Why Restoration? Why Jesus? Why the LDS Church?

Why Restoration? Why Jesus? Why the LDS Church?

A Genesis Approach to Restoration

1. Introduction

This essay deals with the questions of why restoration is needed, why or how Jesus is bringing about this restoration, and how it points to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). At times, one embarks on an essay with a particular purpose in mind, then God leads you down a different path. My original purpose for this essay was to follow up my prior essay, which I posted on “A Foundation for Charity.” on my website. I intended to write a second part, to show how charity has been restored within the LDS Church. Instead, my research has taken me down a different path. To write about the restoration of charity, I first had to deal with the question, “Why restoration?” Why is it even needed? I found myself again using my knowledge of Old Testament and Judaic texts to make a case for restoration. This essay, in turn, led me into the question, “Why Jesus?” Why and how does Jesus bring about restoration? This led me into a contemplation about the priesthood and how the priesthood signifies the restoration of God’s Church, which then led me to contemplate how the priesthood is passed down and how it has been restored within the LDS Church. I decided to keep the essay within these parameters. I felt that adding anything else would take away from the very important message of restoration.

My intention was to write in such a way that I can support LDS Church doctrine by only using my knowledge of Protestant Scripture, philosophy, Judaic texts, and theology. As someone who has been trained in Protestant theology, it is my job to look at Scripture and doctrine critically, ask the hard questions and come up with theological presuppositions that lead to doctrinal stances. This requires a broad knowledge of Scripture, philosophy, and theology; thus, my writing carries a more apologetic nature (apologetic meaning a defense). I believe that God wants me to write from my educational perspective to shed light on LDS doctrine using only materials to which Protestants avail themselves. By doing this, I believe I can lead others to the truth -- a truth that is plainly written throughout all Scripture, leading toward a restoration. I developed Mormon beliefs before I ever read the Book of Mormon or had been introduced to any LDS Church doctrines. My educational background was solely Protestant, yet my doctrinal beliefs are Mormon. This is why I believe writing from my own perspective can be a valuable tool for others looking into the LDS Church. I want my papers to serve as a tool for leading others to the truths I have discovered -- the truth I found in Scripture, the truth that has led me to my Mormon beliefs, the truth that I believe lies within the LDS Church.

No one taught me LDS doctrine, yet over the years, I developed Mormon beliefs. I sought God through the Scriptures and let the Scriptures teach me, yet my Protestant education had limited influence over me. Over the years, I simply came to a different conclusion from what I was being taught in school. I felt I was different, but nevertheless, I held to my convictions, knowing their truthfulness. When I became aware that my convictions were similar to LDS teachings, I was immediately puzzled. I became aware that I was more Mormon in my beliefs than Protestant. In fact, I had defended numerous LDS doctrinal stances in my systematic theology class, never knowing I was actually supporting and defending LDS doctrine.

I will not go into my full testimony because it would be a book-length explanation. My purpose is to show that Protestant Scripture and Judaic texts will point you in the right direction, toward restoration, toward the LDS Church. You must pray and ask God through the Holy Ghost for His guidance, and if you do that, I believe you will begin to see what I have seen. I refused to accept Protestant doctrine or any doctrine at face value. As a theologian, I have been trained to look at doctrine critically and not to accept anything at face value without first doing my own work, then comparing it with other theologians’ work. By allowing God to lead me, I developed doctrinal stances that were in opposition to Protestant doctrine and actually were more in line with Mormon beliefs. One day, I will write my testimony, but this essay will be an example of how my Protestant education pointed toward the LDS Church. This is why it is important for me to share my thoughts and hopefully allow others to see what I see. I pray you ask God to reveal Himself to you and that as you read Scripture, you might begin to see and recognize the truth -- in this case, the truthfulness found within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Let me begin with these questions: “Why restoration?” “Why Jesus?” “Why the LDS Church?”

