Mormons

Started by Regret119 pages

I have had this brought to me a number of times, and I was unsure how to respond, here is a response:

David H. Yarn, Jr., “I Have a Question,” Ensign, Feb. 1986, 34–35
David H. Yarn, Jr., emeritus professor of philosophy and instructor of religion, Brigham Young University.

Inasmuch as Latter-day Saints believe in marriage for eternity, how do we explain Jesus’ teachings in Matthew 22:29–30?

These two verses are part of a larger context which commences with verse 23, as follows:

“The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,

“Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.

“Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother:

“Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh.

“And last of all the woman died also.

“Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.

“Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.

“For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.” (Matt. 22:23–30.)

To understand these verses, we need to understand the context in which the Sadducees asked their question and the context in which Jesus answered it.

First, it should be emphasized that this is a hypothetical situation presented to the Lord by the Sadducees, who, as the scripture itself asserts, did not even believe in the resurrection. They were simply doing what both they and the Pharisees so often did—asking the Lord questions simply to bait him, to see if they could catch him contradicting what Moses, the great Lawgiver, had said.

The question itself was based upon the teachings of Moses: “If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.” (Matt. 22:24; see also Deut. 25:5–10.) In the hypothetical case suggested by the Sadducees, in which seven brothers each had been married to a woman in turn, the question was, “In the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven?”

According to Dummelow’s A Commentary on The Holy Bible, “The point raised by the Sadducees was often debated by the Jewish doctors, who decided that a ‘woman who married two husbands in this world is restored to the first in the next.’ ” (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1927, p. 698.) Most Jews at the time believed in a material resurrection, and so the question had some importance to them. (Ibid.)

On the other hand, although the Sadducees didn’t believe in the resurrection, they were more than happy to use it to try to “bring Jesus into contempt and ridicule with the multitude by asking Him a question which they thought He could not answer.” (Ibid., p. 697.)

But Jesus did answer them, and he began with a mild rebuke: “Ye do err,” he said, “not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.” Consider the handicap the Sadducees had placed upon themselves. They did not really understand the scriptures—and probably had no wish to do so on this point. They were steeped in false doctrine, and without the gift of the Holy Ghost had no access to the revelatory power of the Spirit. The Savior’s answer, therefore, was not a full doctrinal explanation of the doctrine of eternal marriage. Instead, he quickly defused their argument and then testified of the resurrection using the scriptures that the Sadducees held most sacred.

The Savior effectively dismissed their question on marriage by stating that “in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.” In that way, the Savior turned to the more fundamental issue of the Sadducee’s disbelief in resurrection. Of the resurrection, the Savior bore certain testimony:

“But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,

“I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” (Matt. 22:31–32.)

At this point, the Sadducees were silenced. In Mark’s account of the episode, the Lord adds, “Ye therefore do greatly err.” (Mark 12:27.) The Savior had made their error painfully clear by referring to the Law—Exodus 6:3 [Ex. 6:3]—for support. The Law was considered by all Jews, Sadducees included, as the highest authority in the canon of scripture. They couldn’t very well argue with the scriptures they held in highest esteem.

What, then, do we make of the Savior’s statement that “in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage?”

First, we see that it was made in response to an attempt by the Sadducees to trap the Lord. Consequently, it would not have been the Lord’s final word on the subject. Why should the Lord scatter pearls before them that they would only trample underfoot? (See Matt. 7:6.) They were no more prepared to listen to a discourse on eternal marriage than they were prepared to accept the reality of the resurrection.

Second, the Lord did not say there would be no people in the married state in the resurrection, but that there would be no marriages made in the resurrection.

Third, we must be clear about the “they” who are neither marrying nor being given in marriage. The context of the scriptures just cited suggests a generic rather than a specific meaning. Simply put, that means no marriages are made in the resurrection. The Lord was warning the Sadducees. They were Jews of the day who had rejected him and therefore had no access to the higher ordinances of the Melchizedek Priesthood. How could these men, whom Jesus had called a “generation of vipers” (Matt. 3:7), qualify for the highest blessings of the celestial kingdom?

