Mormons, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), believe the Bible is the word of God, but only as far as it is translated correctly. While they value the Bible as holy scripture, they do not believe it is the final or complete authority for faith. Instead, they view it as one part of a larger collection of scriptures that includes the Book of Mormon.
The Bible and the “Translation” Caveat
To understand what Mormons believe about the Bible, you first have to look at their eighth Article of Faith. It states that they believe the Bible to be the word of God “as far as it is translated correctly.” This phrase is a major pivot point. For evangelical Christians, the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, and sufficient Word of God. For a Mormon, the Bible is seen as a book that has suffered from the loss of “plain and precious parts” over centuries of translation and human interference.
Because of this perspective, the LDS Church generally uses the King James Version (KJV) but views it with a level of caution. They believe that through the centuries, many truths were removed by a corrupt church. This is why they believe a “restoration” was necessary. In their view, the Bible is a good book, but it is a damaged book that requires modern revelation to fix its perceived gaps.
The Role of the Book of Mormon
Mormons often describe the Book of Mormon as “Another Testament of Jesus Christ.” They believe it serves as a companion to the Bible, acting as a second witness to the divinity of Jesus. However, in practice, the Book of Mormon often takes precedence. Since they believe the Book of Mormon was translated by Joseph Smith through divine power, they consider it the “most correct of any book on earth.”
This creates a hierarchy of authority. When a biblical passage seems to contradict a teaching in the Book of Mormon or modern LDS revelation, the Bible is usually the one that is reinterpreted. For a Mormon, the Bible is the starting point, but the Book of Mormon is the clarifying finish line. They believe the two books work together to tell a more complete story of God’s dealings with humanity, specifically those in the ancient Americas.
The Need for Modern Revelation
A core belief in Mormonism is that the “canon” of scripture is not closed. While evangelical Christians point to the ending of the book of Revelation or the historical consensus of the early church to show that God has said what He needs to say in the Bible, Mormons believe God continues to speak through living prophets. This means they have three other books they consider equal to or more authoritative than the Bible: the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
When Paul wrote these words to Timothy, he was pointing to the sufficiency of God’s Word. The biblical view is that the Scriptures we have are enough to “prepare and equip” us for every good work. In contrast, the LDS view suggests that the Bible is insufficient on its own. They believe that without a living prophet and additional books, people would be lost in a sea of confusion regarding the Bible’s “missing” parts.
Joseph Smith’s Translation (JST)
One of the most unique aspects of the Mormon view of the Bible is the “Joseph Smith Translation” or the Inspired Version. Joseph Smith did not translate this from original Greek or Hebrew manuscripts. Instead, he went through the King James Bible and “corrected” verses or added long passages based on what he claimed were direct revelations from God. Many Mormons use a Bible that contains footnotes or an appendix with these JST changes.
These changes often fundamentally alter Christian theology. For example, Smith added details to the book of Genesis that support Mormon-specific doctrines regarding the nature of man and the “Plan of Salvation.” By doing this, the LDS church effectively moves the goalposts. Instead of testing their prophets against the Bible, they use their prophets to change the Bible so it fits their preferred narrative.
Jesus in the Bible vs. Mormonism
At the heart of the matter is the person of Jesus. The Bible presents Jesus as the eternal, uncreated God—the Word who was with God and was God (John 1:1). In the Mormon view, the Bible’s description of Jesus is supplemented by the Book of Mormon, which teaches that Jesus is the literal “elder brother” of humanity and the firstborn spirit child of Heavenly Father and a Heavenly Mother.
While Mormons will use biblical language to talk about Jesus, the definitions behind those words are different. They believe the Bible is a record of Jesus’s ministry in the Middle East, while the Book of Mormon records His supposed ministry in the Americas after His resurrection. This “additional” information often leads to a version of Jesus that looks quite different from the one described by the original apostles in the New Testament.
The Takeaway
Mormons believe the Bible is the word of God, but they do not believe it is the final word. They see it as a beautiful but flawed book that has been corrupted over time. To “fix” these flaws, they rely on the Book of Mormon and the words of their living prophets. For the biblical Christian, the Bible remains the supreme and sufficient authority, whereas for the Mormon, it is just one piece of a much larger, evolving puzzle.