2. Why Restoration?

The story of mankind becomes fractured and in need of restoration almost immediately after Creation. Adam and Eve sinned by disobeying God’s command not to partake of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, fragmenting their relationship with God. From that point on, mankind has been seeking a restoration with God, looking for a time in which God would create a way of bridging that divide. It is important to note that God is the one who is to elicit the restoration of mankind. The restoration of this relationship lies within God’s graces. Both Adam and Eve seemed to understand this concept of God eliciting restoration on their behalf. Humanity is incapable of eliciting its own restoration and is totally dependent on God. Let’s consider the first promise of restoration, found in Gen. 3:15.

It is within the story of the Fall that we get our first Messianic promise of a future restoration. Gen 3:15 promises restoration through “the Seed of Woman.” Adam and Eve both looked toward a son to fulfill God’s promise. It is precisely the Fall that makes it necessary for a Messiah to enter the world and make restoration possible. Let me explain a little more about this passage. After the Fall, God curses the serpent, and this would cause enmity between the Seed of Woman and the seed of the serpent. More precisely, the Seed of Woman is Jesus Christ the Messiah and the serpent is Satan the Antichrist. It is important to note that the genealogy of the Messiah would be from a woman and not a man. In Jewish tradition, it is the male who carries on the family lineage. Male names became the identities of the tribes of Israel, the names of territories, and the names of children. This means there would be something different about the Messiah, and this unique characteristic is made more clear through the prophet Isaiah, who, in Chapter 7 of the Book of Isaiah, writes that the Messiah is to be born of a virgin and have no human father. How did Adam and Eve understand this restoration? Did they understand that God would elicit the restoration? Let’s consider Genesis 4:1.

It is important to note that in Chapter 4, verse 1, of Genesis, we read, “And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord” (KJV). Unfortunately, this translation does not convey an accurate account or meaning of the text, in my opinion. A more literal translation would be “And Adam knew Eve his wife she conceived Cain saying I bare a man Yahweh.” Within this more literal translation, we can see that man and Yahweh (Jehovah) are together -- meant to be read as one. It is made clearer, within the literal translation, that Eve expected her offspring to be a Man-Jehovah, someone with Godly characteristics. This clearly denotes the idea that God would somehow enter the world and bring about a restoration, as noted earlier. Although Adam and Eve did not fully understand, they did understand enough to know that God would somehow elicit restoration through a Man-Jehovah -- someone of Godly origins. This literal translation is more consistent with the overall understanding that God would elicit a total restoration through the Seed of Woman. The question one might ask is, “Was Eve wrong in her understanding?” No, she had the correct theology, but simply got the timing wrong. Of course, this is only my translation; some translations try to deal with the second part of this verse by rephrasing it and stating that Cain was conceived through an angel of the Lord, while other translations try and use the concept of the Holy Ghost. In all these other translations, they try to avoid using the literal translation, that Eve actually begat a Man-Jehovah. But if one simply takes this verse in the context of the prophecy in Gen 3:15, one can easily infer that Adam and Eve were looking toward a restoration, which would come about through Eve’s (or woman’s) seed through a child with special Godlike qualities. It is also important to note that the word “Seed” in this context is singular and not plural in meaning -- that it will be one child/person.

Of course, there are hundreds of Messianic prophecies in the Bible, but Gen 3:15 is the first one, and it is important to note that it denotes restoration, God’s initiatory element, a singular Seed of Woman, and a God/Man-like quality of the Messiah.

