One-Minute Answers by Stephen R. Gibson

Contents of One-Minute Answers
 

Do the Saints Have 4,300 Laws?

Question: How can Latter-day Saints expect to be perfect since they have 4,300 Mormon laws to obey? 
Faithful Latter-day Saints can expect ultimately to become perfect because the Lord commanded us to be perfect even as our Father in Heaven is perfect (Matt. 5:48). Moroni, writing to us in our day, told us to be perfected in Christ (Moro. 10:32-33). We know from latter- day scriptures that the Lord doesn't command us to do something without first preparing a way that we can accomplish what we are commanded to do (1 Nephi 3:7).

The Lord once counseled a rich young man who desired to have eternal life, which is to attain perfection. (Luke 18:18-25). If he was to be perfect, the Lord instructed, he needed to do certain things. Perfection of individuals comes through the grace of Jesus Christ when coupled with obedience to his will. No Latter-day Saint expects to become perfect by himself; perfection is only possible through Jesus Christ, just salvation can only be attained through his grace.

As to the 4,300 laws—it is unclear where anti-Mormons ever got the mysterious number 4,300 which is referred to in The God Makers. That book states:

The present Mormon "Prophet," President Spencer W. Kimball has written these words: "This progress toward eternal life is a matter of achieving perfection. Living all the commandments [there are over 4,300 in Mormonism] guarantees total forgiveness of sins and assures one of exaltation through that perfection which comes by complying with the formula the Lord gave us."
Later, on the same page of The God Makers the author writes, "Therefore, not only must the Mormon know every one of the more than 4,300 Mormon laws, but after the resurrection, he must somehow discover the other untold numbers of laws and perfectly obey every one of them" (The God Makers p. 185).

On this page of The God Makers is the footnote: Bernard P. Brockbank, Commandments and Promises of God (Deseret Book Co., 1983). One needs to spend only one minute reading the inside jacket of Elder Brockbank's book to see the irresponsibility of the detractors in presenting the idea that Latter-day Saints have 4,300 laws to obey. Elder Brockbank's book contains 120 topics and personal virtues covered in the Standard Works, whose subjects range from abiding to zeal. He then cites more than 4,300 scriptural passages to support these 120 topics.

How even these detractors can stretch 4,300 scriptural references from a relatively obscure book into "4,300 Mormon laws" is so "far out" it boggles the rational mind. Surely, this is evidence of anti- Mormon critics' willingness to go to any length to support a false point. And when it comes to "far out," The Godmakers clearly leads the way!