• Joseph Smith stated that the Bible had not been preserved in its original purity: "We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly" (A of F 1:8) That is, error has occurred not only in the translation from one language to another but also in the transcription of the text from manuscript to manuscript, even in the same language. The Bible has apparently suffered mostly from omissions-it is not particularly erroneous, but many important items are missing, and this in turn leaves some parts unclear. Joseph Smith explained this further when he said, "I believe the Bible as it read when it came from the pen of the original writers. Ignorant translators, careless transcribers, or designing and corrupt priests have committed many errors."
• Translation creates error and omission. I speak fluent English and Spanish. I speak from personal experience. Give two scholars unfamiliar with today s Bibles the same latin copy of the Bible and they will give you two different translations, oftentimes with very different meanings.
• It is amazing just how sparse our record really is. While the four testimonies that bear witness of Christ's life do so with much power, they do not cover the greater part of his life. In Mark's story, for example, only thirty-one days are accounted for. Furthermore, in the New Testament the total sayings attributed to Christ can be read in one hour. When one considers the numerous occasions that he taught, and the times his sermons extended well into the day or the evening, we realize that only a very small portion of his teachings has survived.
• The real gap in the New Testament accounts is the period after the resurrection. We know that at that time Christ spent forty days with his apostles forty days in which he expanded upon his word. How vital those teachings and instructions must have been! Yet they are almost totally missing from our current New Testament.
• The epistles of the early brethren assumed a role for which they were never intended. The Gospels as we have them focus primarily on the life of Christ, on those teachings that bear witness that he is the Christ, and on his teachings about how man ought to live. They do not contain a complete presentation of the full range of gospel doctrines and principles. Generally, therefore, Christian sects have obtained many of their doctrines from the epistles. But the epistles themselves, though they contain doctrine, do so in patches and pieces. Most of them were written in response to specific needs and questions arising in specific geographical areas of the early Church.
• Furthermore, some were quite informal or personal, and though sometimes their authors requested that they be read in church, for the most part the authors probably did not intend for their letters to be bound as scriptures. In addition, the letters often contained many items of unequal weight and importance. Basic knowledge of the gospel was presumed to exist among the early Church congregations, so details of many gospel principles were left out of the epistles. Thus, many things were only alluded to, such as baptism for the dead and the roles of the various priesthood leaders (I will mention this more later). It is this partial explanation that has caused confusion for later readers. In fact, it could be argued that this unfortunate lack of clarity of doctrine is largely responsible for many of the later divisions of belief among Christian sects.
• One of the most important accomplishments of the Savior was the establishment of His church upon the earth. Paul taught that Christ gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ (Eph. 4:11 12).
• When Jesus called His twelve Apostles, He laid His hands upon them, ordained them, and conferred upon them the authority to act in His name and govern His church. Peter is commonly understood to have become the chief Apostle, after the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ. Early Christians endured the challenges of persecution and hardship. Peter and his brethren had a difficult time holding the Church together and keeping the doctrine pure. They traveled extensively and wrote to one another about the problems they were facing, but information moved so slowly and the Church and its teachings were so new that heading off false teachings before they became firmly entrenched was difficult.
• The New Testament indicates that the early Apostles worked hard to preserve the church that Jesus Christ left to their care and keeping, but they knew their efforts would ultimately be in vain. Paul wrote to the Thessalonian Saints, who were anxiously anticipating the second coming of Christ, that that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first (2 Thes. 2:3). He also warned Timothy that the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables (2 Tim. 4:3 4).
• And Peter presupposed the falling away, or the Apostasy, when he spoke of the times of refreshing that would come before God would again send Jesus Christ, who before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began (Acts 3:19 21).
• Eventually, with the known exception of John the Beloved, Peter and his fellow Apostles were martyred. The Apostle John and members of the Church struggled for survival in the face of horrifying oppression. To their everlasting credit, Christianity did survive and was truly a prominent force by the end of the second century A.D. Many valiant Saints were instrumental in helping Christianity to endure.
• Despite the significance of the ministries of these Saints, they did not hold the same apostolic authority Peter and the other Apostles had received through ordination under the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. When that authority was lost, men began looking to other sources for doctrinal understanding. As a result, many plain and precious truths were lost.
• I, as will the leaders of the church, as will my fellow Mormons, stand by the Bible as scripture. The Bible does not claim to be infallible. The Bible does not claim to be the ONLY word of God. Infact, numerous scriptures within the pages of the Bible refer to other writings of the early brethren that are no longer to be had by us. I find it unbelievable and unreasonable that all the relevant teachings of the Son of God are found within the few passages attributed to Him in the Bible.
• At the same time, we are greatful to the priests, monks, scribes and others who kept the light of the scriptures alive through the long and dreary years of the Apostacy,
• History tells us of a great council held in A.D. 325 in Nicaea. By this time Christianity had emerged from the dank dungeons of Rome to become the state religion of the Roman Empire, but the church still had problems chiefly the inability of Christians to agree among themselves on basic points of doctrine. To resolve differences, Emperor Constantine called together a group of Christian bishops to establish once and for all the official doctrines of the church.
• Consensus did not come easily. Opinions on such basic subjects as the nature of God were diverse and deeply felt, and debate was spirited. Decisions were not made by inspiration or revelation, but by majority vote, and some disagreeing factions split off and formed new churches. Similar doctrinal councils were held later in A.D. 451, 787, and 1545, with similarly divisive results.
• The beautiful simplicity of Christ s gospel was under attack from an enemy that was even more destructive than the scourges and the crosses of early Rome: the philosophical meanderings of uninspired men. The doctrine became based more on popular opinion than on revelation. This period of time was called the Dark Ages. They were dark largely because the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ had been lost.