The Messiah not only would elicit salvation. Although salvation is an important element to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we cannot forget the concept of restoration as well. Accepting God’s atonement through the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ leads to both salvation and restoration. Salvation is often looked upon as being spared punishment in the afterlife, thereby being saved from certain damnation. Although this is accurate, it falls short of the true purpose for which God sent His Son into the world. God sent Jesus Christ to elicit a restoration -- not simply to spare mankind punishment. The concept of restoration holds a higher purpose than merely to be spared punishment. God is seeking a restoration, and mankind since the Fall also has been looking forward to this restoration, which is now made possible through Jesus Christ, the Son of God, a God-Man, as noted in Gen. 3:15. The full concept of what Godlike or God-Man fully means is outside the bounds of this essay. It simply serves to show that somehow God and the Seed of Woman would lead to an offspring with Godlike qualities necessary for eliciting restoration. Humanity is not simply trying to avoid punishment, but rather, it is trying to enter into a renewed or restored relationship with God. Restoration then becomes our motive for coming into a relationship with Jesus Christ. Through this relationship, we now can commune with God once again.

As noted in my previous essay, communion with God is possible through the commandments of God. The word commandment is derived in part through the Hebrew word ‘to join’ or ‘commune.’ Accepting the atonement made possible by Jesus Christ allows one to begin a new restored relationship with God. The commandments of God then become central to our communion and restoration with Him. When God’s children adhere to the commandments of God, one is lifted up to a higher spiritual plane, in which one communes with God. The commandments of God play a pivotal role in our communion with God after we accept the atonement, bringing us into a restored relationship.

3. Why Jesus Christ?

Restoration became the overall theme of the Scriptures. Isaiah and other prophets preached the idea of repentance for the purpose of restoration. Sadly, the children of Israel did not heed God’s prophets and often refused to listen and turn from their wicked ways and adhere to God’s commandments. Nevertheless, God did not give up in His primary purpose of restoration.

I want to turn your attention briefly to the restoration of the priesthood. Why is priesthood restoration important? How does it point toward restoration? In Psalm 110, we find a restoration of the priesthood, although many neither see nor understand how this has taken place. Let me explain why and how the priesthood has been restored in Psalm 110. This passage denotes three prophecies: the Man-Jehovah concept, priesthood restoration, and the Kingdom of God (Messianic period). I only will focus on the first two prophecies. If you want more information on the third prophecy, read my prior essay on “the Sabbath Day and the Kingdom of God.” In Psalm 110 we read the following:

1 The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

2 The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.

3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.from…: or, more than the womb of the morning: thou shalt have, etc.

4 The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

5 The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath.

6 He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries. many: or, great

7 He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head (KJV).

Let’s discuss verses 1 and 2 and how Jesus Christ fulfills the Godlike personage called to elicit restoration. I will show within these two verses that we are dealing with two distinct personages and that the second Lord in verse 1 is someone of Godlike characteristics. King David is the psalmist writing, “The Lord says to my Lord…” The idea of “the Lord says to my Lord…” has often caused confusion, mainly because it does not fit into the Catholic/Protestant concept of the Trinity. I have argued in the past that we are dealing with two distinct personages. To correctly interpret these verses, we need to understand that King David is the one writing. As king of Israel, King David had no earthly lords over him. Yet, we read, “The Lord says to my Lord…” A more literal translation would read, “Yahweh (Jehovah) said to my Adonai…” It’s clear that these are two distinct personages, denoted by the two distinct names, “Jehovah” and “Adonai,” being used in the same sentence, with one speaking to the other. The obvious reasoning is that the use of this phrase could only be used in the context of someone speaking to someone else, or else a more traditional phrase, such as “thus says the Lord,” would be used. Verse 1 becomes a very unique phrase -- distinct from the normal introductory verses used elsewhere in the Bible when God is clearly the one speaking. A logical interpretation is to view “Jehovah” as God and “Adonai” as Jesus Christ, denoting King David’s Lord/Messiah.

