- Mormons claim to be the only true church on earth, saying that Jesus Christ restored the Melchizedek priesthood (that was supposedly lost after the death of the apostles) through Joseph Smith. Today, Mormon elders claim to hold the Melchizedek priesthood as the basis for their authority. In response to this claim, you might share the following:
- Ask them to show you where in the New Testament anyone other than Jesus Christ ever held the Melchizedek priesthood? Hebrews 5:5-10 says that only Jesus Christ was ever called to the Melchizedek priesthood.
- Mormons will argue that John 15:16 is where Jesus gave the apostles the priesthood. However, this verse says nothing about priesthood and only that the apostles were appointed by Christ to “bear fruit”.
- Hebrews 7:1-3 & 26 give us the qualifications of the Melchizedek priesthood. Ask the Mormon, “Who is the ‘king of righteousness’ (v. 2) and who is ‘holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens’ (v. 26)?” The answer is obvious, only Jesus Christ fulfills these qualifications.
- Affirm the Bible’s teaching that the believer’s authority comes through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit (John 1:12-13; Acts 1:8).
- The apostle Peter tells us that all who believe in Jesus Christ are a “royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:1-10).
- Revelation 1:5-6 says that Christ has made believers “priests” through the forgiveness of sins by his shed blood.
For more information on sharing your faith with Mormons, please check out Dr. Carlson’s chapter on Mormonism in his book, Fast Facts On False Teachings, available in our online store.