Articles of Faith: What Do Latter-day Saints Believe About the Atonement of Jesus Christ?

Article of Faith 3

We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved,

by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

 This essay is the first one about the Atonement of Jesus Christ as stated in the third Article of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. To understand the importance of Christ’s atoning sacrifice, we must understand that it is the third pillar of eternity. Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught the following:

The three greatest events that ever have occurred or ever will occur in all eternity are these:

1. The creation of the heavens and the earth, of man, and of all forms of life.

2. The fall of man, of all forms of life, and of the earth itself from their primeval and paradisiacal state to their present mortal state; and

3. The infinite and eternal atonement, which ransoms man, all living things, and the earth also from their fallen state so that the salvation of the earth and of all living things may be completed.

These three divine events – the three pillars of eternity – are inseparably woven together into one grand tapestry known as the eternal plan of salvation. We view the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ as the center and core and heart of revealed religion. It brings to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. Salvation is in Christ.

But had there been no fall, there could have been no atonement. The fall of Adam brought temporal and spiritual death into the world, and it is from these deaths that man and all forms of life are ransomed through the atonement wrought by the Lord Jesus Christ. Adam brought mortality; Christ brought immortality. Salvation comes because of the fall and the atonement.

But if the earth and man and all living things had not been created in their physical and paradisiacal state, in a state of deathlessness, there could have been no fall. The fall, with its resultant probationary estate, is the child of the original and primeval creation, and the atonement is the child of the fall (A New Witness for the Articles of Faith [1985], 81).

As Elder McConkie explained, the Creation of the world, the Fall of Adam and Eve, and the Atonement of Jesus Christ are the three pillars of eternity. Heavenly Father’s plan for the eternal happiness of His children is built upon those three pillars. Now that my readers are aware of the three pillars and their importance to God, we will now move into a discussion about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. In a later chapter, Elder McConkie answered the question: “What is the Atonement?”

The atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ is the third of the three infinite events that comprise the eternal plan of salvation. The other two are the physical creation of all things and then their subsequent fall to their present mortal state. As the paradisiacal creation was the precursor of the fall, so the universal fall, first of Adam and then of all created things, is the foundation upon which the atonement rests. The creation, the fall, and the atonement, these three are the divine and eternal events through which the purposes of the Supreme God are accomplished.

Salvation, meaning eternal life, is reserved for the faithful. It is offered to all men in all ages on the same terms and conditions…. It is offered to man without money and without price; it is available to all because of the atonement…. The light of Christ is given to all men; all are guided by the still, small voice of conscience…. Obedience and good works would count for nothing if there were no atonement…. Temporal and spiritual death would reign forever if there were no atonement…. Salvation is for the obedient; it is their sins that are borne by Christ.

… Thus, salvation of every son, kind, and degree – whether it is resurrection only, on the one hand, or eternal exaltation, on the other – comes by the grace of God. There is no other way; salvation is in Christ, and it comes because of his atoning sacrifice.

This sacrifice, which only a God could make, took place in Gethsemane when he sweat great gouts of blood from every poor…. And it also took place as he hung on the cruel cross of Calvary. During the last three hours of that agonizing ordeal, while darkness overspread the land, all the pains and suffering of Gethsemane returned. He came into the world, not alone to suffer in Gethsemane, but also at Golgotha….

We can no more comprehend the atonement than we can understand the creation or the fall. It suffices, in our present state of probation, and subject to our present finite limitations, to know that we exist, to know that there was a fall, and to know that Christ is the Redeemer. It makes no more sense to reject the fall and the atonement than to reject the creation. The fact is, all three are realities; all three are the means whereby salvation comes (A New Witness for the Articles of Faith [1985], 107-110).

Articles of Faith: What Do Latter-day Saints Believe About the Fall of Adam 6?

Article of Faith 2

   We believe that men will be punished for their own sins,

                    and not for Adam’s transgression.

This essay is the sixth and final one teaching about the Fall of Adam and Eve as stated in the second Article of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The first thesis discussed moral agency, or the freedom to choose good or evil. The second treatise discussed sin and punishment for sin. The third essay discussed Satan. The fourth paper discussed the creation of Adam and Eve and Satan’s great temptation. The fifth essay discussed the tree of life and the immediate result of the Fall. This thesis will discuss how the Atonement was provided for because the Fall did not come by chance, using the words of Elder James E. Talmage (The Articles of Faith [1890], 66-68).

Atonement Provided for – God did not leave His now mortal children without hope. He gave other commandments to Adam, requiring him to offer sacrifices in the name of the Only Begotten Son, and promising redemption unto him and all his descendants who would comply with the conditions prescribed. The opportunity of winning the victor’s reward by overcoming evil was explained to our parents, and they rejoiced. Adam said: “Blessed be the name of God, for because of my transgression my eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy, and again in the flesh I shall see God.” Eve was glad and declared: “Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient.”

The Fall came not by chance – It would be unreasonable to suppose that the transgression of Eve and Adam came as a surprise to the Creator. By His infinite fore-knowledge, God knew what would be the result of Satan’s temptation to Eve, and what Adam would do under the resulting conditions. Further, it is evident that the fall was foreseen to be a means whereby man could be brought into direct experience with both good and evil, so that of his own agency he might elect the one or the other, and thus be prepared by the experiences of a mortal probation for the exaltation provided in the beneficent plan of his creation [emphasis added]: “For behold, this is my work and my glory – to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Pearl of Great Price, Moses 1:39) spoke the Lord unto Moses. It was the purpose of God to place within the reach of the spirits begotten by Him in the heavens the means of individual effort, and the opportunity of winning not merely redemption from death but also salvation and even exaltation, with the powers of eternal progression and increase. Hence it was necessary that the spiritual offspring of God should leave the scenes of their primeval childhood and enter the school of mortal experience, meeting, contending with, and overcoming evil, according to their several degrees of faith and strength. Adam and Eve could never have been the parents of a mortal posterity had they not themselves become mortal; mortality was an essential element in the divine plan respecting the earth and its appointed inhabitants; and, as a means of introducing mortality, the Lord placed before the progenitors of the race a law, knowing what would follow.

