Sabbathought: A false idea of Christ is a "false Christ"

Is anyone interested in this subject? Is it important? Is it too controversial to discuss in depth?

Let's risk it. As we have noted before, silence is golden---but sometimes it is yellow.

It is good and necessary on occasion to be bold, so that our "timid efforts" will not condemn us, so that people don't have to "wait till a dependable servant of God comes along," as President Thomas S. Monson has often urged (see Ensign, Nov. 2008, 62).

Two or three days before His climactic atoning sacrifice in Gethsemane, Jesus went upon the Mount of Olives. As He sat there, the disciples came to Him privately and asked Him questions. In His answers He warned them to take heed that no one deceive them.

Then, speaking of the last days---our days---He said, "For in those days there shall also arise false Christs, and false prophets . . . that, if possible, they shall deceive the very elect, who are the elect according to the covenant" (JS--M 1:22).

It is unlikely that "the elect according to the covenant" made in the temple would be easily deceived by a "false Christ" dressed in perhaps a long robe sporting a beard and long hair and claiming to be Jesus Christ.

We labor this point because the Savior does. He seems more than eager for us to be warned and forewarned so that we not be deceived.

"And whoso treasureth up my word, shall not be deceived", He went on to say on this occasion.

He is speaking of false ideas, of errant teachings, of misleading doctrine, of the precepts and philosophies of the world. All of this in harmony with His servant Nephi who warned on His behalf that in the last days "they have all gone astray save it be a few, who are the humble followers of Christ; nevertheless, they are led [note: even the humble followers of Christ are led], that in many instances they do err because they are taught by the precepts of men" (2 Nephi 28:14).

A false idea of Christ is a false Christ.

If we believe the idea that God's love is unconditional, that His regard for His children is constant, unequivocal, and dictated by His unending mercy to the extent that His justice cannot rob His mercy---then we believe in a false idea of Christ and in a false Christ. Such an idea is contrary to the revealed word of God.

We labor these points of false doctrine because they are so common among us. They are not harmless and of little impact. They represent a shaky foundation for our faith because they are false and unreliable. There is no salvation in a false idea.

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that "a correct idea of his character, perfections, and attributes" is necessary "in order that any rational and intelligent being may exercise faith in God unto life and salvation."

The word correct is in italics in Joseph's original statement (see Lectures on Faith 3:2--4).

A brief illustration of how we can easily go wrong:

It is quite well known that the shortest verse in the Bible is, "Jesus wept" (John 11:35). We must be careful, for a text without a context is a pretext, is an excuse---if used out of context---for the text to say anything we want it to say.

Why did Jesus weep on this occasion?

Even the best of us have been guilty on many occasions of wrenching this terse sentence---Jesus wept--- out of context and ending up with a false idea.

Our space and time are short here. We shall visit this point of doctrine in John 11 again at a later time. In the meantime, what is your answer? Why did Jesus weep on this occasion? And what has it to do with the false idea of God's "unconditional" love?

As Joseph said, "If we start right, it is easy to go right all the time; but if we start wrong [on matters to do with understanding the character of God], we may go wrong, and it be a hard matter to get right."

Best to give heed to the Lord and His prophets and His Holy Spirit. The world and the precepts of men have nothing to teach us on these sacred things.

General conference next weekend.

More later. . . . But first, let me have your thoughts on why Jesus wept. It is worth some time and attention.

Steve

Extra Sabbathought: "few, that is, eight"

It is clear from the scriptures we looked at yesterday that baptism is necessary for salvation from this mortal world.

The Lord Jesus made it clear when He said to His Apostles, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:15--16).

Strong doctrine? Rough things from the lips of the Master? The word "damned" is rooted in the Hebrew dam and means blood. The name Adam means to show blood, or first blood. Blood is the badge of the Fall, of mortal life. So to be damned would be to not escape the effects of the Fall, but to have those earth stains cling to you.

Thus we see that baptism is not only important but vital. The LDS Bible has an index system of some 750 gospel topics among which is "Baptism, Essential"---because it is. . . . So essential that the Lord has directed it must be performed by proxy for all accountable souls who have died if they did not receive it in this life (see D&C 124:29; 128:1; 138:33; 1 Corinthians 15:29).

As we saw yesterday, the Lord has defined an "accountable soul" as one that has reached eight years old (JST Genesis 17:11; D&C 68:25).

So, eight is the age of baptism.
Eight souls were saved by water on board Noah's Ark.
Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the new week, or on the eighth day. Thus the new Sabbath day---"the Lord's day"---replaced the old Shabbat, and a new order was born.

Eight is the number associated with newness of life, resurrection, rebirth, regeneration, and with the beginning of a new era or order. In Hebrew the word for eight is shmoneh, from shamen, to shine, to be oily. It is where the word Gethsemane comes from, which means oil press.

Aeneas was paralyzed in his bed for eight years. "And Peter said unto him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole: arise, and make thy bed. And he arose immediately" (Acts 9:33).

