From: ACUS10@WACCVM.SPS.MOT.COM (Mark Fuller)
Subject: Re: Are Mormons Christians?
Organization: Motorola Inc.
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 1992 20:28:25 GMT

From: slhw4@cc.usu.edu (Jason Hunsaker)
>  ACUS10@WACCVM.SPS.MOT.COM (Mark Fuller) writes:
> [...]
> >         Mormon theology teaches that those who are married in the temple
> > can eventually become Gods and rule over their own creations. Apostle
> > Bruce R. McConkie affirmed that the righteous who are married in the
> > temple "for time and eternity" have "gained eternal life (exaltation),
> > the greatest of all the gifts of God... Those so inheriting are the sons
> > and daughters of God... They are joint-heirs with Christ... becoming
> > gods in their own right.'- (Mormon Doctrine, 1979, pp. 117-18)
>
> Congratulations, Mark.  You got most of it right.  Why did you
> quote from _Mormon Doctrine_ instead of LDS Canon though.
>
> "Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therfore
> shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they
> continue;  then shall they be above all, because all things are
> subject unto them.  Then shall they be gods, because they have
> all power, and the angels are subject unto them." (D&C 132:22.)
>
> "... we are the children of God:
> "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with
> Chirst ..." (Romans 8:16-17)
>
> The deification of Man is not a teaching unique to Mormonism or
> even to Christianity.

        Being heir to the riches of Heaven is equal to working
your way up to being equal to Jehovah God who is self-sustaining,
never created?  Deification of man is certainly foreign to the Bible.
I posted this earlier and you never responded.

        As it does with other doctrines, Mormonism uses Biblical verses
to try to prove that men can become gods. Let us now examine these
verses. The first one we shall consider is Gen. 3:5.

  '...ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

        Mormonism claims this verse teaches that man can become a god
just like God the Father. Let us see why this is not an accurate
interpretation for this verse.

        Before their disobedience to God and their subsequent fall, Adam
and Eve were in a state of innocence. They were in the paradise God had
created for them, a paradise free from evil and the havoc it creates.
Adam and Eve were neither aware of evil nor its consequences.

        Into this sinless situation, entered Satan. He told Eve if she
ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil she *would become as
God*, knowing good and evil. Satan tempted Eve to rebel against God's
specific command not to eat of the tree by enticing her with the hope
that she would become as wise as God. (Gen. 3:5-6) Satan neglected,
however, to explain to Eve that God's knowledge about good and evil does
not exist because He personally committed evil, rebellious acts. God
knows the difference between good and evil because He is all-knowing,
holy, and good. Anything that violates His nature is evil, and God knows
this. God also knows what the results will be when one of His creatures
rebels against Him and violates His holiness, because He Himself
determines what they will be. God is aware of evil because He sees it in
the rebelliousness of His creatures, not because He has personally
committed it. For God to commit evil, He would have to violate His own
nature, and this He can never do.

        After Adam and Eve had disobeyed God's command not to eat of the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God said: "Behold, the man is
become as one of us, to know good and evil..." (Gen. 3:22) (emphasis
added) Adam and Eve became as God in the limited, qualified sense of
being aware of the existence of evil and its results. However, unlike
God, they became aware by personally committing an evil, rebellious act.

        When they were driven from God's presence, Adam and Eve learned
the cost of their rebellion and disobedience. They indeed acquired the
knowledge of the difference between good and evil. They learned how evil
it is to disobey God and to rebel against His will.

        Adam and Eve did not become as God in essence or nature, nor did
they begin a progression toward Godhood as Mormonism claims. They
entered a condition where they would continually be exposed to both good
and evil and would have to make judgments and discernments between the
two. Since they now knew the serious consequence of choosing the evil
over the good, they would be making their judgments and discernments
between good and evil based on this knowledge.

        While Joseph Smith, Jr., taught that the only way man can become
god is "by obeying the commandments of God and keeping the whole law"
(DS, 1:98), Adam and Eve became as God knowing good and evil by
disobeying God. (Gen. 2:17; 3:6) If Adam and Eve were truly on earth to
work their way to Mormon godhood, they could not have violated God's
command and continued on their alleged progression. They would have had
to obey God fully. Obviously Gen. 3:5 does not teach that man can become
God as Mormonism claims.

