Gospel Topics

True Christian Doctrines Corrupted

Throughout history, evil people have tried to destroy the work of God. This happened while the Apostles were still alive and supervising the young, growing Church. Some members taught ideas from their old pagan or Jewish beliefs instead of the simple truths taught by Jesus. In addition, there was persecution from outside the Church.Church members were tortured and killed for their beliefs. One by one, the Apostles were killed.

Because of the persecution, surviving Apostles could not meet to choose and ordain men to replace those who were dead. Eventually, local priesthood leaders were the only ones who had authority to direct the scattered branches of the Church. The perfect organization of the Church no longer existed, and confusion resulted. More and more error crept into Church doctrine, and soon the destruction of the Church was complete.

The period of time when the true Church no longer existed on earth is called the Great Apostasy. Soon pagan beliefs dominated the thinking of those called Christians. The Roman emperor adopted this false Christianity as the state religion. This church was very different from the church Jesus organized. Members of this church believed that God was a being without form or substance. These people lost the understanding of God�s love for us. They did not know that we are his children. They did not understand the purpose of life. Many of the ordinances were changed because the priesthood and revelation were no longer on the earth.

A Brief History of Constantine

Constantine became interested in Christianity because of what happened to him in battle. He won the won control of the Roman Empire in the battle of Milvian Bridge where he claims he saw a big cross in the sky. He attributed this victory to the intervention of Christ himself. Thus, he elevated Christianity to favored status in the empire. "One God, one Lord, one faith, one church, one empire, one emperor" became his motto.

We can see by this motto that Constantine was more concerned about government, control, and power than he was about fundamental gospel truths. The attempt at ressurecting Christianity was only a front to win control over the masses of that day. Constantine further desecrated Christianity by allowing Pagan beliefs into his church. He did this because many of the people of Europe and Rome at the time practiced Paganism and did not believe in Christ. By merging these beliefs and creating a "universal" church, he would be able to appeal to everyone's religious needs.

Constantine declared an official end to state-sponsored persecution of Christians in 313 with the Edict of Milan, thus setting the stage for the empire to later become officially Christian in about A.D. 380. Constantine and other corrupt men who did not hold Priesthood keys and were not inspired by God, united to decide what should be taught in their so called Christian church. They started by defining the 'nature' of the Godhead and coming up with several creeds which basically said that God-Christ-Holy Ghost were all the same personage. They further stated that they were 'uncreate' and that they were a spirit large enough to fill the universe and yet small enough to dwell in one's heart.

To discourage personal interpretation of the scriptures, his universal church hired clergy who would read to the people from the pulpit. Individuals, and groups of individuals, were not allowed to read and pray on their own to discover the truths of scripture for themselves. In fact, this church taught that the heavens were now closed, and no more personal revelation was forthcoming.

To add confusion, the emperor chose his own leaders and called them by the same titles used by priesthood leaders in the true Church of Christ. Church officers were given honor and wealth. Bishops and archbishops fought among themselves to gain more power. There were no Apostles or other priesthood leaders with power from God, and there were no spiritual gifts. The prophet Isaiah had foreseen this condition, prophesying,

It was no longer the Church of Jesus Christ. It became a church of men. Even the name of Christ was taken away from the name of this new church.

A Restoration was Foretold

God had foreseen the Apostasy and prepared for the gospel to be restored. The Apostle Peter spoke of this to the Jews:
�He shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began� (Acts 3:20�21).

John the Revelator had also foreseen the time when the gospel would be restored. He said, �I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people� (Revelation 14:6).

Exactly what truths did Satan want hidden from the people?

Because Satan can influence people's minds and intentions, he used these early Roman leaders and their priests to remove and modify certain fundamental truths and doctrines from the scriptures to confuse men and lead them away from salvation and eternal life.

Satan knew that if he took certain truths away from the true teachings of Christ, that people would be mislead, confused, and fall away. There are three principles of the true gospel which Satan worked on the hardest. These three principles are the foundations of 'true' Christianity.

• The Nature of the Godhead
• The Importance of Marriage and Family
• The Means by which Salvation is obtained

This entire web page is dedicated to explaining and expounding the topics named above. The following, however, is a short synopsis of each truth that was removed from the gospel.

The Nature of the Godhead

God, His son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are three distinct personages. They are not one, but are three with the same purpose. Their mission is to bring to pass the ressurection and eternal life of men. God the Father, and His son Jesus Christ have a body of flesh and bones which are as tangible as man's. The Holy Ghost is a spirit being. He can only be at one place at a time but his spirit can be felt through-out the world. Just like the sun sits in one spot, but its rays can be felt as heat to people everywhere. We are the sons and daughters of God. We were made in His image, and we have the potential to become like Him.

The Family

The family is the basic unit of the gospel. God himself lives in a family unit. Marriage and families can be eternal if they are sealed by the proper keys of priesthood authority and if the ones being married for eternity abide by the laws and principles of the gospel. Satan attacks and destroys families because he knows how important families can be. Any church which forbids marriage to its clergy or its members, is a church founded on Satan's lies.

The Means by Which Salvation is Obtained

Satan would have you believe that you can mouth a prayer and say that you believe in Christ and therefore be saved in the kingdom of God. Nothing could be further from the truth. Salvation is given to us as a gift from God when we keep His commandments, abide by His laws, and receive the proper ordinances such as baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and temple sealings. Only after receiving these ordinances, enduring to the end, and doing all that we can, will salvation take place as a gift of God. As the following scriptures in the New Testament testify, faith without works is dead!