Mormon Terminology – Holy Spirit

04 January

John 14:23; “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”

holy-spirit Several days ago, the Church posted a video, ‘Mormon Message: Like a Broken Vessel’, where their apostle, Russell Ballard, spoke on the ‘epidemic’ of mental illness, and depression. The reason we’ve brought this up isn’t to delve into the discussion of what is, and isn’t sin, rather, it’s to point out the solution Mr. Ballard promised would work for this problem.

The 12 minute video is a compilation of several people sharing experiences they’ve had (including Mr. Ballard), and how the Church’s gospel offers the hope they were searching for to obtain peace. Mr. Ballard went so far as to say, “everything that was broken gets fixed. That’s the great promise of the gospel.”

And therein lies the problem.

The Mormon gospel is a set of never ending mandates members must adhere to in order for this ‘gospel’ to take effect. The only peace to be found in the Mormon gospel is in their spreadsheet at the end of the fiscal season. This isn’t the peace Jesus promised us in John 20:21.

Once again, the problem is Mormon terminology. The Church tells members they can find peace in its gospel, but Jesus told us we can find peace in His Holy Spirit who resides inside each believer when they confess His Name. 1 Cor. 3:16, John 14:23.

The Mormon’s Holy Ghost isn’t God, and therefore, is not omnipresent, nor is he omniscient. He can’t come alongside the believer to be an ever present help, nor can he offer the peace all people are on the lookout for before they come to know the Lord.

The following few verses from Doctrine and Covenants is a bedrock belief in Mormonism. Take note of how Joe Smith diametrically opposed what Jesus said!

The Greek word ‘abode’ in John 14:23 means ‘to tarry’. Oh beloved, don’t ever believe Smith’s uneducated experience in life curtailed his motives, or know-how. Satan is a mighty force, and can inspire people to do the most unimaginable things… It’s no coincidence that Smith would use the term ‘tarry’ when describing his rendition of the holy spirit.

Doctrine and Covenants 130:3, 22-23; “John 14:23—The appearing of the Father and the Son, in that verse, is a personal appearance; and the idea that the Father and the Son dwell in a man’s heart is an old sectarian notion, and is false. 22 The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us. 23 A man may receive the Holy Ghost, and it may descend upon him and not tarry with him.”

Other LDS leaders go on further in defining the Mormon holy ghost.

Not Omnipresent

Doctrines of Salvation, 3 vols., edited by Bruce R. McConkie [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1954-1956], 1:38; “As a Spirit personage the Holy Ghost has size and dimensions. He does not fill the immensity of space, and cannot be everywhere present in person at the same time. He is also called the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of Truth, and the Comforter.” – Joseph Fielding Smith

Diffuses Influence

Discourses of Brigham Young, selected and arranged by John A. Widtsoe [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1954], 30; “…I will say that I do not wish you to understand that the Holy Ghost is a personage having a tabernacle, like the Father and the Son; but he is God’s messenger that diffuses his influence through all the works of the Almighty. 6:95.” – Brigham Young  [Note: this is on p. 46 online, emp. mine.]

The truth is not found in Mormonism. There is no help from the Mormon holy ghost who isn’t even omnipresent! How can he help you if he can’t be in more than one place at a time?

Finally beloved, when witnessing to a Mormon you can point out that Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as ‘He’, not it. If the Holy Spirit could only diffuse influence, why did Jesus refer to Him with a masculine pronoun in John 16:8?

An over the top great article on this can be found at Names of the Holy Spirit! Here’s an excerpt of what it says regarding the identity of God’s Holy Spirit –

Names of the Holy Spirit, p. 42; “The Bible says “when He has come” in identifying the Holy Spirit in John 16:8. John’s decision to use the masculine pronoun ekeinos when referring to the Holy Spirit, and the use of the translation “He” rather than the neuter pronoun “it,” demonstrates an effort to reflect the apostolic emphasis on the personality of the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit were just an influence, the neuter pronoun could be used. But because the Holy Spirit is a Person, the masculine pronoun is used of Him just as it is used of God the Father and of Jesus. When John used this pronoun to describe the Holy Spirit, it was not just a slip of the pen. The Holy Spirit is a Person, as demonstrated throughout the Scriptures. The various attributes and actions of personality are attributed to the Holy Spirit.” – Elmer Towns

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