What the Savior declared of the Sadducees who would later have part in his death is hardly applicable to his Saints who, through the ordinances of the priesthood and their righteousness, qualify for exaltation in the celestial kingdom, which the Lord equates with eternal marriage. (See D&C 132:19–24.)

The Savior made statements on other occasions that support the idea of eternal marriage. To the Pharisees, who at least believed in the resurrection, he said: “Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,

“And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?

“Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” (Matt. 19:4–7; italics added.)

The marriage of Adam and Eve, performed prior to the Fall, was certainly done in an eternal context (see Gen. 2:18–24), and the authority to bind on earth and in heaven was given to Peter and the other Apostles. (See Matt. 16:19; Matt. 18:18.)

Although this authority was lost with the priesthood through apostasy, it has been restored in our day. The Lord’s promise is that those marriages performed by his authority and “sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the keys of this priesthood” (D&C 132:19) shall endure forever.

On grace:

What is the role of grace in LDS theology?

Robert E. Parsons, “I Have a Question,” Ensign, July 1989, 59–61
Robert E. Parsons, associate professor of ancient scripture, Brigham Young University.

One cannot be an active Christian or a student of the scriptures without being introduced to the term grace. It is as much a part of Christian theology and doctrine as are faith, baptism, the Atonement, and the Judgment. Just as we grow in our spiritual understanding of these principles, so we must grow in our spiritual understanding of grace. Scriptural statements about grace are clear and faith-promoting to those who understand the gospel. But they are often misunderstood by those who interpret them without a proper understanding of the gospel, and they are but foolishness to those who reject Christ as their Redeemer.

What Is Grace?

Grace is God’s love in action. It is his doing for us what we cannot do for ourselves. With his infinite wisdom, power, and love, God willingly condescends to extend that infinite wisdom, power, and love to bless and save his children. Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote that “God’s grace consists in his love, mercy, and condescension toward his children. All things that exist are manifestations of the grace of God. The creation of the earth, life itself, the atonement of Christ, the plan of salvation, kingdoms of immortal glory hereafter, and the supreme gift of eternal life—all these things come by the grace of him whose we are.” (Mormon Doctrine, 2d ed., Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1966, pp. 338–39; italics in original.)

The LDS Bible Dictionary defines grace as “a word that occurs frequently in the New Testament, especially in the writings of Paul. The main idea of the word is divine means of help or strength, given through the bounteous mercy and love of Jesus Christ.” (P. 697.)

Grace and Salvation

Just as grace means different things to different readers of the Bible, so also does the term salvation, which may refer to being saved from death or hell, or inheriting the telestial, terrestrial, or celestial kingdoms. One of its most common uses in the scriptures is to be saved in the celestial kingdom.

In searching for salvation, each generation has asked the question the Zoramites raised during Alma’s and Amulek’s mission to them about 74 b.c.:

“We have beheld that the great question which is in your minds is whether the word be in the Son of God, or whether there shall be no Christ.” (Alma 34:5.)

This has been the question of the ages: How are we saved? That is, how are we saved from death, and how are we saved from the effects of sin? To answer this question, let us consider two other questions: Is it only through the name of Christ that we are saved from both death and sin? If so, are we saved by the grace of Christ?

The answer to both these questions is a resounding yes. We are saved only through the name of Christ, and we are saved only by the grace of Christ. Further questions now arise: Are we saved through Christ’s grace by merely confessing him as our Savior? Or are we saved through his grace after doing all we can—both in confessing his name and in keeping his commandments? Both reason and scripture loudly proclaim the latter, as we will see as we look at the scriptures and seek to understand the doctrine of grace.

