Testing “The 17 Points of the True Church” (Part 1)

How do we know if a certain church/religion is true or not? Well, a young group of college students set out years ago to try to figure out that question. A man named Floyd Weston and four of his college friends met for several months and came up with these 17 points that they thought were necessary for a church/religion to be true. The story goes that they used the New Testament to figure out key doctrines and the organization of the church set up by Jesus Christ while here on Earth. After college, the friends were separated by WWII and establishing their own careers and families. When re-united, they all discovered that they had all joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) based on these 17 points of doctrine they had earlier identified. This story and these 17 points have been circulating among the LDS Church for decades and I remember reading them when I was a teenager about 35 years ago.

Christ organized the Church (Eph 4:11-14)
The true church must bear the name of Jesus Christ (Eph 5:23)
The true church must have a foundation of Apostles and Prophets (Eph 2:19-20)
The true church must have the same organization as Christ’s Church (Eph 4:11-14)
The true church must claim divine authority (Heb 5:4-10)
The true church must have no paid ministry (Acts 20:33-34; John 10:11-13)
The true church must baptize by immersion (Matt 3:13-16)
The true church must bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands (Acts 8:14-17)
The true church must practice divine healing (Mark 3:14-15)
The true church must teach that God and Jesus are separate and distinct individuals (John 17:11; 20:17)
The true church must teach that God and Jesus have bodies of flesh and bone (Luke 23:36-39; Acts 1:9-11; Heb 1:1-3)
The officers must be called by God (Heb 5:4; Ex 28:1; 40:13-16)
The true church must claim revelation from God (Amos 3:7)
The true church must be a missionary church (Matt 28:19-20)
The true church must be a restored church (Acts 3:19-20)
The true church must practice baptism for the dead (1Cor 15:16&29)
“By their fruits ye shall know them.” (Matt 7:20)

Recently a family member of mine posted these 17 points on Facebook and I felt the need to test these 17 points by looking up the scriptures referenced and by using other scriptures in God’s word, the Bible. It turned out to be quite an undertaking and ended up being much longer than I anticipated. Because of it’s length, I will be posting it in 3 parts. This is part 1. This is not a complete and thorough investigation of each point but thorough enough to prove whether each point is true or not. Note: I will be using the New King James Version for all scriptures referenced.

We need to test or verify all things that people produce that claim truth. The Bible is our standard of measurement against the teachings of men/women and according to 1 Thess. 5:21 we are to “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” Here is what I discovered:

Point #1 Christ organized the Church (Eph. 4:11-14)

Eph. 4:11-14 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,

Point #1 is a TRUE statement but what does the word church mean? In Strong’s Concordance the word for church is the Greek word ekklesia. The definition is “an assembly, a (religious) congregation”
“1577 ekklēsía(from 1537 /ek, “out from and to” and 2564 /kaléō, “to call”) – properly, people called out from the world and to God, the outcome being the Church (the mystical body of Christ) – i.e. the universal (total) body of believers whom God calls out from the world and into His eternal kingdom.”

The word church does not refer to a denomination, organization or a particular religion but to “a body of believers whom God calls out from the world.” There are many members of the LDS church, as well as other church denominations, who are simply Sunday pew warmers. They check off their “to do” list that their religious leader provide for them but their hearts are far from truly loving God. They will leave church and go about doing whatever they want the rest of the week, never giving God a second thought or even glancing at His written word. That is why no one can claim a religion or denomination to be the true church because the true church is a body of BELIEVERS. They are those who love God with all their heart, might, mind and strength. They are those who come from all walks of life and all religious denominations who have a heart to serve God and keep His commandments every single day. They are those who come to know Him and His Son by studying His written word and following it.

The LDS religion is a denomination, an organization and a corporation. Many members are pew warmers but there are also many members who are zealous to do what is right. Unfortunately they follow the counsel and teachings of men rather than God’s counsel and teachings in the Bible. They follow a Jesus and a God who requires them to complete certain works in order to be saved. The true God and His true Son only require your heart. They desire you to turn from lawlessness and follow Them. It requires faith which then naturally leads to a person wanting to do good works and keep the commandments, but salvation is not a checklist. God’s grace through His Son is a gift that requires no payment from us in the form of works. He simply wants a changed heart for Him.