Eve was fulfilling the foreseen purposes of God by the part she took in the great drama of the fall; yet she did not partake of the forbidden fruit with that object in view, but with intent to act contrary to the divine command, being deceived by the sophistries of Satan, who also, for that matter, furthered the purposes of the Creator by tempting Eve; yet his design was to thwart the Lord’s plan. We are definitely told that “he knew not the mind of God, wherefore he sought to destroy the world” (Pearl of Great Price, Moses 4:6) [Emphasis added]. Yet his diabolical effort, far from being the initiatory step toward destruction, contributed to the plan of man’s eternal progression. Adam’s part in the great event was essentially different from that of his wife; he was not deceived; on the contrary he deliberately decided to do as Eve desired, that he might carry out the purposes of his Maker with respect to the race of men, whose first patriarch he was ordained to be.

Even the transgressions of men may be turned to the accomplishment of high purposes. The sacrificial death of Christ was ordained from before the foundation of the world, yet Judas who betrayed, and the Jews who brought about the crucifixion of the Son of God, are nonetheless guilty of the awful crime.

It has become a common practice with mankind to heap reproaches upon the progenitors of the family, and to picture the supposedly blessed state in which we would be living but for the fall; whereas our first parents are entitled to our deepest gratitude for their legacy to posterity – the means of winning title to glory, exaltation, and eternal lives. But for the opportunity thus given, the spirits of God’s offspring would have remained forever in a state of innocent childhood, sinless through no effort of their own; negatively saved, not form sin, but from the opportunity of meeting sin; incapable of winning the honors of victory because prevented from taking part in the conflict. As it is, they are heirs to the birthright of Adam’s descendants – mortality, with its immeasurable possibilities and its God-given freedom of action. From Father Adam we have inherited all the ills to which flesh is heir; but such are necessarily incident to a knowledge of good and evil, by the proper use of which knowledge man may become even as the Gods.

 

Articles of Faith: What Do Latter-day Saints Believe About the Fall of Adam 5?

Article of Faith 2

   We believe that men will be punished for their own sins,

                    and not for Adam’s transgression.

 This essay is the fourth in teaching about the Fall of Adam and Eve as stated in the second Article of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The first thesis discussed moral agency, or the freedom to choose good or evil. The second treatise discussed sin and punishment for sin. The third essay discussed Satan. The fourth paper discussed the creation of Adam and Eve and Satan’s great temptation. This essay will discuss the tree of life and the immediate result of the Fall, using the words of Elder James E. Talmage (The Articles of Faith [1890], 66-68).

The Tree of Life – There was another tree of special virtues in Eden; its fruit assured life to those who ate of it. While Adam and Eve lived in innocence, immune to death, this tree had not been forbidden them. Now that they had transgressed, however, now that the divine decree had issued fixing death as their lot, it was necessary that the fruit of the tree of life be no longer within their reach. They were, therefore, expelled from the garden, and cherubim with a flaming sword guarded the way, that man might not return in an unregenerate state. By transgression our first parents acquired a knowledge, which in their condition of pristine innocence they had not possessed – the experimental knowledge of good and evil. The result of their fall could have been of none but ill effect had they been immediately brought to a condition of immortality, without repentance, without atonement. In the despair following their realization of the great change that had come upon them, and in the light of the knowledge that had gained at such cost as to the virtues of the tree of life, it would have been natural for them to seek the seeming advantage of an immediate escape by partaking of the immortalizing food. In mercy they were prevented from so doing.

The words of the Creator are unmistakable as to the necessity of banishing Adam and Eve from Eden: “And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever: Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life” (Gen. 3:22-24).

Alma, the Nephite prophet, comprehended the result that would have followed had Adam and his wife eaten of the tree of life; he thus explained the matter: “Now, we see that the man had become as God, knowing good and evil; and lest he should put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat and live forever, the Lord God placed cherubim and the flaming sword, that he should not partake of the fruit – And thus we see, that there was a time granted unto man to repent, yea, a probationary time, a time to repent and serve God. For behold, if Adam had put forth his hand immediately, and partaken of the tree of life, he would have lived forever, according to the word of God, having no space for repentance; yea, and also the word of God would have been void, and the great plan of salvation would have been frustrated” (Alma 42:3-5).

The Immediate Result of the Fall was the substitution of mortality, with all its attendant frailties, for the vigor of the primeval deathless state. Adam felt directly the effects of transgression in finding a barren and dreary earth, with a relatively sterile soil, instead of the beauty and fruitfulness of Eden. In place of pleasing and useful plants, thorns and thistles sprang up; and the man had to labor arduously, under the conditions of physical fatigue and suffering, to cultivate the soil that he might obtain necessary food. Upon Eve fell the penalty of bodily infirmity; pains and sorrows, which since have been regarded as the natural lot of womankind, came upon her, and she was made subject to her husband’s authority. Having lost their sense of former innocence they became ashamed of their nakedness, and the Lord made for them garments of skins. Upon both the man and the woman was visited the penalty of spiritual death; for in that very day they were banished from Eden and cast out from the presence of the Lord. The serpent, having served the purposes of Satan, was made a subject of divine displeasure, being doomed to crawl forever in the dust, and to suffer form the enmity which it was decreed should be placed in the hearts of Eve’s children.

Articles of Faith: What Do Latter-day Saints Believe About the Fall of Adam 4?

Article of Faith 2

   We believe that men will be punished for their own sins,

                    and not for Adam’s transgression.

This essay is the fourth in teaching about the Fall of Adam and Eve as stated in the second Article of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The first thesis discussed moral agency, or the freedom to choose good or evil. The second treatise discussed sin and punishment for sin. The third essay discussed Satan. This paper will begin a discussion of The Fall, starting with the creation of Adam and Eve and Satan’s great temptation, using the words of Elder James E. Talmage (The Articles of Faith [1890], 63-65).

Our First Parents in Eden – The crowning scene of the great drama of creation was the forming of man in the image of his spiritual Father, God. For the reception of the first man the Creator had especially prepared a choice region of earth, and had embellished it with natural beauties to gladden the heart of its possessor. “The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed” [Gen. 2:8, 9]. Soon after man’s advent upon the earth the Lord created a companion or help meet for him, declaring that it was not good that man should be alone. Thus, male and female, Adam and his wife /eve were placed in the garden. They had been given dominion “over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth” [Gen. 2:18]. With this great power were associated certain commandments, the first of which in point of importance was that they “be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it”; then, that they refrain from eating or even touching the fruit of a certain tree, the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which grew in the midst of the garden; though of all other fruits they were at liberty to freely partake. The words of God concerning this command and the penalty for its violation are: “And I, the Lord God, commanded the man, saying: Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat, But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; nevertheless, thou mayest choose for thyself, for it is given unto thee; but remember that I forbid it, for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” [P. of G.P., Moses 3:16, 17].

