Articles of Faith: The Godhead

1 We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.

This is the first of the Articles of Faith for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It contains several very simple truths that even a child can understand, yet, the truths are so profound that it can take a lifetime (or longer) to learn what they truly mean.

We believe in God. We believe that He is the Father of our spirits. We believe that He has a body of flesh and bone (Doctrine and Covenants 130:22). We believe that He is the creator of all things in our universe (Mosiah 4:9). We believe that He loves us infinitely. We believe that He has made laws for our protection and happiness. We believe that if we follow the laws that He gives us, we can return to live in His presence after we die.

We believe that God is the literal Father of Jesus Christ's mortal body. We believe that as the Son of God, Jesus Christ was able to live a perfect life. We believe that as the Son of Mary, Jesus Christ was then able to die for the sins of the world. We also believe that as the Son of God, He was able to take His body again as a glorified being. We believe that Christ now has a resurrected body of flesh and bone. We believe that He is one with our Heavenly Father in purpose, yet they are two separate beings with distinct roles (Mark 9:7).

We believe that the Holy Ghost testifies of God, the Father and of Jesus Christ, our Savior. We believe that the Holy ghost has a spirit body. In this way, the Spirit can enter our hearts and tell us of the truth of all things (Moroni 10:5).

We believe in the Godhead. We believe that they are three distinct beings. We believe that they share a common purpose, which is to bring all people back to live with them. We believe that our Heavenly Father has a perfect plan that through Jesus Christ's sacrifice, all of us can return to live with them. We believe that we can know that this is a true plan by the confirming witness of the Holy Ghost.

I invite you to pray to our Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ. I promise that if you are sincere, the Holy Spirit will give you an answer to your prayer.

Articles of Faith: Introduction

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there are 13 statements that give an overview of many important doctrines. These statements are collectively known as the Articles of Faith.

These articles were written with a focus on explaining the church's beliefs in contrast to other churches of the early 19th century. The articles also draw connections to the original Church of Jesus Christ, the one that Christ established while he walked the earth. I plan to write a post on each of these articles. The articles are as follows:

1 We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.

2 We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.

3 We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

4 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.

5 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.

6 We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.

7 We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.

8 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.

9 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.

10 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 paradisiacal glory.

11 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.

12 We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.

13 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.

The Ten Commandments

The Ten commandments are found in the Book of Exodus in the Old Testament of the Bible. In Exodus chapter 20, we read that these ten commandments are:

Image Taken From LDS.org

In my recent review of these ten commandments I had several insights. First of all I want to talk about Spanish. In the Spanish version of these verses the future tense is used. This can be translated back to English in several ways (though I don't profess to be an expert translator). I'll Use "Thou shalt not kill" as my example, which is "No matarás" in Spanish:

1. Do not kill
2. You will not kill
3. Thou shalt not kill

For me, translation 3 is the least applicable to my lingo. Using translations 1 and 2 helps the ten commandments to seem more direct and forceful, like they still should be in the world today.

Now looking at some of the commandments individually I will help define some words to clarify even more what we are expected to do to observe these ten commandments:

The first talks about having no other gods before the god of the Old Testament. Jehova is this God. He is the pre-mortal Jesus. In today's busy world, I would say that most of us let "other gods" come before Jesus Christ, myself included at times. A few samples of "other gods" might include:

• Social media
• A career
• A hobby
• TV, movies, video games, smart phones, and other electronic devices
• Our "favorite sin" (you know, the one that we know we have a problem with, but aren't ready to let go)

Such things aren't inherently bad or wrong, but when they take the place of Jesus Christ, they become "other gods" in our lives. To help me with this commandment, I set a goal this year to not use social media unless I've already studied the scriptures that day. I can count many days where I did my scripture reading (not even studying) right before falling to sleep, but somehow managed to fit 15, 30, even 60 minutes of Facebook into my day. I'm doing fairly well with this goal, but don't be afraid to check up on me if you see me active on Facebook.

The third tells us to not take the name of God in vain. I decided to look up the word "vain" and the phrase "take in vain" to better understand this commandment. "Vain" basically means without effect or avail; irreverent or improper manner. "Take in vain" means to abuse, misuse, and/or pervert.

