Mormon Church

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are informally known as Mormons, has released a new edition of the Bible in Spanish. This edition is based on the public domain edition of the one hundred year old Reina-Valera translation of the Bible. Minor edits were made to update grammar and to make more clear words that have taken on new meanings in the past century and alterations were made for words that have developed offensive meanings. This edition contains footnotes and headings pertaining to LDS doctrine and includes cross-references to LDS scriptures and resources. This improves its usefulness as a study tool for Mormons, and also aids non-Mormons who wish to study the Bible as the Mormons see it. It also allows church classes to function more effectively since previously each member had a different translation, making Sunday School classes on the Bible very complicated.

The entire process took about five years, due to the sacred nature of the work and the need for accuracy. Verses were compared to the King James Version, which is the official translation used by Mormons in English, four more Spanish editions of the Bible, and Greek and Hebrew manuscripts as well.

The new edition is available in print and also on CD. It can be downloaded at no charge from church websites. For more information, interested people of any faith may visit Santa Biblia.

The Mormons produced a similar project with the King James Bible, which is the official Mormon Bible in English. Although text was not changed, footnotes and summaries, as well as new study materials, were added to a uniquely LDS version of a treasured edition of the Bible. This project was begun many decades ago, when church leaders became concerned because church members were using different editions of the King James version of the Bible for different purposes—one for children, for instance, a different one for teenage classes and so on. The church wanted an official edition of the Bible and an improved combined edition of the other LDS scriptures. However, after prayer, it was determined the Bible should be the priority.

For more on this project, read The Coming Forth of the LDS Editions of Scripture By Wm. James Mortimer.

 Mormons use four books of scripture in their worship. The Old and New Testaments of the Bible are both used. In addition, Mormons use the Book of Mormon, an ancient scripture written by descendents of the Israelites of the Old Testament. A small group of Israelites fled Jerusalem when Lehi, a prophet, found his life in danger during the time of the prophet Jeremiah. God directed him, his family and a few other people, to journey across the ocean to the Americas. He and the prophets who followed kept records of their dealings with the Lord Jesus Christ and His gospel, which were eventually preserved to be brought forth in our time.

In addition to these, the Mormons use the Doctrine and Covenants, a record of the modern revelations given. Most occurred early in church history, but some later revelations have been recorded as well. The Pearl of Great Price contains some translations of ancient records, revelations received by Joseph Smith, Joseph’s Smith’s personal history, and a statement of thirteen beliefs the Church holds.

All of these scriptures are studied by church members. Children under four have a curriculum that uses stories and teachings from all the books. Children ages four to eight study the Bible one year, and the other scriptures the next year, repeating the series until they move to the next level. From ages eight through adulthood, members study the scriptures in a four year rotation. The Bible is given two years, one for each testament, causing it to be studied twice as often as the other books. In addition to this, teenagers attend a weekday class each school day in which they also follow a four year rotation of study. Again, the Bible is given two years in this rotation.

Gordon B. Hinckley, a past president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, taught:

The Bible is our scripture. We believe that the prophets of the Old Testament who foretold the coming of the Messiah spoke under divine inspiration. We glory in the accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John setting forth the events of the birth, ministry, death, and Resurrection of the Son of God, the Only Begotten of the Father in the flesh. Like Paul of old, we are “not ashamed of the gospel of [Jesus] Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation” (Rom. 1:16). And like Peter, we affirm that Jesus Christ is the only name “given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Symbol of Our Faith,” Ensign, Apr 2005, 2–6

The Book of Revelation is the last book in our modern copy of the Bible. The following scripture from this book is often quoted to “prove” there can’t be a Book of Mormon:

18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: (Revelation 22:18)

If you read this carefully, you’ll notice it doesn’t say “add unto the Bible.” This is because the Bible didn’t exist when the Book of Revelation was written. It wasn’t until long afterwards that various documents were gathered together and a group of people decided which ones were going to be included in the Bible. Catholics disagree with some of the choices that were made by the committee, and so there is more than one version of the Bible.

