by Charley Carle

17 Points of the True Church

Christ Organized the Church. (Eph. 4:11-14)

1. Do any of the following points prove that the Mormon Church was started by Christ?
2. The true church must bear the name of Jesus Christ. (Eph. 5:23
   1. Does a marriage metaphor support point 2?
   2. Where does the Bible command this?
   3. Why were true Bible churches named by geography as in Corinth and Thessalonica? (1 Cor. 1:2; 1 Thes. 1:1)
   4. Why did the legal name for the 1830 LDS church, Church of Christ, leave out Jesus? (D&C 20:1)
   5. From 1834-1838, the name was "The Church of the Latter-day Saints", so was it in apostasy since "Jesus Christ" was omitted? (History of the Church 2:63)
   6. Is not the LDS criticism a little capricious?
   7. Isn't the real point whether you have received Jesus Christ? (John 1:12)
3. The true church must have a foundation of Apostles and Prophets. (Eph. 2:19-20)
   1. Why is the Greek for "built" a past action?
   2. What if the foundation of the Mormon Tabernacle wasn't finished for 2,000 years?
   3. What is God building right now? (Eph. 2:21; 1 Pet. 2:5)
   4. Why is the LDS prophet greater than LDS apostles when the Bible reverses the order? (Eph. 2:19-20 ref above; 1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 3:5; 4:11-14; Rev. 18:20)
   5. Why doesn't this LDS "prophet" prophesy?
   6. Who is your prophet? (John 6:14; 7:40; Acts 3:22-23)
4. The true church must have the same organization as Christ's church.(Eph. 4:11-14)
   1. Do LDS churches have pastors? (as Eph. 4)
   2. Who are the LDS "evangelists"?
   3. If LDS patriarchs are evangelists, are they traveling preachers, and why does the Bible not mention "readings" or "blessings"?
   4. Do the LDS only have 12 apostles?
   5. Who was "president" over the NT church?
   6. Why are Relief Society presidents, Second Quorum of the Seventies, stake presidencies, or ward bishoprics not in the Scriptures?
   7. Why are LDS offices organized differently from the offices of God's Church?
   8. Are the Mormon deacons, 12 year olds, married? (1 Tim. 3:12)
   9. Would 1 Timothy 3:12 disqualify all those practicing plural marriages?
   10. Since Jesus is the only High Priest since the cross, aren't all of the others counterfeit? (Mark 15:38; Rom. 10:4; Heb. 4:14; 7:12)
   11. Did God allow only one prophet at a time, as in the LDS, or several contemporaries in Judaism? (Hosea, Amos, Isaiah, Micah)
   12. The true church must claim divine authority. (Heb. 5:4-10)
   13. Why was the Old Covenant high priest limited to one at a time, not thousands as in Mormonism?
   14. Isn't Hebrews 5 in context speaking of our eternal and only high priest, Jesus Christ?
   15. Doesn't Jesus alone qualify for the Melchizedek Priesthood? (Heb. 7:24-25)
   16. How great is the holy priesthood granted to Christians based upon the authority of the Word of God? (1 Pet. 2:5-9; Rev. 1:6)
   17. Is John the Baptist allegedly still walking around according to the Mormon people?
   18. Does it seem fishy that Joseph Smith's 1829 angelic baptism never appeared in D&C 13 or Pearl of Great Price until 1876?
   19. What if someone claimed an angelic baptism today, would the LDS leadership believe him? Would a ward follow him?
   20. Doesn't God strongly condemn such angelic appearances as provin nothing, like the LDS gospel revealed to Joseph Smith? (Gal. 1:6-9; 1 Cor. 15:1-4; 2 Cor. 11:13-15)
   21. How could Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery have received the LDS Aaronic priesthood before baptism?
