faith – Page 6 – What Do Mormons Believe?

Fundamentals of the Gospel

sermon Of all the many topics and teachings in the church, I have been most impressed with the simplicity and the all-encompassing power of the most fundamental points of the gospel. A month or two back, a post in this blog quoted the Articles of Faith as a summary of our beliefs and I would like to focus on the fourth: “We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.” These topics can be handled individually for specific treatment but I would like here just to cover them as they relate to each other and how they relate to personal life.

Faith is the beginning. It is by faith that we act. It is a belief in that which is not seen. A most basic but firm belief impels us to seek after the object of our faith. Faith centered in Christ compels us to believe in His existence, words, example, sacrifice and love. As in any true belief, faith causes one to act. I believe that what Christ taught can be applied for my benefit therefore I employ my ability to follow those teachings because I believe in Him. I can be improved by doing those things which he taught. If it is a true principle, then I will be blessed. Naturally, as I perceive the blessings, my faith will increase because I saw the effect of my decision to follow. Action increases faith and faith results in action, but decisions keep the cycle going.

Of course, there are always times when one fails to obey and distances himself from God. That distance does not have to be permanent. There is a manner for everyone to be reconciled with God through repentance. Denoting a change in thought and action, repentance is essentially the ability to change our lives from misery to happiness by relinquishing one’s grasp on harmful activities that damage the body and the spirit. It can be a harsh process, to be sure, to discard habits or control actions but it is at its very core a wonderful blessing allowing us to grow closer to God and thus become happier.

This heartfelt change of body and soul allows healing, forgiveness and growth. It is completed in baptism. As an external ordinance, baptism is a symbolic sign of our dedication to follow Christ. Complete immersion suggests to the mind the death and burial of our former sins followed by a rebirth and resurrection as a disciple of Christ, just as Christ also died and rose again on the third day. Here in baptism, a sacred covenant or promise is made with the Lord where receiving the Holy Ghost is conditional upon compliance to the promise.

By taking upon us the name of Christ, keeping His commandments, and always remembering Him, we fulfill our part and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost serves as our constant companion, guide, comforter, and purifier of the repentant soul. Wherein baptism washes us clean with water, the Holy Ghost purifies us as with fire and Christ mends our broken heart and soul.

This is a continual process of exercising our faith by repenting then qualifying for the covenant of baptism and the healing power of the Holy Ghost. This is the gospel of Jesus Christ in its specific sense, that all may come to Him and receive help. It is the manner of happiness that God intended for us and it is only possible through the power of the atonement and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

“And, if you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God.”
Doctrine and Covenants 14:7

Works and Grace

Some find the doctrines relating to works and grace to be an intimidating topic in the world of religion, particularly as it relates to the LDS faith. It needn’t be. It is a simple doctrine.

We do not believe, as some do, that Christ’s grace will save us independently of our actions. His sacrifice on the cross did not eliminate our personal responsibility. That is not to say that His grace is not sufficient for all, because it is. However, were we saved by grace alone, what would be the point in living a lifestyle of obedience and sacrifice? We could do whatever we desired and still obtain salvation by accepting Christ. Yet God requires that His followers obey Him, whether or not we know (or understand) His reasoning.

The problem here is that we simply cannot be perfectly obedient. Only the Savior could fulfill the demands of justice and be perfectly compliant with the Father’s will. That is why works alone will not suffice. None of us would be able to achieve the expectations placed before us by only our own efforts. We are all dependent on Christ for our salvation. Thus, we need His grace. And we need repentance. We must do our part, which consists of both continuous efforts for improvement and proper repentance.

Let me share part of the explanation from the Bible dictionary:

“It is . . . through the grace of the Lord that individuals, through faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance of their sins, receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means. This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts.

Divine grace is needed by every soul in consequence of the fall of Adam and also because of man’s weaknesses and shortcomings. However, grace cannot suffice without total effort on the part of the recipient.”

Christ invites all men to “Come unto me . . . and I will give you rest . . . For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28,30) But we must first come; He will not simply bestow His lighter burden on all. We must first knock in order to enter in to His rest. We need both to act and accept His divine grace.