2 Cor. 11:3-4 But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!

Christ is the head of a body of BELIEVERS, not a denomination, not an organization and certainly not a corporation! All who belong to His Church or body of believers are fully committed to Him in faith and in deed. There are no “pew warmers” and those with a checklist in hand within Christ’s Church. They are those who put their complete trust in God and His Son instead of men who claim authority.

Point #2 The true church must bear the name of Jesus Christ (Eph. 5:23)

Eph. 5:23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.

Point #2 is a FALSE statement. First of all the scripture referenced does not say that the church must bear the name of Jesus Christ. It simply states that Christ is the head of the church. There is no scripture that instructs us what to name the church. The early church was known more by their geographical location as seen in the following scriptures.

In 1 Thess. 1:1 it says, “Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace [a]from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Rev. 2:1 “To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, ‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands:

Rev. 2:8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write, ‘These things says the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life:

It goes on in Revelation chapters 2 and 3 with the church in Pergamos, the church in Thyatira, the church in Sardis, the church in Philadelphia and the church of the Laodiceans.

And there are other passages that simple call it the church of God.

1 Cor 1:1-2 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,
To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

2 Cor 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia:

Historically, the early church called themselves the Way as witnessed by Paul:

Acts 9:1-2 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

Acts 19:9 But when some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.

Acts 22:4 I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women,

Acts 24:14 But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets.

Acts 24:22 But when Felix heard these things, having more accurate knowledge of the Way, he adjourned the proceedings and said, “When Lysias the commander comes down, I will make a decision on your case.”

If anything, I would think that the true church should be called the Way. If the church was “restored” then shouldn’t it have the same name as the early church after Christ was resurrected and ascended to Heaven? Restore means to return something to it’s former state. The former name of Christ’s church was called the Way.

Just a side note here: the LDS church dropped the name of Jesus Christ from their name for a four year period (1834-1838). They called themselves The Church of the Latter-day Saints for that time. Were they in a state of apostasy during those four years according to the 17 Points? Why did they drop the name of Jesus Christ?

Point #3 The true church must have a foundation of Apostles and Prophets (Eph. 2:19-20)

Eph. 2:19-20 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,

Yes Point #3 is a TRUE statement, sort of. The way they worded it is a bit skewed. The scripture passage says “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,”. The household of God is built upon the teachings of the apostles and prophets of old. It’s not talking about the structure of an organization. The way they word the third point makes it sound like there has to be apostles and prophets currently alive in Christ’s church but the scripture simply says His church must be built upon their foundation which is the teachings about Christ which are found in the Bible. This scripture needs to be read in context to understand what it’s referring to. The whole chapter should be read. It is discussing the people (Gentiles) who accepted the Gospel message taught by Paul and others. They were taught about Jesus and His Gospel from His apostles. His apostles also taught what was said from the prophets in the Old Testament because they knew and taught God’s Law from the beginning. Christ tried to get people to turn back to the Law but many were too entrenched in their own man-made rules and regulations to see. The foundation of these new converts in the early church came from the teachings and doctrines of the Old Testament prophets, Christ’s apostles who testified of Him and from Jesus Christ Himself. Jesus Christ is The Prophet that Moses foretold would come that people should listen to and obey. So the foundation mentioned in this scripture passage is talking about the body of Christ or the true believers building their foundation upon the teachings of the Old Testament prophets and the teachings of Christ’s apostles who spent their lives preaching the Gospel. It is not talking about how to structure an organization by filling leadership positions like the LDS church believes. Also, all the Old Testament prophets were types and shadows of Christ who would be THE Prophet who Moses prophesied would come. Christ was to be our ultimate Prophet to listen to and obey. He is the Head of His Church (the body of believers). The LDS church believes that they have a living prophet and apostles in leadership positions guiding their church. Christ is the one who is supposed to be the head of His Church, THE Prophet guiding His Believers. He is the Word who taught that the written word should be written upon our hearts.

Deut. 18:15-19 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, according to all you desired of the Lord your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die.’ And the Lord said to me: ‘What they have spoken is good.I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.

John 5:46-47 For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”

John 6:14 Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

John 7:40 Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, “Truly this is the Prophet.”

Acts 3:22-23 For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’

Back to Ephesians 2–if you keep reading, the next two verses, you can see that it is not an organization, but rather individual people that are to be built on this foundation.