13 Behold I have given unto you my gospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you that I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me. 14 And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father, to stand before me, to be judged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil 15 And for this cause have I been lifted up; therefore, according to the power of the Father I will draw all men unto me, that they may be judged according to their works. 16 And it shall come to pass, that whoso repenteth and is baptized in my name shall be filled; and if he endureth to the end, behold, him will I hold guiltless before my Father at that day when I shall stand to judge the world. 17 And he that endureth not unto the end, the same is he that is also hewn down and cast into the fire, from whence they can no more return, because of the justice of the Father. 18 And this is the word which he hath given unto the children of men. And for this cause he fulfilleth the words which he hath given, and he lieth not, but fulfilleth all his words. 19 And no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end. 20 Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day. 21 Verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my gospel (3 Nephi 27:13-21).

1. We find Nephi, one of the first Prophets mentioned in the Book, consecrating his brothers Jacob and Joseph, that they should be priests and teachers over the land of my people. (2 Nephi 5:26).
2. In the days of King Benjamin, a Prophet/King in the Book of Mormon, there were many holy men in the land, and they did speak the word of God wih power and authority. (Words of Mormon 1:17). (We assume this obviously means the authority of the Priesthood.)
3. It was from King Mosiah that the Prophet Alma the Elder received power to ordain priests and teachers over every church (Mosiah 25:19). Again, the authority spoken of here is the Priesthood.
4. Alma the Younger testified that he was consecrated by his father, to be a high priest over the church of God, he having power and authority from God to do these things (Alma 5:3).
5. Similarly, Aaron (another Priesthood holder of the Book of Mormon) and his brethren went forth from city to city, and from one house of worship to another, establishing churches, and consecrating priests and teachers throughout the land among the Lamanites, to preach and to teach the word of God among them. (Alma 23:4)
6. As to becoming a member of Christ s church in those days, the record states that whosoever was baptized by the power and authority of God was added to his Church (Mosiah 18:17).
7. The 13th chapter of Alma is dedicated to discussing the high priesthood of the holy order of God. It teaches that through the ordinances of this priesthood, the people of Melchizedek were cleansed from sin and entered into the rest of the Lord their God. (Alma 13:12).

• In the book of Genesis we find the command, Walk before me, and be thou perfect (Gen. 17:1) What type of perfection is being alluded to? In the Sermon on the Mount, the Savior gives the answer, Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect (Matt. 5:48). This was consistent with the Savior s high priestly prayer in John. Speaking of the believers, he petitioned the Father that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one (John 17:22-23). As stated above, Paul taught that a vital reason for the early church was for the perfecting of the Saints...till we all come...unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:12-13). The measuring rod is not man, not some form of mini-Christ or quasi-God, bur rather the fulness of Christ . The standard of perfection was Christ.
• Paul understood this doctrine, when speaking to the men of Athens, he said, Certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring (Acts 17:28). Paul new the consequences of being the offspring of God, for while speaking to the Romans, he declared, The spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:16-17) -- not subordinate heirs, not junior, not contingent, but joint, equal heirs with Christ, to share in all that he shall receive. John the Revelator saw in vision how all inclusive this inheritance would be: He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. (Rev. 21:7) The Lord didn t promise some things, or even many things, but all things.
• The Savior promises: To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with my in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne (Rev. 3:21). What throne was he referring to? Nothing less than the throne of God.
• David, in the Old Testament, knowing that men might become partakes of the divine nature, spoke of a multiplicity of Gods: God standeth in the congregation of the mighty: he judgeth among the gods. (Psalm 82:1). Later he wrote, Before the gods will I sing praise unto thee (Jehovah, God) (Psalm 138:1). Some contend that other scriptures refer to only one God and, therefore, man cannot become a God otherwise he would be in violation of such scripture. For example, Paul taught, But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things. . .and onle Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him (1 Cor. 8:6). This scriptures does not say there is an absence of multiple gods, but rather suggests a hierarchy or order of Gods, and thus there exists only one God to whom we are accountable.
• It is interesting that this teaching is found throughout the writings of non-biblical church fathers in the first and second century.
• Justin Martyr wrote: We have learned that those only are deified who have lived near to God in holiness and virtue. The Ante-Nicene Fathers 1:170.
• Theophilus wrote that if a man would keep the commandments of God, he should receive as reward from Him immortality, and should become God. ( The Ante-Nicene Fathers 2:105).
• Hippolytus, another ante-nicene father of the early church wrote, If, therefore, man has become immortal, he will also be God. And if he is made God by water and the Holy Spirit after the regeneration of the lavar (baptism), he is found to be also joint-heir with Christ after the resurrection from the dead. The Ante-Nicene Fathers 5:237
• Cyprian reaffirmed that men can become like Christ: What Christ is, we Christians shall be, if we imitate Christ. The Ante-Nicene Fathers 5:469
• Iranaues noted: We have not been made gods from the beginning, but at first merely men, then at length gods. The Ante-Nicene Fathers 1:522.
• Clement of Alexandria said, It [referring to the instruction and preparation before mentioned] leads us to the endless and perfect end, teaching us beforehand the future life that we shall lead, according to God, and with gods; after we are freed from all punishment and penalty which we undergo...After which redemption the reward and the honours are assigned to those who have become perfect; when they have got done with purification..the Lord, there awaits them restoration to everlasting contemplation; and they are called by the appelation of gods, being destined to sit on thrones with other gods that have been put in their places by the Savior. The Ante-Nicene Fathers 2:539 (emphasis added)
• Arnobius, in the writing Encyclopedia of Early Christianity, said: The gods were originally human beings who were deified upon death Encyclopedia of Early Christianity, 119.
• Clement of Alexandria wrote: Knowing God, he will be made like God...and that man becomes God, since God so wills. The Ante-Nicene Fathers 2:271.
• Hippolytus again said, And thou shalt be a companion of the Deity, and a co-heir with Christ, no longer enslaved by lusts or passions, and never again wasted by disease. For thou has become God, ...thou has been deified, and begotten into immortality. The Ante-Nicene Fathers 5:153

