Bible Students

Evaluating the Literature

This paper will evaluate The Pearl of Great Price and Statement of Faith, from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This includes the Book of Moses and the Book of Abraham, as well as the addition of the Articles of faith. These books retell the first couple dozen chapters of Genesis, with a special emphasis on adding to the biblical story in the areas of christology and theology. This book is strangely coherent. It is no wonder these words are held onto by so many Mormons around the world. To be frank, it is a shame there is heresy present here. These chapters have combined a wide array of Scripture to a comfortingly explanatory writing, reading almost like a study Bible. 

To be clear, there are serious theological errors present from the first chapter. However, the appeal is obvious. Almost all of the changes to Genesis in this book are actual Scripture quotations from the New Testament, plugging in difficult passages (see Moses 6:59 on a reference to the water, blood and Spirit). The book combines the eschatological and New Testament fulfillment of the covenants with the chronology of the Old Testament (see Moses 7:47 when Enoch is comforted by the slaying of the Lamb before the foundation of the world). 

This book is an appealing work of literature, especially with its King James-esque writing and New Testament blending of the Old Testament. There are no strict contradictions within the text, though there are theological issues. There is a lack of glaring textual contradiction or unbelievability. It seems to correspond to reality, although as stated previously, it does not square well with the Bible. 

As much as one would want this blend of Scripture to be truthful revelation, there are serious theological issues present from the very beginning. These issues will be discussed below. 

Views on God

Father:

These documents describe God the Father as the One by whom the world was created. He is the initiator of creation, and specifically of the creation of man. The Father is the communicator of revelation, though the Spirit also communicates to people, similar to Christianity. The Father is not the only eternal essence, as multiple things can have an eternal past and future (see Book of Abraham, 3:18). 

Son:

The Son is the only begotten of the Father, according to Moses 1:6. The Son is the savior through whom the world will be saved. Jesus is the Son of the Father, though how He is the Son is unclear. The term is not well defined in this section. Many attributes are given to the Son, including full of grace and truth, Savior, and the One in whom man’s image is. 

The Book of Abraham 3:24 describes the Son as one like unto God, and as one who was in a multitude of beings when He (the Son) was chosen to be sent to create the world (Abraham 3:27), which is also when Satan, another in the multitude, became jealous and was cast out (Abraham 3:28). 

The Son is the savior, though according to the Articles of Faith, works are needed for true salvation. Through the atonement of Christ, people can be saved by their obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel.

Spirit:

The Spirit is the only begotten of the Father, according to Moses 5:9. This contradicts a previous statement claiming that the Son was the only begotten. They are not begotten in the same sense as mainstream Christianity. In mainstream Christianity, the Son is eternally generated from the Father, and the Spirit is eternally Spirated from the Father. This will be touched on later under “Difference in Terms.” The Spirit is like the Son, though is not one with the Father.  The Spirit is eternal (Moses 6:67), though what this means exactly is unclear. 

Views on the Resurrection

According to these documents, the Mormon church does believe in the resurrection. They believe that obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel will lead to salvation, through the sacrifice of Jesus. After death, those who believe in God and obey Him are taken to heaven, similarly to Enoch in Moses 7. While Enoch was in heaven with God, he was shown the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world for the elect (Moses 7:47). There he enjoyed the presence of God, as many Mormons will supposedly do after their death. 

There are some particular things needed for salvation. First, as already discussed, is the obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. Additionally, there is a requirement of baptism for the remission of sin (Moses 6:52-53) and repentance (Moses 6:57). Additionally, there is a verse (Moses 6:60) which discussed how Mormons must be saved by the water, spirit, and blood, which symbolizes obedience by the water (of baptism), justification by the Spirit, and sanctification by the blood (of Jesus). Why these things are required, and what makes water, the Spirit, and blood so important if there are many worlds with many deities, is unclear in this document. 

In the resurrection, people who are obedient to the law of the gospel and faith become sons of God like Jesus, and, similarly, the other Jesus-like deities, including the pre-fallen Satan (Moses 6:68). Additionally, there is a pre-earth existence, where God created all people before they were brought down to earth. This pre-earth disembodied existence is dissimilar to the resurrection in that in the resurrection people are made to be like Christ, rather than be simply spirits. 

Views on the Bible

These documents do not specifically touch on their views of the Bible, however, they do give some interesting hermeneutics for understanding the Bible. To begin, the Mormon church does believe the Bible is the inspired word of God, so long as it is correctly translated (Articles of Faith, 8). They also believe the Book of Mormon to be the Word of God, according to the same article of faith. This shows they do not believe the Bible is sufficient for knowledge of God. They do believe that further revelation, namely the Book of Mormon and other similar texts (including the Pearl of Great Price) are necessary for understanding the plan of redemption and God’s character. Additionally, these books are needed to augment the original understanding of the Bible, as seen in the Pearl of Great Price. 

There are many augmentations by the Pearl of Great Price to the Bible, especially in the area of christology and theology proper. In terms of biblical history, there is not too much which deviates from the biblical idea. Much of the Pearl of Great Price reads like a storybook, adding some extra character life to the biblical account. There are some long encounters with Enoch in the Book of Moses, and some added revelations to Abraham in the Book of Abraham. Unfortunately, this is not the extent of the biblical additions. 