However, since the Bible didn’t exist and no one had, as of yet, decided which books were going to become the Bible (in fact, it’s likely no one had even decided to compile a Bible yet), the scripture clearly doesn’t mean you can’t add to the Bible.

In addition, there is another verse in the Old Testament that says the same thing:

1 Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers giveth you.

2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you. (Deuteronomy 4 in the King James version of the Bible)

No Christian wishes to do away with everything after Deuteronomy, especially since that would require us to abandon the New Testament entirely. These scriptures have been misused in an attempt to discredit the Book of Mormon.

These scriptures only mean we can’t add to God’s word or take away from it. Of course, God can add to it at any time. The first recorded information we have from God is found in the book of Genesis, but that was not God’s final word. Additional scripture continued to be written throughout the Old and New Testament. This alone demonstrates that there is no restriction on additional scripture. Otherwise, Genesis would be all we have to work with.

Mormons believe it is not man’s privilege to tell God He is no longer allowed to speak to His children. God can do anything, and that includes speaking whenever He chooses to do so. Those who love Him long to hear more of His teachings, to find out more about His will, and to learn from Him and the mouth of His prophets what He wants us to do in the last days.

This is why the Mormons are thrilled to have the Book of Mormon, which gives additional insights into God, Jesus Christ, and our responsibilities in the last days. Although it was written in ancient days-times paralleling the Bible-it was written for our time. The prophets of that civilization kept the records and added to them regularly, but their people did not have them. They weren’t written for that time. They were written for us and those reading it will find many parallels to our time.

The Book of Mormon contains the story of a prophet named Lehi, who lived in the time and place of King Zedekiah. He, like many other prophets called at that time, warned Jerusalem of impending danger unless they repented. Jerusalem was to be destroyed and its people taken captive. Lehi fared no better than the other prophets however, because the people had no desire to repent. When his life was threatened, God instructed him to leave behind his wealth and home and to flee into the wilderness with only his family and the essentials for survival. In time, Lehi was led to the American continent. He and his family and a few others who came with them joined with others who were already on the continent, but formed their own civilization, most likely intermarrying or converting some others along the way.

This family divided into two groups after Lehi’s death. The two oldest brothers, Laman and Lemuel, were wicked and they threatened the lives of their younger brother Nephi, chosen by God to become the next leader when their father died. Nephi and those of his family and friends who supported him moved away from the older brothers. This formed the foundation for the remainder of the book, with the two groups in conflict.

The people of the Book of Mormon knew of Jesus‘ impending birth, knowing more, perhaps, than the Jewish people who remained in Jerusalem, because they had visions which showed the virgin birth and that Jesus’ ministry would be a spiritual one, not a political one. When He was born, they received signs of His birth. They also received signs of His death, and when the frightening signs ended, Jesus came to them for a few days, to teach them, help them to establish His church, and to heal and give them blessings. This is the focus of the Book of Mormon, and its purpose. The title page says:

“Which is to show unto the remnant of the House of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever-And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations” (Book of Mormon Title Page)

The Book of Mormon is yet another proof that Jesus was not just a rabbi or an ordinary man. It testifies, as does the Bible, that He was the Savior. Second Corinthians tells us: “In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.” The Book of Mormon is the second witness of the Savior’s divinity and a second witness of the Bible itself.

The Mormon Bible is the King James Bible, but the Book of Mormon stands beside it as a witness that God lives and Jesus is the Christ. In the words of a great Book of Mormon prophet:

26 And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.  (2 Nephi 25)

Mormon beliefs teach that the church is the restoration of the church that existed in the days of the ministry of Jesus Christ. They teach that their priesthood is an unbroken line of authority. This puzzles those who teach that the line of succession comes from Peter and was never broken.

When Jesus chose His apostles, he gave them the authority to act for God. He held the keys to the kingdom, but could distribute them to those called of God.

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.

