Altar of God, not Man

18 November

New Era Article “Why We Do Missionary Work”

An Altar and a Sacrifice

I came across a speech given by Dallin Oaks which was then published in the New Era Magazine by the LDS Church and wanted to share it with our visitors.  There were several items of interest in this one speech, but for now we’re looking at just the first paragraph.  This topic warrants thousands of pages to be written, alas, the few things I have to say here is barely scratching the surface of all there is to say about Jesus, His death on the Cross and how our sins are atoned for.

Here’s the paragraph in question and the link where you can find the whole article in its entirety.

Why We Do Missionary Work, Dallin Oaks, New Era, September 2009; Baptism is a requirement, but why? Why is it necessary to be baptized in this way and by one holding particular authority? I do not know. But what I do know is that the remission of sins is made possible only by the atoning sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and that He has prescribed that condition, again and again. His sacrifice paid the price for my sins, and He has prescribed the conditions upon which I can be saved by His payment. That is reason enough for me.

If I had the opportunity to speak face to face with Mr. Oaks I’d have to ask him a few questions about his statements and say that if you’re not sure why you must be baptized I would suggest in all sincerity that you read your Bible.  Jesus was baptized as an outward expression of obedience to the Father.  John the Baptist was telling people to come forth, repent and be baptized and follow Jesus.  And nowhere in the text that’s been quoted from in the Bible does it say baptism has to take place only by someone in “authority”.

The next problem I saw in this paragraph deals with the atoning sacrifice of Jesus.  If Jesus’ sacrifice paid the penalty of my sin, tell me, what sacrifice was made in the Garden of Gethsemane?  What did Jesus do there to pay for the penalty of sin that would fulfill the righteousness God demanded?  God required the sacrifice of a lamb and for blood to be shed upon an altar, not in a garden somewhere.

The life of the lamb had to be taken – life is in the blood.  Jesus could’ve bruised His knees and bled in the Garden while praying or as the text says, He sweated great drops that were like blood (Luke 22:44) – but these didn’t serve as a sacrifice my friend.

Leviticus 17:11; “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

A life had to be lost.  A perfect sacrifice must be made.  The Mormons say it all the time – Jesus was the only person on the face of the earth that was perfect – this perfect sacrifice couldn’t have paid the price for sin until He lost His life and He didn’t pay for sin twice! Heb. 7:24-27 and Romans 4:25.

If this is true then how do you explain a sacrifice in the Garden of Gethsemane?  Jesus wasn’t delivered to the Garden, but He was delivered up to the cross of Calvary!  There is no altar in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Know that we’re praying for all the Mormons and we hope you take the time to really investigate these scriptures and look further into their meaning.

With Love in Christ; Michelle Grim

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