God's Heart Test

Photo by Bruno Delfino on Unsplash

Some claim that Mormons are Chirstians. Some say that Mormons are not Christians. Others are publicaly silent on the matter and simply do not respond to Mormon claims of being Christian. Many say that God will not let his people be led astray. The Israelites were God’s people and they were definitely led astray by false prophets to serve false gods. Is this permissible? Does God allow this?

Deuteronomy 13:3 says God tests the heart of his people. How does God test the heart? He allows false prophets to come along, perfom miracles and persuade people to follow other gods. Dueteronomy 13:1-4 says, “If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD you God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.” As we read the next five verses, we see that the Israelites were never to compromise or be accomodating toward these false prophets.

Lorenzo Snow prophesied and said, “As man now is, God once was; as God now is, man may be.” Many Mormons are praying to an exalted man. They believe that God is an exalted man in heaven with many wives. These wives give birth to spirit children that will populate a world of their creation. They literally plan to be gods of their own world and be worshipped by its’ people.

Isaiah, the prophet, had a lot to say about the nature of God. "To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One."(Isaiah 40:25) "...I the Lord, the first, and with the last; I am he." (Isaiah 41:4) "...before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour." (Isaiah 43:10&11) "...I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God."(Isaiah 44:6) God, who is onmiscient, made this statement in Isaiah 44:8: "...Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any." Isaiah 45:5&6 says, "I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me:...That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else." Isaiah 45:21 says, "...there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me." The prophet continues this message in Isaiah 45:18&22, Isaiah 46:5&9 and Isaiah 48:11&12.

Isaiah stated that God does not share his glory. Isaiah 42:8 says, "I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images." Isaiah 48:11 says, "...I will not give my glory unto another." Isaiah gives an example of this in Isaiah 14:12-15. “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! Art thou cut down to the ground, which did weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thy heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.”

Some will say that if we truly have the Spirit of God, we will not argue about the nature of God or about theological doctirne. Moses strongly argued against false prophets in Deuteronomy chapters 13 and 18. Isaiah strongly argued about the nature of the everlasting God in the book of Isaiah. The Apostle Paul strongly argued for his gospel in the book of Galations. To say that a person does not have the Spirit of God if he argues doctrine is a false statement. God is testing our hearts. Will we listen to false prophets? Will we turn to false gods? Do we love our neighbor enough to share the truth? Where is our heart?

Sharing God's GLORY???

1 Nephi 20:11 says, "...I will not give my glory unto another."  Some people try to rationalize this away by saying God will not give His glory to people who go about it the wrong way.  They say that God wants everyone to be like Him.  However the context is not about overly ambitious people who go about it the wrong way.  We see in verse 9 that he is talking about people who are not cut off.  Verse 10 says, "...I have refined thee, I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction."  He is speaking to these people when He says He will not give His glory to another.  In verse 12 He speaks to Israel and says, "...I am the first, and I also am the last."  There was no God before Him that He had to share His glory with. And there is no god after Him that he will have to share his glory with. Isaiah 42:8 says, "I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images."  Isaiah 44:8 says, "...Is there a God beside me?  yea, there is no God; I know not any."  Isaiah 44:6 says, "...I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God."  Isaiah 45:5 says, "I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me:..."

The Angry Apostle

     The apostle Paul was very angry when he wrote the book of Galatians.  The theme of the book is salvation through God's grace alone.  He wrote in very strong words that no one should add law and works to the gospel he preached.  In the first chapter he cursed those that would change the pure gospel message.  "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.  As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed" (Galatians 1:8&9).  Paul said that even if you are an "ANGEL from HEAVEN" and you teach another gospel, curses on you!  That is strong language.
     In Galatians chapter 3 he calls them fools for turning away from the simple gospel:  "Oh foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?......Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?" (Galatians 3:1&3)  The apostle Paul said it was as though they were put under a spell.
     Agitators were saying that the law and circumcision were necessary for salvation.  Paul said, "I would they were even cut off which trouble you." (Galatians 5:12)  The NIV version says, "As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!"  The Apostle Paul is definitely irate in the Book of Galatians.  He thought his work with the people in Galatia may have been in vain.  He wrote in Galatians 5 1-2, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.  Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing."
     In the book Gospel Principles it is said that "Our exaltation depends on marriage." (pg. 241 Eternal Marriage)   Celestial marriage is supposed to open the gate to the Celestial Kingdom.  On the contrary, the Apostle Paul said that it is better if a man remains single. (I Corinthians 7:25-38)  He said that a single person can be more devoted to God than a married person.  He never said that heavenly marriage could save us into the Celestial Kingdom where God dwells.  Neither the Bible nor the Book of Mormon teach us that Celestial Marriage is necessary for attaining Celestial Salvation.  The celestial marriage teaching is not the gospel that the apostle Paul preached.  It is another gospel.  I think the apostle Paul would be very angry with this addition to the simple, pure gospel he preached.