What is the LDS understanding of Deut. 4:35?
Upvote:0
If "Elohim" in this passage refers to the person of the Father, then wouldn't the passage be saying "the Son is the Father" (or, in other words, that God-the-son is the same person as God-the-father)? That would be a violation of the Trinity as well, which asserts that the Son and Father are not the same person. How do you get around this problem?
Upvote:5
I do not think the Church of Jesus Christ has an official statement on said verse (as it is rare to dive in into Greek/Hebrew in official publications/statements), so I will refer to an unofficial apologist site:
The conviction that Elohim was anciently the Almighty God and Father of us all, and Jehovah was and is Jesus the Christ, his Son is based on modern scripture (D&C 110:1–4) and not Biblical exegesis. The teachings of modern prophets and apostles has tended to reinforce this usage, such as when President Joseph F. Smith taught, "Among the spirit children of Elohim the firstborn was and is Jehovah or Jesus Christ to whom all others are juniors."
The LDS use of the name titles Elohim and Jehovah to designate God Our Heavenly Father and His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ respectively is not meant to insist that this is how these titles were always used anciently, including in the Holy Bible. Rather, these titles are a naming convention used in the modern Church for clarity and precision. Since Christ may be spoken of as "the Father" in a great many senses, the modern Saints use these name-titles to avoid ambiguity, regardless of which 'role' of a divine Personage is being discussed.
Since this terminology was not standardized for convenience and clarity prior to the twentieth century, readers are cautioned not to expect the early writings of the Church to always reflect this practice, which arose only decades later. Likewise, attempting to read the Bible as if its writers followed the same modern practice is anachronistic, and may lead to confusion and misinterpretation.
Although Elohim is understood and used in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the name-title of God the Eternal Father and the name Jehovah is reserved for His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, this has not always been the case. Nineteenth-century Mormons—including Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and John Taylor—generally used Jehovah as the name of God the Father. Latter-day Saints also recognize that the Hebrew word Elohim was used anciently as a generic word for "god."
More post
- 📝 Why are we given details about what the descendants of Cain did? Is there special significance to these details?
- 📝 Meaning of the word "sons" in "Our God, Our Help in Ages Past"?
- 📝 Is the telling of the visiting magi, mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew, a made up fictional story?
- 📝 What is the relation of Jesus's and Jonah's boat stories?
- 📝 How many Gods are in Christianity?
- 📝 According to the Catholic Church, is practicing spiritism moral?
- 📝 What does a returning Catholic who contracted marriage in a Protestant church need to do when the spouse wants to remain Protestant?
- 📝 How is the historical accuracy of the Bible defended?
- 📝 Why is Christmas on December 25th?
- 📝 Can someone clarify the eastern orthodox teaching "Temps Immobile" of Fr. Alexander Schmemann?
- 📝 Did Origen castrate himself under a literal interpretation of Matthew 19:12?
- 📝 Is 1 John 5:7-8 (the Comma Johanneum) a Latin corruption?
- 📝 Does John 1:3 contradict Isaiah 44:24?
- 📝 Is God the Son's divine nature human?
- 📝 Can more recent revelation from LDS prophets nullify or change official Mormon scripture?
- 📝 What does Sinclair Ferguson (a reformed theologian) mean by a 'new identity'?
- 📝 What is the shortest English translation of the Gospel of Mark?
- 📝 writing and pronouncing Bible references
- 📝 Is a Roman Catholic ever permitted to take the Anglican Eucharist?
- 📝 John 3:16 vs 1 John 2:15
- 📝 Why did God make it a sin to eat an apple?
- 📝 Bible phrase from the Gospel of Matthew
- 📝 Does Romans 7:20 contradict Genesis 4:7?
- 📝 Why do the SDA abstain from pork?
- 📝 What is the background of the words "notitia," "fiducia," and "assensus" and how do they relate to the biblical notion of "faith"?
- 📝 Genesis 3, original sin and mortality
- 📝 Why Jews are the chosen people?
- 📝 What does the Bible say about Science?
- 📝 Scripture against obscenity
- 📝 Would this book be considered a relic of S.D. John A. Hardon, S.J.?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 What is the LDS understanding of Deut. 4:35?
- 📝 What is the basis of my fractured understanding of "Sola Scriptura"?
- 📝 What is the reason for the absence of the Cross as a symbol in the LDS Church?
- 📝 What does the LDS Church (Mormon) teach about marriage and polygamy in the afterlife?
- 📝 What has the LDS Church (Mormons) historically taught about the Curse of Cain and dark skin?
- 📝 What works do the LDS Church recognize as Scripture?
- 📝 What is the significance of the inverted pentagram symbols on the LDS Temple in Salt Lake City?
- 📝 What is the basis of the LDS (Mormon) belief that the Apostle John never died?
- 📝 According to the LDS Church (Mormons), what role do secret handshakes and passwords play into a person's entrance into heaven?
- 📝 What is the Catholic understanding of the first sin committed by Adam and Eve?
- 📝 How does the LDS Church decide what is included in their scriptural canon?
- 📝 According to LDS (Mormon) teaching, what is the relationship between Jesus and Lucifer?
- 📝 What actions does the LDS church (Mormon) take when a member does not pay tithing?
- 📝 To what degree could a person be "pro-polygamy" yet still obey the LDS church?
- 📝 What is the Plan of Salvation in LDS theology?
- 📝 What is the LDS Church's position on spiritual gifts
- 📝 What specific foods and drinks are forbidden by the LDS (Mormon) Church?
- 📝 What is the LDS Church's affiliation with the Boy Scouts?
- 📝 What is the basis for the LDS belief that religious truth is confirmed by what you feel?
- 📝 What misconceptions about the LDS church are a product of Mark Hofmann's forgeries?
- 📝 What evidence does the LDS Church offer regarding claims of degradation of Biblical texts?
- 📝 What is the most basic Biblical understanding of the nature of the firmament?
- 📝 In LDS (Mormon) theology, what is the Aaronic Priesthood and to whom is it conferred?
- 📝 In what manner does the LDS believe we may become like God?
- 📝 What roles do faith and works play in the LDS/Mormon understanding of salvation?
- 📝 What is the relationship between international branches of the LDS Church?
- 📝 What is the LDS (Mormon) position on eschatology?
- 📝 What is the LDS position on changing doctrine
- 📝 What does the LDS Church teach about Jesus being married, having children, and His position on polygamy?
- 📝 What evidence does the LDS church forward for the claim that the Garden of Eden was in Missouri?