The Temptation to disobey this injunction soon came. Satan presented himself before Eve in the garden, and, speaking by the mouth of the serpent, questioned her about the commandments that God had given respecting the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Eve answered that they were forbidden even to touch the fruit of that tree, under penalty of death. Satan then sought to beguile the woman, contradicting the Lord’s statement and declaring that death would not follow a violation of the divine injunction; but that, on the other hand, by doing that which the Lord had forbidden she and her husband would become like unto the gods, knowing good and evil for themselves. The woman was captivated by these representations; and, being eager to possess the advantages pictured by Satan, she disobeyed the command of the Lord, and partook of the fruit forbidden. She feared no evil, for she knew it not. Then, telling Adam what she had done, she urged him to eat of the fruit also.

Adam found himself in a position that made it impossible for him to obey both of the specific commandments given by the Lord. He and his wife had been commanded to multiply and replenish the earth. Adam had not yet fallen to the state of mortality, but Eve already had; and in such dissimilar conditions the two could not remain together, and therefore could not fulfil the divine requirement as to procreation. On the other hand, Adam would be disobeying another commandment by yielding to Eve’s request. He deliberately and wisely decided to stand by the first and greater commandment; and, therefore, with understanding of the nature of his act, he also partook of the fruit that grew on the tree of knowledge. The fact that Adam acted understandingly in this matter is affirmed by scripture. Paul in writing to Timothy, explained that “Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression” [1 Tim. 2:14].

Some women take offense when they understand that Eve was deceived but Adam was not. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recognizes that mortality would not have happened without the decision of Eve. However, there were consequences to her transgression.

 

 

 

Articles of Faith: What Do Latter-day Saints Believe About the Fall of Adam 3?

Article of Faith 2

   We believe that men will be punished for their own sins,

                    and not for Adam’s transgression.

This essay is the third in teaching about the Fall of Adam and Eve as stated in the second Article of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The first essay discussed moral agency, or the freedom to choose good or evil. The second essay discussed sin and punishment for sin. This essay will discuss Satan using the words of Elder James E. Talmage (The Articles of Faith [1890], 62-63).

Satan – We have had occasion to refer frequently to the author of evil among men. This is Satan, the adversary or opponent of the Lord, the chief of evil spirits, called also the Devil, Beelzebub, or the Prince of Devils, Perdition, and Belial. The figurative appellations dragon and serpent are applied to Satan when reference is made to his fall. We learn from the revealed word that Satan was once an angel of light, then known as Lucifer, a Son of the Morning; but his selfish ambition led him to aspire to the glory and power of the Father, to secure which he made the pernicious proposition to redeem the human family by compulsion; and, failing in this purpose, he headed an open rebellion against the Father and the Son, drawing a third of the hosts of heaven into his impious league. These rebellious spirits were expelled from heaven, and have since followed the impulses of their wicked natures by seeking to lead human souls into their own condition of darkness. They are the devil and his angels. The right of free agency, maintained and vindicated by the war in heaven, prevents the possibility of compulsion being employed in this fiendish work of degradation; but the powers of these malignant spirits to tempt and persuade are used to the utmost. [Emphasis added.] Satan tempted Eve to transgress the law of God; it was he who imparted the secret of murder for gain to the fratricide, Cain.

Satan exerts a mastery over the spirits that have been corrupted by his practices; he is the foremost of the angels who were thrust down, and the instigator of the ruin of those who fall in this life; he seeks to molest and hinder mankind in good efforts, by tempting to sin; or it may be by imposing sickness, or possibly death. Yet in all these malignant doings, he can go no farther than the transgressions of the victim may enable him, or the wisdom of God may permit; and at any time he may be checked by the superior power. [Emphasis added.] Indeed, even the operations of his utmost malice may be turned to the accomplishment of divine purposes. The scriptures prove to us that the days of Satan’s power are numbered; his doom has been pronounced, and in the Lord’s own time he will be completely overcome. He is to be bound during the millennial reign, and after that thousand years of peace he will be loosed for a little season; then his defeat will be complete, and his power over the children of God will be destroyed.

The above information is depressing to me, so I want to end this essay on a positive note. We do not need to wait until the Millennium to bind Satan. Satan can be bound by righteousness, according to 1 Nephi 22:26 (Book of Mormon – Another Testament of Jesus Christ): “And because of the righteousness of his people, Satan has no power; wherefore, he cannot be loosed for the space of many years; for he hath no power over the hearts of the people, for they dwell in righteousness, and the Holy One of Israel reigneth.”

This verse of scripture is, of course, describing the Millennium, but the principle is the same. We can “bind Satan” in this life by living righteously. When our hearts are set on righteousness, we will keep God’s commandments and refuse to commit evil. According to Latter-day Saint belief, Satan’s binding is a spiritual restraint rather than a physical one. Righteous living removes Satan’s power to influence our hearts. Obedience to God weakens Satan’s power to influence us. 

Articles of Faith: What Do Latter-day Saints Believe About the Fall of Adam 2?

Article of Faith 2

   We believe that men will be punished for their own sins,

                    and not for Adam’s transgression.

 This essay will continue a discussion started last week about the Fall of Adam and Eve as stated in the second Article of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I laid a foundation for discussing this Article of Faith by discussing moral agency, or the freedom to choose good or evil. This essay will discuss sin and punishment for sin using the words of Elder James E. Talmage (The Articles of Faith [1890], 57-61).

Sin – What is the nature of sin? To this question the Apostle John replies: “Sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4) …. As God is the embodiment of perfection, such opposition is rebellion against the principles of advancement and adherence to the practices that lead to degradation. Sin is any condition, whether omission of things required or in commission of acts forbidden, that tends to prevent or hinder the development of the human soul. [Emphasis added.] As a righteous course leads to eternal life, so sin tends toward the darkness of the second death. Sin was introduced to the world by Satan; yet it is by divine permission that mankind are brought in contact with sin, the contrast between evil and good thus being learned by experience.