Eph. 2:19-22 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

He’s not talking about a physical building that is built to be a holy temple but individual people. We are the temple of God and our foundation comes from His written word through His prophets of old who pointed to Christ in the Old Testament and His apostles who penned the New Testament and from His Son, the Living Word.

1 Cor. 3:9-17 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.

One more thing–it was stated that Jesus Christ is the chief corner stone and we also know from Eph. 5:23 that He is also the head of the church (body). When the LDS church signed up for the 501c3 tax exempt status, they entered into a contract. Most people only know that it allows for members of a 501c3 church to get a tax break on their “charitable” donations to their church. This “benefit” is appealing to members in making donations to their church. They are more inclined to make generous donations since they get a tax break. These donations are also tax exempt for the church. What most people don’t understand about the 501c3 is that it is a contract between the church and the state government which incorporates the church so it basically becomes an indirect government agency. This contract stipulates that:

the State is the creator of the corporation (church)
the State is the sole authority and sovereign head over the corporation
the corporation is subject to the laws of the State which limits its powers
the corporation has no constitutionally protected rights
the corporation is an artificial person
the corporation submits to a State Charter declaring it is a creature of the State
the corporation is created for the benefit of the public
the corporation is a State franchise
the corporation is a privilege granted by the State.”

There is so much more to this but basically the leaders of a 501c3 corporation (church) are bound to obey the State. This means that they gave up the authority of their church to the government. Instead of Jesus Christ and/or God being the sole authority of their church, they have given up that authority to the government and must now operate under government rules and regulations. The “charitable” donations given by members are no longer considered charity but rather, it is seen as a gift to the state treasury, allowing tax write-offs for a donation to an institution of the government. At the bottom line, 501c3 churches have given away their rights and liberties for the love of money. They no longer have 1st and 5th amendment rights and have denounced that God and/or Christ is their creator and authority of their church by signing this horrific contract. The head of the LDS church is the government not Jesus Christ. They may say that Christ is the head but they are not telling the truth. They are beholden to whatever the government says or they will lose everything monetarily speaking.

Point #4 The true church must have the same organization as Christ’s Church (Eph. 4:11-14)

Point #4 is TRUE, however, this organization spoken about in this scripture passage deals with gifts given by God and not callings and appointments to leadership positions like the LDS church does. God’s gifts vary and are given to all members of the body of Christ for the benefit of the whole body to become more whole in faith and knowledge of Christ. Jesus Christ is the head and the members are the other parts of the body. All parts are needed and we should not think more highly of our gifts than others. If you read the verses before these, you will see that he is speaking about gifts given to members of the body of Christ for helping each other grow and learn. Gifts are spoken of in several places in the Bible.

Rom. 12:3-8 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

1 Cor. 12:1-31 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led. Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty,but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.

I find it interesting that God set apostles first and prophets second. “And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.” Why does the LDS church set prophets first and apostles second?

Bruce McConkie stated in Mormon Doctrine p.140 “the same organization that existed in the primitive Church prevails now. (Sixth Article of Faith.)”

The LDS church is nothing like the “primitive” church in the New Testament. Here are a few examples:

