In a number of previous articles I've highlighted changed doctrines. I feel these changes have a collective effect on our understanding of the way to Christ, and that effect is to affirm what God has not yet confirmed.
This describes the LDS changes to the true doctrine; they have created a Self-Affirming System or in other words, a Self-Affirming Plan of Salvation. The LDS have changed God's doctrine in a way that some feel they've qualified for heaven and even Godhood without any of God's established indications that they're on the path and coming to Him.
They have created a pseudo gospel that checks the boxes on their own list rather than those God has established.
These foolish virgins feel entirely ready for the marriage until they realize they're not. They have a Self-Affirming System that made them feel their preparations were sufficient,... but they never considered how these preparations were insufficient.
This important distinction is described here, and let's note this is a message for the churches:
Revelation 3
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Past articles on the Self-Affirming System
PSA: Friendly reminder, I really love the LDS people.
As we always say, "Hate the sin, love the sinner." The LDS are my people. I love them. But I have no tolerance for the way they're dishonouring Christ, and I feel they are victims to a system that's consuming them. We all, including myself, must be sure we're loving Christ wholeheartedly, and coming unto Him along the Way He declares. How do you tell-off a people you love and admire? I don't know, and I'm sure I'm doing it badly often, but I'll do it nonetheless.
I've addressed these concerns about a changed doctrine before; in Establish it for Christ's Doctrine, I've presented changes to a doctrine we're commanded to not change. Please consider the list with this question in mind, "Why have we adopted these changes?" I believe these changes have been made to affirm the wellness of an unwell church. By creating a new Way, people are able to have a sense of spiritual purpose and spiritual progression that makes them a devoted virgin,... just not a wise one.
In Is the Way to Eternal Life the same as the Covenant Path, I've proposed how the LDS theology has created a Way that has entirely moved God out of His own Plan. New rights of passage assure us we are through the gate, on the path, and that Eternal Life and Exaltation is ours. Respectfully, and with a great deal of love, I declare, That's Insane.
In For God has given His power unto man I address the LDS need to reject the Holy Ghost in those outside the church to preserve our own importance and exclusive doctrine.
In Discerning True & False Prophets I open the conversation on how the LDS determine their prophets and I encourage us all to compare this to the scriptural instruction on how to discern a new prophet.
The LDS Self-Affirming System that promises to bring you to life with God
The Self-Affirming System hardly needs God. Well, it takes His name, and claims the parts of His doctrine they can easily replicate. They make a new path, winding on and off the straight path. The "Church"* uses all the scriptural words, but have imagined their own meaning for these words.
*I'll explain the quotations later in this article.
The LDS are one of the seven churches saying, "We just want your name God, so that we're not reproachable, but that's all we really need. We have our own nourishment and our own robes."
Isaiah 4
1 And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.
And as Christ clarifies, having His name means little unless you are also honouring His gospel.
3 Nephi 27
8 And how be it my church save it be called in my name? For if a church be called in Moses’ name then it be Moses’ church; or if it be called in the name of a man then it be the church of a man; but if it be called in my name then it is my church, if it so be that they are built upon my gospel.
9 Verily I say unto you, that ye are built upon my gospel; therefore ye shall call whatsoever things ye do call, in my name; therefore if ye call upon the Father, for the church, if it be in my name the Father will hear you;
10 And if it so be that the church is built upon my gospel then will the Father show forth his own works in it.
11 But if it be not built upon my gospel, and is built upon the works of men, or upon the works of the devil, verily I say unto you they have joy in their works for a season, and by and by the end cometh, and they are hewn down and cast into the fire, from whence there is no return.
12 For their works do follow them, for it is because of their works that they are hewn down; therefore remember the things that I have told you.
The Reproachable "Way"
Here, we'll go through an imagined scenario to demonstrate how the system is doing its own affirming. Let's meet Sam, who will be investigating the LDS "church."
Sam knows he needs a change. Sam's caught in a gambling addiction, and not able to fully give himself to the good things he has in his life. His career and family life are struggling, because he needs to be more than what he is right now.
He can't stop his addiction, and his addiction is causing more and more sorrow in his life, and he needs a power greater than his own.
He thinks of his friend Luke who seems to have it together. He wants the "peace" that Luke has, and says to Luke, "I'd like to learn about your relationship with God."
Luke comes over with the missionaries and teaches Sam about sin and the Plan of Salvation, and how he can live in Eternity with God, and even become like God. The missionaries teach him "the gospel of Jesus Christ." The missionaries teach him prayer and invite him to baptism.