• 1 Cor. 15:29: Paul, in defending the resurrection of Christ and the future resurrection of all men used the ordinance of baptisms for the dead as justification. He pondered the question, Why do it if we aren t resurrected -- Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all, why are they then baptized for the dead?
• 1 Peter 3:19 What more do you know of this verse, By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; which sometimes were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. Joseph restored the principle that all men must be baptized to enter in the kingdom of God. This truth is plainly taught in the Bible. Yet what of those who died without hearing the message of salvation? Limbo? Eternal damnation? Watering down of the command that all be baptized? No! The Lord has provided a way. We may be baptized by the proper authority on behalf of those who have died. If they accept the message of salvation in the spirit world (or spirit prison) then they shall be set free by virtue of that vicarious ordinance. Paul didn t explain this, that wasn t the purpose of his letter. He only alludes and mentions to people who were already familiar with the doctrines.
• 1 Peter 4:6 Again, relating to this doctrine, For this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. We will all be judged by the laws given by Christ and his Prophets here in the flesh. Even those who live in the spirit must keep those commands. How can they be baptized? Only with our assistance.
• The concept of vicarious ordinances should not be stranger to any Christian. The entire work of Christ is based on his vicarious suffering for our sins. He allows us to help our fellowmen by becoming Saviors on Mount Zion in performing baptisms and other ordinances for those that have died with authority given us by him directly.
• You infer that Alma 34:32-34 contradicts this doctrine. It does not. Read that scripture again with this in mind. The missionary Amulek is testifying to a group of people that have dissented from the church of God. They have been taught the doctrine of Christ, received the ordinances and then rejected them. He is speaking to those who know the truth (again, just like the epistles of the Bible, context is important in the Book of Mormon). For those of us, I include myself in this group, who do not Improve (our) time while in this life, will not be given additional opportunity to repent in the next. That opportunity is reserved for those who have not received a witness of the truth while in this life (D&C 138). I can t hope to simply live a life of folly in the light of the gospel and then say, oops, hey I want to repent after I die. That is not how it works. My time for repentance is now, in this life! I love the Book of Mormon.

1. Where are God s prophets and apostles today? (There is no reason for their absence given in the Bible, an ignorant reader would simply infer that God continues to communicate with his children the way he always has from Adam to John the Revelator.) He would be disappointed to find that in the modern-day Christian community that there are no Prophets and Apostles.
2. Do we enjoy the visitation of angels and gifts of the spirit as believers always have from the days of Adam to John the Revelator? Again, he would be disappointed to find out that the modern Christian world rejects such revelations and attributes them to works of darkness.
3. He would certainly inquire about baptism by immersion for the remission of sins and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost by legal administrators of Christ as illustrated multiple times in the Bible. This is repeatedly commanded as a prerequisite for salvation. He would be saddened to find such ordinances completely lacking in modern Christianity, replaced by a multitude of other rites. We would be even more shocked to find no consensus among Modern Christian about was was painstakingly obvious to the leaders of the Church in Christ s day.
4. He would want to see the latest scriptures received by God s appointed servants. He would be surprised and disappointed to find out that no new revelation has been received in almost 2000 years!