        Another Mormon proof-text is Exod. 7:1 which states:

  'And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to
   Pharaoh...

        A question that immediately comes to mind is, How was Moses a
god to Pharaoh? Was it in the sense that Moses was on a progressive
climb to Godhood? According to the Bible, Moses was representing God.
His declarations to Pharaoh were by divine authority. God used Moses not
only to declare His will and purposes to pharaoh but also to pass
judgment upon Pharaoh -- who thought he was a god -- and the rest of the
false gods of Egypt. (Exod. 12:12) By the time God ended His judgments
upon Pharaoh and the impotent gods of Egypt through Moses, Moses seemed
like a god to him.

        A significant fact that one should be aware of regarding this
Mormon proof-text is that when Mormons use this verse of Scripture to
try to prove that men can become gods they reference the KJV which is
believed by them only "as far as it is translated correctly." It is very
interesting that Mormons use what they consider to be an inaccurate
translation and an inferior book because, as we know, Joseph Smith, Jr.
wrote an inspired revision of the KJV called the Inspired Version.
Mormons cannot use Joseph's revision in this instance, however,
because the spirit guiding Joseph had him change this verse to read:
"And the Lord said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a prophet to
Pharaoh..." (Exod. 7:1, pp. 119-120) Joseph Smith changed the concept
that God was going to make Moses a "god" to Pharaoh to God's making
Moses a "prophet" to Pharaoh. Is it right for Mormons to use this verse
from the Bible to try to prove that men can become gods when their own
prophet, while allegedly acting under the spirit of revelation, changed
the meaning of this verse in his revision of the Bible?

        Another proof-text of Mormonism is Ps. 82:6. We shall consider
verses 1 through 7 to see this verse in context.

  'God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the
   gods.
   How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the
   wicked?...
   Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and
   needy.
   Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.
   They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in
   darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.
   I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most
   High.
   But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.

        Again, questions arise. In what sense were these men gods? Were
they called gods because they were working their way to Mormon godhood?

        Obviously these men who were referred to as "gods" were Hebrew
men who were appointed by God to act in His place before the Israelites.
They were His representa- tives. They had been given the God-like
function of judging, and they were to judge on His behalf among the
Israelites and their situations. These judges had the Word of God as God
had given it to them, and they were responsible for judging in
accordance with it. If they followed God's Word, they judged justly; if
not, they judged unjustly. In Ps. 82 they were judging unjustly and
perverting justice. Instead of restraining evil, these judges were
either initiating or condoning it, and God is rebuking them for their
injustice.

        The Hebrew word translated "gods" in verse 6 is "Elohim." This
same Hebrew word is translated "judges" in Exod. 21:6; 22:8-9 and
"judge" in 1 Sam. 2:25.

        The fact that these men were called "gods" (Elohim) because they
were appointed as judges by God is admitted by the Mormon Apostle James
E. Talmage. He stated: "...even judges empowered by divine authority are
called gods..." "Divinely Appointed Judges called 'gods' -- In Psalm
82:6, judges invested by divine appointment are called 'gods.'" (Jesus
the Christ, pp. 489-501)

        There can be no significance attached to the fact that the
Hebrew word "Elohim" is used of these men. No valid argument can be set
forth to prove that because "Elohim" is used not only of men but also of
the true God that men can, therefore, become gods in the true sense of
the word. For one thing God does not become God. He is because He is; He
did not become the essence or nature of God. For another thing, "Elohim"
is also used in reference to "images" (Gen. 31:19,30,32,34-35; 35:2,4;
Exod. 23:24; 32:1-4; 1 Sam. 5:1-5) and "idols" (1 Chron. 16:26; Ps.
96:4-5; 1 Cor. 8:1-7) both of which are an abomination to God.