● There was no first presidency in charge of the 12 apostles in the New Testament (N.T.) church. The LDS church has 15 apostles (3 are the first presidency in charge of the 12 apostles).
● The name of the church is different. If anything, I would think that the true church should be called the Way. If the church was “restored” then shouldn’t it have the same name as the early church after Christ was resurrected and ascended to Heaven? Restore means to return something to it’s former state. The former name of Christ’s church was called the Way. Acts 24:14 But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets.
● God told Israel to build only one temple for His dwelling place among His people. The pagans were the ones who had many temples. See my post entitled Understanding the Beautiful Temple of God.
● The LDS temples are nothing like the temple in the N.T. church. See my post entitled Understanding the Beautiful Temple of God.
● Christ never said a word about “saving ordinances” performed in a temple. If “saving ordinances” are vital for salvation, don’t you think He would’ve mentioned it at least once?
● Jesus taught that salvation was a free gift if we but believe and follow Him but the LDS church teaches that salvation requires a monetary payment in the form of tithing in order to receive salvation through “saving ordinances” only obtained in an LDS temple.
● Jesus taught that grace was a gift for salvation but the LDS church teaches that you can only obtain grace for salvation after all you can do. (Book of Mormon 2 Ne. 25:23) How do you know you’ve ever done enough? Doing, doing, doing, trying to earn God’s grace for salvation. How utterly exhausting and discouraging never knowing if you are good enough to be saved!
● Marriage was not a requirement for salvation in the N.T. church. Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego and Daniel never married. Jeremiah was commanded by God Himself to not marry. And Paul chose not to marry so that he could concentrate on the work of spreading the Gospel. If they believe these 17 Points are true and accurate then according to LDS doctrine, none of these men would make it to their Celestial (Highest) Kingdom of God. Jesus never taught that marriage was required for any kind of salvation or exaltation.
● Jesus taught people to return to God and to obey His Law found in the Old Testament. The LDS church diminishes the Bible and in fact calls it corrupted with plain and precious truths removed from it. 1 Pet. 1:25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. They claim that the Book of Mormon restored those plain and precious things. Can anyone point to what truths were restored in the Book of Mormon that are not in the Bible? There are none.
● If the Gospel is the word of God and God’s word endures forever then why does the LDS church say there was an apostasy and the gospel needed restoring? Matt. 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. If Jesus said that the gates of hell would not prevail against His church then why would people think it was taken from the Earth? Wouldn’t that have been a great victory for Satan? He would’ve prevailed in removing the truth from the Earth but this is not true. The truth and God’s church (body of believers) have been here since the beginning of time. Satan has tried his best to get rid of them but many survived and the truth has always been here. God always leave a remnant all throughout history.
● When did Jesus ever teach that accumulating worldly wealth was important? If Jesus came to visit today would He approve of the vast wealth in money, stocks, properties, businesses, etc. accumulated by the LDS church? Would He sit down and give them advice on which stocks to invest in that would yield the best profit? Or would He ask them why they only spend less than 1% of their wealth on helping the poor, needy, widows and orphans? James 1:27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
● The Bible also states some requirements of bishops and deacons in 1 Timothy chapter 3. “1 Tim. 3:2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;” In the early history of the LDS church there were many bishops who had more than one wife. They obviously were in error according to this scripture.
● 1 Tim 3:12 Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. Since when do 12 year old boys have wives and children. Obviously the LDS church did not follow this organizational aspect. Deacons obviously should be older men not 12 year old boys as they are in the LDS church.
● Jesus taught that there was one true God and that we should give all glory to Him. The LDS church teaches that there are multiple Gods and that God was once a man and came to be God. And that we can become gods after this life. Isa. 44:6 Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. Deut. 4:35 Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him. John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. We also know that God does not change and that He is everlasting to everlasting. If God was once a man that means He would’ve had to change and grow in order to become God. Ps. 90:2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. If God had once been a man and had progressed to become God then that would’ve required change. Progression is change but God does not change! Mal. 3:6 “For I am the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob. Num. 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
● The Book of Mormon teaches that black skin is a curse. Early LDS prophets also taught that people of dark skin were cursed. Black men were denied from being ordained the LDS priesthood and according to Wikipedia, black people were “prohibited from taking part in ceremonies in LDS temples, serving in certain leadership church callings, attending priesthood meetings, and speaking at firesides. Spouses of black people of African descent were also prohibited from entering the temple.” This means that black people were denied salvation (according to Mormonism salvation) because Mormons believe that you cannot be saved unless you perform “saving ordinances” in their temples. This racism was finally lifted after 129 years in 1978. The LDS leaders claim that it was revelation from God that the black people had these restrictions even though Joseph Smith himself ordained a few black men with the priesthood between the years 1830 to 1849. James 2:8-9 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. Also Acts 10:34-35 Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. The church in New Testament times offered salvation to all people no matter what their race, nationality, gender, or social status.
● There are many other differences but I’ll let these be sufficient.

Point #5 The true church must claim divine authority (Heb. 5:4-10)

Heb. 5:4-10 And no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was. So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.” As He also says in another place: “You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek”; who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,called by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,”

The true church must claim divine authority is a TRUE statement but seeing as the LDS church gave up their authority to the government then they cannot claim to be the true church. Also there are many churches who “claim” divine authority. Take the Catholic Pope for instance. He claims divine authority, in fact, he claims to be the vicar of Christ which means he thinks he is Christ here on Earth. I found it interesting and disturbing that when Pres. Nelson met with the Pope in 2019, he said, “We had a most cordial, unforgettable experience. His Holiness, he was most gracious and warm and welcoming,” said President Nelson. He continued, “What a sweet, wonderful man he is, and how fortunate the Catholic people are to have such a gracious, concerned, loving and capable leader.” Why did he call the Pope “His Holiness”? Only God should be called that! And why was he so complimentary of such an evil man. Doing just a small amount of research will prove that the Catholic Church and it’s leaders are diabolical.

