are no longer necessary, and that God doesn't dwell in
temples. Let's look at the scriptures they'll use to object:
Acts 7:48-49 God doesn't dwell in temples made by men
Acts 17:24 God doesn't dwell in temples made with hands
Matthew 27:51 Veil of the temple tears when Christ is crucified

To respond to the scriptures in the Book of Acts, let's first keep in mind what Bruce R. McConkie said on
the subject, “The great Creator, by whom all things are, dwelleth not in temples made by the hands of
his creatures; but he is worshiped by them in his temples, which holy houses he visits occasionally, and in
which sacred spots his Spirit may always be found by the faithful”

The following scriptures may also help.

Exodus 25:8 make me a sanctuary so I can dwell with them
2 Samuel 7:5 build a house for me to dwell in
Psalms 27:4 I desire to dwell in the house of the Lord
Psalm 65:4 Blesses is the man... dwells in thy house... the temple
Matthew 23:21 if you swear by the temple, you swear by him that dwells therein

The scripture in Matthew about the temple veil being torn is used by some as an attempt to prove that
the temple was part of the Law of Moses and was done away with Christ’s great and final sacrifice. This
is incorrect. Here are scriptures to show that the temple wasn’t done away with after Christ’s death.
Luke 24:50-53 Diciples were continually in the temple praising God
Acts 2:46 they were daily in the temple
Acts 5:42 daily in the temple

God is a spirit.
The basis of this is John 4:24, which says "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in
spirit and in truth." The ability to clarify this scripture and show that God has a physical body is a good
skill to have. It is also worth noting that people may pull scriptures like Colossians 1:15 about the
invisible God or similar scriptures, but John 4:24 is the most common one.

To respond to this scripture, it is important to understand the context a little better. The Book of John
was written in Greek, and in Greek, there are no articles between words, so this should be more
properly translated to "God is spirit" or "God is spiritual". With that in mind, let's talk about the latter
half of the scripture where it talks about worshiping him in spirit and truth. Under the Law of Moses,
people were sometimes worshipping God in almost robotic ritual, and more focused on the letter of the
law, than the intent for which it was given. What Christ teaches here is to worship not just in truth, but
in spirit, and focus on that spiritual relationship. With that in the forefront, let's go on to show that God
has a physical body. There are several ways you can show this.

Route 1
Genesis 1:26-27 we are created in the image of God. The same language is used in Genesis 5:1-3
which says that God created man in the likeness of God, and that Adam begat a son, in his own
likeness and image. So, since this same language is used, then God must have a body for us to be
in his image and likeness. Much like Seth had a body and was in the image and likeness of Adam.

Route 2
Genesis 32:30 Jacob sees God face to face. You can’t see a face without God having a body
Exodus 33:11 Lord spake to Moses face to face
Hebrews 11:27 seeing him who is invisible

Route 3
Philippians 2:5-6 Christ who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with
God. Christ is in the form of God, and as we talked about in the plan of salvation, Christ has a
resurrected physical body, so if He is in the form of God, God must also have a physical body. To
drive that point home even more, follow it with Hebrews 1:3, where Christ is in the express
image of His Father

Route 4
1 Corinthians 11:7 Man is in the image of God.
2 Corinthians 4:4 Christ is in the image of God. Some will say that in the image of God means
perfect and sinless, but man and Christ are bot perfect and sinless, so it must mean in the
physical image of God.

Route 5
Psalm 91:4 God will cover us with His feathers
Deuteronomy 4:24 God is a consuming fire
Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock
Explain that these scriptures aren’t literally saying God is a flaming rock with feathered wings.
Instead, these scriptures are simply giving us imagery that help us understand attributes of God.
In the same way, the imagery provided by the phrase "God is a spirit" help us understand God
better.

Elders must be married

This objection is based on Titus 1:5-6 which says, "For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest
set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee:
If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly"
There are those that try to use this scripture to prove that missionaries can’t possibly be Elders, because
the Bible says that Elders have to be married. To counter this objection, go on to verse 7, where it
clarifies that it is talking about bishops, not regular elders. In our church, being married is a requirement
to be a bishop. If they don’t accept that as an answer, you can go to the following to show that Elders
can be single.
1 Timothy 4:14 we learn that Timothy had hands laid in his head by the presbytery. The same
Greek word "presbyteros" is translated here as presbytery, and elsewhere as elder, so
presbytery and elder are the same thing.
2 Timothy 1:6 we learn that it was Paul that laid his hands on Timothy. Therefore, Paul is an
Elder. Why does this matter? Because many believe based on 1 Corinthians 7:8 that Paul is
single. Therefore, Elders can be single.

I often hear this objection from those who belong to the Church of Christ. You can also point out that
the Bible teaches in James 5:14-15 that Elders must anoint and heal with oil, which those they call
“elders” in other churches, like those in the Church of Christ, don’t do.