   22. If Smith was invalidly baptized by Cowdery, what does that say about the LDS priesthood succession?
   23. Do the Aaronic priests of Mormonism offer animal sacrifices as in the Bible?
5. The true church must have no paid ministry. (Isaiah 45:13; 1 Pet. 5:2)
   1. Aren't these verses really about motivation?
   2. Why do the LDS regional and general authorities draw salaries from the church?
   3. Why did Joseph Smith want money from the church (D&C 24:18-19) and tithes for bishops (D&C 42:71)?
   4. Would you investigate this for yourself? (Mat. 10:10; Luke 10:7; Rom. 15:27; 1 Cor. 9:1-14; 1 Tim. 5:18; 2 Tim 2:4-6)
6. The true church must baptize by immersion. (Mat. 3:13-16)
   1. Was Jesus baptized for remission of sins?
   2. Are we forgiven for our sins by the water of a baptistry or through faith in the blood of Jesus Christ? (Acts 16:31; Rom. 10: 9-10; Eph. 2:8-9; 1 Pet. 1:18-21; 2:24)
   3. How much sin is left for Christians to render ourselves more fit or to be further cleansed by baptism? (1 John 1:7)
7. The true church must bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost by the layingon of hands. (Acts 8:14-17)
   1. How does this limited application harmonize with the greater witness of Scripture? (Luke 1:41; Acts 2:41; 4:31; 10:44-45; 11:15; Rom. 8:9; Eph.1:10-14)
   2. Can you see a danger in attempting to ritualistically control the Holy Spirit? (John 3:8; Acts 8:18-23)
8. The true church must practice divine healing. (Mark 3:14-15)
   1. Does this seem to legitimize the extremists and heretical teachers like Benny Hinn?
   2. Is truth validated by signs and wonders or by biblical doctrine? (Deut.
      13:1-5; Mat. 12:39; Rom. 16:17; 1 Thes. 5:21; 1 Tim. 4:16; 2 Tim. 3:16; 4:2; 2 John 9)
   3. Do LDS apostles practice a gift of healing like the early apostles? Which ones do?
9. The true church must teach that God and Jesus Christ are separate and distinct individuals. (John 17:11; 20:17)
   1. Why does the Book of Mormon teach modalism, or that the Father and Son are not distinct persons? (Mosiah 15:1-5; 16:15; Alma 11:44; 2 Nephi 11:7)
   2. Does Christian doctrine teach the distinction of Persons? (Simply check Study Bibles like "The three Persons of the Trinity are here clearly displayed." (Walter Martins Cults Reference Bible, Mat. 3:16-17 footnote)
   3. Doesn't the Book of Mormon also say the one God consists of three Persons? (2 Nephi 31:21; Alma 11:28-29; "The Testimony of Three Witnesses")
   4. Can you find the phrase "lone in purpose"?
   5. Was Joseph Smith right according to God's Word to teach that the Father and Son are two separate and distinct gods? (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.370)
   6. Does God deny that there is more than one true God? (Yes! Deut. 4:35,39; 6:4; 32:39; 2 Sam. 7:22; 1 Chron. 16:25-26; 17:20; Psalm 86:10; Isaiah 43:10; 44:6-8; 44:24; 45:5-6; 46:5-9; John 17:3; 1 Cor. 8:4-6)
10. The true church must teach that God and Jesus Christ have bodies of flesh and bone. (Luke 24:36-39; Acts 1:9-11)
    1. Do the verses say the Father has a body?
    2. Does the Book of Mormon say God is flesh and bone or God is Spirit? (Alma 18:26-28)
    3. Does the Bible say God is flesh and bone or God is Spirit?" (John 4:24)
    4. Which message of Joseph Smith will you believe? (He taught that God the Father was a personage of Spirit. See Lectures on Faith, Lecture Fifth, 1835 D&C pp. 52-53 - The LDS authorities censored it after his death).
