Recently I came across a social media post that featured Galatians 1:8 and then pointed out that an angel appeared to Joseph Smith and taught him what was described as “another gospel.” The implication was clear: An angel was involved in Latter-day Saint origins and since they believe in things modern Christianity doesn’t, they must be preaching another gospel and be under the curse Paul pronounces in Galatians.
Let’s take a look at the verse in question (and the following verse for good measure):
But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
Galatians 1:8-9
This argument has been around for a long time, and if you are a Latter-day Saint, you have almost certainly heard it. I remember it being raised on my mission, and it still circulates regularly.
Before responding, it is only fair to steel-man what people who use this passage are usually arguing.
Latter-day Saints reject the post-Nicene creeds developed centuries after Christ. We reject sola scriptura, affirm continuing revelation and an open canon, and practice temple worship. Because Latter-day Saint theology diverges in significant ways from post-Nicene creedal Christianity, many conclude that we must therefore be preaching “another gospel.”
That difference should not be ignored or brushed aside, it’s real, but Galatians 1:8 is not a good way to make that case.
To understand why, the first and most important question is this: what does Paul actually mean by “the gospel”?
If we are going to accuse anyone of preaching “another gospel,” we need to be clear about what the gospel is in the first place.
Paul’s Definition of the Gospel
Fortunately, Paul defines it explicitly.
Now I make known to you, brothers and sisters, the gospel which I preached to you, which you also received, in which you also stand, by which you also are saved, if you hold firmly to the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I handed down to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 NASB
Paul defines the gospel or “good news” as containing these three key points:
- Jesus Christ died for our sins
- He was buried
- He rose again the third day according to the scriptures
That is the gospel Paul preached.
Often when people speak about “the gospel,” they fold a wide range of theological commitments, ecclesiology, practices, and later doctrinal developments into the term. You may think this is a semantic distinction, but the meaning of words matters. Paul is not vague here. He tells us exactly what he means.
Joseph Smith and the Gospel
A well-known statement from Joseph Smith is important in light of Paul’s definition.
The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.
History of the Church, Vol. 3, p. 30
Joseph Smith identifies the same core Paul does. Everything else is secondary, not unimportant, but dependent. Appendages only make sense if there is a body to attach them to.
Bruce R. McConkie later expressed the same idea even more bluntly.
“The atonement of Jesus Christ is not a part of the gospel; it is the gospel.”
The Promised Messiah: The First Coming of Christ, 1978, p. 127.
Both statements are making a claim about centrality, not reductionism. Remove the atonement, death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, and nothing else matters.
Angels and the Everlasting Gospel
It is true that angels appeared to Joseph Smith. Many angels did. But the involvement of angels does not automatically imply the delivery of a different gospel.
John explicitly foresaw a future proclamation of the everlasting gospel by an angel.
And I saw another angel flying in midheaven with an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation, tribe, language, and people;
Revelation 14:6 NASB
Latter-day Saints believe this angel to be Moroni who delivered the Book of Mormon to Joseph Smith. In Joseph Smith’s testimony about these events, he wrote:
He said there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence they sprang. He also said that the fulness of the everlasting Gospel was contained in it, as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants;
The Times and Seasons, Vol. 3, No. 9
That claim invites a straightforward test. If the Book of Mormon claims to contain the fulness of the everlasting gospel, we should be able to find the same gospel Paul defined within it.
In Latter-day Saint usage, “fulness of the gospel” does not mean additional saving content beyond Christ’s atoning work, but the complete presentation of that same gospel with its covenantal implications; more about this later.
The Gospel in the Book of Mormon
Let’s look at the very first thing Jesus says to the Nephites after appearing to them after his death and see if this is the same Jesus described in the New Testament:
Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world. And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning. And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words the whole multitude fell to the earth; for they remembered that it had been prophesied among them that Christ should show himself unto them after his ascension into heaven. And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto them saying: Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world.
3 Nephi 11:10-14
The Jesus of the Book of Mormon took upon himself the sins of the world and was slain, ascended into heaven, and has the scars of the nails in his hands and feet, a spear wound in his side and is the God of Israel and the whole earth.
In other words, he died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. Let’s see what this Jesus declared to these people as his gospel:
Behold I have given unto you my gospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you—that I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me.
And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father, to stand before me, to be judged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil—And for this cause have I been lifted up; therefore, according to the power of the Father I will draw all men unto me, that they may be judged according to their works.
And it shall come to pass, that whoso repenteth and is baptized in my name shall be filled; and if he endureth to the end, behold, him will I hold guiltless before my Father at that day when I shall stand to judge the world. And he that endureth not unto the end, the same is he that is also hewn down and cast into the fire, from whence they can no more return, because of the justice of the Father.
And this is the word which he hath given unto the children of men. And for this cause he fulfilleth the words which he hath given, and he lieth not, but fulfilleth all his words. And no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end.
Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my gospel; and ye know the things that ye must do in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do; for that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do; Therefore, if ye do these things blessed are ye, for ye shall be lifted up at the last day.
3 Nephi 27:13-22
Jesus explains that he was sent to be lifted up on the cross, or in other words to die for the sins of mankind and then explains, as part of the fulness of his gospel, baptism and sanctification by the Holy Ghost.
Everything here accords with what Paul taught the Romans:
Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,
Romans 6:3-5 NASB
Paul teaches that baptism unites believers with Christ’s death and resurrection. The Book of Mormon teaches the same thing. In both cases, baptism does not replace Christ’s atoning work, it participates in it.
Conclusion
The same gospel Paul defined is the gospel Moroni delivered, as foretold by John, and it is consistently and repeatedly affirmed throughout the Book of Mormon. In its pages, that same Jesus proclaims that same gospel to the ancient inhabitants of the Americas, using the same death, burial, and resurrection framework Paul taught.
If we want to be precise and biblically accurate, the gospel Paul describes is plainly believed, taught, and preached by Latter-day Saints today.
For that reason, appealing to Galatians 1:8 to claim that Latter-day Saints preach a “different gospel” reflects either a misunderstanding of Paul’s definition of the gospel or an application of Galatians that extends the passage beyond its intended scope.
It is fair to compare and contrast Latter-day Saint theology with post-Nicene creedal Christianity. That is a legitimate theological conversation. But proof-texting Galatians 1 is not a serious or accurate way to have it.
