The Short Answer
Latter-day Saints affirm the Bible as God’s word while recognizing that copies and translations can vary. Evangelical inerrancy also distinguishes the original text from copies. If a specific verse is disputed, compare its text and translation. Whether God can give later scripture is a separate question.
Three questions to ask
- What does the manuscript say? The King James Bible includes Mark 16:9–20. Codex Sinaiticus ends Mark at 16:8. Identify the variant and ask what the witnesses establish. Codex Sinaiticus, end of Mark
- What is being claimed about the original? Article X of the Chicago Statement applies inerrancy to the original text. A discrepancy between copies falls under its distinction between the original and later witnesses. Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy
- Is this a question of authority? Article of Faith 8 affirms the Bible and Book of Mormon. Article of Faith 9 affirms ongoing revelation. A disagreement about that authority deserves its own discussion. Articles of Faith 8–9
What the eighth article of faith says
Latter-day Saints affirm the Bible as the word of God and qualify that affirmation with the words “as far as it is translated correctly.” They also affirm the Book of Mormon. Both claims matter. The Church reads and teaches from the Bible while allowing for problems in how its text was transmitted or translated and affirming that God can give further scripture. Article of Faith 8 · Bible Dictionary, Bible
The strongest objection
Samuel Emadi, writing for The Gospel Coalition, argues that Latter-day Saints ultimately place later revelation above the Bible. The practical concern is worth asking about. If a verse conflicts with a doctrine, what evidence would lead a Latter-day Saint to conclude that the verse was mistranslated? Disagreement with a doctrine supplies no textual evidence on its own. What Do Mormons Believe About the Bible?
A manuscript example
In the King James Bible, Mark 16 continues through verse 20. Codex Sinaiticus, an early Greek manuscript, ends Mark at verse 8 and then begins Luke. This is a real difference in the text transmitted by the manuscripts. A reader who wants to know the earliest form of the passage can compare more manuscript witnesses and early quotations. Mark 16 in the King James Bible · Codex Sinaiticus, end of Mark
Article X of the Chicago Statement already accounts for such differences. It applies inerrancy to the original text and says copies and translations carry the word of God insofar as they represent the original faithfully. A copy with a different reading can be evidence about transmission. Testing whether an original author erred is a separate question. Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, article X
Where the disagreement goes deeper
Nephi’s vision speaks of teachings and covenants being taken away and then describes things removed from a book. Latter-day Saints accept this as a claim of revelation about loss. Manuscript variants can illuminate specific changes in the surviving text. Showing that a particular teaching was removed calls for evidence about that teaching. 1 Nephi 13:24–29
Inspiration, inerrancy, the extent of the canon, and continuing revelation also ask different questions. Paul says Scripture equips disciples for good works. Whether a church can receive another binding revelation calls for a further argument. Latter-day Saints believe that Christ’s gospel is taught in the Bible and that God can speak again. 2 Timothy 3:14–17 · Article of Faith 9
A response you could give
“I take the Bible seriously as scripture. If we disagree about how a verse was translated, let’s look at the verse and the manuscripts or translations. If we agree on the text and still disagree, let’s ask what it means or whether later revelation has authority. Those questions need different evidence.”
Read the case on Scripture alone · Read the case on the closed canon
