We all see ourselves as being part a great story that explains the universe and our place in it. The Latter-day Saint story and the biblical story may appear similar at many points, but the two stories are very different.
The biblical story is centered on Jesus.
Philippians 2:5-11 tells God’s story of the meaning of the universe. Jesus was God before he came into his creation. But he humbled himself to take on human form. He went to the cross to reconcile human beings to God. As a result, God highly exalted him so that every creature will bow before him as Lord. All of this is designed to bring glory to God the Father.
This story line appears in the Bible over and over again. For example, it runs through the gospel of John. John’s gospel opens (John 1:1-3 and John 1:14) by presenting Jesus as the eternal God who enters our world. It ends (John 20:28) with Thomas declaring Jesus to be, “My Lord and my God!” The same story line is seen in Matthew’s gospel. Matthew opens with the claim (Matthew 1:23) that Jesus is “Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.'” The entire story of Matthew reveals what “God with us” looks like in Jesus. It ends (Matthew 28-18-20) with Jesus saying, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations…. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew begins and ends with “God is with us.”
The LDS story line is centered on human individuals.
The LDS story was communicated more openly and directly in past generations than now. But those who were born in a privileged position in this life prove that they were highly valiant in the pre-existence. They now have the opportunity of continuing to prove how worthy they are. If they keep all the commandments, they might someday become gods. Jesus is part of this story, but he is following the same script as everyone else. It’s a story of individuals progressing by proving themselves. The story is all about that person. The essential story line is human centered. It is not ultimately centered on Jesus, even though Jesus has a role to play.
The two story lines are very different in spite of similarities.
The trajectory of both the LDS story and the biblical story run through the life of Jesus as portrayed in the New Testament. But the stories start in very different places and end in very different places. The similarities are only superficial. The two stories aren’t even parallel, but move in very different directions.
[Related: God’s Great Story – Christ, Community, Consummation]
[Related: God’s Great Story – Creation, Catastrophe, Covenants]
[Related: Losing Your Old Story]
[Related: How to Know You’re Right with God]