It feels good, there's truth in their message, and he wants what Christ offers. Peace, forgiveness, and a new life.
This becomes his "conversion" story.
Sam chooses to be baptized. They tell him he is now "cleansed of his sins" and he received the "laying on of hands" for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Sam is now a "member" of the "church" and feels at peace, knowing he is now clean.
He is called "Brother" and he is now a "saint."
He is looking forward to becoming "righteous."
He knows he can now get more personal revelation and he is hopeful.
Sam can't wait to make "covenants" in the "temple".
We'll not guess how his story continues;... is the gambling addiction gone? Does his life turn around? Will he end up in Eternal Life? We'll not speculate since all would be biased.
But I will share how even at this early state, Sam has heard the Self-Affirming Pseudo-Gospel and not the true living doctrine.
Defining these Gospel Words
Every one of the terms in quotation is a Gospel related word. They have a REAL meaning in scripture that matters! They have a meaning that is SO MUCH MORE than the one we use in our everyday church conversations.
To steal an analogy from a friend, if I were to describe a glorious Mountain as a big triangle, it might be sorta correct, but that definition would hardly do the Mountain justice,... and really that definition could be more of an obstacle to a greater understanding of all that the Mountain really is.
So the following attempts to compare definitions.
A note: As I've mentioned before, when the meaning of words change, we lose the truth. I'd love to expand a project I'll call Defining Gospel Words, where we aim to go back to the true definition of these words. Scripture study is so much more rich and true when we know the real meaning of the words used. So the following will be an effort to redefine these words using the scriptural record.
(I'll also clarify that not all of these have been changed by the LDS church, some are changes from mainstream Christianity we have adopted. Any of these poor redefinitions could be harmless, but the cumulative effect is that many LDS don't know the true Way, which greatly matters. As always, please discern for yourself!)
PEACE
Common use: restful confidence (I'm proposing this confidence isn't lasting though because it's often a foolish virgin confidence.)
Scriptural use: peace is the restful confidence that our Redemption from Christ gives us.
THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST
Common use: The doctrines, principles and beliefs of my church.
Scriptural use: The truth that Christ came to save us from our fallen state and that we He has a plan to bring us back to Eternal Life with Him. The Gospel is Faith in Christ, Repentance, Water Baptism, Baptism of the Holy Ghost, Living as a disciple of Christ, and receiving Eternal Life.
CONVERSION
Common use: When you are convinced that you want to be part of the true church.
Scriptural use: Even the disciples were not converted in their last days with Christ. Their Conversion was their baptism of the Holy Ghost experience.
LAYING ON OF HANDS FOR THE GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST
Common use: You now have the Holy Ghost.
Scriptural use: The Holy Ghost may be received at the laying on of hands, but it seems most often it is not. The catalyst we're looking for to know that we have the Holy Ghost is the experience called the Baptism of Fire and the Holy Ghost. We are not members, saints, cleaned, forgiven, or converted until we receive this baptism of the Holy Ghost from Christ Himself.
MEMBER
Common use: a committed part of a congregation.
Scriptural use: a part of the body of Christ. Manifesting His good fruit.
CHURCH
Common use: A congregation's meetinghouse and their flavour of beliefs.
Scriptural use: A body of believers in Christ.
CLEANSED FROM SINS
Common use: This happens at water baptism.
Scriptural use: Our water baptism is an expression of our desire to lay down the natural man, and receive the spiritual resurrection, being born of God. receiving His spirit in us is when we receive forgiveness, and remission of sins.
BROTHER
Common use: Once people are "members" of the "church" by "baptism" they're called Brother and Sister.
Scriptural use: We become sons and daughters of Christ once we're born of God. Brothers and Sisters is more likely meant to be an expression that we're born of God and of the household of God.
SAINT
Common use: Once people are "members" of the "church" by "baptism" they're called Saints.
Scriptural use: Saints are those who are sanctified by the Baptism of Fire and the Holy Ghost. It's a description that they're no longer operating from the natural man, and that they have Christ's spirit.
RIGHTEOUS
Common use: Really great at following the covenant path, and being a pillar of spiritual strength, and giving good talks and prayers, and a genuinely good person. ( I love so many people like this, but who have no ability to heal the sick, or receive revelation, or discern good and evil.)
Scriptural use: Christ is our righteousness. When we have received His spirit, He is able to work through us in a way that we are producing His good fruit with glory to Him.
COVENANT
Common use: Our promises in the temple are ordinances that bring us back into the presence of God someday.