According to the technical definition of sin it consists in the violation of law, and in this strict sense sin may be committed inadvertently or in ignorance. It is plain, however, from the scriptural doctrine of human responsibility and the unerring justice of God, that in his transgressions as in his righteous deeds man will be judged according to his ability to comprehend and obey law. To him who has never been made acquainted with a higher law the requirements of that law do not apply in their fulness. For sins committed without knowledge – that is, for laws violated in ignorance – a propitiation has been provided in the atonement wrought through the sacrifice of the Savior; and sinners of this class do not stand condemned, but shall be given opportunity yet to learn and to accept or reject the principles of the Gospel….

Punishment for Sin – As rewards for righteous deeds are proportionate to deserving acts, so the punishment prescribed for sin is made adequate to the offense. But, be it remembered, both rewards and punishments are natural consequences. Punishment is inflicted upon the sinner for disciplinary and reformatory purposes and in accordance with justice. There is nothing of vindictiveness or of desire to cause suffering manifest in the divine nature; on the contrary, our Father is cognizant of every pang, and permits such to afflict for beneficent purposes only. God’s mercy is declared in the retributive pains that He allows, as in the blessings of peace that issue from Him…. Comparison with physical pain, such as the tortures of fire in a sulphurous lake, serve to show that the human mind is incapable of comprehending the extent of these penalties. The sufferings entailed by the fate of condemnation are more to be feared than are any possible inflictions of physical torture; the mind, the spirit, the whole soul is doomed to suffer, and the torment is known by none in the flesh.

Consider the word of the Lord regarding those whose sin is the unpardonable one, whose transgression has carried them beyond the present horizon of possible redemption; those who have sunk so low in their wickedness as to have lost the power and even the desire to attempt reformation. Sons of Perdition they are called. These are they who, having learned the power of God afterward renounce it; those who sin wilfully in the light of knowledge; those who open their hearts to the Holy Spirit and then put the Lord to a mockery and a shame by denying it; and those who commit murder wherein they shed innocent blood; these are they of whom the Savior has declared that it would be better for them had they never been born. These are to share the punishment of the devil and his angels – punishment so terrible that the knowledge is withheld from all except those who are consigned to this doom (emphasis added), though a temporary view of the picture is permitted to some. These sinners are the only ones over whom the second death hath power….

The Duration of Punishment – As to the duration of punishment, we may take assurance that it will be graded according to the sin; and that the conception of every sentence for misdeeds being interminable is false. Great as is the effect of this life upon the hereafter, and certain as is the responsibility of opportunities lost for repentance, God holds the power to pardon beyond the grave. Yet the scriptures speak of eternal and endless punishment. Any punishment ordained of God is eternal, for He is eternal. His is a system of endless punishment, for it will always exist as a place or condition prepared for disobedient spirits; yet the infliction of the penalty will have an end in every case of acceptable repentance and reparation. And repentance is not impossible in the spirit world (emphasis added). However, as seen, there are some sins so great that their consequent punishments are not made known to man; these extreme penalties are reserved for the sons of Perdition.

The false doctrine that the punishment to be visited upon erring souls is endless, that every sentence for sin is of interminable duration, must be regarded as one of the most pernicious results of misapprehension of scripture. It is but a dogma of unauthorized and erring sectaries, at once unscriptural, unreasonable, and revolting to one who loves mercy and honors justice. True, the scriptures speak of everlasting burnings, eternal damnation, and the vengeance of eternal fire, as characteristics of the judgment provided for the wicked; yet in no instance is there justification for the inference that the individual sinner will have to suffer the wrath of offended justice forever and ever. The punishment in any case is sufficiently severe without the added and supreme horror of unending continuation. Justice must have her due; but when “the uttermost farthing” is paid, the prison doors shall open and the captive be free. But the prison remains, and the law prescribing punishment for offenses is not to be repealed….

 

 

 

Articles of Faith: What Do Latter-day Saints Believe About the Fall of Adam?

Article of Faith 2

   We believe that men will be punished for their own sins,

                    and not for Adam’s transgression.

 This essay will begin a discussion about the Fall of Adam and Eve and the second article in my series on the Articles of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. However, before discussing the Fall, we should lay a proper foundation for the conditions under which Adam made his decision.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches as doctrine that Heavenly Father bestowed upon His spirit children certain inalienable rights while in the spirit world. Moral agency, or freedom to choose, is one of those rights. Elder James E. Talmage explained this doctrine as follows (Articles of Faith [1890], 52-55).

The Church teaches as a strictly scriptural doctrine, that man has inherited among the inalienable rights conferred upon him by his divine Father, freedom to choose the good or the evil in life, to obey or disobey the Lord’s commands, as he may elect. This right cannot be guarded with more jealous care than is bestowed upon it by God Himself; for in all His dealings with man He has left the mortal creature free to choose and to act, without compulsion or restraint beyond the influences of paternal counsel and direction. True, He has given commandments and has established statutes, with promises of blessings for compliance and penalties for infraction; but in the choice of these, men are untrammeled. In this respect, man is no less free than are the angels except as he fettered himself with the bonds of sin and forfeited his power of will and force of soul. The individual has as full a measure of capability to violate the laws of health, the requirements of nature, and the commandments of God in matters both temporal and spiritual, as he has to obey all such; in the one case he brings upon himself the penalties that belong to the broken law; as in the other he inherits the specific blessings and the added freedom that attend a law-abiding life. Obedience to law is the habit of the free man; the transgressor fears the law, for he brings upon himself deprivation and restraint, not because of the law, which would have protected him in his freedom, but because of his antagonism to law. [Emphasis added.]

The predominant attribute of justice, recognized as part of the divine nature, forbids the thought that man should receive promises of reward for righteousness, and threats of punishment for evil deeds, if he possessed no power of independent action. It is no more a part of God’s plan to compel men to work righteousness than it is His purpose to permit evil powers to force His childr4en into sin…. [Emphasis added.]

A knowledge of good and evil is essential to the advancement that God has made possible for His children to achieve; and this knowledge can be best gained by actual experience, with the contrasts of good and its opposite plainly discernible. Therefore has man been placed upon earth subject to the influence of good and wicked powers, with a knowledge of the conditions surrounding him, and the heaven-born right to choose for himself….

Samuel, a converted Lamanite [taught:] “for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free. He hath given unto you that ye might know good from evil, and he hath given unto you that ye might choose life or death” (Helaman 14:30).