What the Bible Records about Grace

The Bible teaches at least five important principles about grace:

1. Salvation through Christ’s grace differs from—and is both additional and superior to—the law of Moses. The Prophet Joseph Smith’s translation of John 1:15–17 reads:

“John bear witness of him, and cried, saying, This is he of whom I spake: He who cometh after me, is preferred before me; for he was before me.

“For in the beginning was the Word, even the Son, who is made flesh, and sent unto us by the will of the Father. And as many as believe on his name shall receive of his fulness. And of his fulness have all we received, even immortality and eternal life, through his grace.

“For the law was given through Moses, but life and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

Because the Jews of Jesus’ day relied on salvation through individual works through the law of Moses, Paul emphasized that man is not saved by such works (works performed under the law of Moses), but by grace—the acceptance of Christ as the Savior and the works required by such acceptance. (For a discussion of the sectarian controversy over grace and works, see Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols., Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1954–56, 2:306–11.)

2. All disciples of Christ, whether Jew or Gentile, are saved by grace. The Bible tells us how Peter resolved the “disputing” of whether or not both Jews and Gentiles are saved by grace with the words, “Ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. …

“Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?

“But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.” (Acts 15:7, 10–11.)

3. Salvation through Christ comes by faith and grace, not just by lineal blood descent or by Church membership. The Prophet Joseph Smith’s translation of the Bible tells us that “the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

“For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:

“Therefore ye are justified of faith and works, through grace, to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to them only who are of the law, but to them also who are of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all.” (JST, Rom. 4:13–16.)

As it was incorrect for the Jews to believe that they would be saved simply because they were of the chosen lineage, so it is incorrect for Latter-day Saints to believe that we will be saved simply because we belong to the true church.

4. We cannot save ourselves by our own works. Ephesians 2:8–9 reminds us that “by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” [Eph. 2:8–9]

Of this principle, Elder Bruce R. McConkie eloquently wrote that “man cannot save himself. He cannot be saved by the works of the Mosaic law; he cannot be saved by the works of the gospel. Man cannot resurrect himself; neither Mosaic works nor gospel works can bring him forth from the grave. The resurrection comes by the grace of God; all men are resurrected, and in that sense all are saved by grace alone. And further: No man can raise himself unto eternal life; he cannot create a state of salvation and provide the means to obtain it. Man cannot create the kingdom of God, nor can he save himself in such a kingdom. If it were not for the grace of God, as shown forth in the redemption of his Son, there would be no eternal life. Neither the works of the Mosaic law nor the works of Christian righteousness, standing alone, without the grace of God as manifest in the sacrifice of his Son, could save a man. Salvation does not come into being by the works of men; it comes because of Christ and his atonement. Because there was such an atonement, man can have faith, perform the works of righteousness, endure to the end, and ‘work out [his] own salvation with fear and trembling.’ (Philip. 2:12.)” (A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1985, p. 150.)

5. The effects of the Fall can be overcome only by the atonement of Jesus Christ. The Bible also tells us that “since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Cor. 15:21–22.)

Latter-day Scriptures Clarify the Bible’s Teachings about Grace

Grace is one of the most misunderstood doctrines in modern Christianity. It is through the clarity of the Book of Mormon that we are able to understand this doctrine and Paul’s New Testament teachings concerning it. Note how clear and simple the following six points from the Book of Mormon are:

To be continued...

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1. Salvation is free to all who truly accept Christ. In 2 Nephi 2:4–6 we learn that “the way is prepared from the fall of man, and salvation is free. …

“Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth.” [2 Ne. 2:4–6]

2. Though salvation is free (fully available and not withheld from anyone because of time, location, or lineage), we must reconcile ourselves to God. Nephi stressed the importance of doing so:

“We labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” (2 Ne. 25:23.)

Under the topic grace, the LDS Bible Dictionary refers to the importance of effort in reconciling ourselves to God:

“Divine grace is needed by every soul in consequence of the fall of Adam and also because of man’s weaknesses and shortcomings. However, grace cannot suffice without total effort on the part of the recipient. Hence the explanation, “It is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” (P. 697.)

