Mormon Dilemma 110
Salvation of the Dead and the Living
New Era, Aug. 2009, 5; “If we can look back through the generations, we see those who helped us to get where we are now—those who forged the way before us, whether they were members of the Church or not. And in the restored gospel we realize even more deeply our responsibility to link them to us through the ordinances of the temple. In a letter from the Prophet Joseph Smith to the members of the Church, we read: ‘These are principles in relation to the dead and the living that cannot be lightly passed over. . . . For their salvation is necessary and essential to our salvation, . . . they without us cannot be made perfect—neither can we without our dead be made perfect’ (D&C 128:15; see also verse 18).” – Neil L. Andersen, Looking Back and Looking Forward
Phil. 1:6; “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
Luke 20:38; “For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.”
Isaiah 8:19-20; “And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? 20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”
The first thing that comes to my mind with this LDS quote is the scripture in Philippians from the apostle Paul. Jesus is the one that does the good works in and through us. The salvation of others has nothing to do with us other than if/when we’ve shared the word of the Lord with someone – that’s it.
God is the one who saves – not us. God is the one that provides – not us.
The 2nd thing that comes to mind is the last two verses mentioned here. God is not the God of the dead, but of the living and we’re not to have anything to do with dead people, dead spirits or familiar spirits. God strictly condemns it!
Let us work backwards here.
In Isaiah 8: 19 we read that one should “seek unto their God for the living to the dead?”
In other words, it is not evil to wish to know concerning the dead, or even to commune with them, as long as you do it through the power of God and not through the evil wizards. Thus, your second point is made void, as it wrongly assumes that any seeking after the dead is evil, when it clearly isn’t.
Then, in Luke 20: 38 we do read that he is the God of the living, but at this time were Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob living, or had they died? The fact is they had died, and as the Bible tells us that Christ was the first to be resurrected, we can conclude that they were still dead when Christ made this statement.
As such, we must conclude that Christ is speaking to future events, which is confirmed when we realize he is confirming the doctrine of the Resurrection, as that is what the Sadducees had been asking about.
Thus, your second reference also does not support your claims.
As to the Philippians quote, Christ has done and continues to do a great work in them, meaning the saints at Philippi. He started the work of salvation among them, and they would be saved, taken to Abraham’s bosom and there have fellowship with the faithful of all ages until the day Christ returns to the Earth. The work of Christ among this people has not ceased, even though they are no longer upon the earth.
But that has very little to do with the work of Christ in later ages.