        Although the Bible calls these judges "gods," it does not mean
they were either God then or will ever become God in essence or nature.
In phil. 3:19 of the KJV, the "belly" is called a god. Not only that,
but in 2 Cor. 4:4, Satan is also called a god. He is called the "god of
this world." (Even the Mormon Apostle Bruce R. McConkie acknowledges
this fact on p. 324 of Mormon Doctrine.) However, not even Mormonism
teaches that Satan is a god now or ever will become a god as the true
God is God. Why, then, should one believe Mormonism's teaching that men
will become gods just because the Hebrew judges were called "gods?" Ps.
82:1-7 states that although the Hebrew men who were appointed by God to
be judges were callled "gods," they were really mortal men who would
die. (v. 7) They were fallable men who were perverting justice. Notice
in verse 5 that God tells these "gods" they "know not, neither will they
understand; they walk on in darkness..." This Psalm could never be
addressed to the one true God. He does not now nor has He ever judged
unjustly or walked in darkness. (1 John 1:5)

        Upon examination, we find that this Psalm does not teach that
men can become gods as Mormonism claims.

        Consider now another Mormon proof-text -- John 10:34-36.

  '...Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?
     If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the
     scripture cannot be broken.
     Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the
     world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?

        The Jews were accusing Jesus of blasphemy for claiming to be the
Son of God. Let us go back and read verses 30-33 for context.

  'I and my Father are one.
  Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
  Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father;
  for which of those works do ye stone me?
  The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but
  for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.

        The Jews were accusing Jesus of blasphemy, because He, "being a
man," claimed to be God. In verses 34-36, Mormonism's proof-text, Jesus
is questioning the Jews' right to accuse Him of blasphemy. He cites Ps.
82:6, which we just examined, for His case. Jesus informed the Jews that
since the earthly judges whom God had appointed to be His
representatives among the Israelites were called "gods," it could not be
wrong for Him to be called the Son of God since God had sent Him into
the world to be the Christ, to instruct and save men. If it was not
blasphemy for earthly judges to be called "gods," why was it blasphemy
for Him to be called the Son of God? If the earthly, mortal judges
represented God, how much more so did the Christ who is the immortal
God? We see that Jesus was trying to get the Jews to see how
inconsistent their charge of blasphemy against Him was.

        Regarding John 10:34-36, the Mormon Apostle James E. Talmage
stated the following: "To this scripture the Savior referred in His
reply to the Jews in Solomon's Porch....The inconsistency of calling
human judges 'gods,' and of ascribing blasphemy to the Christ who called
Himself the Son of God, would have been apparent to the Jews but for
their sin-darkened minds." (Jesus the Christ, p. 501)

        Notice that John 10:34 (Jesus' citing of Ps. 82:6) states: "ye
are gods," not ye will become gods. If this Psalm teaches that men
become gods in the sense that God is God as Mormonism claims, then it
also teaches that those Hebrew judges who were perverting justice and
walking in darkness had attained Godhood and were God. However, we saw
in our examination of Ps. 82 that it could not be applied or addressed
to the true God. Obviously Jesus was not teaching the Mormon doctrine
that men can become gods in these verses from the Bible.

        Another Mormon proof-text is Rev. 3:21 which states:

  'To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even
  as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

        Mormons say that because Jesus overcame and sat down in His
Father's throne, He is a god, and when men overcome and sit down with
Jesus in His throne, they too will become gods.

        We have previously seen in this book that Jesus did not become
God; He became a man. He has eternally existed as the Second Person of
the unevolved, uncreated, self- existent, self-sufficient "I AM THAT I
AM." Therefore, to "overcome" does not mean Jesus became a god. As the
Eternal God, Jesus had all things; they were created by Him and for Him.
(Col. 1:16) As God, He did not have to overcome anything. However, as
man, Jesus overcame death (2 Tim. 1:10), sin (Heb. 4:15; 1 John 3:5; 1
Pet. 2:22), the devil (Heb. 2:14; Col 2:15; 1 John 3:8), and the world.
(John 16:33) Jesus, the God-man, overcame these things for us.
"...though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye
through his poverty might be rich." (2 Cor. 8:9. See also 2 Cor. 5:21; 1
Pet. 3:18; Heb. 2:18)

        Does having a throne make one a god in the sense that God is God
-- that is, by nature or essence? The word translated "throne" in Rev.
3:21 is the Greek word _thronos_ which means a throne or seat of
authority. Does having a throne or seat of authority make one a god, or
does it just make one a ruler? If it makes one truly God, then we would
have to say that Satan is truly God, because he also has a throne. Rev.
2:13 states the following about Satan's throne: "I know thy works, and
where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat [thronos] is: and thou
holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days
wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where
Satan dwelleth." Notice that the word translated "seat" in this verse is
the Greek word _thronos_ -- the same word that is translated "throne" in
Rev. 3:21. Satan's throne is also mentioned in the OT. Isa. 14:12-14
states the following:

  'How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how
  art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will
  exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount
  of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most
  High.