With these definitions I learned that when we use the name of God (or any other similar name: Jesus, Jehova, Allah, etc.) irreverently, we are not in line with this commandment. I recently watched Disney's Aladdin and noticed that there were several uses of the name Allah, two of which I would definitely deem irreverent. Since Allah means "the God" in Arabic, and Islam (who practice their religion in Arabic) is an Abrahamic religion (meaning they believe they are descendants of Abraham through Ishmael), then using the name of Allah is nearly the same as using the name of God in Christian religions. To be safe, we should respect the names of the gods of all religions. This way we will be blessed for living the third commandment and we will also avoid offending others for insulting their god.

The fourth tells us to remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. This commandment comes with a lot of specific details in Exodus 20:8-11. Specifically, it tells us that God created the earth in six days and rested on the seventh. We are to likewise rest from our labors on the Sabbath and worship God on that day. Originally, the Sabbath was Saturday as the Jews and Seventh Day Adventists still observe (among others). After Christ was resurrected on the first day of the week (Sunday) His followers began to meet on Sunday rather than Saturday. More important than the actual day of observance is the act of keeping a day Holy. On the Sabbath we should refrain from working, physical activities such as exercise and sports, and fill the day with worship. A day of rest doesn't mean we should nap all day and do nothing. We really should find things to do that help us to grow spiritually. We need to remember the day so that we will keep it as a holy day.

The fifth is about honoring our parents. This is the only commandment of the ten that comes with a blessing: "that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee." To honor is to hold in high respect. That doesn't mean we must blindly do everything that our parents tell us. Rather we should follow their rules while we are in their house (as long as they don't conflict with Gods rules) and hold their opinions and advice in high regard.

The eighth is about not stealing. In a largely digital world, we need to make sure we give credit to others when we use their content. This means that we get permissions where needed, reference the things we use from others, and pay for media that is copyrighted.

The ninth is about not bearing false witness. This includes lying to cover for someone else. It's better to be honest than to be liked (not that we should be verbal and brutally honest about every single thing we are thinking).

The tenth is about not coveting. To covet is to desire something wrongfully.Thus if we want to have all sorts of things to appear great before mankind, then that is wrongfully desiring. It is good to have righteous desires, but we need to make sure we are doing things for the right reasons.

When Jesus taught during His ministry, he fulfilled the Law of Moses. The ten commandments are part of this law. Jesus fulfilled the law by placing a higher law for his followers. His higher law requires more accountability. One example of His higher law is found in Matthew 5:27-28:

27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

In order to follow Jesus, the ten commandments are a good place to start, but eventually we must learn to live His higher law. The ten commandments will keep any society in a peaceful and loving state. Plus we receive blessings for every commandment we keep, and this is a great way to be worthy of a handful of blessings.

As mentioned above, these are my own insights, and I don't intend to impose them on anyone else, but I like to put them out for others to review and incorporate as desired. I hope someone is enlightened by something I've had to say.

Pioneer Day

Today is July 24, 2013. 166 years ago, today, faithful followers of Jesus Christ arrived in the barren desert of the Wasatch Front. These Christians left everything they possessed, other than the bare essentials, and crossed the plains of the Midwest. Their faith in Jesus Christ and His restored gospel motivated them to take such drastic measures as to leave the homes they had established to move west.

These saints of Jesus Christ were persecuted for their faith, much like the saints in the New Testament. But they knew that the religion they believed in was the very same religion that Jesus Christ established during his mortal ministry: His church. The living prophet in 1847, Brigham Young, led the faithful saints to Utah where they could openly practice their religious beliefs. I'm grateful for the many sacrifices of those "Mormon Pioneers." I was born and raised in Utah in a home where Christ was at the center.

I know that Jesus Christ established His church upon the foundation of apostles and prophets. His church was lost after He and His followers were persecuted into their graves. But in love, our God and Heavenly Father has called living prophets and apostles to guide us once again, for "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets (Amos 3:7)."

Our God is a God of miracles and He is unchanging. He performed miracles in the past and He continues to do so today. The Mormon pioneers are proof that God cares about His children and blesses them when they obey Him. May we all honor our pioneers and ancestors this, and every July 24.

Happy Pioneer Day!