3. To reconcile ourselves to God, we must accept Christ as our Savior and his gospel as the means of salvation. The Book of Mormon tells us that the Lord “cometh into the world that he may save all men if they will hearken unto his voice. …

“And he commandeth all men that they must repent, and be baptized in his name, having perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel, or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God.” (2 Ne. 9:21–23.)

4. We have agency to choose Christ and his gospel. Lehi tells us that “Men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil.” (2 Ne. 2:27.)

5. We have the power to keep God’s commandments and must do so in order to be saved in his kingdom. God is willing to save us (which we cannot do for ourselves) if we are willing to do what we have to do, which is to receive Christ as our Savior, repent of our sins, be baptized as a witness of our covenant with the Lord, and continue in a life of righteousness and obedience to the end of our probation on earth. (See 2 Ne. 31:13–21.)

6. The Book of Mormon clarifies that physical and spiritual death are both overcome for us by the atonement of Christ. Hence, if little children (who are spiritually alive in Christ) die, they are saved in the kingdom of God. (See Moro. 8:8, 12.) After the age of accountability, we become responsible for our own sins and “die” spiritually because of them. We must then receive Christ and his gospel to be born again and overcome spiritual death.

Since all men are redeemed from both physical and spiritual death, scriptural references that emphasize that we must receive Christ, be born again, and keep his commandments in order to be saved refer to being saved in the celestial kingdom. (See Alma 5:10–21; Hel. 14:15–19.)

Thus, the Book of Mormon enables us to understand what the New Testament’s authors say about grace. It confirms that the Lord has done for us what we cannot do for ourselves. First, Christ’s atonement saves us all from death by paying for Adam’s transgression, which brought death into the world. Since we had no power or control over that transgression, God’s grace and mercy take care of the penalty—this is the unconditional aspect of salvation. It guarantees that we all will be resurrected.

However, God’s grace will not do for us what we can do for ourselves. Accountable man has the power to accept Christ as his Savior. Accountable man can receive Christ’s gospel, with its principles of faith and repentance and its ordinances of baptism and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. Accountable man can endure to the end by living a life of righteousness and service. When we are willing to do all this, God’s grace cleanses us from our sins, gives us the gift of the Holy Ghost, and blesses us to enable us to dwell in peace and holiness in the celestial kingdom forever.

Perfection and Grace

The crowning teaching about grace is that mankind may become perfect through Christ. From the Book of Mormon we learn that Christ is both the author and the finisher of our faith. (See Moro. 6:4.) It is the gospel of Jesus Christ that teaches or “authors” the plan of salvation. It is the Church of Jesus Christ that administers the ordinances necessary for our salvation and that provides for our spiritual growth by giving us opportunities to worship and to serve. But after all our efforts to accept Christ and his gospel, to receive saving ordinances, and to grow through worship and service, we still fall far, far short of perfection and the keeping of every commandment that is required for salvation in the celestial kingdom.

How fitting and beautiful that the Book of Mormon, this other testament of Jesus Christ, should close its witness by inviting us to become perfect in Christ. After all of our efforts, after all of our struggles with sin and the carnal aspects of the world, God, through his grace, will bestow upon the faithful his divine nature. (See 2 Pet. 1:3–4.) Only in this way can faithful men and women fully and completely put off the nature of fallen man and finally have the power to keep all the commandments and to dwell with God. This is the crowning act of God’s grace, which is referred to in Moroni’s closing statement in the Book of Mormon. It is a fitting conclusion to our discussion of the role of grace in LDS theology:

“Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

“And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.” (Moro. 10:32–33.)