19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 16)

These keys, of course, are not physical. They represent the authority to act in God’s name. The verse just quoted does not mean Jesus relinquished the keys, but rather that Peter had use of them during the time he served as an apostle. Many have interpreted the rock to be Peter, but other verses in the New Testament tell us this is not so:

And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. (1 Corinthians 10:4)

In time, Jesus died. His apostles also died, and we don’t read of Peter or any other apostle bestowing those keys on anyone else. This is because after the death of the apostles, the church entered into a lengthy apostasy. This apostasy had been prophesied by many Biblical prophets.

11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord:

12 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it. (Amos 8:11-12)

During this time, there wasn’t a prophet, and the keys of the kingdom-the priesthood authority to administer God’s church was taken. It was because of those so many variations of Christianity occurred. With no one to turn to for a certain answer, Christians were forced to decide for themselves what was true. When there was a disagreement, they held councils to hammer out a deal or they just started another Christian denomination. Today, we see thousands of denominations across the world.

God has also promised to restore what was lost.

20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:

21 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)

There couldn’t be a restitution if there had never been a falling away. This restitution began with Joseph Smith in the 1800s. He wanted to know which church to join, and asked God in prayer. God and Jesus Christ appeared to him and Jesus told him not to join any of them, because none had the complete truth. When he was older, an angel named Moroni tutored him in preparation for the restitution of all things that was promised in the Book of Acts.

So how did the keys for the priesthood end up back on earth? While Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were translating the Book of Mormon, they encountered scriptures on the importance of baptism by those in authority. They went to the banks of a river in Pennsylvania, where they were then living, and prayed to know how to go about this. While praying, they heard the voice of the Savior and then an angel appeared to them. This angel was John the Baptist, the Savior’s cousin. He held the keys to the Aaronic priesthood at the time of his death and was therefore able to restore them to the earth by distributing those keys to Joseph and Oliver by placing his hands on their heads and performing the appropriate priesthood ordinace. He did this, saying,

Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah, I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; and this shall never be taken again from the earth until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness. (Joseph Smith-History 1:68-74)

With these keys in place, the two men were able to baptize each other. Only the Aaronic priesthood is needed to carry out a baptism.

John had not received the Melchizedek priesthood, however, because it was bestowed on the apostles after his death. Since he didn’t hold those keys, he was not able to restore them. For the line to be unbroken, the keys must come from someone who holds them currently. This higher priesthood would be necessary to confer the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and to organize the church.

The restoration of the Melchizedek priesthood came later. Again, while praying on the banks of the Susquehanna River, they received an angelic visit, this time from Peter, James, and John. These three apostles received the greater priesthood on the Mount of Transfiguration.

We can read about this event in Matthew 17. Jesus took Peter, James, and John to a mountain, where he was transfigured. While this occurred, Moses and Elias appeared to them. The Mechizedek priesthood was restored to the earth by these two prophets, who had received it during their time on earth. They gave it to Peter, James, and John so they would be able to administer the gospel after the Savior died.

Because they held this priesthood, they were able to return to earth as angels and bestow the keys on Joseph and Oliver, again bringing the priesthood back to earth. With these keys, the church could be restored.

This is how the Mormons demonstrate an unbroken chain of authority. Today, every worthy male who is old enough can hold these two priesthoods. They must receive it from someone else who already holds it. The entire priesthood chain has descended from those first two ordinations done by three Biblical apostles.

Angels are messengers from God and serve as ministering spirits. They’re spoken of often in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon, and play a critical role in the restoration of the gospel in modern times. There are two types of angels. The most common are resurrected beings—those who lived on earth, and then, after their deaths or translations (going to Heaven without dying), became angels. Some were those who lived exemplary lives on earth and will live with God. These often minister to those on earth, participating in critical events in the Earth’s spiritual history. Others are those who lived on earth, but did not keep the commandments well enough to return to God. These are spoken of in Matthew 22:29-30:

29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.

30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.

