Everything comes back to faith. Of course, Mormons agree with that idea. Here’s how a Mormon described his faith in a recent discussion I had.
"Faith in God. That is what counts. Faith in other things, is by, through, and for God. The fact that I have faith that Joseph Smith was a prophet or that the Book of Mormon is true is directly according to my faith in God...that Joseph Smith was His prophet, and that the Book of Mormon is His word. My faith in the Bible is, likewise, dependent of God. All faith is in God."
So how do we apply faith in God to the issue of trusting the Book of Mormon?
I see verses that say things like “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever (Isa. 40:8)” and “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away (Matt. 24:35).” I have faith that God has preserved His words and teachings like He said He would.
But the LDS church says the Gospel has been corrupted, scriptures have been lost and we need the Book of Mormon and other LDS scriptures to restore them.
There are many verses of the Apostles teaching the Gospel, but none of them tell people to pray to know the Gospel is true. Many verses talk about false teachers, but none of them tell us to pray to know who the true teachers are. Many verses talk about prayer, but none of them tell us to use prayer to know whether a teacher or prophet is from God. So I have faith that the Bible shows us how we’re supposed to teach and follow the Gospel.
But the LDS church says God calls us to pray to know the Book of Mormon is true.
So believing the LDS claims would mean doubting my faith in God and the Gospel taught in the Bible. It would mean having more faith in Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon than in God and the Bible. It doesn’t make sense that God would ask us to have faith in Him by doubting the preservation of His words or the reliability of the Apostles’ teachings.
So the next time you hear a Mormon say you need to have faith while praying about the Book of Mormon, ask them who or what the faith is supposed to be in.
"Faith in God. That is what counts. Faith in other things, is by, through, and for God. The fact that I have faith that Joseph Smith was a prophet or that the Book of Mormon is true is directly according to my faith in God...that Joseph Smith was His prophet, and that the Book of Mormon is His word. My faith in the Bible is, likewise, dependent of God. All faith is in God."
So how do we apply faith in God to the issue of trusting the Book of Mormon?
I see verses that say things like “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever (Isa. 40:8)” and “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away (Matt. 24:35).” I have faith that God has preserved His words and teachings like He said He would.
But the LDS church says the Gospel has been corrupted, scriptures have been lost and we need the Book of Mormon and other LDS scriptures to restore them.
There are many verses of the Apostles teaching the Gospel, but none of them tell people to pray to know the Gospel is true. Many verses talk about false teachers, but none of them tell us to pray to know who the true teachers are. Many verses talk about prayer, but none of them tell us to use prayer to know whether a teacher or prophet is from God. So I have faith that the Bible shows us how we’re supposed to teach and follow the Gospel.
But the LDS church says God calls us to pray to know the Book of Mormon is true.
So believing the LDS claims would mean doubting my faith in God and the Gospel taught in the Bible. It would mean having more faith in Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon than in God and the Bible. It doesn’t make sense that God would ask us to have faith in Him by doubting the preservation of His words or the reliability of the Apostles’ teachings.
So the next time you hear a Mormon say you need to have faith while praying about the Book of Mormon, ask them who or what the faith is supposed to be in.