*["...IT was Paul that said he came to save sinners"]

***Not only Paul...but Matthew [Matthew 18:11] as well. Get over it.

Marchello

Originally posted by Marchello
***Your "religion" may state that...but the Scriptures DO NOT. In point of fact, the Scriptures state that you are a SINNER [Romans 3:23]...UNRIGHTEOUS [Romans 3:10-11] and on your way to everlasting PERDITION because your SIN has earned you DEATH [Romans 6:23].

DEATH PEOPLE! DEATH!!!!!

As to the rest of it... I can really see you standing atop a soap box on a street corner screeching. "Jesus didn't come to teach compassion and love, he came to SAVE sinners, because you are ALL dead! And GOD doesn't LOVE indiscriminately BECAUSE if he DID that WOULD rob him OF his SOVEREIGNTY as GOD!!!!"

*["...I think it is good to treat the bible as an historical document..."]

***Again you LIE. The Bible is the very Inspired Word of God: "All Scripture is given by INSPIRATION OF God, and is profitable for DOCTRINE, for REPROOF, for CORRECTION, for INSTRUCTION in RIGHTEOUSNESS: That the man of God may be PERFECT, throughly furnished unto all good works" [2 Timothy 3:16-17].

Yes.. this is a MORMON thread, I suggest if you want to scream about how you are the only good Christian in the world and all the others are bad, you should make your own thread. But that might be to difficult for someone who can't even use the quote function. 🙁

The reason that you lie about the Bible is that you DON'T want to believe it...for it CONDEMNS you as an UNREPENTANT SINNER. Your problem is that you THINK that you are forgiven and that SIN is of NO CONSEQUENCE to you. Too, your faulty HUMAN LOGIC puts you at ODDS with the Scriptures...but you have chosen to go with your LOGIC instead of the Scriptures which are very plain in their rebuttal of your LOGIC.

Because there is a character you remind me of, from a book called The Monk by Matthew Gregory Lewis.

And we all know how he ended up (or maybe not, since I seem to be the only person who has read it.)

BOTTOM-LINE: You do NOT believe the Scriptures and do everything in your power to DISCREDIT them...[John 12:47-48].

And you do not have the power to prove them, and nor do they themselves. As such you are spouting off your own opinion. Your own interpretation. Enough with the absurdness acting like your stance is Gospel while others is heretical. People can have faith in the Bible, but it is neither a history text (in the sense actually histories like Tacitus or Livy are), nor an unassailable fortress beyond reproach. It is vague, and it is open to interpretation.

The cold, brutal reality is there are no such things as "correct" Christians. It is purely a point of view of individuals. Of humans. And since your God in his infinite wisdom doesn't feel like being useful in anyway (same old story) by trying to point out which one is correct, then people should be allowed to have their faiths, and not put up with your irrational tirades.

"Q. There is a dead Body and there is John. What is happening here?

A.
A - John is the murderer, the body his victim
B - John found the body
C - The body is the murderer, John his intended victim
D. John is also dead, we simply don't know the name of the first body
E. This is a scene from a movie"

Which one is the correct answer? Who knows, the person who made the question isn't telling - thus which answer is wrong - once again who knows? So can anyone really fail this question?

So it is with all this business. Without the certainty of which branch of Christianity is right we can say "they might all be right, or all wrong." And they could be all wrong and some other religion right. So all religions are allowed to exist freely, and their followers shouldn't be harassed by people with "the truth" because it is anything but. It is assumption that the religion, and it's branch, that one has ended up in just happens to be the correct one out of hundreds or more competing claims with similar amounts of evidence (that is very little evidence.)

Originally posted by Marchello
*["...IT was Paul that said he came to save sinners"]

***Not only Paul...but Matthew [Matthew 18:11] as well. Get over it.

Marchello


For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. Matthew 18:11

Doesn't say from sin.

Originally posted by debbiejo
For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. Matthew 18:11

Doesn't say from sin.

In a way it does,"The Wolrd" is lost through sin.

Only ONE interpretation. It could also mean to save one from ignorance on who and what they are and could be...They are lost because they were led to believe that. He was showing the way to what they are, truly are.

