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.