The church is NOT a building or an organization. It is the only true Church set forth in the Bible. It is the Church of which Jesus Christ is the head, and all born again believers belong to it.
You should understand that it’s the believers who make up the “body of Christ,” which is the Church. Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:22-23
“And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is His body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all.”
and Colossians 1:18 says, “And He is the head of the body, the church.”
But, how can all these various Christian denominations who claim to believe in God, be right?
Good question. First Christianity is about 2,000 years old and, in that time numerous denominations have developed. On the other hand, Mormonism is less than 190 years old. The total number of documented groups formed from its beginning in 1830 to the present was well over 400. And as of today, there are approximately 80 different groups pointing to Joseph Smith as their founder.
It appears Mormonism is divided worse than Christianity in that regard.
There are many offshoots of Mormonism that continue to revolve around Joseph Smith but, they refuse to recognize each other as being a part of that wheel.
“Anachronism” is when something is out of its proper historical time or context.
The account documented in Alma 46:15, calling true believers “Christians” was supposedly written in 73 BC. But the term “Christian” was first used to refer to believers in Christ, in the Book of Acts chapter 11:26 long after Christ’s ascension into heaven.
So, the Book of Mormon reference to the term “Christian” is an anachronism?
Let me share another example of that. The word “Church” found earlier in the Book of Mormon 1 Nephi 13:4 was supposedly set around 600 BC. Yet, the word “Church” was never used until the time of Christ, recorded in Matthew 16:18. The word “Church” in the Book of Mormon was taken from a Greek term which the Nephites in 600 BC would never have used.
If Jesus is really the head of the LDS Church then what possible reason could there be for all the name changes?
Why would Jesus instruct Joseph Smith in 1830 to call it the “Church of Christ”, then change it in 1834 to the “Church of Latter Day Saints” and, then change once again in 1838? Why wouldn’t Jesus get it right the first time? Why would He take the name of Christ completely out of the name of the church for four whole years?
One possible reason is that the Church is instead run entirely by men without any real instruction or revelation from God. If it took them eight years to settle on a name then how inspired are these so-called prophets?