    5. What does it mean to be "spirit" according to Jesus?" (Luke 24:39b)
    6. Do men become Gods as the serpent lied to Eve, or did the Son of God become the God-Man? (John 1:1 & 14; 20:28-29; Gen. 3:5)
    7. What is God like? (Ps. 50:21; Hosea 11:9; Num. 23:19; 1 Kings 8:27; Ps. 90:2; Mal. 3:6; Jer. 23:24; 2 Chron. 6:18; 2 Cor. 6:16) 12. The officers must be called of God. (Heb. 5:4, Ex. 28:1; 40:13-16)
    8. What do Exodus passages have to do with the New Testament Church?
    9. How does the divine calling of Jesus as our High Priest in Hebrews 5 apply to point 12?
    10. Does the call and function of the LDS Aaronic priesthood even remotely resemble God's Aaronic priests? (Ex. 29 & Lev. 8)
    11. Do any Mormons fulfill the genetic and ritual requirements as with Aaron's family? (Ex. 29:4-18; 40:13-16)
    12. Are the LDS priests of the tribe of Levi as required by Scripture or of Ephraim as claimed by Joseph Smith and the general LDS membership? (Num18:1-7)
    13. Does God curse erring LDS priests for trying to exercise the Aaronic priesthood? (Num. 16:1-3, 16-21, 1 Kings 13:33-34)
    14. Without a genuine Aaronic priesthood, how could Smith or any human possibly hold the Melchizedek priesthood of Jesus?
    15. Are LDS officials called by the voice of God or by a committee of Mormon leaders
11. The true church must claim revelation from God. (Amos 3:7)
    1. Does point 13 mean every little move God makes must be reported by prophets?
    2. Why didn't the LDS prophet warn German Mormons not to join Hitler's Nazis?
    3. Why did the Depression clearly catch the LDS authorities by surprise?
    4. Why did the LDS Welfare Program only come after FDRs!
    5. Why doesn't the LDS "Living Prophet" warn when an earthquake will hit Utah?
    6. Why is he dependant upon the weatherman to warn of disasters like anybody else?
    7. Since archeology supports the Bible so powerfully, why doesn't Utah's prophet tell where to dig for any Book of Mormon cities?
    8. Who could explain how the LDS Prophet, Seer and Revelator Kimball (including Tanner, Romney, Packer and Hinckley) got totally fooled, wasting LDS money on Mark Hofmann's forgeries? (Deseret News, May 3, 1980, picture and informational proof)
    9. Isn't the Amos context speaking of God's Old Covenant and a prophetic warning to a rebellious people of coming destruction?
    10. What if prophetic revelation is already fulfilled since the days of Amos, completed in the revelation of Jesus Christ? ("were" Luke 16:16; "time past" Heb. 1:1-3)
    11. Does the LDS claim differ much from that of Ellen G. White? The Watchtower? David Koresh? Some Charismatic preachers?
    12. Why do all of the LDS "further revelations" and sacred books fail the test of Scripture?
    13. What does God say about revelations that contradict the Bible? (Isaiah 8:20)
    14. Would an unchanging God contradict Himself? (Num. 23:19; Mal. 3:6;)
    15. Hasn't God already given a "more sure" revelation for these last days! (Book of Revelation; 2 Pet. 1:19
12. The true church must be a missionary church. (Mat. 28:19-20)
    1. Is it primarily a proselytizing church? (like the Kingdom Hall - Jehovah's Witnesses)
    2. Does the LDS church have more missionaries than the Watchtower?
    3. Is Mormonism growing as fast as Islam?
    4. Why do the "gospels" of all these groups differ from the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:1-4) and the missionary message preached throughout the Book of Acts?
    5. Is religious pressure towards a two-year mission normative to God's calling of a life?
    6. Why do many returning LDS missionaries go inactive from the Mormon Church?
    7. Why did the Mormons believe the black people were unworthy of their missionary efforts? (Mormon Doctrine, p.527, 1966)
13. The true church must be a restored church. (Acts 3:19-20)
    1. Why does the reference fail to mention the church?
    2. Did the prophets understand the mystery of the church that was to come? (Col. 1:25-27; 1 Pet. 1:10-12)
    3. What does "until" mean in the next verse?
    4. Has this second coming of Christ in the context been fulfilled or is it future?
    5. Did "all his holy prophets" (vs. 21) speak of the church or of the restoration of Israel to its own land and the millennial reign of Christ?
