August 12, 2005

  • The more and more I read the Bible, the more convinced I am that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches the Gospel of Jesus Christ in full. It is readily apparent to me that the Church teaches more Biblical truths and practices than any other church, despite those churches' claim that the Bible is their only authority. As I have been preparing for my talk (Sunday, 9 AM, Buffalo Grove Stake Center), I keep coming across simple, yet profound truths in the Bible that testify of this Latter-day Church.

    Matthew 19:28, for example. We have oft been criticized for believing that the Apostles will join Christ as judges. Others say that God only is our judge. They do not seem to understand the delegation of authority through which the Apostles will "sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." Though Judgment is God's alone, it comes through his appointed servants.

    I found another example in Matthew 12:17-21. Here Matthew quotes Esaisas (Isaiah). If you look up the quote in Isaiah 42:1-3, you will find several parts of Matthew's quote missing. Clearly there were at least two different Isaiah texts. One, presumably the older, Matthew quotes to testify of Christ. The other, which we use as the Book of Isaiah, is missing key points that testify of Christ. Surely this illustrates the Bible missing what Nephi refers to as some "plain and precious parts" (1 Nephi 13:34). Don't misunderstand my point and think that I belittle the Bible, which I believe contains "the fullness of the Gospel" (Introduction to the Book of Mormon). I simply believe that the Bible has not been flawlessly preserved. Historically we know that a council of Rabbi's in 90 AD censored the Old Testament tests to rid them of overly Christian references. We use that censored text as our Old Testament.

    This part of Isaiah leads me to another point of understanding taught exclusively by the LDS Church. Isaiah 42:4. One of the largest criticisms of the Church stems from our Book of Mormon claim that Christ's gospel and ministry was not limited to the Hebrews of the Holy Land. We believe that Christ personally taught His gospel to many peoples, including the inhabitants of the ancient Americas and many islands. His dealings with the ancient American people are recorded in the Book of Mormon. Despite anthropological evidence of this possibility, we are attacked for a lack of "proof," and yet Isaiah prophesied that it would be so. "and the Isles shall wait for His law" (Isaiah 42:4). This verse confirms Jacob's claim in 2 Nephi 10:20-22. Further more I think this prophesy refers to the decedents of these ancient peoples, who wait(ed) on the islands for the missionaries to bring them the Law and Gospel known to their fathers. The Church has spread the fastest and the most successfully with the pacific islanders and inhabitants of South America. The message of the Restoration of the Gospel is not just for the Jew and Gentile. It is for all people who have fallen into apostasy and wait for the restoration of truth in its fullness.

    It could not be more clear to me that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints truly is God's kingdom once again established on the Earth. I leave you with that testimony in Christ's name, Amen.