Enter a verse reference to begin.
Transcript
The following transcript was automatically generated using AI.
While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, minor
errors may exist.
Introduction: The Debate on the Identity of Jesus
I recently saw a YouTube comment by a Mormon saying that Mormons and Christians worship the same Jesus. They were responding to a common criticism that they had heard where mainstream Christians told Mormons that they don’t serve the same Jesus. The Mormon comment responded that, well, he serves the Jesus who was born of the Virgin Mary, who lived a miraculous life, who died on the cross, who rose again, and who sits at the right hand of the Father. So that sure sounds like the same Jesus to him.
Clarifying Differences Through Analogy
This video is in response to that, because although we can agree on many things about Jesus, if you were to tell me that you love how awesome my wife is, how caring she is, how amazing she is, how smart she is, and her beautiful blonde hair, well, I’d agree with all those things except my wife doesn’t have blonde hair. So you definitely have to be talking about someone who’s different. It doesn’t matter how many connection points we have; if there is a key disconnect point, then we’re speaking of two different ideas. And the same thing is true about our idea of Jesus between mainstream Christians and Mormons.
Examining Scripture: John 1:1-3
So we’ll take a look at something that the beloved prophet of— I almost said Islam, that’s not correct—the beloved prophet of Mormonism, Joseph Smith, says in one of his sermons on the next slide. But here, we’ll take a look at what the actual beloved disciple Apostle John says in John 1:1-3. We’ll take a look at the intermediate Greek and then we’ll take a look in the original language of the sermon by Joseph Smith as well, which is English, of course.
So let’s take a look. John 1:1-3 says this:
En, which is en Arche, “in the beginning,” en was halagos, “was the Word,” and halagos, “the Word,” en was pros, “with,” don Theon, “God,” key and Theos, “and God,” en was halagos, “was the Word.”
So right here we can already see that Jesus is in the beginning with God. This is the beginning, and it seems from John’s gospel that this is talking about the beginning of everything — the beginning of time, the beginning of the universe, before creation — and this seems to be the beginning of all time, not just the beginning of the time of this specific world, this specific universe.
And so it says, Hutos, “this same,” which is the Word, en was en, “in the beginning,” pros, “with,” don Theon, “God,” okay? And then it says, punta, “all things,” dia, “through,” atu, hem, agenato, “were made,” key and coris, “and without,” atu, hem, agenato, “was made,” ude, “nothing,” or not hen, “anything,” or not one, “or which,” gagonen, “was made.”
And here John is stressing the fact that of all the things that are made in the universe, they are made by God, through Christ. This is important: all of the things that exist in John’s mind, in John’s writing, everything that exists came through Jesus. And this is very important.
Examining the King Follett Discourse by Joseph Smith
We’ll take a look now at the King Follett Discourse, a sermon by Joseph Smith. I will read this out:
“God himself was once, as we are now,” speaking of how God was once a man and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens. That is a great secret, that the veil were rent or ripped open today, and the great God who holds the world in orbit and who upholds all worlds and all things by his power, was to make himself visible. I say, if you were to see him today, you would see him like a man in form, like yourselves, in all the person, image, and very form as a man.”
Now, it seems from this sermon that Joseph Smith is giving: “God himself was once as we are now.” Now, it’s important to note, as an exalted man—a man has a beginning—and I don’t know that Joseph Smith would have disagreed with that. A man has a beginning, and so if we would eventually become like God, to have our own world set apart for us to go and rule in the same way that God in the Old Testament sets apart Israel on his planet and rules over them as his nation, that would insinuate that God had a beginning. God had a point where he did not exist, a point where—oh, free of sword space—a point where he was not God; and even before that, when he was a man, a point before he was a man when he had not yet existed.
Contrasting the Two Views
And I think that that flies directly in the face of John 1:1-3. Everything that has come into being came into being through Christ, which means God did not come into being. Christ did not come into being. Of all the things that were made, all the things that were fashioned by God, all the things that came into being, they came through the working of an eternal God—not a God who was created or came into being.
Conclusion: Invitation to Reflect and Engage
So I hope you enjoyed the video. Let me know your thoughts down below. Do you agree? Do you disagree? I hope to see you next time.
Here are some more videos YouTube thinks you’ll enjoy, and hey, if you made it all the way to the end, consider subscribing, leaving a like, or letting me know your thoughts down in the comments below. Can’t wait to see you next time.