Originally posted by debbiejo
Only ONE interpretation. It could also mean to save one from ignorance on who and what they are and could be...They are lost because they were led to believe that. He was showing the way to what they are, truly are.
In Matthew 18:11 the Greek word translated lost is a)po/llumi, defined:
a)po/llumi[list=1][*]to destroy
a. to put out of the way entirely, abolish, put an end to ruin
b. render useless
c. to kill
d. to declare that one must be put to death
f. metaph. to devote or give over to eternal misery in hell, to perish, to be lost, ruined, destroyed

[*]to destroy
a. to lose [/list]

Given this it is proper to believe lost is in reference to those that are sinners.

Jesus didn't speak Greek.

Originally posted by debbiejo
Jesus didn't speak Greek.
But the authors of the NT did.

So. Greek is not his language, he spoke Aramaic......and lost doesn't necessarily mean hell. It only means not on the right path, not in the right thinking, not knowing...etc.

He didn't want them to keep on the path of the lost, but to be on the right path of thinking on who they are.

Originally posted by siriuswriter
I do not believe that homosexuality is a sin.

OK you just lost me there, Homosexuality is a sin. It is defined under sexual perversions, In Genesis 18,19 1-29 destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for there sexual immortality, and sexual perversion like man sleeping with man, women with women.

Originally posted by debbiejo
So. Greek is not his language, he spoke Aramaic......and lost doesn't necessarily mean hell. It only means not on the right path, not in the right thinking, not knowing...etc.

He didn't want them to keep on the path of the lost, but to be on the right path of thinking on who they are.

You are quite correct, "lost" does not necessarily mean hell. The issue is that lost isn't the term in question, the term in question is the Greek word "a)po/llumi" which was translated as "lost". Which definition I provided above.

So with this, it doesn't mean Jesus came to save the lost from sin.

ALright with this last RANT that M*******o made, I think that its a really really good idea that he goes on the Ignore list.

Ignorant , hateful, lazy, brainwashed IDIOTS LIKE him are just here to make more carbon dioxide.

Originally posted by the Darkone
OK you just lost me there, Homosexuality is a sin. It is defined under sexual perversions, In Genesis 18,19 1-29 God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for there sexual immortality, and sexual perversion like man sleeping with man, women with women.

Originally posted by debbiejo
So with this, it doesn't mean Jesus came to save the lost from sin.
No, it means:

For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.
For the Son of man is come to save that which was destroyed.
For the Son of man is come to save that which was put out of the way entirely, abolished.
For the Son of man is come to save that which was rendered useless.
For the Son of man is come to save that which was killed.
For the Son of man is come to save that which was condemned to death.
For the Son of man is come to save that which was given over to eternal misery in hell.
For the Son of man is come to save that which had perished.

or

For the Son of man is come to save that which was ruined.

Given these, combined with the context of the verse, those being saved are the lost sheep. Biblically, how are sheep lost? What is the meaning of the metaphor in reference as well. From sin is an improper interpretation, it means saving them, but doesn't state from anything. Matthew 18:11 only gives who is being saved.

Originally posted by fini
ALright with this last RANT that M*******o made, I think that its a really really good idea that he goes on the Ignore list.

Ignorant , hateful, lazy, brainwashed IDIOTS LIKE him are just here to make more carbon dioxide.

Amen.

For the Son of man is come to save that which was ruined.
Ruled by self not Satan nor sin...........take responsibility for ones actions......his egotistical self..........causing him grief which is hiso wn sin if you like......He is sinning against his own self/spirit which would separate him from his god given self. And that is what Jesus was speaking about. This might be what paul spoke about that his soul was fighting against it's self. Though he was in the mind set of "if it offends you then cut if off." Not understanding the words of Jesus cause he never said to mutilate a body as in the body made in gods image...woud cut his arm off, leg, eye...........NO.