Today I read the following book:
Gabriel Hughes, 40 Mormon Beliefs and What the Bible Says: Comparing the Word of Joseph Smith to the Word of God (2d ed; 2016, 2019)
The book is very poorly researched and there is almost zero interaction with Latter-day Saint scholarship and apologetics. I discussed an example of this with respect to this hilariously bad discussion of the Book of Mormon:
In this post, I will reproduce some arguments Hughes tries to present in favour of this theology on the following points:
· Sola Scriptura (with a brief aside on the inspiration of the Book of Mormon)
· Forensic Justification, Total Depravity, and the Nature of the Atonement
· Water baptism being a symbol merely and rejection of baptismal regeneration
I will then link to articles I have discussed on these issues so one can compare Hughes’ inept eisegesis and fallacious argumentations with meaningful exegesis of the pertinent texts and issues. If anyone could ever swing it, I would happily engage Hughes in a moderated public debate on any and all of these issues:
On Sola Scriptura
The Bible says, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these lasts days he has spoken to us by his Son” (Hebrews 1:1-2). We are told “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). (pp. 16-17)
Religious experiences are subjective, not objective truth. We are to test all things not by our experiences but with the word of God. The Bereans tested the words of Paul against the Old Testament Scriptures to see if what he said was true (Acts 17:11). (p. 26)
Anyone who has read and understands the Bible would ask why it’s necessary to have another testament of Jesus Christ. In the introduction of his letter, Jude said that he was writing to contend for the faith “once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude1:3). Proverbs 30:6 says not to add to the word of God, “lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.”
Against in Matthew 24:23-27, Jesus warned that if anyone says, “Look, here is the Christ!” or “There he is!” not to believe it. For false christs and false prophets would perform great signs and wonders so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. If someone says, “Look, he is in the wilderness,” do not go out. If they say, “Look, he is in the inner rooms,” do not believe it. For his next appearance will be seen by the whole world.
Unlike the Book of Mormon, the Bible does not claim to be the knowledge of man but was inspired by God. Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
As I says in 1 Corinthians 2:13, “We impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.” And 2 Peter 1:20-21 says, “No prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” Peter also said that he and the other apostles did not follow cleverly devised myths but were eyewitnesses to the majesty of God (2 Peter 1:16). (pp. 28-30)
On the Book of Mormon’s claim to inspiration
Though Mormons claim that both the Bible and the Book of Mormon are the words of God, the Book of Mormon itself does not claim to be inspired by God. Rather it claims over and over to be written according to the knowledge of men.
The book of 1 Nephi opens, “And I know that the record which I make is true; and I make it with mine own hand; and I make it according to my knowledge.” In chapter 19, he said that he wrote down what he thought to be sacred (v.6). In 2 Nephi 11:1, he wrote down only that which “sufficeth me.” And in Jacob 7:26, the writer said that he wrote to the best of his knowledge. (p. 28)
No one will see Jesus again until his Second Coming, and it will be seen by the whole world . . . Forty days after Jesus’ resurrection, he ascended into heaven. As the disciples were looking up, two angels appeared beside them and said, “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you not heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). If Jesus came to the Americas, then returned to earth in a manner different than what the Bible says.(pp. 19, 84)
On Imputed Righteousness, Total Depravity, and the Nature of the Atonement
In Christ’s active obedience—his sinless actions—he fulfilled the Law and the Prophets, having kept the law perfectly and was righteous. In his passive obedience—his sinless nature—he took upon himself the death that we owed to God but couldn’t pay because of our sinful nature. Christ imputes upon us his righteousness and imputed upon him was our sinfulness, as the Scriptures each—“For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21) (this is a doctrine called Double Imputation). Therefore, we are able to live in a way that is pleasing to God and stand before him justified because of the righteousness of Christ he has given to us. (p. 72, italics in original)
Ephesians 2:1 says that we are dead in our trespasses and sins, and verse 5 says we are made alive with Christ. Remember, because of sin, we’re born physically alive but spiritual dead. (p. 103)
Isaiah 64:6 says that we are all unclean and even our best deeds are as a polluted garment before the Lord. It is Christ who washes us and makes us clean so that our deeds are acceptable to a holy God. It is Christ who frees us to be able to obey God in a right way. (p. 129)
On Baptism
In Acts 10, the Apostle Peter was invited to the house of Cornelius to preach. After sharing the gospel, the Holy Spirit came upon all who heard it. Then Peter said, “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (v.47-48).
Note that they received the Holy Spirit first, and then they were baptized (A Mormon would argue that their baptism sealed the Holy Spirit. They would have had the Spirit for only a time. He would not have remained if they had not been baptized. But the Spirit is the one who does the sealing, not the person [see Ephesians 1:13 and 4:30]). They were saved before they had received their baptism. Water baptism is an outward expression of an inward change. Water does not have salvific properties. No one is saved by being baptized in water, no matter who does the baptizing.
Jesus Christ did teach that baptism was essential for salvation—not water baptism, but baptism of the Holy Spirit. In John 3:5, Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” Many false teaches—in addition to Joseph Smith—have twisted this verse as meaning a person must be baptized in water in order to be saved.
Jesus was talking to Nicodemus, a Pharisee, and in much of what Jesus said, he was explaining what had already been written by the prophets. Being born of water and the Spirit was a reference to something that had been written by the prophet Ezekiel. Nicodemus should have known of what Jesus was speaking because Nicodemus was a teacher in Israel (Likewise, if Joseph Smith really was a prophet of God, he would have known what Jesus was talking about) Jesus said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?” (John 3:10).
In Ezekiel 36:25-27, we read, “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to talk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”
Clearly Ezekiel’s reference is not to the element of water, and neither was that Jesus’ reference. He was talking about being cleansed by God.
As quoted earlier, Titus 3:5 says, “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and the renewal of the Holy Spirit.” In Ephesians 5:25-26, we read, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word.” In 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, we read, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, not adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, now swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
In none of these three aforementioned passages would be attribute water or being washed to physical water. This is clearly a metaphorical reference to a spiritual cleansing. Such is the case also with John 3:5.
In 1 Peter 3:21, Peter says, “Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saved you, not as a removal of dirty from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” Water baptism corresponds to our spiritual cleansing, but doesn’t actually cleanse us.
Note that it is “an appeal to God for a good conscience,” not an appeal for salvation. We are displaying on the outside what has happened on the inside, and in the forgiveness that we’ve already been given, we are appealing that our conscience likewise be cleansed, no longer burdened by the guilt of past sins, knowing in our minds that we have been made a new creature in Christ Jesus. (pp. 96-98)
Acts 10:47, Cornelius, and Baptismal Regeneration (cf. Does Cornelius Help Refute Baptismal Regeneration? and. Was Cornelius Converted Before Acts 10?)
Refuting Mike Thomas on soteriology (discusses Eph 1:13-14 and the αραββων [“down payment”] of the Spirit)