The continuation of two personages is read in the second part of the verse: “Sit thou on My right hand.” This phrase is important because we are dealing with two distinct, yet equal, seats of power. First, we must note that after Jesus Christ’s redemptive work here on earth, He ascended into Heaven, where He now sits at the right hand of the Father. Why is this important? Going back to the understanding that “the Seed of Woman” would have this special Man-Jehovah or Godlike character about Him, we note that God now has Jesus Christ sitting at His right hand, a seat reserved usually for visiting kings, denoting equality in power and dominance, but also denoting two distinct individuals. The offspring of Mary, a virgin, with human physical characteristics, has now been given equality with God, but Jesus Christ is not God. He is distinct, yet God. Paul writes that Jesus did not consider equality with God something to be grasped. (more can be read in my prior study, in which I devote a section to this concept of equality). Nevertheless, the deity of Jesus Christ is disclosed, and His absolute dominance mentioned when “all Jesus Christ enemies will be made subjected to Him.” The idea of sitting at God’s right hand shows Jesus’ deity and kingship status, which eventually will lead to His enemies being subject to His rule, which is akin to an earthly king. Much can be said about this idea, but the kingship in question is not only an earthly kingship, but a heavenly kingship as well, since the seat in which Jesus sits is located in the Throne Room of God.

4. Why the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints?

It is important to first establish Jesus Christ’s kingship and deity status because it will help us understand His priesthood status in the Order of Melchizedek, which is mentioned in verses 3 and 4. Much can be said about the priesthood, but this essay deals with the meaning and significance of “the Order of Melchizedek” from a Judaic standpoint to stay within the context of Psalm 110. What makes the Order of Melchizedek important, and why do we need this order for the purposes of restoration? Let’s consider the Law of Moses. It is within the Law of Moses that priests are required to be of the Tribe of Levi, or descendants of Aaron. We often call it the Aaronic Priesthood or Levitical Priesthood. The kings are to be of the Tribe of Judah. As you might note, the Law of Moses makes a distinction between which tribe a priest and which tribe a king must come from, i.e., both are kept separated. God purposely made them distinct, never to be combined into one, at least until God was ready to unite them again. One of the main purposes of the Aaronic priesthood was to serve God within the Tabernacle (Temple) and serve mankind through religious ordinances. These priests work as intermediaries at the Temple between God and His children, serving as high priests and making intercessions for the children of Israel. Kings were responsible for the administration and protection of the kingdom. Although these are very general descriptions of each office, they serve the purpose of illustrating their distinctions. I mentioned these distinctions within the Law of Moses to show that the offices of priest and king are separate and different in nature.

In my previous paper, I wrote about the dual aspects of the commandments, which were both ritualistic toward God and social toward mankind. To fulfill a commandment, both aspects worked together in tandem. Each commandment had two elements, for worshipping God and loving mankind. A true follower of God and Jesus Christ will find themselves living in between their ritual obligation toward God and their social responsibility toward mankind (more can be read in my previous essay on commandments). What’s important to note is that the commandments require us to live in a space reserved for the priesthood. As mentioned earlier, priests served as intermediaries between God and mankind. Thus, true believers became part of the priesthood, serving both God and mankind. In fact, the Law of Moses outlines the duties of the priesthood, making these duties commandments in and of themselves.

In the New Testament, we read that the teachers of the law were trying to trick Jesus into teaching false doctrine to discredit Him. The question posed to Jesus was, “What is the greatest commandment?” On the surface, you would think that even a child could answer this question, why ask Jesus? What was it about this question concerning the greatest commandment that the Pharisees, or Church leaders, thought could be used to ensnare Jesus? On the surface, the answer would be “to love the Lord our God,” and most people would have just stopped there. But as I explained in my previous paper, all commandments have a dual nature. Jesus went on to say that the second commandment -- “to love your neighbor” – is just as important as the first. Thus, Jesus understood that all commandments have a dual purpose of loving God and mankind. They are interrelated, and all commandments are held together within this duality. The Pharisees were impressed and, of course, could only agree with Jesus.