When the plans for creating and peopling the earth were under discussion in heaven, Lucifer [Satan; the devil] sought to destroy the free [moral] agency of man by obtaining power to force the human family to do his will, promising the Father that by such means he would redeem all mankind so that no one of them should be lost. This proposition was rejected, while the original purpose of the Father – to use persuasive influence of wholesome precept and sacrificing example with the inhabitants of the earth, then to leave them free to choose for themselves – was agreed upon; and the one to be known as the Only Begotten Son was chosen as the chief instrument in carrying that purpose into effect.

Heavenly Father gave each son and daughter an important and power gift when He bestowed moral agency upon everyone. However, the gift came with responsibility. Elder Talmage explained as follows (Articles of Faith [1890], 55-57.

Man’s Accountability for his individual acts is as complete as is his agency to elect for himself. The ultimate result of good deeds is happiness, the consequence of evil is misery; these follow in every man’s life by inviolable laws. There is a plan of judgment divinely foreordained, by which every man will be called to answer for his deeds; and not for deeds alone but for his words also and even for the thoughts of his heart…. John the Revelator was permitted to learn in vision something of the scenes connected with the last judgment; he wrote: “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works….”

The execution of judgment is not always made to follow the acts of men immediately; good deeds may not be at once rewarded, nor evil be peremptorily punished; and this is according to divine wisdom, for were it otherwise the test of individual character and the trial of human faith, for which purposes this mortal probation was primarily ordained, would be greatly lessened: as the certainty of immediate pleasure or pain would largely determine human acts to secure the one and avoid the other. Judgment, therefore, is postponed, that every one may prove himself, the good man increasing in righteousness, and the evil-doer having opportunity for repentance and reparation….

It is the prerogative of Jesus Christ to judge mankind, and He will do it as His own purposes, which are the purposes of His Father, may be best served….

All the above information can be summarized as follows: Heavenly Father desires all His children to return to His presence to live with Him for eternity. However, He will not force any of His children to do so. In other words, He desires us to want to be with Him because we love Him –not out of duty or out of fear, but out of love. Wanting to be with Him is different than simple obedience to His commandments. If we genuinely love Him with all our heart, mind, might, and strength, we will live our lives in such a way that we will be worthy of returning to His presence. The choice is ours, but He stands ready to help us in repenting of our sins and overcoming our weaknesses.

 

  

Articles of Faith: What Do Latter-day Saints Believe About the Godhead 6?

Article of Faith 1

We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ,

                                and in the Holy Ghost.

This is the sixth and last article on the Godhead in my series on the Articles of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The past few weeks, I discussed the character of God the Father or Elohim, and last week I discussed Jesus Christ or Jehovah. Since Jesus Christ taught that His disciples “he that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (John 14:9), we can know that He has the same character traits as His Father.

Through latter-day revelation, we know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ each have a physical body made of flesh and bone, but the Holy Ghost is a spirit personage. Doctrine and Covenants 130:22-23 teaches as follows:

22 The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us.

23 A man may receive the Holy Ghost, and it may descend upon him and not tarry with him.

My essay for this week will use the words of Elder Bruce R. McConkie to explain clearly who the Holy Ghost is.

There are several ways in which the labors and ministry and status of “God the third,” who is the Holy Ghost, are separate from the other members of the Godhead. Chief among them are these:

1. He is a personage of spirit.

The Father and the Son have tangible bodies of flesh and bones, while “the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit.” That is, he is a spirit person, a spirit entity, a spirit man. He is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Lord. Why this difference between him and the other two members of the Godhead? With reference to his status as “a personage of Spirit,” the scripture says: “Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us.” (D&C 130:22.) That is to say, according to the eternal laws ordained by the Father, there are certain separate and distinct things to be done by a spirit member of the Godhead. He is to dwell, figuratively, in the faithful, and he is to speak to their spirits in a special and particular way, which he can do because he himself is a spirit.

2. He is the Testator, Revelator, Comforter.

The Holy Ghost is God’s minister; he is appointed to teach and testify, to bear witness of the Father and the Son, and to reveal all needful things to men. As the Testator, he bequeaths salvation, through an eternal testament, to the heirs of God. The Holy Ghost is a Revelator. Almost always the first great revelation received by any person is a testimony of the truth and divinity of the Lord’s work on earth. “And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.” (Moroni 10:5.) He is the Comforter. Those who enjoy his companionship find their whole souls are filled with comfort and joy. And the very reason men are commanded to repent and be baptized is so they “may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that [they] may stand spotless before [the Lord] at the last day.” (3 Nephi 27:20.)

 3. He uses the light of Christ in his ministry.

The light of Christ (also called the Spirit of Christ and the Spirit of the Lord) is a light, a power, and an influence that proceeds forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space. It is the agency of God’s power and the law by which all things are governed. It is also the agency used by the Holy Ghost to manifest truth and dispense spiritual gifts to many people at one and the same time. For instance, it is as though the Holy Ghost, who is a personage of spirit, was broadcasting all truth throughout the whole universe all the time, using the light of Christ as the agency by which the message is delivered. But only those who attune their souls to the Holy Spirit receive the available revelation. It is in this way that the person of the Holy Ghost makes his influence felt in the heart of every righteous person at one and the same time. (Bruce R. McConkie, A New Witness for the Articles of Faith [1985], 69-70)

Articles of Faith: What Do Latter-day Saints Believe About the Godhead 5?

Article of Faith 1

We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ,

                                and in the Holy Ghost.

This is the fifth article on the Godhead in my series on the Articles of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The past few weeks, I discussed the character of God the Father or Elohim. Since Jesus Christ taught that His disciples “he that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (John 14:9), we can know that He has the same character traits as His Father. This essay will use the words of Elder Bruce R. McConkie to explain clearing who Jesus Christ is.

There are numerous ways in which the labors and ministry and status of “God the second,” who is the Son, are distinct and separate from the other members of the Godhead. Chief among them are these:

1. He is the Firstborn.

Our Blessed Lord is the firstborn spirit child of the Father of Spirits; all others are junior to him. His is the eternal birthright and the everlasting right of presidency. “I was in the beginning with the Father,” he says, “and am the Firstborn.” (D&C 93:21.) Paul says he is “the image of the invisible God, the first born of every creature.” (Colossians 1:15.) The body he then possessed was a spirit body, a body made of spirit element, a body like those of all the spirit hosts of heaven. Appearing to the brother of Jared, he said: “This body, which ye now behold, is the body of my spirit.” (Ether 3:16.) In that spirit state he advanced and progressed until, in power, dominion, and intelligence, he became, “like unto God.” (Abraham 3:24.) It was then that he created all things and was foreordained to be the Savior and Redeemer.