Each of us is an Aeneas. . . . If we understand the doctrine of the plan and liken the scriptures unto us.

Now consider the following points from the Book of Mormon. Do you think they are accidental or coincidental? Or do you see divine design here . . . :

It took eight years for Lehi and his family to get from Jerusalem, the place of their birth, to the water at Bountiful and then go by water to the New World (1 Nephi 17:4--5).

Similarly, how many Jaredite barges were built to go underwater to the new land of promise? There were eight barges, built after the pattern of the Ark of Noah.

As we saw yesterday, eight can be a "few", as in 1 Peter 3:20--21. Now notice this:

In 2 Nephi 27:12 the Book of Mormon foretells of the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon plates. Then the next verse (13) says : "And there is none other which shall view it, save it be a few according to the will of God, to bear testimony of his word unto the children of men."

There were eight further witnesses of the Book of Mormon plates.

What are we to make of "Many are called, but few are chosen"? Obviously it is to be hoped that more than eight will be "chosen"!! But our exploring of this idea finds consistency here also. It could mean less of a quantity and more of a quality --- an eight-type of person, renewed, reborn, regenerated, risen to new life in Christ through baptism (see Romans 6:3--6).

Baptism is for the remission of sins made inevitable through the Fall. It is for a newness of life in Christ, to begin the process of becoming adopted by a new birth into the family of Christ, to start to take upon us the new name---the name of Christ, the family name.

One last insight in view of this doctrine: How long did it take before the Church received its new name after it was "born" in April 1830?

The revelation to Joseph Smith the Prophet which says, "For thus shall my church be called in the last days, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" (D&C 115:4) was given in April 1838.

Have a lovely first-day-of-Spring Sabbath.

Steve

Sabbathought: How many is "a few"? Could be 8.

In the churches and cathedrals of Europe, including Great Britain, it is common to find baptismal fonts for the christening of new babies.

The term "christening" refers to the naming of the infant with a given name or first name. This became known as the child's Christian name. The last name, or family name, was always known as the surname, though this is all less common today, certainly in America.

With the secularization of Europe and Britain in modern times the practice is much rarer today, but the fonts can still be found in the churches. A distinctive feature of these fonts (at least among all the older ones, some dating back many hundreds of years), is that the upright font invariably has eight equal sides, so that it is shaped like a STOP sign as found in North America and elsewhere. So, you get the picture.

The link between the number eight and baptism has ancient roots, though modern clergy are at a loss to explain it. I know this to be so, I have asked many of them. None of them know the link, just that it exists.

In the First Epistle of Peter we find this: " . . . the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

"The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us . . . by the resurrection of Jesus Christ" (3:20--21).

The link can be seen here. There is a connection between "few, that is, eight souls" being "saved by water" at the time of the Flood, and "the like figure [eight] whereunto even baptism doth also now save us."

Notice, the eight souls---Noah and his wife, their three sons and their three wives (see Genesis 7:13)---were not saved from water, but they were saved by water, by a form of baptism. The Ark of Noah was built covered over and made watertight and was in reality a submarine as it went under water---totally immersed.

How do we know this? The Book of Mormon teaches it.

The same figure or number---eight---also saves Noah's posterity by baptism. How so? The Lord has revealed it to us in the Latter Days. See Doctrine and Covenants 68:25.

In addition, the Joseph Smith Translation of Genesis 17 shows that the reason the male child was circumcised as a covenant by ordinance at eight days old was "that thou mayest know for ever that children are not accountable before me until they are eight years old," the Lord explained. It was a type, a symbol, a shadow of things to come.

That's enough for now. We'll go deeper into this next time. . . : " . . . few, that is, eight . . . ."

Do you get the distinct impression that the gospel, the scriptures, the plan of happiness goes a lot deeper and further than we first see on the surface? We know all of these things through the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Restoration of the fullness of the gospel in our day and time.

Hope you have a lovely Sabbath and weekend as we merge into Spring.

God bless.

Steve

Sabbathought: Elder L. Tom Perry of the Twelve urges, "Teach the doctrine!"

In a Saturday evening session of stake conference in Spanish Fork tonight Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles delivered a strong message to the adults of the stake: "Teach the doctrine! To members of the Church and to those of other faiths, teach the doctrine so they will be converted to Christ.

"If I were to go forth like Alma," said Elder Perry, "who left the judgment seat to Nephihah [see Alma 4:19--20] in order to devote himself to his high priest calling, what would I teach to the people? I would teach the word, the doctrine---faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and repentance---that they may all truly come unto Christ and be saved."

Elder Perry will be 89 in August, the oldest of the General Authorities, but his voice and his message were strong and powerful, vigorous and urgent: Teach the restored gospel, the doctrine of Christ!

Here is the key question: Do we know the doctrine of Christ so well that it comes out naturally in our teaching and in our habits and in our countenances?

Some years ago a BYU student came to Joseph McConkie's office on campus to announce that he had been called to teach his elders' quorum. "Well I hope you will teach the restored gospel of Jesus Christ," enjoined Joseph.