It is within this space between loving God and loving mankind where I want to focus my attention, but before I do, I need to address the issue of the Order of Melchizedek. As noted earlier, the Law of Moses makes a distinction between who can serve as priest and who can serve as king. These offices were to remain separate under the Law of Moses. The Order of Melchizedek unites both offices under one order. The Order of Melchizedek becomes a higher priesthood because its order is both priestly and kingly, allowing for this order to have a more profound impact, but also a restorative aspect. It is also interesting to note that the Order of Melchizedek precedes the Law of Moses. The question is, “Are we going backward, or digressing?” We often think of going backward as digression, yet we notice that in this case, the Order of Melchizedek is actually a more complete and higher office than that described in the Law of Moses. Additionally, little is known about Melchizedek, other than he was both king and priest at the same time, Melchizedek’s appearance in Gen 14 came suddenly. What we do know from Protestant and Judaic teachings is that Melchizedek was a high priest and king, holding both offices at the same time. This is the main point.

My theory is that God served both as King and High Priest for the children of Israel before they asked God for an earthly King. At that time, God, through the Law of Moses, broke the offices up into two distinct orders, knowing that Jesus Christ would return and unite these offices again. Jesus Christ, being God, would once again be both High Priest and King of the people, thereby returning to the original higher office that God held over his people/Church before the Law of Moses. The original unification of the offices of high priest and king can only be held by God, or in this case, Jesus Christ because he is both Man-Jehovah and God was the original holder of this priesthood. This unified office sets the stage for the restoration of the Church, i.e., God’s people. It is absolutely necessary for these offices to be brought together to begin the restoration of God’s people and/or Church. I will not go into much detail on how this office is passed down, but simply note that Jesus Christ has the power to bless others and pass down this priesthood. This concept of blessing and passing down the priesthood is part of the authority held within the priesthood office. It is important to note that this is the priesthood, the Order of Melchizedek, that has been passed down to Joseph Smith and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As noted, this priesthood is responsible for all priesthood activities and kingly duties as described in the Law of Moses. Under this priesthood, those who hold this office can both serve in Church sacramental worship and administrative functions governing God’s people, uniting these offices under one authority. It is important to note that any true church of God has to return to these united offices where God is now both king and priest of His people before these offices were broken up. Jesus Christ now serves as King and High Priest for His true Church and the priesthood after the Order of Melchizedek, which has now been reestablished. Jesus has since passed down this priesthood, one of the responsibilities that the holder of the priesthood has the authority to do. Thus, the true Church must have the authority of this priesthood, the Order of Melchizedek, to attain a restored relationship with God. Simply put, a return in this case is a return to the original state of the Church, and thus it is now in its original restored state. I say all this to note that only the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints holds this special priesthood, necessary for returning to the original state of restoration. If one is following the priesthood as prescribed through the Law of Moses, and not the priesthood in the Order of Melchizedek, then you are not in a restored state. This is the state in which other churches find themselves, still operating under the Law of Moses, or simply ignoring the priesthood office altogether. Jesus came to elicit restoration; thus, the restoration of the priesthood after the Order of Melchizedek becomes absolutely necessary in eliciting this restoration of God’s people, as noted in Psalm 110. Only through this order can the Church enter into its restored state and elicit restoration of God’s people. Additionally, to follow the duality of the commandments in serving God and mankind, you must find yourself within the priesthood, or else you cannot truly fulfill the commandments as prescribed in the Torah.

5. Final Thoughts

I will conclude this essay with the following points. God sought a restoration with mankind, and Jesus Christ is the way we enter a restored relationship with Him. Gen 3:15 denotes the importance of God eliciting this restoration, while Psalm 110 further explains how the restoration is to be elicited. But like most biblical theological understanding, nothing stands alone in Scripture. God’s Word is interwoven and interrelated; all Scripture has a synchronicity, working together to elicit revelation. Thus, this paper focused on a couple of chosen passages to lay out a foundation for restoration through Jesus Christ and the LDS Church. The theology behind restoration is vastly complex, and one could write a book on the subject. However, I wanted to show that from the beginning, God was planning a restoration through Jesus Christ. Anyone seeking to enter into a relationship with God must first understand and seek restoration, which is only found in Jesus Christ. The true Church must understand how to enter into a relationship with God and why. The priesthood is central to the restoration and must be in place to enter into a restored relationship with God. As noted in Psalm 110, Jesus has now re-established the original offices of king and priest under one authority, which must govern the true Church or else it is still operating under the Law of Moses. This is also an eternal order. As noted in verse 4, it will have no end, which is why it is important to note that it has been passed down and is currently in place within the LDS Church. This eternal order has the notion of no beginning and no end; thus, it is a return to the original and also a restoration in the end. Thus, the LDS Church is keeping this order alive and eternal here on earth until Christ’s return and beyond.

