It
is of prime importance to note here that the church founded by Jesus long ago
was not based upon the Bible. Jesus and his apostles did not consult or
study the Bible in order to build the doctrinal platform of their religion. The
Bible, as it is now generally known, did not yet exist. Instead, direct revelation
from God to those apostles and prophets was the doctrinal “rock” upon which the
original church was built (see Matthew 16:16-18 and John 7;15-16). Those new
revelations resulted in additional scriptures, now largely known as the New
Testament. Even so, Jesus and the church leaders of his day would occasionally
refer to earlier, ancient scriptures to support their teachings.
Similarly,
the doctrinal foundation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is
not based upon Bible study or interpretation. Instead, Latter-day Saints
believe Jesus has built his church once again upon that same rock, namely,
direct revelation from God to living apostles and prophets. Since the early
1800s, these modern-day church leaders have recorded new revelations from God, resulting
in increased doctrinal understanding and additional volumes of scripture. And, like
their ancient predecessors, these church leaders have often referred to
earliest, ancient scriptures—both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible—to support
God’s newly-revealed teachings. And well they should, as the Bible remains a form
anchor of this church’s scriptural canon. (Russell Róbe, Latter-day Saint
Beliefs: A Biblical Perspective [Almus Publications, 2022], 1-2)
One
of the premises that oft-times we get drawn into is exemplified by a guy from
the Christian Research Institute. He stands up and he says, “The Church bases
their work for the dead on John 3:5, 1 Corinthians 15:29, 1 Peter 4:6, 1 Peter
3:18-20,” blah, blah, blah, blah. He starts this way, and I said, “Excuse me;
stop.” I say, “That’s incorrect.” He says, “What do you mean?” I say, “The
Church doesn’t base the work for the dead on the Bible.” “What?” I said, “Now,
I’m going to say something, and I want you to take very close note. The Church
is not based on the Bible. The Church is based on what the Bible is based on:
revelation through prophets.” (Ross Baron, "Feeding
the Multitudes: Being Fishes of Men," FAIR Conference, 2001)
Further Reading:
Not By Scripture Alone: A Latter-day Saint Refutation of Sola Scriptura