Refiner's Fire Ministries

Who is the final authority on scripture? The associate pastor of my church has been giving a series of sermons on the history of the Baptists, beginning with the early apostles. Through a great deal of research he has managed to ferret out a number of truths regarding the Bible and man’s association with it and its Author. Several themes emerge. One is this: Jesus Christ established the Church. (Matthew 16:18) Not a church; not an archetype of a church. His church. There seems to be some confusion, especially among “new agers” and followers of modern day prophets, dating back to the veritable explosion of new churches which sprang up in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the time of great revival in the United States. If you click on this link you will find a stunning amount of information about the “Great Revival” which took place in the northeastern U.S. in the mid nineteenth century. The latter day saint movement looks like a very small frog in a very large pond when you read some of the material. And, if you’re like me, when you’re confronted with the wealth of information on this huge site, you may find yourself reading about neoclassical economics instead of the Second Great Awakening. Which is fine; enquiring minds want to know.

The point is someone, somewhere, decided that the whole church was in apostasy. Thus, by virtue of their self-righteous decision, they were able to give themselves permission to ride roughshod over the Bible. “Well, that can’t be right, since the whole church has gone to hell in a handbasket.” Joseph Smith was no exception. He wasn’t the first to add, rearrange, redesign and embellish to suit his own intent and he certainly wasn’t the last. Try reading the NIV or the NASB. Furthermore, I don’t believe Joseph Smith was the pathetic, illiterate farm boy which he is portrayed in some of the early church history. Remember Ethan Smith’s View of the Hebrews and Spalding’s Manuscript Found, both of which were available to him during the time he was engaged in his occult practices which I’m sure in his mind, passed for real work.

But back to the apostasy accusation. The Bible is rife with warnings against this very thing. For example, 1 Timothy 6:3-4 says, “If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; he is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings.”

It’s in the "Inspired" version. Smith, when he rewrote the Bible, left it in. Why?

Here’s another one, and a very important one, if you ask me, or if you ask anyone who has broken away. Galations 1:8-9 says, “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."

Yup. Still in the “Inspired” version. Was he lazy? Did he imply that his version cancelled out anything in the original? Did his narcissism simply allow him to justify these critical passages and take credit for them? What audacity.

I submit to you that Joseph Smith was completely controlled by Satan, and the more I see the workings of so-called purpose driven preachers, prosperity evangelists, new age feel-gooders and wishy washy snake oil merchants the more I appreciate the fact that God’s plan of salvation is the only hope for the world. Jesus Christ is the only answer. We need to be down on our knees daily praying for a turn around.

Keep in mind this has all been said before, and far more eloquently than I. But if someone picks up on a tiny twist in this rambling it will be worth it. I continue to pray for those who are out there in the darkness.

God Bless

Jan