There is no marriage in the resurrection and no eternal families.

This objection comes from Matthew 22:29-30, "Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not
knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in
marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven". Many believe that this disproves the idea of eternal
marriage, but this is simply wrong. To understand why, we must consider the context of the scripture.

What sparked this response was the Sadducees asking Christ about a woman whose husband died.
Under levirate marriage under the law of Moses, the woman would marry her husband’s brother, who
was supposed to take care of her. If this brother died, she would then marry the next brother, and so
on. The Sadducees ask about a hypothetical case with seven brothers marrying the same woman. They
then ask Christ who will she be married to in the resurrection, and verses 29-30 is his response.

To understand this verse and Christ's response, let's look at why the Sadducees asked the question. In
verse 23, we learn that the Sadducees don’t believe in the resurrection, so they came to the Savior
trying to tempt him, and get him to slip up in his words. Because these Sadducees didn’t believe in a
resurrection, they were performing marriages for time only. If the Christ had named a husband, they
could have called it blasphemy. Also, we know that the power to bind on earth and in heaven was not
possessed by the Jews at this time. If it was, Christ wouldn't have to give it to his apostles (see Matthew
16:19, 18:18), so they wouldn't even have the power to if they wanted. To further teach eternal
marriage, consider the following scriptures,

Matthew 19:6 What God hath joined together let no man put asunder. These words were in
response to a pharisee (pharisees believed in the resurrection), who asked Christ about divorce.
Under the Law of Moses, you could divorce for whatever reason. Christ clearly taught that
divorce was only justified for adultery. Christ is saying here that marriage is ordained of God,
and eternal. Therefore, man should not divorce because marriage is eternal.
Matthew 16:19 keys of the kingdom... bind on earth, bind in heaven. We believe that this
sealing power has been restored and that marriage can be bound on earth and in heaven.
1 Peter 3:7 husbands and wives are heirs of the grace of life together
1 Corinthians 11:11 neither is the man without the woman or the woman without the man in
the Lord
Ecclesiastes 3:14 what the Lord does, he does forever
One more note on eternal families. We get an interesting evidence of eternal families with the story of
Job. As you know, Job had basically everything taken away from him- including his children. In Job 42:10,
God promises Job that he will give back to Job double what he had lost. God does so and Job is given
14,000 sheep where he had 7,000 before, camels go to 6,000 from 3,000 and so on. However, he had 7
sons and 3 daughters before, and after, he was given only 7 sons and 3 daughters more. That is not
double. Either God lied, or Job’s children from before were sealed to him, and God kept his word.

God the Father is Jehovah and the God of the Old Testament
This is a claim of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and their idea is that God the Father is Jehovah and the God
of the Old Testament. We believe that it is Jesus Christ who is Jehovah and the God of the Old
Testament. To do this, we will look at scriptures about Jehovah, then look at scriptures about Christ.

Jehovah as Creator Jesus Christ as Creator

Genesis 1:1, Isaiah 42:5 Ephesians 3:9, Hebrews 1:1-2, John 1:1-3

Jehovah as the only Savior Christ as the only Savior

Isaiah 43:3, 11 Isaiah 45:21, Hosea 13:4 Acts 4:12, 1 John 4:14-15, Titus 2:13

Jehovah as judge Christ as judge

Isaiah 33:22, Psalm 96:10, Psalm 50:6 John 5:22, Acts 10:40-42, 2 Timothy 4:1

Jehovah as the great I Am Jesus Christ as the great I Am

Exodus 3:14 John 8:56-58

Polygamy
We may as well quickly touch on this. There are many examples of polygamy in the Bible.
Genesis 4:19 Lamech takes 2 wives
Genesis 16:3 Abram takes 2nd wife
Genesis 29:20-30 Jacob has multiple wives
Genesis 30:4, 9 Jacob gets more wives
1 Kings 11:1, 3 Solomon had a great number of wives
Deuteronomy 21:5-7 stipulation in the Law of Moses about polygamy

Word of Wisdom
We will briefly touch on this subject. To teach the word of wisdom, modern revelation is your best
approach. Explain that your body is a temple, and we need to take care of it (1 Corinthians 3:16-17,
6:19-20). You may also bring up how God had a law of health in the Old Testament (Judges 13:4,
Leviticus 10:9), and today God has once again given us a law of health.

Baptisms for the dead

Let's talk about baptisms for the dead for a minute. Some people really have a problem with our
practice of it and will use some of the following scriptures to object. Ecclesiastes 9:5 says the dead don’t
know anything. You can refer to the scriptures in the Spirit World section to prove that the dead do
know things.

To explain baptisms for the dead, use the following scriptures.

John 3:5 except a man be born of the water and of the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom
1 Corinthians 15:29 else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead.