Scriptural use: The covenant is the offering we make to Christ. We believe the gospel He offers, and we offer our broken heart and contrite spirit. Our wholehearted offering means He can fill us with His spirit. That's when we can are in covenant with God. We are part of His fold. His presence is always with us as we abide in Him.
TEMPLE
Common use: a place we go to worship God and make and keep sacred covenants
Scriptural use: What? Don't you know that you are the temple of the living God and that His Holy Spirit dwells in you? You are His! He is in you and you are a habitation for the Holy Spirit. This again is a reference to being born of God.
A Gospel without Life
Here's my concern, did you notice how many of these redefined terms are shrouding reference to the Baptism of Fire and the Holy Ghost?
Somehow, Sam has been brought into a system where he is able to feel cleansed, new, and sanctified without the true theophany that cleanses, renews and sanctifies. The doctrine Christ has established that could bring Him into true covenant that truly could remove his addiction, and bring Him true peace and true conversion to be a real disciple has been kept from him.
How is he going to feel in a year or 5, without the mighty change of heart he was looking for? Will he be unhappy? Or will he be happy, and as many do, continue to adopt redefined language to affirm he's doing great? Or maybe he will find the true path, he'll call out to God and Christ will give Him a born of God experience? Being born of God does happen for the LDS sometimes, but I didn't understand what I'd received, and that's been the experience of so many other LDS I know.
Sam and most others are in a system that makes them feel all the assurance they're on the covenant path and moving forward, except that God has not confirmed His acceptance of any of these offerings, nor given the assurance and confirmations He promises.
That's a nightmare, friends.
I know the feeling of being a foolish virgin. As I finally saw my true self, living a dormant gospel, I was shocked, frantic, repentant, and deeply sorrowful. I thought to myself, 'now I understand the weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth. It wouldn't have been the evil who don't love Jesus, it would have been me.' I wouldn't have been gnashing at God of course, but furious with myself, and those blind guides I'd willingly followed along their imagined way.
Thankfully I had my realization before the bridegroom has come. It was the Bridegroom who showed me.
Our call is to be born of God, and then once we're truly converted, to bring others to the same truth. We're stunting Sam's opportunity to live a scriptural discipleship, and to have a real relationship with Christ. Instead we gave him water that will make him continue to thirst.
Our miracles have ceased because of this type of unbelief. The work of the Father is hardly here. We have undone belief by creating our own imagined Way.
THE Way
We in the church need to take seriously the instruction to be born of God, for Christ says very clearly,
John 3
2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
Or even here, look at the order.
Moroni 6
1 And now I speak concerning baptism. Behold, elders, priests, and teachers were baptized; and they were not baptized save they brought forth fruit meet that they were worthy of it.2 Neither did they receive any unto baptism save they came forth with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, and witnessed unto the church that they truly repented of all their sins.
3 And none were received unto baptism save they took upon them the name of Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end.
4 And after they had been received unto baptism, and were wrought upon and cleansed by the power of the Holy Ghost, they were numbered among the people of the church of Christ; and their names were taken, that they might be remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them in the right way, to keep them continually watchful unto prayer, relying alone upon the merits of Christ, who was the author and the finisher of their faith.
5 And the church did meet together oft, to fast and to pray, and to speak one with another concerning the welfare of their souls.
6 And they did meet together oft to partake of bread and wine, in remembrance of the Lord Jesus.
The true way involves radical change and real discipleship. The Scriptures are not examples of exceptional people who became prophets, they're a case study of really normal and very flawed people who were born of God, became disciples of Christ and were able to bear the miraculous good fruit that comes from true conversion.
Don't settle for the pseudo gospel, it will only leave you thirsty.
The Standard of the True Gospel
I have used many analogies in this article:
The wise and foolish virgin,
The well of water that's continually flowing so you'll never thirst, compared to water which makes one thirsty,
The straight path that was made crooked,
God offers refined gold, riches, being clothed in white, and healing to see clearly,... compared to the church that believes they're prospering, but they're actually unwell, and lukewarm.
The glorious Mountain and the triangle,
And then also the true definitions of gospel words with their counterfeits.
In many of these comparisons, there was some unawareness that there was more. How do the blind learn that they're blind? How do they come to realize there's more? How does one know when they're learning the philosophies of men mingled with the word of God?
For me it was Christ who helped me see. The Standard of the True Gospel helped me see the philosophies and crookedness and counterfeits. Plant yourself firmly on the Rock. Christ and His Way, will lead you to Him and away from corruption.