In these verses, Jesus explains that angels-not the exalted beings, but the unworthy beings-will not be allowed to have eternal families because they will not be exalted.

The Bible also mentions some who were angels without having been mortal previously.

No angels have wings. Clearly, those who lived on earth aren’t going to sprout wings, since they are, as we are, in the image of their Father in Heaven. Wings are merely an earthly attempt to explain how angels are able to move around in the sky, but have no bearing in fact. With God’s power behind them, wings are unnecessary.

Those who minister to those on earth are of particular interest to us today. We find them in nearly every important event in our spiritual history.

One important example of the work angels do is shown in the birth of the Savior, Jesus Christ. It was an angel, Gabriel, who came to Elisabeth to tell her she would have a son named John, and then to Mary to tell her that she would be the mother of Jesus. An angel-possibly also Gabriel-came to Joseph to reassure him that Mary’s child really was the promised Savior.

Angels also came to earth to announce the birth of the Savior:

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

Angels remained a presence from time to time during the life of the Savior, for instance, ministering to Him as He suffered the extraordinary pain of taking on our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane.

In modern times, angels were the messengers who brought the restored gospel back to the earth. In the Book of Mormon, we read of Moroni, a prophet who was the last remaining righteous person in his personal world. He was a Nephite, as his people were known, and when his prophet father Mormon and the others of his people were killed, he inherited the records of his civilization. These records were sacred and would play a critical role in the restoration. They included details of the visit of Jesus Christ to the Americas after his crucifixion. Moroni abridged the records and buried them for safekeeping.

After his death, he became an angel. When it was time to restore the Savior’s full gospel to the earth, it was Moroni, fittingly, who came to earth as an angel to tutor Joseph Smith. When he felt Joseph was sufficiently matured and educated, he allowed Joseph to take the records from the hill where they’d been kept for safekeeping all these years.

Later, as Joseph and his friend Oliver Cowdery were working on the translation of these records, which would become known as the Book of Mormon, they read about baptism. They had questions about this ordinance and went to the banks of the Susquehanna River to pray. At this time, John the Baptist came to earth as an angel. He had baptized Jesus, and still held the keys (the authority) of the Aaronic Priesthood, which is mentioned in the Old Testament. This priesthood is required in order to perform a baptism. He bestowed those keys on Joseph and Oliver, who were then able to baptize each other.

There is an additional, higher priesthood called the Melchizedek Priesthood, which also needed to be restored in order for the church to function as it did in the days of the Savior’s ministry. These keys had also been taken from the earth after the death of the apostles, and again, angels came to deliver them to Joseph. The keys are not literal, physical keys, but are the authority to act for God. Peter, James, and John, who had been Jesus’ apostles during his mortal ministries, had received the keys to the Melchizedek priesthood from Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. They continued to hold them, since the world had been in apostasy, and so they came to bestow them on Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. With all the keys now restored, the church itself could be restored.

The work of angels is critical to God’s plan. They are frequently present when the most important events occur and are an important part of our lives on earth.

The family of Jesus Christ consists of both an earthly and a heavenly component. His father, of course, is God. Jesus is literally God’s son. God is the creator of our spirits, making us all God’s children, but we all have earthly parents. Only Jesus is the literal child of an earthly mother and a Heavenly Father.

Jesus also had siblings. According to Dr. Robert J. Matthews, who, in 1974, was an associate professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University, we can estimate the number of siblings he had.

“We don’t know how many other children there were in the family, but the New Testament names four boys and lists some sisters. The Greek manuscripts are helpful here. Matthew speaks of “all” (Greek: pantai) his sisters (Matt. 13:56), suggesting more than two. The Greek term hai adelphia (the sisters) is used in the manuscripts, signifying a plurality-that is, three or more sisters. If the record had intended to convey that there were only two sisters, it is probable that the word pantai would not have been employed, but, instead, the word amphoterai, meaning “both,” would have been used.