You can also point out the evidence for baptisms for the dead in the early church. Baptisms for the dead
was actually a common practice in the early Christian church until 393, when it was condemned at the
Council of Hippo. By that time, the Church had fallen into apostasy, so the men that condemned it were
uninspired and without authority.

Tests of a prophet
After some research, here are some tests of a prophet, and how Joseph Smith fulfills them.
Matthew 7:15-17 know a prophet by their fruits. Among Joseph Smith's fruits was the Book of
Mormon.
Deuteronomy 18:20-22 if a prophet gives a prophecy, and it prove true, follow him if he doesn't
tell you to follow another God. Joseph Smith gave many prophecies that were fulfilled. Fore
example, section 87 of the Doctrine and Covenants prophesies of the Civil War long before it
happens.
Numbers 12:6 if there’s a prophet among you, the Lord will appear to him and make himself
known in a dream. Joseph Smith fulfilled this scripture many times. The Lord appeared to him
many times, and he had prophetic dreams and visions.

Becoming Like God

The idea that we can become like God is one that we get a lot of heat for. The official basis for this
doctrine in this church started with the King Follett discourse, delivered by Joseph Smith in 1844. If you
haven't read that discourse, I would recommend doing so to help you better understand this doctrine.
The scripture that they may use to object is
Isaiah 43:10 the Lord says that there will be no God formed before Him or after Him

To respond to the Isaiah 43:10, go onto the next verse, which tells us that besides Him, there is no
Savior. And as we learn in Acts 4:12, Christ is our only Savior. Therefore, it is Christ speaking here. God
the Father was God before His Son, therefore, we shouldn't take this as literally saying there will be no
more Gods after him. We should understand this as Christ saying that we shouldn't look to any other as
our Savior. He is the only way, and no God formed by the hand of men can save us.

To teach our divine potential, that is, that we through following the laws and ordinances, we may
become like unto God, use the following scriptures:

Romans 8:16-17 we are the spirit children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and
joint heirs with Christ. And as we learn in Hebrews 1:2, Christ is heir of all things.
Revelation 3:21 to him that overcomes, Christ will allow to sit down in His throne, just as He
overcame and is sit down in His Fathers throne
1 John 3:2 if we have God-like love, we will appear to be like Christ at his coming
Matthew 5:48 we are commanded to be perfect, even as our Father in Heaven is perfect. Either
Christ is giving us a commandment that we will never possibly be able to keep, or we do have
the potential to become like our Father in Heaven
 Philippians 2:6 Christ being in the form of God didn’t think is was robbery to be equal with God,
and as we learn in Genesis 1:26-27, we are all in the form of God
John 10:30-36 Christ proclaims He and His Father are one. The pharisees aren't big fans of this
and pick up rocks to stone Christ. Christ asks why they're going to stone Him, and they say
because Christ, being man, makes himself to be God, Christ responds by quoting Psalm 82:6 (all
of us are Gods and children of the most high) to them, and says "is it not written in your law that
ye are gods?". This scripture quite literally tells us that we are gods. Just like a kitten grows up to
be a cat, a duckling to a duck, and children of God grow to be, well, a God.

Conclusion
I hope this information will be found useful, faith building, or at the very least, interesting. I will close
with a few words of caution and my testimony. This guide is intended to be a supplement to Preach My
Gospel. The Book of Mormon and the Spirit will be your most powerful tool in conversion. It is
preferable to teach solely from the Book of Mormon, but I wrote this to because the reality is that there
will be times it is you must teach from the Bible. Keep in mind what Elder Holland said at a conference
celebrating the discover of chiasmus in the Book of Mormon, “My testimony to you tonight is that the
gospel is infallibly true and that a variety of infallible proofs supporting that assertion will continue to
come until Jesus descends as the ultimate infallible truth of all. Our testimonies aren’t dependent on
evidence—we still need that spiritual confirmation in the heart of which we have spoken—but not to
seek for and not to acknowledge intellectual, documentable support for our belief when it is available is
to needlessly limit an otherwise incomparably strong theological position and deny us a unique,
persuasive vocabulary in the latter-day arena of religious investigation and sectarian debate. Thus armed
with so much evidence of the kind we have celebrated here tonight, we ought to be more assertive than
we sometimes are in defending our testimony of truth.”

Through my study of the Bible, I have gained a stronger testimony of the Gospel. Remember, God loves
you and the people you come in contact with, your interactions should reflect that love. I know this
Church to be true. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet, a true prophet that led people to Christ. I
know the Book of Mormon to be the word of God. It was translated, not written. I know that Christ is
the Son of God, He suffered and died for us, and on the third day, He rose again. I know that missions
are divinely orchestrated, and as we rely on God’s grace and the spirit, we will find joy in the work.
Today, I believe we are seeing the prophecy of Ezekiel being fulfilled more than ever, that the Bible and
the Book of Mormon are truly becoming one in our hands. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.