        These verses show that even though Satan had a throne he was not
truly God, for he said: "I will be like the most High," not I am like
the most High.

        Perhaps it should be noted that it cannot even be said that
because one is a king and has a "kingdom" he is a god, because Satan
himself is said to have a kingdom. (Matt. 12:25-26) Regarding this
matter, the Mormon Apostle Bruce R. McConkie stated the following on p.
419 of Mormon Doctrine under the heading KINGDOM OF THE DEVIL: "Just as
there is a kingdom of God both on earth and in heaven, so there is a
kingdom of the devil both on earth and in hell.... Where there is a
kingdom, there must be a king who ordains laws, rules over subjects, and
governs those who inhabit his organized domain. So Deity rules and
reigns on the one hand and the devil on the other..." If being a king
and having a kingdom makes one a god as the true God is, then it would
have to be said that Satan is truly God -- a concept that not even
Mormonism is willing to concede.

        The redeemed, those people who are born of God through faith in
the Jesus of the Bible, are overcomers. (1 John 5:4; 4:4; 2:13; Rev.
2:7,11,17,26; 3:5,12,21; 21:7) They will be where the Lord is. (John
14:3; 1 Thess. 4:17; Rev. 21:3) They will serve Him. (Rev. 22:3)  They
will reign with Him. (Col. 3:4; 2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 5:10; 20:6; 22:5) The
twelve apostles will sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of
Israel. (Matt. 19:28)  The believers will judge the world and angels. (1
Cor. 6:2-3) Their earthly bodies will be changed into glorious bodies
like the Lord's. (Phil. 3:20-21; 1 John 3:2) They will be, because of
the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, sons and daughters of God. They will
not, however, be God as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are God. All
these blessings and privileges come to the redeemed because of and
through the Lord Jesus Christ. (Eph. 1:3,6; 2:6-7; Col. 2:9-10; Jude 1)

        Another Mormon proof-text is Rom. 8:17 which states that the
redeemed are "joint-heirs with Christ." To be joint-heirs with Christ
does not mean, as we shall see, that the redeemed become gods by essence
or nature as God is.

        When people accept the Jesus of the Bible as their Savior (John
1:12) and are born again by the Spirit of God (John 3:5), the Holy
Spirit comes to indwell them. (Rom. 8:9-11; 1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19; 2 Tim.
1:14) When this happens, they partake of the divine nature and are made
spiritually alive (2 Pet. 1:4) and are adopted into God's family as His
sons and daughters. (Rom. 8:14-16) Remember, the redeemed become God's
sons and daughters; they do not become God. God did not become what He
is. He is the eternally uncreated, unevolved, self-existent "I AM THAT I
AM." What an honor God places on the people who receive His Son and His
work into their hearts and lives. He grants them the high privilege of
having His Holy Spirit come and indwell them. In the sense that God's
Spirit indwells His people, the redeemed, they partake of the divine
nature. Remember, God never did "partake" of the divine nature; He is
the divine nature.

        While it is true that God did not become God, it is also true
that the Second Person of the triune God who is the divine nature,
became a man -- Jesus the Christ. We saw in the examination of the
previous proof-text that as a man Jesus received all God's riches and
blessings for the redeemed. Jesus did not become a man because of any
progression to Godhood or to receive something He did not have. As God
He has all things. However, as we have seen, it was for our "sake" that
"he became poor," that we "through his poverty might be rich." (2 Cor.
8:9)

        The truth that the redeemed will be "joint-heirs with Christ"
means they will share equally in all God's blessings and riches which
Jesus gained for them as the God-man. Consider the following example
regarding "joint-heirs."

