LDS and Romans iv (Part I)

omans 4 in the Joseph Smith Translation (JST; the inspired version of the Bible created by Joseph Smith, which corrects and clarifies the Bible as needed) is quite a different animal than Romans iv in the Bible. The stark difference here is not on par with the problematic rendition the JST has of John i.1. In that verse, Joseph Smith recreated the text almost entirely so you have an absolutely different meaning. The intention of Smith, as admitted by the LDS church, was to clarify the passage. John was actually not trying to create this picture of Jesus as being with God and also being that God. How foolish of us to think so for so many centuries!

But here in Romans, I cannot accept the idea that Smith was clarifying a teaching. Here first is Romans iv.1-6, 16 as found in the Bible:

What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works . . . Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all. (KJV)

And here are the same verses from the JST:

What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by the law of works, he hath to glory in himself; but not of God. For what saith the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him who is justified by the law of works, is the reward reckoned, not of grace, but of debt. But to him that seeketh not to be justified by the law of works, but believeth on him who justifieth not the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works . . . 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, using the KJV as the foundational English translation)

Verse 1 is the same, but verse two begins the avalanche. Watch the change in the language. Smith inserted "the law of" in verse 2 as a set up for what comes in verse 4. He also changed the idea of Abraham boasting to his having glory in himself. Not much of a concern, really. It does spring to mind his famous statement:

"I have more to boast of than ever any man had. I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam. A large majority of the whole have stood by me. Neither Paul, John, Peter, nor Jesus ever did it. I boast that no man ever did such a work as I. The followers of Jesus ran away from Him; but the Latter-day Saints never ran away from me yet." (History of the Church, vol. 6; the whole text of the section can be reached at CARM.)

In verse 4, Smith changed a bit of the language. "Now to him who is justified by the law of works, is the reward reckoned, not of grace, but of debt." Let's understand what he is trying to convey here. Despite the objection made by Gerald Lund in a 1981 article in the LDS publication, Ensign,¹ LDS apologists (mostly the amateur apologists) declare the law of works is neccessarily a different concept than the works you find in James ii. The law of works (as in the JST) or works by itself (as in the Bible) refers to the Law of Moses. In contrast, the works in James refers to the ordinances and commandments as dictated by the LDS church.

...to be continued...look for a discussion on works, salvation and Abraham in Romans iv...

¹ Gerald N. Lund, “Salvation: By Grace or by Works?” Ensign, Apr. 1981, 17. Lund argued "There are two different ways in which Church members typically seek to synthesize Paul’s teachings with Latter-day Saint theology. The first suggests that by “the law” Paul means only the law of Moses. Without a doubt, there is merit in this. There was a tendency among some Jewish Christians to insist that Christianity still required obedience to Mosaic principles such as circumcision, the dietary laws, and the observance of certain festivals . . . However, to limit Paul’s meaning to the law of Moses alone would not be quite accurate. Paul rejects the adequacy of the Mosaic code in and of itself for salvation, but he makes it broader than that too. For example, in warning the Ephesians about concluding that a man is saved by works, he makes no reference to the law: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourself: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Eph. 2:8–9.) So while this explanation is somewhat correct, it does not go far enough."