    6. How can Mormonism restore what was never lost? (Mat. 16:18; 28:20; Eph. 3:21)
    7. Did the LDS Jesus mess up his plan, deceive people, then have to reorganize?
    8. How could a spiritual failure be the Savior?
14. The true church must practice baptism for the dead. (1 Cor. 15:16, 29)
    1. Would you be willing to examine "for" (huper) in a Greek Lexicon for the meaning?
    2. Why does the Book of Mormon allow no possibility for repentance? (Alma 34:34-35)
    3. Biblically, how could baptizing the living possibly help the dead people? (Luke 16:19-31; Heb. 9:27)
    4. Why did Paul exclude Christians from the pagan ritual being practiced in Corinth? (Verses 29-32, note "they", "we" & "us")
    5. Why does context, history and the entirety of Scripture expose this peculiar vanity?
15. By their fruits ye shall know them. (Mat. 7:20)
    1. Does this context deal with judging a true church or the judging of a false prophet?
    2. Are there no moral, caring and godly people in other churches?
    3. Are there some untrustworthy Mormons? (ie 2002 Olympic controversy)
    4. Is the danger in the prophet's appearance (choirs, commercials) or false predictions?
    5. What is the context? "Beware of false prophets, which come to you (Bicycles at your door! The Mormon prophet abroad!) in sheep's clothing (Looking like Christians! Smiling old men with white hair! Young men with white shirts! Carrying Bibles!), but inwardly they are ravening wolves." (vs. 15)
    6. What is obviously the "evil fruit" of a false prophet? (Like bad plants, bad prophesies!)
    7. What about the fruit of Joseph Smith? (The temple never built D&C 84:1-5; The city never given D&C 111 etc)
    8. Aren't God's prophets against sin and error? (Jer. 14:14; 23:16-32; 27:15; Zech. 13:2-5)
    9. How does Scripture describe false prophets? (explanations in parenthesis mine) Deut. 18:20-22 "But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word (just one word) in my name (as "The Lord told me..."), which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods (Kolob, ad infinitum), even that prophet shall die (Severest censure! 2 Cor. 4:2; Gal. 1:6-9). And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? (Good question!) When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken (As in 1835, Joseph Smith said the Lord would come within 56 years. History of the Church, Vol.2, p.182), but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: (The Bible has faultless prophecy, 2 Pet. 1:19; The Book of Mormon has false prophecy, 2 Nephi 3:14)) thou shalt not be afraid of him." (Avoid the deceiver!)
16. What does the unchanging Jesus as God in the Book of Mormon have to do with the eternally progressing Jesus of Mormonism? (2 Nephi 11:7; 26:12; Mosiah 3:5; 7:27; 13:34; Mormon 9:9-11; Moroni 7:22; 8:18)
17. Why is LDS doctrine that the Atonement took place in Gethsemane? (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p.14-15). A true church does not miss the cross as "the power of God" to save! Our message is "Jesus Christ, and him crucified!" (1 Cor. 1:18: 2:2). We gain "peace through the blood of his cross" (Col. 1:20). "Without shedding of blood is no remission" "redemption" or "forgiveness" (Heb. 9:22; Eph. 1:7; 4:32). We must draw near to God through "the blood of Christ" (Eph. 2:13). "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Gal. 6:14). Mormonism has Mason symbols on clothes, but no cross on buildings. Why?

Question following the 17 points - Why are these things important? (Heb.13:8)

Christian Response on the true church.

The 17 points of a true church are like dry leaves on a windy day! Read the Book of John and trust the Jesus of the Bible to gain your eternal life!