Articles of Faith: Is Joseph Smith a True Prophet of God?

As I continue my series on the Articles of Faith, I feel that I must share information about Joseph Smith. As Joseph Smith was the writer of the Articles of Faith, it is good to know something about the author.

As a disclaimer, I must clearly state that I am an ardent supporter of Joseph Smith. I know that he was and still is a prophet of God because the Holy Ghost bore a strong witness to me.

In his book titled Articles of Faith, Elder James E. Talmage listed three classes of evidence to show the authenticity of Joseph Smith’s mission.

1. Fulfilment of Prophecy, wrought through the lifework of Joseph Smith, is abundantly attested. John the Revelator, from his prophetic vision of the latter-day dispensation, understood and predicted that the Gospel would be again sent from the heavens, and be restored to the earth through the direct ministration of an angel in the latter-days: “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”  A partial fulfilment of this prediction appears in the coming of the angel Moroni to Joseph Smith, …, whereby the restoration of the Gospel was announced, and the speedy realization of other ancient prophecies was promised; and a record, described in part as containing “the fulness of the everlasting Gospel” as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants of the western continent was committed to his care for translation and publication amongst all nations, kindred, and tongues. A further fulfilment was realized in the personal visitations of resurrected beings, who had ministered as bearers of the Holy Priesthood during their time of mortality, this Priesthood comprising divine authority and appointment to preach the Gospel and administer the ordinances thereof….

2. Joseph Smith’s Authority was conferred upon him by direct ministrations of heavenly beings, each of whom had once exercised the same power upon the earth. We have already seen how the angel Moroni, formerly a mortal prophet among the Nephites, transmitted to Joseph the appointment to bring forth the record which he, Moroni, had buried in the earth over fourteen hundred years before. We learn further, that on the 15^th of May, 1829, the lesser or Aaronic Priesthood was conferred upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery under the hands of John the Baptist, who came in his immortalized state with that particular order of Priesthood, which comprises the keys of the ministration of angels, the doctrine of repentance and of baptism for the remission of sins…. In delivering his message John the Baptist stated that he was acting under the direction of Peter, James, and John, apostles of the Lord, in whose hands reposed the keys of the higher or Melchizedek Priesthood, which in time would also be given. This promise was fulfilled a month or so later, when the apostles named visited in person Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, ordaining them to the apostleship, which comprises all the offices of the higher order of Priesthood and which carries authority to minister in all the established ordinances of the Gospel….

[After the Church of Jesus Christ was organized, other ancient prophets visited Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery to give other authority: Moses (gathering of Israel), Elijah (work for the living and the dead, sealing families together), and Elias (dispensation of Abraham, blessing succeeding generations.]

3. Joseph Smith was a true Prophet –In the days of ancient Israel an effective method of testing the claims of a professed prophet was prescribed. “When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follows not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.” Conversely, if the words of the prophet are verified by fulfilment there is at least proof presumptive of his divine calling….

4. The Doctrines Taught by Joseph Smith, and by the Church today, are true and scriptural. To sustain this statement, we must examine the principal teachings of the Church in separate order. [Following this statement, Talmage launched into his writings on the Articles of Faith.] (Articles of Faith, 1913, 16-17, 22, 23, 28)

Talmage is not the only Apostle to author a book about the Articles of Faith. In his book titled A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, Elder Bruce R. McConkie discussed how the Articles of Faith are the fruits of Joseph Smith.

As it is with belief in Christ; as it is with accepting him as the Son of God, whose atoning sacrifice makes salvation possible; as it is with believing all that the prophets and apostles have taught in days gone by – so it is with accepting Joseph Smith as the prophet of the latter days. All spiritual things must be accepted by faith. But in the process of gaining faith, those who are wise will taste the fruits of those who profess prophetic insight. Those who partake of the fruits of true prophets will find them sweet, full of flavor, delicious to the taste, and desirable to the soul, while those who seek nourishment from the fruits of false prophets will remain unrefreshed spiritually. The fruit they eat will be bitter to the taste; it will be as wormwood in their bellies, and from it they will gain none of the sustenance needed for the long journey back to the presence of the Lord.

The prophetic fruits of Joseph Smith are many and varied. All are as delicious as manna and as overflowing with goodness as the fruits of Eden. Volumes have been and will yet be written about them. They have not grown in secret nor been harvested in the night. In this work, however, it will be our purpose, in large measure, to feast upon but one of his prophetic fruits – the doctrines he taught relative to the basic beliefs of true Christians as these are summarized in the Articles of Faith.

In his now famous Wentworth Letter, written in March 1842, the Prophet Joseph Smith gave an account “of the rise, progress, persecution, and faith of the Latter-day Saints,” of which he had “the honor, under God, of being the founder.” (HC 4:535.) As the climax of this inspired historical account, he uttered these prophetic words: “No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.” He then listed the thirteen Articles of Faith in almost the verbatim language they now contain. (HC 4:540-41.)

“These Articles of Faith were not produced by the labored efforts and harmonized contentions of scholastics, but were struck off by one inspired mind at a single effort to make a declaration of that which is most assuredly believed by the Church…. The combined directness, perspicuity, simplicity and comprehensiveness of this statement of the principles of our religion may be relied upon as robust evidence of a divine inspiration resting upon the Prophet, Joseph Smith.” (HC 4:535n.) The Articles of Faith are part of an eternal fulness of everlasting truth that was then and is now in process of being revealed by the Lord to his people. They did not, when first given, mention all of the basic doctrines then known, and since then added light and knowledge have been revealed relative to many things, as the Articles of Faith themselves said would be the case. (A New Witness for the Articles of Faith [1985], 14-16)

If you are sincere in your desire to know that Joseph Smith is a true prophet of God, I will give you the procedure that I followed. First, I studied every single book in my house about Joseph Smith (lots of them). Then the Holy Ghost gave this prompting, “If you want to know if Joseph Smith is a prophet of God, study the Book of Mormon.” I embarked on a study of the suggested book, sincerely and prayerfully studying it.

I suggest that you start by reading Moroni 10:4-5 in the last chapter of the book. As you study, ask God if what you are reading is true. If you are honest and sincere in your studies, you will receive an answer from God. I know because I received an answer when I met the requirements of study, humility, sincerity, and prayer.