The Restoration’s Unique Atonement Doctrine

Every six months the heads of our Church invite us to participate in a General Conference. The prophet, his counselors, and the twelve apostles each speak to us, along with other general authorities and officers. One of my favorite talks was given by a man named Bruce C. Hafen, who currently serves as a member of the quorum of the Seventy.

authorbrucehafenjpg His talk, called The Atonement: All for All, clarifies ideas such as the fall of Adam, the atonement of Jesus Christ, the interplay between grace and works, and the purpose of life. I’ll list some of my favorite quotations below. I encourage you to read his talk in full or listen to it, so you will better understand our position on these controversial subjects.

(Following are snippets from his talk. They are individually profound, but lack cohesion from paragraph to paragraph. See the original talk for proper context.)

As we “talk [more] of Christ” (2 Nephi 25:26), the gospel’s doctrinal fulness will come out of obscurity. For example, some of our friends can’t see how our Atonement beliefs relate to our beliefs about becoming more like our Heavenly Father. Others mistakenly think our Church is moving toward an understanding of the relationship between grace and works that draws on Protestant teachings.

Adam and Eve learned constantly from their often harsh experience. They knew how a troubled family feels. Think of Cain and Abel. Yet because of the Atonement, they could learn from their experience without being condemned by it. Christ’s sacrifice didn’t just erase their choices and return them to an Eden of innocence. That would be a story with no plot and no character growth. His plan is developmental—line upon line, step by step, grace for grace.

Only the restored gospel has the fulness of these truths! Yet the adversary is engaged in one of history’s greatest cover-ups, trying to persuade people that this Church knows least—when in fact it knows most—about how our relationship with Christ makes true Christians of us.

The rich young man had given almost everything. When the Savior told him he must sell all his possessions, that wasn’t just a story about riches (Matthew 19:16-22). We can have eternal life if we want it, but only if there is nothing else we want more.
So we must willingly give everything, because God Himself can’t make us grow against our will and without our full participation. Yet even when we utterly spend ourselves, we lack the power to create the perfection only God can complete. Our all by itself is still only almost enough—until it is finished by the all of Him who is the “finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). At that point, our imperfect but consecrated almost is enough.

What Do Mormons Believe? – The Basics

I don’t pretend to know all the answers, but I know where I can find them. The basic beliefs of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are spelled out as part of the restoration by Joseph Smith in the “Articles of Faith”. He states in 13 articles:

We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.
We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.
We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.
We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.
We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.
We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisaical glory.
We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.
We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.
We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul–We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

These are the beliefs that set Mormons apart from the rest of the religious world. That is not to discount all the truths of other religions around the world. Bring your truth and we will add to it. We hope these articles will spark many more questions from you, our readers.

Where Do Babies Come From?

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:
The Soul that rises with us, our life’s Star,
Hath had elsewhere its setting,
And cometh from afar:
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home:

-William Wordsworth

We lived as spirits before we were born. This is one of those truths that many people accept and believe when they hear it, yet very few Christian ministers will teach it. It surprises me.

What was it like to live as a spirit? We don’t have all the details, but we do know that we had a Father who loved us. In His hopes for our futures he saw us growing up in integrity and character. To help us in our education and progression, he created the world and offered each of us the chance to live on it in physical, mortal bodies.

The physical realm was a step up for us. It meant becoming a bit more like Father, since his body was physical, immortal, and perfect. Of course, mortality, as we’ve all found out, has its pitfalls. Disease, poverty, hunger, death, and other misfortunes of many kinds are the tests we’ve been given to help us grow, both collectively and individually.

Central to Father’s plan was a Savior, a person who would not only mitigate the challenges of mortal living, but also vanquish death itself. Permanently. He would also bridge the chasm of sin…the chasm we help dig by our own poor decisions.

Jesus Christ, then known as Jehovah, was the first-born of the Father, and the obvious candidate for the job. We shouted for joy at the thought of our eldest brother leading us into this new frontier. We knew we would be fine if He was our Savior. We already had faith in him.

Another of Father’s most clever sons also came, vying for the position. Lucifer’s campaign promises included saving all people from sin and death (by removing their free will). He must have been persuasive, because he drew a third of all spirits with him, but rather than getting their demands, they were denied entrance into physical bodies of their own.

We know that since we are here, we made the right choice. Before we were born we had faith in Jesus Christ, and we can have faith in him still. He will do everything he set out to do, and we can make the choice every day to be on His side.

See “The Plan of Salvation“