        There have been instances when a person has died and left part
of his/her inheritance to people and part to a pet. This act makes the
pet a "joint-heir" with the humans. Does that mean the pet becomes
human? No, it means it shares equally in the riches of its master with
the humans. It is the same with the redeemed of God. They will be
joint-heirs with Christ and will share in God's riches and blessings.
While they do partake of the divine nature because of the indwelling of
the Holy Spirit, the redeemed will not become gods as God is.

        Other verses of Scripture that Mormons use to try to prove that
men can become gods are Matt. 5:48; Heb. 6:1; 12:23; and Eph. 4:12.
These verses contain the words "perfect", "perfection", and "perfecting"
which Mormons claim mean Godhood. We shall first consider the verses
from Matthew and Hebrews because the words translated "perfect" and
"perfection" in the KJV are translated from related Greek words which
mean mature, full grown, to carry to the end, to complete, to finish, to
accomplish, to fulfill. Then we shall consider the word "perfecting" in
the verse from Ephesians which uses a different Greek word and means to
thoroughly equip for service, to make fit, thoroughly prepare, put in
order, restore. Let us now consider the verses from Matthew and Hebrews.

  'Be ye therefore perfect [teleios], even as your Father which is in
  heaven is perfect [teleios]. (Matt. 5:48)

  'Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go
  on unto perfection [teleiotes]; not laying again the foundation of
  repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God. (Heb. 6:1)

  'To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are
  written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of
  just men made perfect [teleios]. (Heb. 12:23)

        In Matt. 5:48, the people are told to be "perfect" as God the
Father is "perfect." In what way are Christians to be "perfect" as God
is "perfect?" Four verses above this one in verse 44, we read that Jesus
says to "love [agapao] your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good
to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and
persecute you." The Greek word translated "love" in verse 44 is
_agapao_. This _agapao_ is the kind of love that God has. It is the kind
of love that loves the unlovely, the unattractive. It is manifested
because the one who loves wills or chooses to love. God loves man, not
because he is attractive to God, but because God wills to do so .

  'For God so loved [agapao] the world, that he gave his only begotten
  Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
  everlasting life. (John 3:16)

  'But God commendeth his love [agape] toward us, in that, while we were
  yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom. 5:8)

  'But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love [agape] wherewith
  he loved [ agapao ] us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened
  us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) (Eph. 2:4-5)

  'And walk in love [agape], as Christ also have loved [agapao] us, and
  hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a
  sweetsmelling savour. (Eph. 5:2)

  '...God...loved [agapao] us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation
  for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved [agapao] us, we ought also to
  love [agapao] one another. (1 John 4:1O-11)

  '...he [God] first loved [agapao] us. (1 John 4:19)

        Christians are to be "perfect" as their Father in heaven is "perfect" by
same kind of love He has. In other words, with the "love [agape] of God...shed a
in [their] hearts by the Holy Ghost" (Rom. 5:5), they are to love the unlovely,
enemies, and those who use and persecute them. This kind of love is _teleios_. (
5:48) That is, it is mature and complete, and not lacking or wanting in anything
Consider the meaning of _teleios_ in the two following verses of Scripture:

  'Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you,
  always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand
  perfect [teleios] and complete in all the will of God. (Col. 4:12)

  'But let patience have her perfect [teleios] work, that ye may be
  perfect [teleios] and entire, wanting nothing. (Jas. 1:4)

        Matt. 5:48 is telling Christians to have the maturity and
completeness in their love for others that God has for all. It is
telling Christians to be Godlike in their love, not to seek Godhood.

        In Heb. 6:1 Christians are told to go on to "perfection
[teleiotes];" that is, they are to become spiritually mature, complete,
full grown. When people are first born of God's Holy Spirit they are
spiritual babes who need to grow and mature in their Christian lives. (1
Pet. 2:2) This mature state is translated "perfection" in Heb. 6:1. When
considered in context, there is no doubt that the writer to the Hebrews
had this mature state in mind when he wrote to them. Consider the three
verses preceding Heb. 6:1.

