Journal of Discourses 7:332-333; “…all the salvation you can obtain by means of those books alone is comparatively of little value. They contain a history of what other men have done, show the path they walked in, and the way in which they obtained the words of eternal life for themselves; but all the Scriptures from the days of Adam until now cannot, alone, save one individual.
The people called Christians are shrouded in ignorance, and read the Scriptures with darkened understandings.” – Brigham Young, Salt Lake City, October 8, 1859
1 Corinthians 15:1-3; “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures.”
Yikes, the claims of Mr. Young are a strong, albeit bogus, indictment against not only Christianity, but God Himself. Once again, we’re left wondering why they use the Bible if they’re only going to attack it. And why are they so bent on wanting to be members of the body of Christ, when they’ve denounced this time and again as well?
When we take the time to analyze scripture, we can easily find answers refuting the onslaught of attacks against God’s word. The Apostle Paul’s treatise on Jesus’ resurrection has been accepted by many as one of the earliest creeds of Christianity.
In the summation of his first letter to the Corinthians, we read the demonstrative comments he made to verify two things; the fidelity of OT scriptures – ‘It was done according to scripture’, meaning He fulfilled what God had promised; and the credibility of historical events taking place at that time – ‘Christ died’ and was resurrected.
In light of Paul’s reminder and Brigham’s remarks, we have a few questions –
1.Mr. Young stated ‘those books alone’ are of little value…we’re wondering…in what other way would we have known about the miracle that God kept His promise if we didn’t have ‘those books’?
2.Why is the salvation we can obtain through the Bible, of little value?
3.Is knowing the history of Jesus’ resurrection of little value?
4.Specifically, why can’t the scriptures save? Paul’s testimony contradicts what Brigham said, so why should someone discount what Paul said?
5.Specifically, why are Christians shrouded in darkness?
6.Specifically, what fulfilled scriptures are Christians reading with ‘darkened understanding’?
7.Lastly, do you know of any reputable , well versed, and learned Christian, who degrades other Christians, and doesn’t accept the Bible as an inspired word from God?
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