Divine authority means that it comes from God and the only person who was called of God to be a high priest after the order of Melchizedek was Jesus Christ. You will not find anyone else after Christ who was called of God to be a high priest. There is no reference in the New Testament that Christ gave this authority to anyone else. In the Old Testament, only men from the tribe of Levi could officiate in the Tabernacle/Temple and only those from the lineage of Aaron could be a High Priest. There were many priests who served in the Tabernacle/Temple but there was only one High Priest. This was symbolic and pointed to Christ who would come and be The High Priest of mankind who would go before the throne of God to intercede or mediate between God and us.

1 Tim. 2:5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,

Heb. 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

Heb. 9:15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

I found an article that explains it well. Here are a couple paragraphs from it:

“Today, Christ continues to be our High Priest, interceding on our behalf at the right hand of God in heaven as our mediator (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 10:12). He is the High Priest of the New Covenant, a better covenant than the one made with Israel (Hebrews 8)—the High Priest of His Church, which is the spiritual body of believers whom God has called out. 
Christ was physically descended from the tribe of Judah, not of Levi—he was physically ineligible to become High Priest. But spiritually as the mediator of the New Covenant, he was the first in a new line of the priesthood of the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 7; read more about Melchizedek here). When Jesus Christ died, the veil of the temple was torn in two (Matthew 27:51). The piece of heavy fabric that separated God’s presence from His people had been torn asunder, symbolizing that atonement for our sins had been made once and for all by the blood of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 10:10). No longer would it be necessary to bring the blood of bulls and goats to the Mercy Seat. When we commemorate the Day of Atonement today, we reflect on and commemorate Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf, which made it capable for us to come to God in reconciliation.”
What Does It Mean That Jesus Is Our High Priest?, Aug 7, 2018, United Church of God

The LDS church teaches that they have God’s authority through the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthood. In The Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Vol.3, The word “priesthood” has several meanings for Mormons:

1. Priesthood is power, the power of God, a vital source of eternal strength and energy delegated to men to act in all things for the well-being of mankind, both in the world and out of it (DS 3:80; Romney, p. 43).
2. Priesthood is authority, the exclusive right to act in the name of God as his authorized agents and to perform ordinances for the purpose of opening certain spiritual blessings to all individuals.
3. Priesthood is the right and responsibility to preside within the organizational structure of the Church, but only in a manner consistent with the agency of others.
4. Sometimes the word priesthood is used to refer to the men of the Church in general (as in “the priesthood will meet in the chapel”).

In Mormon Doctrine p.140, Bruce McConkie stated, “the same organization that existed in the primitive Church prevails now. (Sixth Article of Faith.)”

The problem is that the LDS church is not patterned after the primitive church found in the New Testament. It doesn’t resemble it even remotely as demonstrated in Point #4! The Levitical Priesthood (Aaronic Priesthood) became obsolete after Jesus atoned for us. There was no longer a need for animal sacrifices to be made by these priests in order to mediate between God and man. Yeshua was the Great Mediator to which all that pointed to. He is now our only Mediator between us and God. He became our High Priest in the renewed (new) covenant. The Bible is clear that only Melchizedek and Jesus Christ had the Melchizedek priesthood. The Melchizedek priesthood only exists in Christ today. He has no need to pass it on to someone else because He lives forever. Just like there was only one High Priest in Israel before Christ there will only be one High Priest after Christ.

Heb. 6:19-20 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

God or Yehovah was the Presense that dwelt in the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle/temple of the Israelites. The High Priest of Israel, of which there is only one High Priest, entered the Holy of Holies only once a year on the Day of Atonement and sprinkled blood upon the left side of the mercy seat for atonement for the people of Israel. Upon paying the debt and atoning for us on the cross, Yeshua is now our High Priest in the order of the New Covenant, the Melchizedek Priesthood. His blood was the last blood to be sprinkled upon the Mercy Seat of God. (For more cool information about that, see a teaching series by Michael Rood called The Great Secret of Solomon’s Temple ).