  'For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one
  teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God;
  and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
  For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of
  righteousness: for he is a babe.
  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age [teleios -
  mature], even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised
  to discern both good and evil. (Heb. 5:12-14)

        After stating the above, the writer of Hebrews tells his readers
in 6:1 to "go on unto perfection [teleiotes];" that is, to go on to a
state of maturity in their Christian lives.

        This contrast between being children or babes and being full
grown or mature Christians is found in other verses of Scripture using
the same Greek word that i~ translated "full age" in Heb. 5:14 above.

  'But when that which is perfect [ teleios] is come, then that which is
  in part shall be done away.
  When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I
  thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish
  things. (1 Cor. 13:lO-ll)

  'Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye
  children, but in understanding be men [teleios]. (1 Cor. 14:20)

  'Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of
  the Son of God, unto a perfect [teleios] man, unto the measure of the
  stature of the fulness of Christ:

  'That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and
  carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and
  cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; (Eph.
  4:13-14)

        The only other time the Greek word _teleiotes_ (translated
"perfection" in Heb. 6:1) occurs is in Col. 3:14 which states: "And
above all these things put on charity [agape], which is the bond of
perfectness [teleiotes]." Again, we see that the spiritually mature
Christian has the agape of God. He loves the unattractive and unlovely
as God does.

        Heb. 12:23 tells about "the spirits of just men made perfect
[teleioo]." This refers to the OT saints who were called "just" because
they had been declared innocent, righteous, and not guilty by God
through faith. However, since these spirits were involved in a temporary
sacrificial system that could only cover their sins, not wipe them out,
their redemption had not reached its fulfillment or completion. These
saints' sins were removed by the blood of Christ, "the lamb of God,
which taketh away the sin of the world." (John 1:29)

  'And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by
  means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were
  under the first testament, they which are called might receive the
  promise of eternal inheritance. (Heb. 9:15)

        The OT saints' redemption reached its fulfillment and completion when Ch
on the cross, when He completed and fulfilled the law with its sacrificial syste
Consider the following verses of Scripture and their use of the word _teleioo_.

  'Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me,
  and to finish [teleioo] his work. (John 4:34)

  'I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished [teleioo] the
  work which thou gavest me to do. (John 17:4)

  'After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that
  the scripture might be fulfilled [teleioo], saith, I thirst. (John
  19:28)

  'But none of these things move me [Paul], neither count I my life dear
  unto myself, so that I might finish [teleioo] my course with joy, and
  the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the
  gospel of the grace of God. (Acts 20:24)

        _Teleioo_, which means mature, full grown, to carry to the end,
to complete, to fulfill, is used in these verses as well as in Heb.
12:23 regarding the "spirits of just men made perfect." The spirits of
the OT saints had reached God's desired end for them in Christ.

        We see that the words "perfect" and "perfection" come from
related Greek words meaning mature, full grown, completion, and
fulfillment. They do not mean Godhood as Mormonism teaches.

        An important point that should be noted concerning the term
"full grown" is that Mormons teach that since we were all born of a god
in a preexistence, we all have the divine nature within us and are,
therefore, "gods in embryo." The Apostle Charles W. Penrose stated that
"men become like God...by the natural development of the divinity
within." (Gospel Through the Ages, p. 116) The Prophet Brigham Young
remarked that "the germ of the Deity dwells within us." (Journal of
Discourses, 10:192) Mormons, therefore, interpret the words "full grown"
to mean maturing or evolving into a god. We have previously seen in this
book that we were not sexually-begotten by a god in an alleged
preexistence.  We shall see that man does not come into
this world with the divine nature in him. The only way one can "partake
of the divine nature" is to be born of God's Holy Spirit by accepting
Christ as his Savior. Remember that "partaking of the divine nature"
does not make one God. God did not "partake of the divine nature;" He is
the divine nature.

        We shall now examine Eph. 4:12 in which the Greek word
_katartismos_ is translated "perfecting".

  'For the perfecting [katartismos] of the saints, for the work of the
  ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.

        _Katartismos_ (a noun) is related to the Greek word _katartizo_
(a verb) which means to thoroughly equip for service, to make fit,
thoroughly prepare, put in order, restore. Notice how _katartizo_ has
been translated in other verses of Scripture.

