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Video Transcript:
By far, one of the most common Bible verses used against Latter-day Saints is Galatians 1:8. But let’s take a look and see if it’s actually as much of a slam dunk on Latter-day Saints as some people seem to think it is. Paul writes in his letter to the Galatians:
“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.”
Galatians 1:8 has unfortunately become what I call a “Swiss Army verse” — a verse often used to quickly dismiss opposing views without really engaging with those views.
But those who simply comment “Galatians 1:8 lil bro” and assume their work is done fall victim to a rather problematic logical fallacy called begging the question. This fallacy is a form of circular reasoning that occurs when a conclusion is based on a premise that is just assumed to be true but has yet to be proved. The conclusion that I have a false gospel is based on the premise that he has the fully correct gospel — but that is a premise that has not been proved.
Thus, throwing Galatians 1:8 at people is really not persuasive; it’s just judgmental. It begs the question, why should I believe you? And if we truly want a meaningful and sincere conversation about this verse, we need to address the bigger question: What is the gospel?
One of the challenges is that we can use that word in different ways. Sometimes people use it in a broad, all-encompassing way, and sometimes it’s used to refer to something very specific. But since these are Paul’s words, perhaps a more helpful question would be, how did Paul define the gospel? And which of Paul’s teachings counted as part of the gospel, and which didn’t? For example, Paul taught what are now some very controversial things about women. It’s taught in the Bible. Is it gospel? If Southern Baptists say it is gospel, but Methodists say it isn’t, is one group cursed? How off can you be in your beliefs before you believe in a different gospel altogether? Where do we draw the line? And who has the authority to make those calls?
In this verse, Paul refers to the gospel that had apparently previously been preached to the Galatians. Unfortunately, there are no records available that tell us exactly what that was. That said, in his letter to the Corinthians, Paul does pretty specifically tell us how he defined the gospel: “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you … that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day….”
Paul’s definition strikes right to the heart of the matter, and in so doing, he seems to cast a very broad net, which I think is great. If people want to flesh out a more detailed definition with a longer list of terms and conditions that excludes more people, that’s their choice. Paul doesn’t seem to explicitly do that.
But now for the big question: Do Latter-day Saints believe in Paul’s definition of the gospel — that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day? Here’s what the prophet Joseph Smith taught in 1838, “The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.”
In the Book of Mormon, Christ himself teaches, “…this is the gospel which I have given unto you—that I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me. And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me…”
It sounds to me like Latter-day Saints believe in the same gospel that Paul believed in. The Greek word for gospel literally translates to good news, and the good news is that Jesus Christ is our Savior. We believe in that same good news.
Many people are quick to point out that Galatians 1:8 mentions an angel, and Joseph Smith said he was visited by an angel! So, clearly this passage directly applies to Joseph Smith, right? Well, the problem that Paul is addressing is not angelic visitations. Paul himself was visited by angels on multiple occasions. In the Book of Revelation, John has a vision of the future and says, “I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth….” The problem is not angels — Paul is simply saying that no matter who or what the source is if they’re teaching that Christ is not our Savior, it’s wrong.
Now, in part, Galatians 1 is Paul’s response to the false idea that salvation came through obedience to the commandments or the Law of Moses — the idea that if you are righteous enough and obey all the rules, you can earn your own salvation. Some people today say that this is another reason why this verse applies to Latter-day Saints — because they believe they can earn salvation through their mandatory temple ordinances.
Similar to how many Christians view righteous works, we view participation in temple ordinances as a result or expression of our faith in Christ, but not at all as a replacement for faith in Christ. The Book of Mormon teaches over and over again that we are saved by Christ. Elder Uchtdorf taught that “Salvation cannot be bought with the currency of obedience; it is purchased by the blood of the Son of God.” This does raise the question, though, if we’re saved by grace, through faith, what is the point of the ordinances? Well, that is precisely what Brother Brad Wilcox and I talk about in this interview. I highly recommend you go check it out, and have a great day!
Learning More:
— Read Galatians 1 here: https://tinyurl.com/mtrnkcpe
— Brad Wilcox: What we get WRONG about grace and ordinances: https://tinyurl.com/434kycjv
— Are Latter-day Saints saved by Christ’s grace only “after all they can do”?: https://tinyurl.com/fnry4wfj
— Was Moroni an angel of Satan? (fairlds): https://tinyurl.com/3v3m8x7x
— What is the logical fallacy, “begging the question”?: https://tinyurl.com/kdm5fs4d
— Shout-out to Called to Serve for this relevant video: https://tinyurl.com/25fjst3z