The Pearl of Great Price reveals the idea that the Bible is insufficient in its theology, especially in the understanding of the Godhead and way of salvation. As discussed in the preceding and following sections, the book of Mormon rewrites proper theological understanding, making the Father, Son, and Spirit to be separate individuals, as well as a multiplicity of Son-like beings, with Satan being one of them. Additionally, the way of salvation, discussed in article 3 of the Articles of Faith, is through the atonement of Jesus by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. This is a far ways from the biblical idea of salvation by faith alone. There are all sorts of rewritings of biblical theology, and I believe some of these come from a forcing of the New Testament onto the Old in a way not meant by the biblical authors. 

There is a specific section which reveals a faulty biblical hermeneutic, which I believe is important for reading Mormon literature in the future. Joseph Smith went to painstaking efforts to make all sorts of New Testament quotations in the retelling of the Old Testament. This is no doubt why so many people believe it to be the Word of God. For the most part, it sounds like the Word of God! However, in Abraham 3:4, a tellingly forced correlation is shown. For context, 2 Peter 3:8 says, “But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (NKJV). This is a commonly cited verse from the New Testament. In his efforts to align the Old Testament with the New Testament. Smith includes a reference to a world introduced in this book, known as Kolog. On this planet, a day is the same as 1000 years for our earth. This is a clear forcing of the New Testament text into stories taking place during the time of the Old Testament, in an attempt to make the stories sound more biblica. The view which this shows about the Bible is that the New and Old Testaments needed to be forced together so deliberately so that people would believe this book to be the Word of God. 

Views on Protestant Christianity

There is not a lot in these documents which pertains specifically to Protestant Christianity. However, there are many doctrines which deviate from the orthodox Protestant understanding. These are discussed in previous and forthcoming sections. Based on the disbelief between Mormonism and mainstream Christianity, one would assume the Mormon believes Christians to be incorrect in their views, especially in relation to christology and theology proper. Christians believe (rightfully so) that Jesus and the Father are of one essence, while Mormons do not. These are significant points of disagreement, which is one of the leading reasons why Mormonism is classified as a cult to begin with. In short, while Mormon’s views of Christianity may not be especially hostile, the overall belief is that Christianity is insufficient to understand God and salvation, and so Mormon books are given for supplication. This is anti-Protestant Christianity. 

Difference in Terms

Firstly, the term “only begotten” has clear differences between Christianity and Mormonism. In Christianity, the term “only begotten” refers to the co-eternal Son of God’s generation from the Father. In orthodox Christianity the Son is eternally generated from the Father and the Spirit is eternally spirated from the Father. These concepts are not present in Mormonism. This is a central issue, as it defined the God who we worship. The rejection of Christ as God is a serious offense, and the fact that many Christians do not understand the difference in meaning behind these words between Christinaity and Mormonism is alarming. 

Additionally, Christ as the Savior holds a different meaning. According to the Statement of Faith Christ’s sacrifice means that “all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.” This is clearly different from orthodox Christianity, as Christians believe salvation is by faith, not by works of any kind. These two beliefs make up the majority of the word play of Mormonism, which uses the words Father, Son, Spirit, Salvation, and Savior much differently than Bible-believing Christians do. There is a requirement for a difference in terms which confuses the biblical terminology with Mormon terminology, otherwise they would not have had the traction they do. 

Epistemology

According to the 8th article of faith, the Bible as it is correctly translated and the Book of Mormon are the primary modes of epistemology. That is how they understand the world, how they understand God and themselves, and how they understand Scripture. At the foundational layer, their way of understanding the world and Scripture is through the words of Joseph Smith. He wrote the Pearl of Great Price, and the Book of Mormon, and as such sets the stage for all apostolic authority (touched on in the 4th article of faith). 

This is starkly contrasted from Christianity, which takes its only authority from the Bible. While Christians may believe the Spirit can speak through some people today, the ultimate authority goes to the Bible, the written and accepted word for 2,000 years. Mormonism does not hold to this, but holds to the words of Joseph Smith, those which were written down as their Scripture, especially as the Book of Mormon. 

Conclusion

Mormonism is not a Christian sect, but is a cult. The Pearl of Great Price, while an interesting book of literature, is anti-biblical, and not Christian. Its views on God are unorthodox and strictly against the biblical teaching of the Father, Son, and Spirit. The view of the resurrection is skewed from the biblical understanding. Additionally, it finds the Bible to be insufficient for understanding these topics. The anti-Christian beliefs, paired with the biblical terms confused with extra-biblical ideas solidify the Pearl of Great Price as a piece of cult fiction. Mormons must be reached by Christians, as without turning to the true Jesus of the Bible, they will be lost to hell forever.

Bibliography

Barret, Matthew. Simply Trinity: The Unmanipulated Father, Son, and Spirit. Ada, Michigan. Baker Books, 2021.

Erickson, Millard J. Christian Theology. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 1983.

Holden, Joseph M. The Comprehensive Guide to Apologetics. Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 2021.

Martin, Walter. The Kingdom of the Cults: The Definitive Work on the Subject. Minneapolis, Minnesota: BethanyHouse, 2019.

Smith, Joseph. The Articles of Faith of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/pgp/a-of-f/1?lang=eng.

Smith, Joseph. “The Book of Abraham” in The Pearl of Great Price. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/pgp/abr?lang=eng.

Smith, Joseph. “The Book of Moses” in The Pearl of Great Price. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/pgp/moses?lang=eng.