2, He is the Creator.

Under the Father, Christ is the Creator of this earth, of worlds without number, of all things. Paul says: “By him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers all things were created by him, and for him: and he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” (Colossians 1:16-17.) Being “like unto God,” he became and was the GREAT I AM, the I AM THAT I AM, the Eternal One, the Lord Jehovah. He operated and ministered in his Father’s name and by his Father’s power.

3. He is the Promised Messiah.

The ancient prophets testified that God would send his Son into the world to save and deliver his people, to save them from the temporal and spiritual death brought upon all mankind through the fall, to be their Deliverer and Redeemer. The prophetic word acclaimed him as the Messiah, the Anointed One, the Son of David, who would reign on the throne of his Father….

4. He is the God of our Fathers.

Because God is known only by revelation, because the knowledge of God and of salvation was revealed to our father, and because there is only one God and one plan of salvation for all men in all ages, how appropriate it is to call Christ (by whom salvation comes) the God of our fathers. He was their God and he is our God….

5. He is the Son of God.

All men (Christ included) were born as the sons of God in the spirit; one man (Christ only) was born as the Son of God in this mortal world. He is the Only Begotten in the flesh. God was his Father; Mary was his mother. His Father was an immortal man; his mother was a mortal woman. He is the Son of God in the same literal, full, and complete sense in which he is the son of Mary. There is nothing symbolic or figurative about it. He is God’s Almighty Son and as such is distinguished from the Father in the same way any son is a separate person from his father.

6. He is our Redeemer, Savior, Mediator, Intercessor, and Advocate.

Salvation comes because of Christ and his atoning sacrifice. He is the Redeemer who ransoms men from the effects of Adam’s fall. He brings immortality to all men, thus redeeming them from temporal death through the resurrection. Those who believe and obey his laws are redeemed from spiritual death and have eternal life. In like manner he is the Savior….

7. He manifests and reveals the Father.

There are two concepts here. First, God was in Christ manifesting himself to the world. That is, because the Son was in the express image and likeness of the Father, and because he was one with the Father in all things, insomuch that he did and said what the Father would do and say in like circumstances, anyone who saw the Son also the Father. To know the Son is to know the Father. Second, Christ reveals the Father to the faithful, as it is written, “Neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.” (Matthew 11:27.) …

8. He is the Eternal Judge.

“The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: that all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father.” (John 5:22-23.) And this Son of Man, in a not far-distant day, shall come again, in all the glory of his Father’s kingdom, to take vengeance upon the ungodly and to give glory and honor to the righteous.

9. He is the Father.

There are three ways in which Christ the Son is properly called the Father. First, he is “the Father of the heavens and of the earth, and all things that in them are.” (Ether 4:7.) That is, he is the Maker, Organizer, and Creator of all things; he fathered them in this sense. Second, he is the Father of all who believe and obey his law. Those who receive the gospel have “power to become [his]sons.” (D&C 39:4.) they thus become “the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters”; they are “spiritually begotten” by him; they take upon them “the name of Christ.” (Mosiah 5:7-8.) They are born again and have a new Father. Third, he is the Father by divine investiture of authority. “In all His dealings with the human family Jesus the Son has represented and yet represents Elohim His Father in power and authority.” The Father, accordingly, places his own name upon the Son so the Son can speak in the first person as though he were the Father. “And so far as power, authority and Godship are concerned His words and acts were and are those of the Father.” (“The Father and the Son,” exposition of the First Presidency, June 30, 1916.)

Articles of Faith: What Do Latter-day Saints Believe About the Godhead 4?

 

Article of Faith 1

We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ,

                                and in the Holy Ghost.

 

This is the fourth article on the Godhead in my series on the Articles of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The past few weeks, I discussed a statement by the Prophet Joseph Smith in a lecture on faith titled “The Character of God.” Early in the lecture, he shared three things that are necessary to have faith in God strong enough to lead to salvation. The statement is important enough to repeat in this discussion. 

Let us here observe, that three things are necessary, in order that any rational and intelligent being may exercise faith in God unto life and salvation.

First, The idea that he actually exists.

Secondly, A correct idea of his character, perfections and attributes.

Thirdly, An actual knowledge that the course of life which he is pursuing is according to his will. — For without an acquaintance with these three important facts, the faith of every rational being must be imperfect and unproductive; but with this understanding, it can become perfect and fruitful, abounding in righteousness unto the praise and glory of God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Two weeks ago, I discussed the personality of each member of the Godhead, or Trinity. Last week, I used the words of Elder James E. Talmage to share some of the divine attributes of the Godhead (The Articles of Faith [1890], pp. 42-44). This week, I will share the words of Elder Bruce R. McConkie (A New Witness for the Articles of Faith [1985], 45-50) to discuss how God is or can be known to everyone.

1. God is known by instinct.

All men are spirit children of God the Eternal Father. In the premortal life we all dwelt in his presence, saw his face, and heard his voice. We were as well acquainted with him in that day as we are with our earthly fathers in this. The spirit within us is the offspring of God. Now housed in a tabernacle of clay, it is the intelligent, sentient, believing, knowing part of the human personality. The mind of man is in the spirit.

The probationary nature of our mortal estate calls for us to forget the life we lived and the experiences we had when we dwelt in the courts of the Eternal King. But it does not divest us of the spiritual and mental talents we acquired while in that eternal world. We are born into mortality with every innate capacity, every instinct to believe truth and cleave unto light, every faculty and ability with which we were then endowed.

Further, as part of life itself, all mortals are endowed with a heavenly gift called the light of Christ. This divine endowment manifests to us the difference between good and evil. We do not need to be taught what is right and wrong. This knowledge is bred in our bones; it is hereditary; it is innate, inborn, and intuitional in nature. Call it conscience, if you will, say that it is a divine inheritance from a Divine Parent; identify it as a spark of divinity sent by Deity to fire the soul with the flames of righteousness; call it the Spirit of Christ – it has many names. But what counts is that it is real. It is “the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” (D&C 93:2.) Of it Mormon said: “The Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil.” (Moroni 7:16.) In a revelation to Joseph Smith the Lord called it “the Spirit of Jesus Christ, and the Spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world.” All receive a divine inheritance at birth. It is a free gift as far as any act performed in mortality is concerned….