"Oh yes, I never teach anything outside the manual," answered the student.

"Then it's high time you did," urged Joseph McConkie.

Significantly, with all his urging and exhorting in that meeting tonight, Elder Perry did not once mention the manuals. But he emphasized over and over again the scriptures.

As you no doubt are aware, there was a devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan this week, with "the sea heaving itself beyond its bounds," as foretold in prophecy for the Last Days (see D&C 88:90, among other references).

It is not gloom-and-doom forecasting to draw attention to these things. It is simply to observe the times and the seasons, and to point out this: what is just ahead is designed to get our attention and summon our energies to what really matters. It has everything to do with the very points of Christ's doctrine, as opposed to the false ideas we embrace instead, wherein there is no salvation or safety.

Permit us in the weeks ahead to draw attention in bold relief to some of these false ideas and to encourage a careful consideration of the true doctrine of Christ.

As we spoke of last week, we neglect the doctrine at our peril. We cannot afford to ignore the doctrine, and we certainly must not be guilty of impeding the doctrine from getting through, like the man in the brown leather jacket.

It might be well to get a dialogue of exchange going on this. Please share your thoughts, your insights, your questions, your comments. If you are unable to use the Comments box below, please feel free to write to me directly at: limerick41@gmail.com

By sharing in this way it will strengthen and lift us all.

Best wishes,

Steve

Sabbathought: We are as the man in the brown leather jacket when we neglect the doctrine

A famous surgeon got a phone call late at night. It was his colleague at the hospital: "Get here as fast as you can; we have a small boy here who is dying; he needs your skills if he is to stand any chance of survival. Hurry!"

The doctor got up, got dressed, and sped off to the hospital in his fast car. He had to pull up at a stop sign. The passenger door of his car swung open and a man in a brown leather jacket slipped inside. He had his hand in his pocket and pointed the pocket at the doctor. "Get out!" said the desperate man, and kicking the surgeon out, sped off into the night in the doctor's car.

The doctor was stranded but ran and hitchhiked his way to the hospital. The colleague who had summoned him met him at the front door. "What took you so long! We just lost the little boy . . . . All we can do now is go comfort the boy's father in the waiting room."

And there in the waiting room was the man in the brown leather jacket. . . .

Lacking the big picture, thinking only of our own desperate and urgent need, we often prevent the very thing we need from getting through. We are as the man in the brown leather jacket.

Such a reaction is typically characteristic of natural man in his lost and fallen condition. The one solution, the only solution for our desperate fallen state is the redemptive powers found in one place: in the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Please note: The Savior is not the best solution, He is the only solution. He is the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world. The Creation---Fall---Atonement are the grand doctrinal pillars holding up the great plan of the eternal God for the tutoring and salvation of His children. It is all set up on a deliberate and foreordained basis.

This is the message of the Book of Mormon.

But just try telling natural man he is in a lost and fallen state and needs a redeemer. He will resent the message and shoot the messenger. Thus we see that denial is not just a river in Egypt! Denial of our lost and fallen state and our need for a redeemer is the prime characteristic defining natural fallen man! You cannot conceive of a greater irony than this denial.

"Wherefore, all mankind were in a lost and in a fallen state, and ever would be save they should rely on this Redeemer", we find on the seventeenth page of the 531-page Book of Mormon. This basic message appears in both bold, clear terms and by implication on nearly every page thereafter. But it is possible for natural man to miss this message in the book. In fact it is natural and easy for him to miss it. Such is the nature of his forlorn state and his reluctance to trust his salvation to a third party. "I can go it alone!" he proclaims proudly.

We have labored the point before that this is not a doctrinal era in the Church. My son-in-law, Barry, once said to me, "When you speak so much about doctrine, most people are put off by it; they think you are referring to some obscure passage somewhere in Leviticus."

And yet the message of the Book of Mormon---and of the New Testament, and of the whole Old Testament---is the message of Christ and His coming and His Atonement: the doctrine of Christ. We even have a modern book of scripture from Him, entitled Doctrine and Covenants. Surely there must be something more to this doctrine business than we first thought . . . !

Please consider: the word doctor originally meant one who taught doctrine. . . . For doctrine heals, doctrine cures, doctrine lasts, doctrine saves. Jesus Himself taught doctrine ("and they were astonished at his doctrine"), for He was the Master Physician.

Our job is to recognize this and not prevent, as so many men in brown leather jackets, the Doctor and His doctrine from getting through to the needy, which consist of all the family of Adam and Eve---you and me---the whole family of mankind.

Doctrine, doctor, dogma, orthodox, dexterous, document---all are from the same family of words. Our job is to learn the doctrine, teach it diligently, and unleash the power that is found only in the very points of the doctrine of Christ. Given the tumultuous times we find ourselves in, any other approach in our teaching will not work. We must put aside the weak doctrine and the false doctrine we have embraced in our indolence and focus on the power of the doctrine of Christ.

In this way we shall put on robes of righteousness and discard our brown leather jackets.

More on this later.

Steve