Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Did They Really Say That?!?


"The greatest responsibility in this world that God has laid upon us is to seek after our dead.  Those saints who neglect it in behalf of their deceased relatives, do it at the peril of their own salvation."
Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 193


Let's see if I get this straight:

1.  According to the Bible, what is often known as the "great commission" is, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you."  (Matthew 28:19-20a)

2.  Hebrews 9:27 says, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment"

3.  Romans 10:9 reads:  "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."

From these three passages we find that the "greatest responsibility" God has give us is to make disciples, that those who are dead have no other chance for salvation but are reserved for judgment only, and that the only thing required for salvation is faith in Jesus Christ.

According to Smith, one's salvation is based on seeking after one's dead relatives, and being baptized for them.  This is in direct contradiction to everything the Bible teaches.  Nowhere in the Bible does it mention researching dead relatives and being baptized for them to be saved, and yet Smith claims that God gave this as the "greatest responsibility."  I would think that if this was so, there would be at least  ONE passage in the Bible mentioning it.

This is just another example of blatant false teaching from a false prophet.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Allow me to correct your abuse of rom. 10 9-10. Here it says two things are necessary to be saved, faith and a work. How can this be harmonized with faith alone? Further, there seems to be a distinction between "justified" and "saved" here, with "saved" being the dominant thing. Many translations use the term "righteousness" rather than "justified".

Glenn E. Chatfield said...

Anonymous,

YOU are the one in error. Works are never necessary for salvation, and the Scripture is very clear about that (Eph.2:8-9; 2 Tim. 1:9-10; Tit. 3:5, et al), and Isaiah 64:6 says our works are as worthless as used menstrual cloths in regards to salvation/righteousness.

When you are justified before God, you are saved, so the words are synonymous in that context. To be justified before God is to be made righteous in His eyes.

Try again.