2. God is known by reason.

Man’s instinctive belief in God and his inborn desire to worship a Supreme Being is strengthened by reason. The seeds of belief are watered from the wells of reason, and the tree of faith soon sprouts in the believing soul. And the more man learns about himself and all the mysteries and marvels of the human body; the more he knows about life in all its forms and varieties; the greater his knowledge becomes about the planets and suns that sweep through the starry heavens – the more he knows about all things, the clearer it becomes to him that there is a divine hand, an omnipotent power, a supreme person, a ruling law that first created and now governs all that is. Truly, all things attest that there is an Almighty God. “All things denote there is a God,” Alma said, “yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea and all the planets which move in their regular form do witness there is a Supreme Creator.” (Alma 30:44.)

But seeking God by reason alone and through intellectual processes without more is fraught with peril. It is easy for a rational mind to see order in the system of creation and to learn of the laws by which worlds and galaxies are controlled. There are evidences of design on every hand; cause and effect operate in the animal and vegetable kingdoms as well as with the rocks and the rains. The peril lies in assuming that the laws and powers are God, in worshipping and serving “the creature more than the Creator.” (Romans 1:25.)

Neither instinct nor reason, nor the two combined, sets forth the nature and kind of being whom men must worship to gain salvation. Both simply lay a foundation and chart a course leading to a knowledge of the true and living God. Every rational person knows there is some supreme power, some first great cause, some omnipotent force in the universe. The reasoning step that follows this recognition is that the design is not the designer, the contrivance is not the contriver, the law and power are not the being by whom these came. The existence of created things simply bears witness that there is a Creator….

3. God is known through history and tradition.

Because God created man in his own image and likeness and placed him on earth as an essential requirement for gaining salvation, because salvation is gained through a knowledge of God and an obedience to the laws of his gospel, and because eternal life itself consists of knowing the Father and the Son, it follows that God must in necessity reveal himself and his laws to man. This he did. Adam our father, the first man of all men, the primal parent of the human race, received a knowledge of God by revelation. God the Eternal Father walked and talked with him in the Garden of Eden; the Lord Jehovah appeared to him after the fall; and from angelic ministrants and by the gift of the Holy Ghost he learned the saving truths of the gospel. This was the beginning of the knowledge of the true God among man. “And Adam and Eve blessed the name of God, and they made all things known unto their sons and their daughters.” (Moses 5:12.)

Adam is the pattern. He stands as earth’s first prophet, and among his righteous descendants a host of prophets are numbered. At least eight generations of descendants lived to hear his teachings. Presiding high priests representing seven of these generations (Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, and Methuselah) were all with him at Adam-ondi-Ahman when the Lord Jehovah appeared and ministered among them. (D&C 107:53-55.) To see and commune with either the Father or the Son is to know them both, for hey are in the express image of each other and are one in all they do….

4. God is known by revelation.

Though every man in his inner being, by instinct and in the very marrow of his soul, knows there is a God; though logic and sense and reason, and the persuasive voice of nature, and the thunderous trumpet of creation, all bear witness that there is a God; though the voice of our fathers, carried to us by history and tradition, speaks the common consensus of all men that there is a God --- yet, in the final and supreme sense, there is only one way to know God. That way is by revelation. Where religion and divine beings are concerned, we are in the realm not of the mind and of the human senses, but of the Spirit. God stands revealed or he remains forever unknown. The Holy Ghost is a revelator. His mission is to reveal truth and to bear witness of the Father and the Son. There is no other way to gain knowledge of the true and living God; revelation alone is the source of that perfect wisdom….

“How do men obtain a knowledge of the glory of God, his perfections and attributes?” the Prophet [Joseph Smith] asked. His answer: “By devoting themselves to his service, through prayer and supplication incessantly strengthening their faith in him, until, like Enoch, the brother of Jared, and Moses, they obtain a manifestation of God to themselves.” (Lectures on Faith 2, Questions and Answers.) “Verily, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am.” (D&C 93:1.)

Articles of Faith: What Do Latter-day Saints Believe About the Godhead 3?

                                                             Article of Faith 1

We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ,

                                                        and in the Holy Ghost. 

This is the third article on the Godhead in my series on the Articles of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The past two weeks, I discussed a statement by the Prophet Joseph Smith in a lecture on faith titled “The Character of God.” Early in the lecture, he shared three things that are necessary to have faith in God strong enough to lead to salvation. The statement is important enough to repeat in this discussion. 

Let us here observe, that three things are necessary, in order that any rational and intelligent being may exercise faith in God unto life and salvation.

First, The idea that he actually exists.

Secondly, A correct idea of his character, perfections and attributes.

Thirdly, An actual knowledge that the course of life which he is pursuing, is according to his will.—For without an acquaintance with these three important facts, the faith of every rational being must be imperfect and unproductive; but with this understanding, it can become perfect and fruitful, abounding in righteousness unto the praise and glory of God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Last week I discussed the personality of each member of the Godhead, or Trinity. This week I will use the words of Elder James E. Talmage about some of the divine attributes of the Godhead (Elder James E. Talmage, The Articles of Faith [1890], pp. 42-44).

God is Omnipresent

There is no part of creation, however remote, into which God cannot penetrate; through the medium of the Spirit the Godhead is in direct communication with all things at all times. It has been said, therefore, that God is everywhere present; but this does not mean that the actual person of any one member of the Godhead can be physically present in more than one place at one time. The senses of each of the Trinity are of infinite power; His mind is of unlimited capacity; His powers of transferring Himself from place to place are infinite; plainly, however, His person cannot be in more than one place at any one time. Admitting the personality of God, we are compelled to accept the fact of His materiality; indeed, an “immaterial being,” under which meaningless name some have sought to designate the condition of God, cannot exist, for the very expression is a contradiction in terms. If God possesses a form, that form is of necessity of definite proportions and therefore of limited extension in space. It is impossible for Him to occupy at one time more than one space of such limits; and it is not surprising, therefore, to learn from the scriptures that He moves from place to place. Thus we read in connection with the account of the Tower of Babel, “And the Lord [i.e., Jehovah, the Son] came down to see the city and the tower” (Gen. 11:5). Again, God appeared to Abraham, and having declared Himself to be “the Almighty God,” He talked with the patriarch, and established a covenant with him; then we read “And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham” (Gen. 17:1, 22).