Thus the household of Joseph and Mary apparently numbered at least five boys (including Jesus) and at least three girls-eight children-in addition to the parents.” (Robert J. Matthews, “Mary and Joseph,” Ensign, Dec 1974, 13)

Professor Matthews says in this article that there are two theories about these other children. One is that they were Joseph’s from a previous marriage, and that Mary stayed a virgin all her life. He points out if this were true, those children, older than Jesus, would have been the heirs to the Davidic line, not Jesus. In addition, Jesus was referred to as Mary’s firstborn child, not her only child.

It’s important to note that prophecy said Jesus must be born to a virgin. It does not say she had to remain a virgin after His birth.

The other theory is that these were the children of Joseph and Mary, making them Jesus’ half-brothers. In this case, they would be younger than Jesus.

The brothers are mentioned by name in the book of Mark, chapter six, verse 3, in the Bible: “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.”

In the next verse, Jesus responds with a suggestion of sadness in His words: “4 But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.” (Mark 6:4)

It appears He was not recognized as a prophet by His brothers at that time. In John 7, his brothers are pressuring him:

3 His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest.

4 For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world.

5 For neither did his brethren believe in him.

Carlfred Broderick, who in 1987, was a professor of sociology at the University of Southern California, notes that when Jesus was in his hometown and the people wanted to push him off a cliff, there is no record of His brothers coming to His defense. (Carlfred B. Broderick, “The Brothers of Jesus: Loving the Unbelieving Relative,” Ensign, Mar 1987, 50)

Professor Broderick also reminds us that on the cross, Jesus turned over care of His mother to one of His apostles, not to His brothers. It was apparent none of them came to Calvary that day, to support their mother or to be there for Him.

It may be this challenge, having brothers who turned their backs on the truth, that caused Jesus to speak of the importance of finding the lost sheep and of converting others. He knew, like so many others who face the heartache of an unbelieving relative, how challenging it was to see a loved one go astray.

There was not a change of heart until Jesus was resurrected. At that time, he appeared to His brother, James. Only now, when they could see the proof of his divinity, did they have a change of heart and fully repent of their earlier disbelief. Later scriptures mention the brothers as leaders in the church, with James seeming to fulfill a particularly high role. Some wrote portions of the New Testament. It was James who wrote the scripture that launched the restoration of the gospel.

In James 1:5, he wrote:

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

Joseph Smith was fourteen years old when he read this passage in the Bible. He had been visiting various churches and trying to figure out how a person could tell which one to join. When he read this scripture, written by the Savior’s own brother, he realized this was the only way to know what God wanted. God knew which church was true. He went into woods and prayed. During the course of the prayer, God and Jesus Christ appeared to him. God introduced him to Jesus, who then instructed him not to join any of the churches, because none was entirely correct.

In a few years, when Joseph was grown, he would be mentored by an angel, who would prepare him to lead the restored gospel.

Personal Response by Lance

I served for two years as a Mormon missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormon Church) in Mississippi and Louisiana. It was the greatest experience of my life. I loved sharing the gospel with the people of the South because so many of them have deep faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. They were very kind to us missionaries coming to their door. I cannot count the number of people who let me into their home, as a complete stranger, to share what I believe. I learned that “southern hospitality” is very real and I believe it is because the people have good Christian values. There were also many people who turned us away but even this was usually done politely.

Personal Response by Richard Neitzel Holzapfel

Like Jews, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons or Latter-day Saints) accept the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) as the word of God. Like other Christians, Mormons also accept the New Testament as the word of God (see Article of Faith 8.)

However, just as Christians do not believe that the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) is God’s final scripture, Latter-day Saints also do not believe the Bible (Old and New Testaments) is God’s final scripture. Nevertheless, Latter-day Saints carefully and prayerfully study, read, and draw inspiration from the Bible. The Bible is an important part of their regular course of Sunday School curriculum and is a required course of study at the Mormon Church’s universities and in their weekday religious education programs. Most Latter-day Saints will own several Bibles in their lifetime, having worn copies out through their regular use.