Sooner or later members of the Church "will be approached by men and women not of our faith, persons either sincerely interested in what we believe or else opposed to much of what we stand for," said Robert L. Millet.
"This is particularly true as the Church grows and as our influence spreads throughout the world," explained Brother Millett, speaking Feb. 3 at BYU's weekly devotional in the Marriott Center.Brother Millet, dean of BYU religious education, said it would be worthwhile to entertain "a few questions about what we believe, questions frequently asked of the Latter-day Saints - concerning scripture, God, Christ, and salvation." He then focused his talk on four questions:
1. How can the Latter-day Saints justify having additional books of scripture and adding to the Christian canon of scripture?
Brother Millet said occasionally certain Latter-day Saint teachings are described as "unbiblical" or "contradictory" to the Bible. "The Bible," he said, "is one of the books within our standard works, and thus our doctrines and practices are in harmony with the Bible.
"There are times, of course, when latter-day revelation provides clarification or enhancement of the intended meaning in the Bible." But supplementation is not the same as contradiction.
"We believe God has spoken through modern prophets, restored His everlasting gospel, delivered new truths, and commissioned us to make them known to the world," he said.
2. What do the Latter-day Saints really believe about God? Is it true that they believe man can become as God?
"We believe that God the Father is an exalted man, a corporeal being, a personage of flesh and bones," said Brother Millet. "That God has a physical body is one of the most important of all truths restored in this dispensation." On one hand, he said, Church members worship a divine Being with whom they can identify. On the other hand, he added, God is God.
All men and women, Brother Millet said, are made in the image and likeness of God, "and so it is neither robbery nor heresy for the children of God to aspire to be like God; like any parent, our Heavenly Father would want His children to become and be all that He is. Godhood comes through overcoming the world through the Atonement, becoming heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ, who is the natural heir, and thus inheriting all things, just as Jesus inherits all things."
3. Do the Latter-day Saints believe that salvation comes through their own works rather than by the grace of Christ? Are Latter-day Saints `saved' Christians?
"The gospel," said Brother Millet, "is in fact a gospel covenant - a two-way promise. The Lord agrees to do for us what we could never do for ourselves. . . . At the same time, we promise to do what we can do."
He said that without a doubt, the power to save members - to change them, to renew their souls - is in Christ.
True faith, he explained "manifests itself in faithfulness. . . . The real question is not whether I am saved by grace or by works but rather, `In whom do I trust?' On whom do I rely?' "
He told his listeners that "salvation is in Christ, and our covenant with Christ. The influence of the Holy Ghost in our lives is a sign to us that we are on course, `in Christ' (2 Cor. 5:17), and thus in line for salvation."
4. Are the Latter-day Saints Christian? Or do they, as some have suggested, worship a different Jesus?
"We believe in Jesus of Nazareth, in the One sent of the Father to bind up the broken hearted and proclaim liberty to the captives," he said. "For us, the Jesus of history is indeed the Christ of faith. He was and is the Only Begotten Son of God in the flesh.
"While some may exclude us from the category of Christian for this or that doctrinal matter, our behavior must be consistent with our profession; those who claim new life in the Spirit are expected to walk in the Spirit. (Gal. 5:25.)
"While we do not want to be misunderstood and we certainly would like for others to recognize the centrality of Christ in our lives, we do not require the imprimatur of the religious world to substantiate our claims. . . . Our desire to build bridges of understanding does not excuse us from the obligation to maintain our distinctive position in the religious world. Our strength lies in our distinctiveness, for we have something to offer the world, something of great worth."
While Church members accept and endorse the testimony of the New Testament writers, Brother Millet continued, they also know much about Christ through latter-day prophets.
"We proclaim that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ," he said. "We have taken His name upon us, eagerly acknowledge the redeeming power of His blood, and seek to emulate His perfect life."
As he closed his address, Brother Millet shared "three simple suggestions" on how to deal effectively with difficult questions posed by those not of the LDS faith.
Stay in control. "Argument or disputation over sacred things cause us to forfeit the Spirit of God and thus the confirming power of our message."
Stay in order. "The Savior taught that gospel prerequisites should be observed when teaching sacred things," he said. ". . . It is always wise to lay a proper foundation for what is to be said."
Stay in context. Brother Millet said, ". . . Some of our greatest difficulties in handling questions about our faith come when we try to establish specific doctrines of the Restoration from the Bible alone.
"This work is true," Brother Millet said, "and because it is true it will triumph."