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Posts Tagged ‘Gnosticism’

Tip of the Day, February 21

Posted in February, Witnessing Tip of the Day, tagged , , , on 02/21/2018| 1 Comment »

February 21 – Paul exhorted the Colossians telling them the way to salvation was not through what they knew, but through the Lord Jesus Christ. Col. 2:4, 8; “And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ”.

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Man’s Knowledge is Power

Posted in Mormon Dilemmas, tagged , , , on 05/19/2015| 2 Comments »

Mormon Decisions 10History of the Church 5:392; “At ten a.m. preached from 2nd Peter, 1st chapter and showed that knowledge is power; and the man who has the most knowledge has the greatest power.” – Joseph Smith

 

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Tip of the Day, January 15

Posted in January, Witnessing Tip of the Day, tagged , , , , , , , on 01/15/2015| Leave a Comment »

January 15 – Jeremiah 17:9; “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

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Mormon Dilemma 252

Posted in Mormon Dilemmas, tagged , , , , , , , on 05/13/2012| Leave a Comment »

Gods

Discourses of Brigham Young, pg 245; “Intelligent beings are organized to become Gods, even the Sons of God, to dwell in the presence of the Gods, and become associated with the highest intelligences that dwell in eternity. We are now in the school, and must practice upon what we receive. 8:160.”

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Tip of the Day, April 17

Posted in Witnessing Tip of the Day, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 04/17/2011| Leave a Comment »

April 17 – 2 Cor.
4:6-7; “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined
in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the
face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the
excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”

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Tip of the Day, December 27

Posted in Witnessing Tip of the Day, tagged , , , , , on 12/27/2010| Leave a Comment »

December 27 – Philippians 2:10-11; “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

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These two verses summarize the glory of God.  The Glory is God Incarnate; Jesus Christ.  Actually, we should read the entire passage in context so go all the way back to verse 5 and go on to verse 11.  It is an amazing passage of scripture and one that every Mormon should be shown and taught. 

Mormons believe the glory of God is intelligence, but we see throughout scripture that intelligence leads to pride and the fall; whereas wisdom understands she doesn’t know everything. 

LORD:  The Greek word for LORD is kurios.  The transliteration means supreme authority, God, Lord, Master, Sir. 

It would mean that every tongue should confess  Jesus is God. 

Gnosticism:  It is understood and accepted by many that Paul’s writings to the Corinthian church was in response to what was going on in society at that time.  Gnosticism crept in and made an appearance in the church by the early second century.  This heretical teaching created heated debates and was a major threat to the body of Christ.  By the end of the 2nd century many Gnostics belonged to alternative churches.  Ireanaeus, Tertullian and Hippolytus wrote extensively about the dangers of Gnosticism.  Holman Bible Dictionary also has this to say about pre-Christian Gnostics:  

“…was not an organized religion but was more a general attitude among thoughtful persons that although ignorance abounded, one could through knowledge come to understand one’s true identity and find union or relationship with the absolute deity. This way of conceiving of a pre-Christian gnosticism supplements the classic view by providing an explanation for the rapid and widespread development of so many diverse gnostic heretical sects so quickly. This view also offers an explanation of why the New Testament could so easily be exploited by gnostic sects.”

Glory of God:  While there are many explanations and uses of the word glory, the New Testament limits its use to “doxa”, which in classical Greek means dignity, honor, praise and worship.  

Nowhere in New Testament thought or implication does it mean “intelligence”.

See here in the example of the Mormon writings where they believe that intelligence is not created, is eternal and the way to the ultimate level of salvation.  The truth is completely opposite of what is taught here in their works.

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“According to latter-day scripture, “The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth” (D&C 93:36). Mankind, too, may be glorified by gaining intelligence…As Christ did not receive a fulness of intelligence at first but continued from “grace to grace” until he received a fulness …so it is with all persons. Whatever principles of intelligence they gain in mortality will rise with them in the Resurrection…

To gain increased intelligence, individuals must be agents to act for themselves, which means that they must be tried and tempted (D&C 29:39), and at the same time, the works of the Lord must be plainly manifest to them …so that they will have choice. In premortal life, men and women were intelligent beings (Abr. 3:21-22) who were given agency by God (Moses 4:3; D&C 29:36)…Intelligence is lost through disobedience, hardening of hearts, and clinging to false traditions (Mark 8:21; D&C 93:39)…Intelligence, however defined, is not created or made (D&C 93:29); it is coeternal with God (TPJS, pp. 353-54).”  Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 1-4 vols, edited by Daniel H. Ludlow, pg, 692.

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