Stick of Judah, Stick of Jospeh

Scripture is the written word of God.
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works (2 Timothy 3:16-17)."

Many people believe that the Bible is the only acceptable word of God. But it was prophesied long ago that there would be multiple sources of scripture.

"The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand (Ezekiel 37:15-17)."

In ancient times, a scroll of parchment was referred to as a stick. So a stick was written for Judah, or the Jews, and another was written for Joseph. Then these two stick were to be joined into one. The stick of Joseph, specifically the stick of Ephraim, was recorded long ago. It is now available for all to read, study, and learn. Everyone can know that the stick of Ephraim is the word of God, just as the Bible is the word of God.

This stick tells of a group of descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh that left Jerusalem about 600 years before Christ's birth. They crossed great waters and settled in a land of promise. They kept the records of their people, specifically concerning spiritual matters. Many wars and prideful falls are also recorded. The intent of the record is to convince both the Gentile and the Jew that Jesus is the Christ, and it was written for the benefit of those of our day. As we learn from their mistakes and successes, we will be able to come unto Christ and avoid the downfalls that the record describes.

This record was found in the early 19th century in New York. It was translated by a man of God and is now blessing the lives of millions of people all over the world. The record is known today as the Book of Mormon. Combining the teachings of the Bible and the Book of Mormon gives greater understanding and clarity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The two records compliment and expound upon one another, and thus the two sticks become one.

I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, together with the Bible. I know that the Book of Mormon helps people to change by bringing them closer to Christ. It clarifies doctrine and invites the Spirit of the Lord to dwell in our hearts. I know that everyone who reads the Book of Mormon looking for truth will find it; those who sincerely ask God if it is true will receive an answer by the Holy Ghost. This book means everything to me, and I know that it is the stick of Ephraim referred to in Ezekiel 37.

Commitment

A big difference I have noticed between "successful" and"unsuccessful" people is their levels of commitment. People who want something, but don't set their mind to getting it, won't. We have to believe in our own abilities, take a little bit of wise risk, and trust in the power of the Lord to reach those things that we want. But if we don't commit to doing something 100%, we often will fall short, when we could have reached the end if only we had had a better mindset. I have a tendency to not finish things that seem hard or take too long (I think we all do, and very few people really overcome this weakness). Some examples are in that I say to myself, "I wish I were good at ___________ (basketball, soccer, the french horn, piano, singing with vibrato, studying for a test, etc.)," and then I try a few times to be good, but don't commit to becoming good. This results in me giving up at the first signs of opposition and difficulty. An example of what is better to do is when I tell myself "I am going to get an 'A' in this class," and then I pay attention and take good notes in class, do all of the homework, ask for help when I get lost or fall behind, and study on a regular basis (not just cram for a test). The difference is that I commit to getting the good grade, whereas I would just like to acquire the skill without doing my part.

The Lord wants us to be good at many things, and will help us, if we do our part. One of my favorite scriptures is James 2:17, which says: "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." This helps me to realize that I can't just hope for things which I don't have at the present, but have to work for them. This applies both to personal attributes as well as to testimonies. If we want to strengthen our testimonies of something, we have to work for it: study it, apply it, pray about it, teach it, testify of it. We have to take risks.

Commitment is a synonym of Covenant. When we make a covenant, or promise with the Lord, we have to make it with all the intentions of  keeping it. The Lord knows our hearts and also our weaknesses. He knows if we don't intend on following through, but he also understands that we will make mistakes and fall short in many ways. But we have to live the Gospel every day, recommitting ourselves to be obedient, and to live up to the promises we've made. As we make this daily commitment, we will find more strength in making decisions between right and wrong. Likewise, as we daily commit to personal goals, such as exercise, we will find added strength to get up and do it. If we don't commit to it, any and every little distraction or excuse will take precedence. This also applies to repentance: if we commit to overcoming our weaknesses and our faults, we will DO things to change and improve. But if we just think it might be a good idea, or something we SHOULD do, we'll never seem to get around to doing it.


