📖 Christ vs. Ceremony

A Scriptural Response to LDS Doctrine

From One Who Has Stood in the Presence of God

Ceremony, in this context, refers to sacraments, ordinances, rituals, baptisms, incantations, and all symbolic acts that claim to mediate divine power apart from Christ Himself.

Introduction

This page is born from a dialogue — not a debate — between a servant of Christ and an LDS author. It is not written to attack, but to illuminate. I speak as a witness: one who has stood in the Presence of God, and who now testifies of the truth that sets men free.

📜 Authority and Allegiance

LDS Claim: Romans 13:2 supports obedience to the restored Church and its ordinances.
Romans 13 generally speaks of civil rulers, not spiritual gatekeepers. To conflate the restored Church with divine government is to misread Paul and misplace allegiance.

Biblical Response:

• Matthew 4:10 — Worship God alone.
• John 5:44 — Seek honor from God, not men.

True authority comes from God, not institutional hierarchy. Elevating Joseph Smith above Christ is spiritual misalignment.

🔥Ordinances vs. Fulfillment

LDS Claim: Hebrews 6 and 13 prove that ordinances must remain forever.

Christ didn’t die to preserve ceremonies — He died to fulfill covenant. The veil was torn, not embroidered.

Biblical Response:

• Matthew 5:17 — Christ fulfilled the law.
• Matthew 22:37-40 — Love fulfills all commandments.
• John 14:15 — Obedience is relational, not ritualistic.
• Matthew 3:11 — Baptism of fire and Spirit.

Christ didn’t come to preserve rituals—He came to fulfill them in love and truth.

💧 Receiving the Holy Spirit

LDS Claim: Only through priesthood authority and laying on of hands can one receive the Holy Ghost.

Acts 10:44-45 — Peter was stunned when the Spirit fell on Gentiles.

John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Ghost from the womb.

Remember King Saul. The Spirit came and went from him as He pleased. 1 Samuel 16:14 No ritual retained it. No priesthood preserved it. God’s power is sovereign.

Always remember: God’s power is not subject to human protocol.

Biblical Response:

• 1 John 2:25 — The Spirit is a promise.
• John 3:8 — The Spirit moves sovereignly.
• Galatians 1:8-9 — Any other gospel is accursed.
• Acts 17:30 — God no longer winks at ignorance.
• 2 Timothy 3:5 — Ritual without power is empty.

The Spirit is not bound by human ceremony. He responds to truth, not tradition.

🙏 The Final Plea

• John 14:2-3 — Christ prepares a place for us.
• 1 Corinthians 2:9 — Heaven is beyond imagination.

The third heaven is not a tiered reward —it’s the fullness of God’s presence. Smith’s Celestial Kingdom is a shadow compared to the glory of Christ.

Heaven is not a tiered achievement — it is the embrace of the Father. The Celestial Kingdom is a construct. And if it existed, it would fall far short of the third heaven. The presence of Christ is the promise.

This is my witness: I testify not of a system, but of a Savior. I speak not from tradition, but from the Presence by promise.

📖 Conclusion

I have stood in the Presence of God — and I speak so that others may seek only Him.
My testimony is neither contrary to nor additive upon the Word of the Lord.

If you are weary of ritual, come to the Christ of God — the One who tore the veil.

There is no middle ground between Christ and ceremony. Choose your Intermediary.

This is the testimony. Let it stand.