We only need one High Priest–Jesus Christ! And since the Levitical Priesthood became obsolete after Christ atoned for the sins of all, then why would there be a need to restore such a priesthood? Christ is our High Priest forever. We no longer need the Levitical (Aaronic) Priesthood. It’s purpose was for a way where man could come to God by a blood offering but when Christ atoned for us, He offered up His blood once and for all. His was the perfect sacrifice because our debt had to be paid with human blood, not animal blood. The animals were a substitute until the true sacrifice could be made. The animal sacrifices were symbolic and pointed to Christ’s ultimate sacrifice for us.

Also the Levites were the only ones who could hold the Levitical (Aaronic) Priesthood so why can all men in the LDS church hold it. Most men in the LDS church are not from the tribe of Levi. And there is no limit who can become a high priest in the LDS church as long as they are found “worthy” by their leaders. There was supposed to be only one High Priest in the primitive church.

Heb. 7: 24-25 But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

This word “unchangeable” is defined as:
Strong’s Greek 531: Inviolable, unchangeable. Not passing away, i.e. Untransferable.

Thayer’s Greek Dictionary defines it this way: 531 aparabatos-1) unviolated, not to be violated, inviolable 2) unchangeable and therefore not liable to pass to a successor

If Christ has an unchangeable (untransferable) priesthood that cannot be passed to a successor then why does the LDS church even claim to have the Melchizedek Priesthood?

Point #6 The true church must have no paid ministry (Acts 20:33-34; John 10:11-13)

Acts 20:33-34 I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me.

John 10:11-13 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.

This point is FALSE. God’s true shepherds were supposed to be supported by the people so they could focus on preaching the word to bring people to repentance. It is okay to support teachers of the Gospel who are doing their best to preach truth and whose desire it is to preach to save souls not to gain profit. It is those teachers and preachers who preach in order to gain a profit that are evil.

A hireling does not care about the sheep like the shepherd does. The hireling is only there to make money. The LDS church has in the past called pastors of other churches “hirelings of Satan” in it’s temple endowment, but there is nothing unbiblical about supporting those preachers who are working hard to preach truth. There is, however, a difference between those who preach to make money and those who preach to save souls and who simply need some financial support in their efforts. In the Bible, we see that the tribe of Levi was the only tribe that did not receive an inheritance in the land. God called them to labor full time in His Tabernacle and they were supported by all the other tribes through their tithes for the work they performed in the Tabernacle/Temple.

Numbers 18:21 Behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work which they perform, the work of the tabernacle of meeting.

Another example it found in 1 Cor. chapter 9 where Paul defends a paid ministry and in also in Nehemiah it talks about how Israel was able to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem and how they were appointed to bring in tithes.

Neh. 12:44-47 And at the same time some were appointed over the rooms of the storehouse for the offerings, the firstfruits, and the tithes, to gather into them from the fields of the cities the portions specified by the Law for the priests and Levites; for Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who ministered. Both the singers and the gatekeepers kept the charge of their God and the charge of the purification, according to the command of David and Solomon his son. For in the days of David and Asaph of old there were chiefs of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving to God. In the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah all Israel gave the portions for the singers and the gatekeepers, a portion for each day. They also consecrated holy things for the Levites, and the Levites consecrated them for the children of Aaron.

However, when Nehemiah returned from Babylon to check on the people of Israel, those appointed to minister to the people had all gone back to their fields to earn a living because the people had not been supporting them with their tithes.

Neh. 13:6-13 But during all this I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had returned to the king. Then after certain days I obtained leave from the king, and I came to Jerusalem and discovered the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, in preparing a room for him in the courts of the house of God. And it grieved me bitterly; therefore I threw all the household goods of Tobiah out of the room. Then I commanded them to cleanse the rooms; and I brought back into them the articles of the house of God, with the grain offering and the frankincense. I also realized that the portions for the Levites had not been given them; for each of the Levites and the singers who did the work had gone back to his field. So I contended with the rulers, and said, “Why is the house of God forsaken?” And I gathered them together and set them in their place. Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain and the new wine and the oil to the storehouse. And I appointed as treasurers over the storehouse Shelemiah the priest and Zadok the scribe, and of the Levites, Pedaiah; and next to them was Hanan the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah; for they were considered faithful, and their task was to distribute to their brethren.

I must point out that the LDS claim that they have no paid ministry but that is a lie. Their top leaders are given generous stipends to live on each year. Also their mission presidents have all expenses paid for and receive monthly allowances and incredible benefits. So if they believe these 17 points are true and accurate then according to point #6, they do not qualify as the true church because they claim the true church must have no paid ministry but they do.

