XML FeedsArchives for: February 2008
Articles of Faith Series, Part 7
The Articles of Faith are thirteen statements of basic belief for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (referred to as the Mormons). They were written as a part of a document called the Wentworth Letter, which Joseph Smith wrote in 1842 to John Wentworth of the Chicago Democrat. Later, these brief statements were set to music by American composer Vanja Watkins. In this series, we will examine the truths presented in the Articles of Faith.
Article of Faith 7:
We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.
The gifts of the Spirit are miracles given by God to those with faith in God.
Elder James A. Cullimore, an assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, said:
I bear my solemn witness that these gifts are with the Church today. The sick are healed, the eyes of the blind are opened, the ears of the deaf are unstopped, the lame are made to walk. The gift of tongues blesses our missionaries and others the world over. The gifts of wisdom and knowledge are evidenced by the leadership of our people everywhere. Devils are cast out, spirits are discerned, the gift of faith is demonstrated on every side. Many mighty miracles give evidence that this is indeed His church, the church of Jesus Christ. All the gifts and powers and blessings that have always identified Christ’s church are with the Church today.
As members of the Church, is our faith sufficiently strong? Are we in tune with the Spirit that we might be blessed by these great gifts? Do we believe a miracle can be performed or a blessing given? Do we call upon the priesthood as often as we should to administer to the sick? Do we believe we can be healed? Do we have faith to heal? Is the priesthood always prepared to give a blessing? How strong is your faith?
(Gifts of the Spirit, October 1974)
Apostle Robert D. Hales gave this additional counsel regarding gifts of the Spirit:
The gifts of the Spirit can guide and enrich our lives. They can strengthen us spiritually and temporally. They can help us bless the lives of others. Most important, they can bring us comfort in times of trial. They can help us magnify our callings. They can help guide us in our relationships. They can help us avoid being deceived.
I bear testimony that God has given us the gifts of the Spirit to allow us to be drawn more closely into His circle of love. He desires that we should receive these gifts of the Spirit and magnify them and have them grow within us. We have to teach one another how to seek after them. As we do, our faith in Him will increase and our true destiny will be fulfilled, ultimately to return to His presence as His valiant sons and daughters. May we seek after and obtain these gifts, I humbly pray.
God is a God of miracles, today as in Biblical times. Through our faith, we may experience the gifts of the Spirit in action. They come to strengthen our faith. They are not sent to prove the existence of God to unbelievers; rather, they strengthen the faith of those who know and follow the Savior, Jesus Christ.
MP3 Recording of The Seventh Article of Faith children's song
Articles of Faith Series, Part 2
The Articles of Faith are thirteen statements of basic belief for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (referred to as the Mormons). They were written as a part of a document called the Wentworth Letter, which Joseph Smith wrote in 1842 to John Wentworth of the Chicago Democrat. Later, these brief statements were set to music by American composer Vanja Watkins. In this series, we will examine the truths presented in the Articles of Faith.
Article of Faith 2:
We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is good news, glad tidings, and much more. It is the message of salvation as repeatedly announced by Jesus Christ and His apostles and prophets. It is my firm belief that all truth and light originating with God is embraced in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
God, our Savior and Redeemer, has said that it is His work and glory “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” (Moses 1:39) God the Father is the author of the gospel; it is a key part of God’s plan of salvation, or plan of redemption. It is called the gospel of Jesus Christ because it is the Atonement of Jesus Christ that makes redemption and salvation possible. Through the Atonement all men, women, and children are unconditionally redeemed from physical death, and all will be redeemed from their own sins on the condition of accepting and obeying the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I thank God for giving us freedom from the transgression of Adam. I also praise Him for giving us responsibility for our own choices. He is truly both merciful and just.
--
Document with Links
--
The Articles of Faith are thirteen statements of basic belief for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (referred to as the Mormons). They were written as a part of a document called the Wentworth Letter, which Joseph Smith wrote in 1842 to John Wentworth of the Chicago Democrat. Later, these brief statements were set to music by American composer Vanja Watkins. In this series, we will examine the truths presented in the Articles of Faith.
Article of Faith 2:
We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.
The doctrine presented in this Article of Faith is vital in two ways. First, it shows that God will not punish us because of the actions of another. Second, it affirms that we are responsible for our own sins.
The Fall of Adam was necessary in the plan of God. It enabled our Heavenly Father to put us in a place where we were exposed to temptation in order to prove ourselves. We also became subject to physical death. Mercifully, He provided a Savior to atone for our imperfections. Through Jesus Christ, we can overcome the effects of the fall of Adam. He provides for all men and women to be resurrected and receive immortal bodies, and for those who choose to follow him to receive Eternal Life as well.
President Deiter F. Uchtdorf, who was recently called to the First Presidency of the Church, said:
The gospel of Jesus Christ is good news, glad tidings, and much more. It is the message of salvation as repeatedly announced by Jesus Christ and His apostles and prophets. It is my firm belief that all truth and light originating with God is embraced in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
God, our loving Father in Heaven, has said that it is His work and glory “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” God the Father is the author of the gospel; it is a key part of God’s plan of salvation, or plan of redemption. It is called the gospel of Jesus Christ because it is the Atonement of Jesus Christ that makes redemption and salvation possible. Through the Atonement all men, women, and children are unconditionally redeemed from physical death, and all will be redeemed from their own sins on the condition of accepting and obeying the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I thank God for giving us freedom from the transgression of Adam. I also praise Him for giving us responsibility for our own choices. He is truly both merciful and just.
MP3 Recording of The Second Article of Faith children's song
Articles of Faith Series, Part 1
The Articles of Faith are thirteen statements of basic belief for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (referred to as the Mormons). They were written as a part of a document called the Wentworth Letter, which Joseph Smith wrote in 1842 to John Wentworth of the Chicago Democrat. Later, these brief statements were set to music by American composer Vanja Watkins. In this series, we will examine the truths presented in the Articles of Faith.
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 basis of all things we believe in the modern Church of Jesus Christ. Without a correct knowledge of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, worship and pursuit of other truth would be pointless.
When Joseph Smith, the first modern president of the Church, received his First Vision at the age of 14, God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him. They answered his prayer, but they also taught him by their appearance that the Father and the Son are separate physical beings, and that the Holy Ghost does not have a physical body. This corroborates the account of the baptism of Jesus Christ, when God the Father spoke from Heaven, the Holy Ghost descended in the form of a dove, and Jesus, Son of God, was in the river Jordan with John the Baptist.
President Gordon B. Hinckley, fifteenth President of the Church, said the following about the significance of this Article of Faith:
The first article of faith is familiar to all members of the Church. It is the pivotal position of our religion. It is significant that in setting forth the primary elements of our doctrine, the Prophet Joseph put this number one. . .
I believe without equivocation or reservation in God, the Eternal Father. He is my Father, the Father of my spirit, and the Father of the spirits of all men. He is the great Creator, the Ruler of the Universe. He directed the Creation of this earth on which we live. In His image man was created. He is personal. He is real. He is individual. He has “a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s.”
In the account of the Creation of the earth, “God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”Could any language be more clear? Does it demean God, as some would have us believe, that man was created in His express image? Rather, it should stir within the heart of every man and woman a greater appreciation for himself or herself as a son or daughter of God.
I am grateful for the blessings of this first, basic principle: that God is our Father, His Son is our Redeemer, and the Holy Ghost testifies of Them.
MP3 Recording of "The First Article of Faith" children's song