Commitment is also great because it stretches our potential. If on a hike, we are feeling tired, and we tell ourselves, "OK, I can at least make it to that next hill," we will go further than if we just decide to sit down. We can break down our commitments into smaller pieces to make them seem more manageable. Work on one thing at a time that needs improvement, and soon we will be much better than we ever expected. The Lord can help us reach new potentials as well. I taught the Gospel to a couple in Arrecifes, Argentina that was looking at separating, but didn't want to because they had small children they wanted to be there for. They committed to reading the scriptures and praying every day. Within a month, they decided to get married, rather than separating, because as they committed to keep some of the commandments, the Lord helped them to change and to grow, in many ways.

We can't let others pull us from our commitments, especially our covenants. It's true, life isn't fair, and things usually don't work out like we want them to or hope they will, but that need not change our personal promise to do what we say we will. It is in these hard times that we make a little more effort to keep our word that we really grow the most. The most important is that we commit to do what is right, and don't change that goal even if everyone we know rejects us for doing so.

I know that if we commit to do many small things, that we will accomplish many great things. Also, as we fall short of our goals and covenants, we can repent and be forgiven through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Through the Atonement we can also be enabled to do things that we wouldn't be able to do otherwise. Our Heavenly Father loves us and wants us to learn from our mistakes. If we commit to follow him, we will find more joy than we knew was possible.

Small and Simple

The Gospel is very simple, though not always easy to live. A few scriptures that help illustrate the simplicity of the Gospel are as follows:

Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.  And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls (Alma 37:6-7).

and

For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have (2 Nephi 28:30).

In the Old Testament there is a story of a captain named Naaman. He has leprosy, a contagious disease where the skin falls off, and wants to be healed, so it is arranged for the prophet, Elisha, to heal him. When Naaman went to the house of Elisha to be healed, a messenger of Elisha came and told Namaan "Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean (2 Kings 5:10). When Naaman received this instruction he was first insulted since the prophet wouldn't come talk to him directly, and secondly because of the simplicity of the task. But the his servants said unto him:


...My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean (2 Kings 5:13)?

Once he humbled himself and followed the directions of Elisha, he was healed.

In another Old Testament story, the house of Israel is in the wilderness, led by Moses, and the people are complaining that Moses took them from Egypt because they now had no bread, nor water, and they were sick of the manna that fell from heaven to feed them every day. Because of their complaints, the Lord sent fiery (or poisonous) serpents to bite them. The cure to being bitten was to look at a brass serpent that Moses had put on a pole. One simply had to look to be saved. But many wouldn't:

And [the Lord] did straiten them in the wilderness with his rod; for they hardened their hearts, even as ye have; and the Lord straitened them because of their iniquity. He sent fiery flying serpents among them; and after they were bitten he prepared a way that they might be healed; and the labor which they had to perform was to look; and because of the simpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished (1 Nephi 17:41).

This is a type, or a simile to the Savior. The simpleness to the cure of sin is to look to the Savior and be healed.

It is truly by the simple things in life that we keep ourselves on the right path for salvation. The three simplest things that we need to do with a sincere heart are: 1 Pray morning and night; 2 Study the Scriptures; 3 Attend church meetings and participate. As we do these three things, we are placing the Armor of God upon ourselves:

Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:14-17).

I have noticed a very strong correlation in the last few months. Every time my life seems to get hard, and I start to get down, it is when my prayers have become insincere, my scripture study has decreased to a few verses, if anything, and my church attendance has turned into a time to criticize others in their weaknesses rather than listen to the teachings of the Spirit. But as I commit myself to really study to learn, to pray for others, and to actively participate in church meetings, my life seems to run much more smoothly.

As we study in the church, we can't expect to learn everything all at once, or even gain a testimony of key doctrines from one day to the next. But we can expect to learn here a little, and there a little. There are little lessons to be learned in every day of life. A lot of these lessons come through "tender mercies."

But behold, I Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance (1 Nephi 1:20).

If we keep the commandments, we shall have eternal life. It's that simple. But what makes it easy is when we daily put on the Armor of God by praying and studying the scriptures. Being obedient, firm, steadfast, and immovable keeps us in the fight for our eternal happiness. I know that as we do this, we will have the Sword of the Spirit to attack the temptations that are constantly invading our personal lives, trying to tear us apart. If we have the Spirit and heed its counsel, we will be able to withstand the battles that we face in our lives.