On Eph 4:11-16, Ron Rhodes and Marian Bodine posted the following questions against an imaginary LDS interlocutor in an attempt to refute the concept of the Great Apostasy:
· Would you please read aloud from Ephesians 4:11-16?
· It is not clear that this passage speaks of the Christian church growing to spiritual maturity, not spiritual degeneracy? (Ron Rhodes and Marian Bodine, Reasoning from the Scriptures with the Mormons [Eugene, Oreg.: Harvest House Publishers, 1995], 47)
Such maturity in the Church was contingent upon the presence of the apostles in the Church, something that did not last. In Eph 3:3-5, Paul makes it clear that in that day, knowledge was "revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit." It should be noted that a careful reading of Luke 11 reveals that Christ taught that slaying the apostles and prophets would cause the "key of knowledge" to be "taken away" (Luke 11:49-52). Based on these verses, it seems safe to assume that any Church not claiming such offices cannot claim any unique understanding of God's truth or be His Church.
Hegesippus, a historian of the period immediately following apostolic times, is quoted by Eusebius in his Ecclesiastical History as saying the following:
The church continued until then as a pure and uncorrupt virgin; while if there were any at all that attempted to pervert the sound doctrine of the saving gospel they were yet skulking in dark retreats; but when the sacred choir of apostles became extinct, and the generation of those who had been privileged to hear their inspired wisdom had passed away, then also the combination of impious errors arose by fraud and delusions of false teachers. These also, as there were none of the apostles left, henceforth attempted, without shame to preach their false doctrine against the gospel truth. Such is the statement of Hegesippus. (Ecclesiastical History, Book III, chapter 32)
On p. 52 of their book, Rhodes and Bodine, commenting on Heb 12:28 ("Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear"), wrote the following (emphasis in original):
· Would you please read aloud from Hebrews 12:28?
· Does it seem to you as if the writer of Hebrews thought there could be a total apostasy?
· How could there be a total apostasy if Christians belong to a kingdom which cannot be moved?
This is way too easy to answer--God's kingdom cannot be moved but people can move themselves away from His Kingdom.
We see that, notwithstanding Rhodes' priding himself on his purported prowess in theology and exegesis, in reality, he has no abilities in these and other fields.
We see that, notwithstanding Rhodes' priding himself on his purported prowess in theology and exegesis, in reality, he has no abilities in these and other fields.