Doctrine and Covenants 42:71-73 (Mormon scripture) discusses the law of remuneration and Hyrum Smith and Janne Sjodahl explained it like this: “The law of remuneration is that those who administer in spiritual affairs must have their stewardships and labor for their living, ‘even as the members.’ This is wisdom. For in that position they are absolutely independent and can preach the truth without fear. Those who administer in temporal affairs and give their entire time to public business are to have a just remuneration. If they were to earn a living for themselves they could not give all their time and energy to the community” (Doctrine and Covenants Commentary, 1973 edition, p.234).

Back in the early days of the LDS church bishops and stake presidents were paid.

“In 1884 Church president John Taylor limited bishops to 8% of tithing they collected (now primarily cash), while stake presidents got 2% of tithing collected by all the bishops of the stake. In 1888 Wilford Woodruff established set salaries for stake presidents and provided that a stake committee would apportion 10% of collected tithing between the bishops and the stake tithing clerk. At April 1896 General Conference, the First Presidency announced the end of salaries for local officers, in response to the decision of the temple meeting ‘to not pay Salaries to any one but the Twelve.'” (D. Michael Quinn, “Extensions of Power;” [for more on Mormon Church use of member tithing to pay General Authority living expenses, see the following also excerpted from Quinn, “Extension of Power,” Chapter 6, as found at]: “LDS Church History–A Topical Tour through LDS history. Current topic: The Life of George Albert Smith,” at: http://lds-church-history.blogspot.com/2010/12/lds-history-summary.html)

Today only top leaders and mission presidents receive money in the LDS church. As stated before, top leaders receive a stipend or base living allowance. In 2014, all general authorities received a raise from $116,400 to $120,000 for this base living allowance. This information was from a leaked document from the church’s Presiding Bishopric which handles all the financial issues of the church. These leaders also receive many perks and other additional income. We know that they also receive health care benefits, free cars, free college tuition for their children at BYU, and travel expenses paid. The church leaders also sit on the boards of many of the church owned for-profit organizations. They are paid as boards of directors both an amount in money as well as in stocks in these for-profit organizations. Mission presidents and their families have all their expenses paid for and get a housekeeper and money for gifts and private schools for their children. How is this right when full time member missionaries receive nothing for their financial support? Full time member missionaries have to pay for their own missions in all aspects and many times at great cost and sacrifice from their families. Like I said before, supporting those who are ministering to the people to save souls with God’s truth is a good thing and is supported by the Bible, but there is a difference in having needs met and taking advantage of people for your own profit and gain. Money is not evil but the love of money is.

The LDS church recently had a former employee of Ensign Peak Advisors come forth with shocking information that this church owned fund had stockpiled $100 billion through improper misuse of member donations. Apparently the church had been quietly building this investment fund for more than 50 years and it is now one of the largest investment funds in the world.

Apparently the LDS church collects $7-8 billion in member donations annually but it only costs $6-7 billion to pay all church expenses worldwide. That extra $1 billion has been set aside by Ensign Peak Advisors each year for over 20 years and that is how that fund became one of the largest funds in the world. That money donated by members of the church should have been used for helping the poor and those in need. In 2019, the LDS church reported that it only spent $100 million (not billion) in outside charitable work. This is only .014% of it’s $6-7 billion in annual donations and only .001% of its investment fund. Think of all the hungry children this money could’ve fed and all the homeless people this could’ve housed! The LDS church is always tooting it horn about how much they do and give in humanitarian aid but giving less than 1% is hardly worth bragging about for charitable aid! The LDS church always talks about saving for a rainy day and they often use this excuse for all their accumulated money but don’t you think that the years 2020 and 2021 was one of those “rainy days”? There were so many church members who lost their businesses and careers because of the “pandemic” regulations set forth in the country. The church did not help those people in a time of need, however, the church did make a boatload of money during the “pandemic” year! LDS paid clergy own half a billion dollars in v~a~c~c~i~n~e stocks and they made $153,810,216 just from the three major v~a~c~c~i~n~e stocks in the United States in the year 2020. Many people had moderate to severe reactions to these shots and many even died from them. So instead of helping people during the “pandemic” I guess you could say that the LDS church made money on the suffering and death of many people during that time.

To be continued…

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