I do not claim to be a Mormon scholar; my educational background is Protestant and Judaic. However, I hope I have demonstrated the importance of the restoration. Going back to Genesis, I attempted to show that restoration with mankind was elicited only by God when he entered the world and reestablished His Church, uniting the higher kingly and priestly offices, and restoring the Order of Melchizedek, the higher office, before the fragmentation of these offices within the Law of Moses.

Once again, this essay is meant to serve as a point of departure for further study and conversation. It is not a complete, comprehensive study on the subject of restoration, just one perspective. I mentioned earlier that Messianic prophecies are numbered in the hundreds within Scripture. I hope that I have at least directed your attention to the need of restoration, how Jesus has elicited this restoration through the office of priesthood in the Order of Melchizedek, and how the LDS Church is the only church that has continued this office, which is necessary to elicit restoration. I will leave this essay as is, knowing that much more can be written on the subject. I pray that those who read this might appreciate the importance of restoration, why it is needed, and how Jesus Christ, through the Order of Melchizedek, elicits restoration between God and mankind.

6. Mormon Perspective on the Order of Melchizedek

After completing my essay, I felt it necessary to do some additional study from a Mormon perspective. Did my conclusion, made solely from a Protestant and Judaic perspective, fit within the framework of Mormon theology? I found the following doctrinal beliefs in the Faith on Lecture series, which I share now:

The Faith of Melchizedek 93

(From Inspired 'Translation" of Scriptures, by Joseph the Prophet)

“Now Melchizedek was a man of faith, who wrought righteousness; and when a child he feared God, and stopped the mouths of lions, and quenched the violence of fire. And thus, having been approved of God. he was ordained a high priest after the order of the covenant which God made with Enoch. It being after the order of the Son of God; which order came, not by man, nor the will of man; neither by father nor mother; neither by beginning of days nor end of years; but of God.”

It is made clear in this last statement that the Order of Melchizedek is after the Order of the Son of God (Jesus), which came not from human origins, but from God. It also has no beginning or end. Thus, my conclusion that God and/or Jesus Christ was the original holder of this united office is, in fact, in accordance with Mormon teachings. It appears to me that my conclusion written within this essay seems to agree, or is at least very similar to what Joseph the prophet wrote. Since I do not consider myself a Mormon theologian, as I mentioned earlier, it is important for me to cross-check some of my conclusions to ensure they are in accordance with Mormon beliefs. My desire is to write from my Protestant and Judaic perspective to show that my conclusions are in fact in accordance with Mormon beliefs. This is important because over the years, I have developed Mormon beliefs without having prior exposure to such beliefs. I came to my convictions and beliefs independent of Mormon teachings and influence. I feel it is necessary to show others that may be looking into Mormon teachings that Protestant/Catholic Scripture points to and supports the teachings of the LDS Church. This essay is a great example of how my knowledge and education have led me to conclude that Mormon teachings on this subject matter are, in fact, supported by Old Testament and Judaic teachings, totally independent of any other sources. In fact, I embarked on this essay before doing any study on the subject matter from a Mormon perspective. I pray that anyone looking into the Church will do more study on the subject matter and ask the Holy Ghost to guide them to see whether the Book of Mormon and LDS teachings are, in fact, inspired by God.

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