No Other Gospel

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul reminded them that he was an apostle and marveled that some of the Galatians were perverting the gospel which he preached. He then forcefully declared that they were not to receive any gospel except the one which they had received by the revelation of Jesus Christ. (Galatians 1:1-12) Taking some of these verses out of context and attempting to use them as justification for rejecting revelation and apostles is a prime example of what Peter was talking about when he said "... they that are unlearned and unstable wrest [the writings of Paul], as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction." (2 Peter 3:15-16)

Paul said that the church was “built on the foundation of apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.” (Ephesians 2:19-20) He also declared that apostles, prophets, and other officers were needed for the perfecting of the saints, "Till we all come in the unity of the faith...That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine..." (Ephesians 4:11-15)

Most Christian churches were organized after 1500 AD. Much of their organization and doctrine does not match the New Testament. One of the most obvious differences is the lack of apostolic leadership. Peter said that no "scripture is of any private interpretation." (2 Peter 1:20) Without revelation and prophets and apostles it is not possible to have anything but private interpretation! It is ludicrous to attempt to “trouble you and pervert the gospel of Christ” by pretending that Galatians 1:1-12 means that you should reject revelation and apostolic direction in order to maintain tradition.

Paul was ordained an apostle after the resurrected Christ appeared to him. Joseph Smith was ordained an apostle after Christ appeared to him. One of the reasons that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints grows so rapidly is that its organization and doctrine match the New Testament better than any other church.

© 2000 Ancient Message Keeper™ All rights reserved. This document is the result of personal scholarship and does not represent the official position of any church.