When members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints discuss lost teachings of the Bible, they are speaking about one of three categories. First, there are those scriptures which were physically lost. Second, there are passages that were mistranslated, and therefore lost critical words or meanings. Third, there are passages which we do have, but we have lost their true meaning.
We know there are physically lost passages of scripture because several other scriptures directly reference them, and we have no such scriptural records in our possession. For example, The book of the covenant referenced in Exodus 24:7; the book of the wars of the Lord referenced in Numbers 21:14; the book of Jasher referenced in Joshua 10:13; the book of acts of Solomon in 1 Kings 11:41; the book of Samuel the seer in 1 Chronicles 29:29; the book of Nathan the prophet in 2 Chronicles 9:29; the book of Shemaiah the prophet in 2 Chronicles 12:15; the acts of Abijah in the story of the prophet Iddo in 2 Chronicles 13:22; and the book of Jehu in 2 Chronicles 20:34. These are many of the references made in the Old Testament.
The New Testament has its own list. Such as the prophecy of Jesus being a Nazarene despite not having an Old Testament prophecy to pair it with. In 1 Corinthians 5:9, Paul indicates that he wrote a letter before the current one, which we do not have. The same thing happened according to Ephesians 3:3. Colossians 4:16 refers to an epistle from Laodicea we do not have. And finally, an allusion to prophecies from Enoch which we do not have, according to Jude 1:14. Additionally, the Book of Mormon mentions the writings and prophecies of Zenos, Zenock, and Ezias (separate from Isaiah) in 1 Nephi 19:10 and Helaman 8:20. Meanwhile, other scripture was lost due to erroneous translations. In the first place, there is the obvious case that numerous translations exist and between those translations exist several discrepancies as to the best way to take the original meaning and transfer it into a new language. The sheer number of translations is evidence to this point. In the next place, we find that some accounts of the same event do not match or add/omit certain details. For example, there are disagreements about Saul’s vision on the road to Damascus in Acts 9:7 and 22:9, pertaining to who saw the light and who heard the voice. This is nothing other than proof that through the several translations and copies of the original story, something got switch. While this is a minor error, it is indicative that errors such as this exist. Likewise, there is a difference between the accounts in Matthew and Mark about letting James and John sit at Jesus’ side in glory. Mark 10:37 recounts that James and John asked themselves, while Matthew 20:20-21 states that it was their mother who asks on behalf of her sons. Again, this is a minor difference, but it indicates that there are actual errors that scribes made while copying transcripts. In the last place, Joseph Smith’s translation shows many of these minor errors which often bring an obscured meaning into clarity.
The final form are the lost meanings of scripture. These scriptures are right in front of us, but we do not understand their true meaning, therefore, their meaning is lost. Like the Lord Himself who stood in front of Jewish scholars, but who could not recognize the Messiah, so too are the scriptures written out in our own language, but we lack the spiritual eyes to see what they truly are. The first example is the creation account with the teaching that we are made in God’s image. This has been interpreted to mean that we are made how God imagined us to be made, or something similar, but not that our form resembles the actual form of God. Contemporary Christianity denies that God has a form at all. A second example is the misunderstanding of what is meant by “the Father and I are one,” spoken by Jesus. This is taken to mean the Trinity, a three in one explanation for God. Its true meaning, that Jesus is unified and one in purpose, vision, goal, and spirit with His Father, is lost to the contemporary Christian world. The same can be said for God’s purpose for us and our ability to inherit all that the Father has, like Christ did. Instead of its true meaning, Christians interpret God’s purpose for us to solely worship Him. While this is important, it is not the purpose for our creation. Lastly, the true meaning of the Fall of Adam is obscured. It is portrayed as completely counter to God’s plan for us, whereas we know that it was integral to God’s plan for us. The words are in plain sight, but their meaning can only be discerned through the eyes of the Spirit.
When the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints talks about lost scripture, they mean one of the above three. The physical scripture was lost, the translation lost key details or meaning, and the spiritual meaning is lost or hidden from view. Thankfully, through the gifts of the Spirit, and prophets of God, necessary physically lost scriptures can be returned, mistranslations corrected, and the true meaning hiding in plain sight discovered.
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