I hope you enjoy some insights from my Come, Follow Me Moroni 10 (If you missed last week’s insights for Come, Follow Me Moroni 7-9). Save this pin to read later.
Latter-Day Saint Epistemology.
“And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.” Moroni 10:5
One of the biggest differences between the Restored Gospel and the rest of Christianity is how we define truth and where it comes from. The world is in the state as foretold by Paul of old when he wrote in 2 Timothy 3:7 saying that they are “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
What is truth and where can we find it?
The world can’t even define the word truth! So let’s start there. In the Doctrine and Covenants, Jesus Christ defines for Joseph Smith what is truth. “And truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come;” D&C 93:23 In laymen terms truth is eternal and not relative.
Now that we know that truth is eternal and fixed the question is how do we learn it? The scriptures teach us that God is “the God of truth” (Isaiah 65:16) and in Moroni 10:5 Moroni teaches us that by the third member of the Godhead, the Holy Ghost we can know the truth of all things.
This is huge, we can go directly to God. Latter-day Saint epistemology (way of learning the truth) is to appeal directly to the Source of Truth, and the Spirit of Truth will make it known unto us. In mainstream Christianity when it comes to epistemology the Bible trumps all, even the current voice of God.
The Bible has been tampered with by evil and careless men over the past 2000 years, from the lost books to the harmonizing of the gospels, errors have crept in. Whereas the Bible holds many truths, but because of the errors that have crept in, it can not be the ultimate source of truth, instead a direct appeal to Deity can and should be made. Because many Christians hold the Bible as an infallible source of truth, the notion of seeking personal revelation is revolting because they view it as making the word of God worthless, they also raise concerns about personal revelation because of the potential for false personal revelation, which I will address next.
How to Test Personal Revelation.
We prove our personal revelation by comparing it to the revealed word of God. When God tells us what to do, the litmus test to see if it is a revelation from God or a counterfeit is simple, see if it aligns with the revealed word of God on the subject. Comparing your personal revelation to reveled doctrines and teachings allows you to avoid receiving false revelation on topics that are not within your stewardship (random church doctrines without a clear revealed word for example). This is a spiritual triangulation of sorts, that allows us to know of a surety that the revelation we have received has come from God, as it aligns with His revealed word and it fills us with light. This topic is far too vast to cover here so here are some resources.
Articles I have written on this topic:
When Satan Gives You a ‘Revelation’ That You Don’t Need to Follow Your Church Leaders
7 Principles Of Personal Revelation Every Latter-day Saint Needs To Know!
Two Guiding Principles of Personal Revelation That Every Latter-day Saint Needs To Know.