  'And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of
  Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father,
  mending [katartizo] their nets; and he called them. (Matt. 4:21)

  'Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual,
  restore [katartizo] such an one in the spirit of meekness... (Gal.
  6:1)

  '[God] Make you perfect [katartizo] in every good work to do his will,
  working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus
  Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. (Heb. 13:21)

  'But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory
  by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect
  [katartizo], stablish, strengthen, settle you. (1 Pet. 5:10)

        In Eph. 4:12, the purpose of "perfecting" or equipping the
saints is to prepare them to carry on the work of the ministry and to
edify the body of Christ. This equipping for service will be needed "til
we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son
of God, unto a perfect [teleios] man, unto the measure of the stature of
the fulness of Christ." (v. 13) Remember, _teleios_ means mature,
complete, full-grown; it does not mean God-hood as Mormonism claims, and
neither does _katartismos_.

        As we come to the end of this examination of Mormonism's alleged
proof-texts to try to prove that men can become gods by nature or
essence as God is, we shall consider the Scriptural verses of a word
that is very important in Mormonism. As we have already seen, Mormonism
maintains that "exaltation" means Godhood. While the word "exaltation"
does not appear in Scripture, the words "exalt" and "exalted" do. They
are translated from the Greek word _hupsoo_ which means to lift up,
raise high, elevate. The following are a few examples of the use of this
word in Scripture:

  'And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted [hupsoo] unto heaven, shalt be
  brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in
  thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
  (Matt. 11:23. See also Luke 10:15)

  'And as Moses lifted up [hupsoo] the serpent in the wilderness, even
  so must the Son of man be lifted up [hupsoo]. (John 3:14. See also
  8:28; 12:32)

  'Him [Jesus] hath God exalted [hupsoo] with his right hand to be a
  Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and
  forgiveness of sins. (Acts 5:31)

  '...God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble....
  Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up
  [hupsoo]. (Jas. 4:6,10. See also 1 Pet. 5:5-6)

        Nowhere do these verses of Scripture teach the Mormon doctrine
that to be exalted means to become God. Matt. 11:23 tells about the city
of Capernaum that was "exalted" but would be "brought down to hell."
John tells about the serpent that was "lifted up (exalted)," just as the
Son of man was to be "lifted up (exalted)" on the cross. Acts 5:31
specifically reveals that Christ was "exalted [hupsoo]...to be a Prince
and a Saviour." He was not exalted to Godhood. Phil. 2:6 reveals that
Christ was already God before He became a man, and Phil. 2:7-9 reveal
that because Christ humbled Himself and became a man and was "obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross," God has "highly exalted
[huperupsoo] him, and given him a name which is above every name." In
Acts 5:31 the purpose of Christ's exaltation was "to give repentance to
Israel, and forgiveness of sins." James (and Peter) states that God
resists the proud but exalts (hupsoo) those who are humble.

        It is apparent that these verses teach that to be "exalted"
means to be lifted up or elevated; they do not teach that man becomes a
god as God is.

        This examination has shown that the alleged Biblical proof-texts
Mormons use to try to prove men can become God by nature or essence are
really no proof-texts at all. One certainly has to ask why Mormons
bother trying to prove this belief from the Bible, since Joseph Smith
said there can be no confidence in appeallng to it for answers. (PGP,
Joseph Smith, 2:12)

+++The Result Of The Belief That Man Can Become Gods

        What is God's reaction to these attempts of His creation to
become God? What is the destiny of those people who hold this belief?
After Satan said he would be "like the most High" (Isa. 14:14), God
said: "...thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit."
(Isa. i4:15)

        The Bible states: "...Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou
hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the
seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as
the heart of God... They shall bring thee down to the pit..." (Ezek.
28:2,8)

        Although this belief of darkness that men can become gods has
penetrated deeply into the minds of millions of people through the
years, it will come to nought. Satan could not change his nature or
essence to equal God's and neither can men. Men cannot be made gods,
because Godhood is not something to attain; it is something one just is,
"I AM THAT I AM," and a god by nature or essence, men and Satan are not.


Mark
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