God is Omniscient

By Him matter has been organized and energy directed. He is therefore the Creator of all things that are created; and “Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world” (Acts 15:18). His power and His wisdom are alike incomprehensible to man, for they are infinite. Being Himself eternal and perfect, His knowledge cannot be otherwise than infinite. To comprehend Himself, an infinite Being, He must possess an infinite mind. Through the agency of angels and ministering servants He is in continuous communication with all parts of creation, and may personally visit as He may determine.

God is Omnipotent

He is properly called the Almighty. Man can discern proofs of the divine omnipotence on every side, in the forces that control the elements of earth and guide the orbs of heaven in their prescribed courses. Whatever His wisdom indicates as necessary to be done God can and will do. The means through which He operates may not be of infinite capacity in themselves, but they are directed by an infinite power. A rational conception of His omnipotence is power to do all that He may will to do.

God is kind, benevolent, and loving – tender, considerate, and long-suffering, bearing patiently with the frailties of His children. He is just and merciful in judgment, yet combining with these gentler qualities firmness in avenging wrongs. He is jealous of His own power and the reverence paid to Him; that is to say, He is zealous for the principles of truth and purity, which are nowhere exemplified in a higher degree than in His personal attributes. This Being is the author of our existence, Him we are permitted to approach as Father. Our faith will increase in Him as we learn of Him.

Articles of Faith: What Do Latter-day Saints Believe About the Godhead 2?

Article of Faith 1

We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ,

                                and in the Holy Ghost.

This will be the second article on the Godhead in my series on the Articles of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Last week, I discussed a statement by the Prophet Joseph Smith in a lecture on faith titled “The Character of God.” Early in the lecture, he shared three things that are necessary to have faith in God strong enough to lead to salvation. The statement is important enough to repeat in this discussion. 

Let us here observe, that three things are necessary, in order that any rational and intelligent being may exercise faith in God unto life and salvation.

First, The idea that he actually exists.

Secondly, A correct idea of his character, perfections and attributes.

Thirdly, An actual knowledge that the course of life which he is pursuing, is according to his will.—For without an acquaintance with these three important facts, the faith of every rational being must be imperfect and unproductive; but with this understanding, it can become perfect and fruitful, abounding in righteousness unto the praise and glory of God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Last week I discussed how the Godhead, or Trinity, consists of three separate Beings with the same purpose. They have such powerful unity that they would, “Under any given conditions each would act in the same way, guided by the same principles of unerring justice and equity.” (Elder James E. Talmage, The Articles of Faith [1890], p. 41).

This week, I choose to use the words of Elder Talmage to discuss the “personality of each member of the Godhead.”

From the evidence already presented, it is clear that the Father is a personal being, possessing a definite form, with bodily parts and spiritual passions. Jesus Christ, who was with the Father in spirit before coming to dwell in the flesh, and through whom the worlds were made, lived among men as a man, with all the physical characteristics of a human being; after His resurrection He appeared in the same form; in that form He ascended into heaven; and in that form He has manifested Himself to the Nephites, and to modern prophets. We are assured that Christ was in the express image of His Father, after which image man also has been created. Therefore we know that both the Father and the Son are in form and stature perfect men; each of them possesses a tangible body, infinitely pure and perfect and attended by transcendent glory, nevertheless a body of flesh and bones.

The Holy Ghost, called also Spirit, and Spirit of the Lord, Spirit of God, Comforter, and Spirit of Truth, is not tabernacled in a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of spirit; yet we know that the Spirit has manifested Himself in the form of a man. Through the ministrations of the Spirit the Father and the Son may operate in their dealings with mankind; through Him knowledge is communicated, and by Him the purposes of the Godhead are achieved. The Holy Ghost is the witness of the Father and the Son, declaring to man their attributes, bearing record of the other personages of the Godhead (The Articles of Faith [1890], pp. 41-42).

Articles of Faith: What Does It Mean to Believe?

Twelve of the thirteen Articles of Faith begin with the words “We believe.” What does it mean to believe? Elder Bruce R. McConkie defined belief this way.

Belief, humble belief, is the foundation of all righteousness and the beginning of spiritual progression….

Belief is the brilliant beacon that marks the course through the waves and woes of the world to that celestial harbor where rest and safety are found….

Belief in its full glory and beauty comes from God and is a divine gift bestowed upon all mankind. It is a heaven-sent boon of infinite worth that, in the full and true sense, is nothing more nor less than faith itself….

Belief, in the sense of intellectual assent to the existence of various truths, is the common inheritance of all mankind. Every normal and accountable person believes something. Such is a part of the natural heritage that goes with existence itself. Each human being has a mind, given of God, that believes and knows certain things without reference to revelation. The thought process is inherent in life itself, and we cannot exist without believing something. Belief in this sense has no relationship to gaining salvation.

Belief, in the sense of accepting or adhering to certain standards or principles of goodness, is also the common inheritance of all mankind. All are in a position to know the difference between good and evil. This knowledge comes to each person from his conscience. It is a divine endowment. It is the light of Christ, the light that enlightens every soul born into mortality….

Belief, in the true gospel sense and as commonly used in the scriptures, means faith. And faith is a gift of God reserved for those who abide the law entitling them to receive a boon so beneficent and a gift so great. Thus, to gain salvation, mankind must believe in Christ, or in other words, have faith in him….

Belief brings salvation and belief brings damnation. Men [and women] are saved or damned, depending upon what they believe. If they believe in Christ and his saving truths, they are heirs of salvation…

Salvation comes to those who believe the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Rejection of his gospel closes the door to salvation….

All persons will be judged according to the deeds done in the flesh; as their works have been here in mortality, so shall their rewards be in immortality. This means they will be judged for their beliefs, or in other words for their thoughts, their words, and their acts. Beliefs are born of thoughts; they are then expressed in words; and, finally, they are manifest before mankind in works….

We conclude, therefore, that salvation depends upon belief. If we believe in God and feel in our hearts that he is a Holy Man; if we believe we are his children, endowed with power to become like him; if we believe that by godly conduct we can so obtain – then we will do the things whereby salvation comes…. (A New Witness for the Articles of Faith [1985], 21-23, 250).

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.