Facing the Opposition (Answering September's questions one by one)

3 - Who was Jesus praying to in the garden? (In other words, they are attacking the triune nature of God: One God, in three Persons.)

What does God say in His word, the Bible?


There is only one true and living God, period.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Exodus 20:1-3 And God spake all these words, saying, I [am] the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God [is] one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.


The true and living God never changes.

Malachi 3:6 For I [am] the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Daniel 7:13-14 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion [is] an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom [that] which shall not be destroyed. (Compare Revelation 1:12-18.)

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.


The true and living God is ...

The Father

Old Testament - Psalm 2:7, Proverbs 30:4, Isaiah 64:8
New Testament - Matthew 3:16-17, Luke 11:2, John 17:4-5

The Son

Old Testament - Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 9:6, Isaiah 44:6
New Testament - John 1:1,14, 1 Timothy 3:16, Hebrews 1:8

The Holy Spirit

Old Testament - Genesis 1:2, Isaiah 61:1, Joel 2:28-29 (See Acts 2:16-18.)
New Testament - John 14:16-17, Acts 2:4, Acts 5:3-4


These three are One.

Matthew 28:19, Colossians 2:9, 1 John 5:7


There is still only one true and living God ... there always has been.

1 Corinthians 8:5-6, Ephesians 4:4-6, James 2:19


This question is definitely one of the most common of questions asked by an LDS member. And from my own personal experience, their approach in it comes with the attitude of, "I gotcha now!" Listen, the answer is very simple: Jesus was praying to God, the Father. He was not praying to Himself; the Bible does not teach that, nor do we believe that. One distinct Person within the Godhead was communicating with another.

God, the Son, left the glory of Heaven (John 17:5; See also Isaiah 42:8 regarding the glory of God.) and humbled Himself by becoming a man (Philippians 2:5-8). This did not change His Godhood (Hebrew 13:8). Jesus took on humanity, while sustaining His Divinity. When He prayed on earth, He prayed to God, the Father, who is in Heaven. Within the Bible you see communication between the Persons of the Godhead, even outside of the Gospels. (Genesis 1:26, 3:22, 11:7-8; Isaiah 6:8)


LDS neighbor, what about the passage in Hebrews 1:8? Who is speaking? Who is God? Who is He speaking with? And once again, who is God?


There are two common misconceptions that need to be addressed.

1 - The three persons within the Godhead are three separate Gods. There are numerous passages in the Bible which refute that doctrine, some of which have already been mentioned. (There is only one God, period.)

2 - The three persons within the Godhead are not actual persons, but personalities only. This doctrine is referred to as Modalism: God reveals Himself through three different modes. This heresy has been around for a long time and has been refuted with passages in the Bible, some of which have been mentioned. (There is only one God, and there are three distinct Persons referred to as God.)


Worship God in spirit and in truth,

One Clay Soldier among many

Facing the Opposition (Answering September's questions one by one)

2 – Why are there so many different Christian churches and why is it that they don’t agree with each other? Which one teaches the right doctrine?

What does God say in His word, the Bible?

Matthew 16:13-19 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some [say that thou art] John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Matthew 28:16-20 ...the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen.

Ephesians 4:4-6 [There is] one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who [is] above all, and through all, and in you all.

Colossians 1:18-20 ...he (Jesus Christ) is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all [things] he might have the preeminence. For it pleased [the Father] that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, [I say], whether [they be] things in earth, or things in heaven.

1 Corinthians 12:4-6 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.

1 Corinthians 12:12-14 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also [is] Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether [we be] Jews or Gentiles, whether [we be] bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many.

It is true that there are many different Christian churches throughout the world, and many of them do not agree on every single point. However, that does not negate the fact that God's children do indeed exist within these churches, even though they are not all within the confines of just one physical organization. (Important note: Not all in the world are God's children; some are God's children and some are children of the devil: 1 John 3:10; John 8:42, 44; John 1:12.)

The main thing is this, reader, are you a child of God? In other words, are you born again? Every single soul that is born again (John 3:3-8) becomes a member of the spiritual church, the body of Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is The Authority; He is the Head of this church. Born again Christians are found within various denominational settings, it is true, but they are all members of this same church. Jesus promised that He would build it ... Jesus promised that nothing would prevail against it ... and Jesus promised that He would always be with it.

As far as doctrine is concerned, there are many professing Christian churches that agree on the essentials of the faith, such as: the authority of the Bible, the Holy nature of God, who Jesus Christ truly is, what the Gospel of grace is, the sinful nature of man, how a man can be saved, etc... .

With all of that said, Christian reader, what are we sharing with the unbelieving world, when it comes to the physical manifestation of the church? Our love for one another is what our Lord commanded (John 13:34-35). Our unity with one another is what our Lord prayed for (John 17:20-21). Our accountability toward another, striving to be of one mind and of one judgment, is the clear exhortation we are given in His word (Hebrews 10:23-25, 1 Corinthians 1:10).

And Christian, all of this is manifested by simply living by the Bible, the only place where sound doctrine is found.

One Clay Soldier among many