Gospel Principles and Topics Articles
What Will the Mormon Missionaries Teach Me?
When the Mormon Missionaries come into your home, they will want to teach you about their beliefs and invite you to learn more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They will eventually invite you attend Mormon Church services with them and be baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We invite you to listen to the missionaries as they teach their lessons about God, Jesus Christ, prophets, and the plan of salvation.
This website is a resource to help you find answers to questions, review topics the missionaries have addressed, or simply to learn more about what Mormons believe. There are a lot people who have distorted or misrepresented the true teachings of the Mormon Church. We hope to present here the basics truths and beliefs of what Mormons believe. We encourage you, however, to use this as a resource and supplement to your studies and to ask questions of the missionaries.... Read the rest of this article »
Lesson 4: The Gospel of Jesus Christ: What does Jesus expect of us?
Introduction
Essential Vocabulary:
Justice – Justice is a law of God that requires consequences for actions.
Mercy – The spirit of compassion, tenderness, and forgiveness. Jesus Christ offers mercy to us through His atoning sacrifice on conditions of repentance.
Grace – The enabling power from Jesus Christ that allows us to obtain blessings in this life and to gain eternal life after we have exercised faith, repented, and given our best effort to keep the commandments.
Ordinance – A sacred way that we show outwardly that we are making a covenant with God.
Covenant – A binding two-way promise between God and Man. God sets the terms for all gospel covenants. As we do what God asks, He promises us blessings.
Books needed:
The Holy Bible – any good translation can be used. Mormons typically use the King James Bible, and quotes in the text will... Read the rest of this article »
The Plan of Salvation
Mormon doctrine centers around the Plan of Salvation, which is God’s plan to “bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39). The plan of salvation represents the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ as it is experienced and lived by mankind. This plan, also called the plan of happiness, plan of mercy, and plan of redemption, teaches us where we came from, why we are here, and where we are going. It answers the important questions in life about who we are and what our relation to God is.
The PreMortal Life
We lived before we were born. A book of modern revelation states:
“Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones” (Abraham 3:22).
We existed as spirit children of God in Heaven. Everyone knew and worshiped God the Father, and Christ, who was the First-Born spirit. During... Read the rest of this article »
Mormon Temples and Temple Work
One of the most distinguishing characteristics of the Mormon Church is its temples. Mormon Temples are sacred buildings, set apart from the world. They are not ordinary church buildings like chapels. Mormons have both churches and temples. In temples, Mormons perform sacred ordinances that strengthen us in this life and prepare us for the life to come. Also in temples, families can be sealed together for all eternity and faithful Mormons can perform ordinances like baptism for those who died without the opportunity. The Holy Endowment One of the most sacred and defining moments in the life of a member of the Mormon Church comes when he or she receives his or her endowment. An endowment is a gift; in this case it is a gift of knowledge and spiritual power from God. Jesus referred to an endowment of power when he commanded his disciples to “tarry [...] in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with... Read the rest of this article »
The Mormon Church and You:
The modern Church of Christ exists to help you and your family draw closer to God through ordinances such as baptism and the sacrament and through support and activities in the local congregations. The threefold mission of the Church centers on drawing all people closer to Christ:
Perfect the Saints
A saint is a member of the Church, meaning one who has or will be sanctified (made a saint) by Jesus Christ; perfecting the saints means working to help every member establish a closer relationship to God through service and fellowship.
Proclaim the Gospel
The Mormon Church does this through missionary work, which includes over 55,000 missionaries in over 160 different countries.
Redeem the Dead
This is done through genealogy and temple work
Perfecting the Saints:
Time, Talents, and Service
Each of us has a duty to “work out [our] own salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). We need to be improving ourselves... Read the rest of this article »
Mormon Faith
According to Mormonism, faith in Jesus Christ is the first principle of the Gospel which all mankind must follow. The Book of Mormon defines faith as having a “hope for things which are not seen, which are true” (Alma 32:21, pg 289). Faith is more than believing Jesus exists, it means believing Him when He says that you will be forgiven of your sins and saved in His Kingdom or trusting in Him enough to keep the commandments or fulfill one’s promises to God. Faith in Jesus Christ consists in trusting that He has all power and can fulfill His promises to resurrect all mankind and save from sin those who repent and follow Him as their leader. Those who have faith in God will have the courage to keep His commandments even when they are difficult.
Having faith means that you will act on your beliefs. Merely believing or thinking that there is a God or that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world is not sufficient. Jesus said... Read the rest of this article »
The Scriptures, the Word of God for Men
The Prophet Joseph Smith once wrote, “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” (Articles of Faith 8 and 9).
Mormons believe that the words of God are spoken and written down by prophets. The Apostle Peter said that “prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:21). Modern revelation echoes this:
And whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation (Doctrine and Covenants... Read the rest of this article »
The Family in God’s Plan
We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.
All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.
In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships... Read the rest of this article »
Prophets, Ancient and Modern
Mormons believe in prophets, both ancient and modern. This belief is intertwined with the belief that God has an interest in talking to man, and does so through the prophets that He chooses. The Bible contains a record of God’s dealings with prophets in those days, and modern scripture contains a record of God’s dealings with prophets in modern days. Mormons believe that the heavens were not closed after the biblical record, and that He still talks to His children today, just as in days of old.
Most people think a prophet is someone who tells the future, but this is only a part of a prophet’s mission and not even the most important part. The word prophecy can mean a couple of different things. According to the Book of Revelation, “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10). This means that anyone who has a testimony of Jesus as Savior and Redeemer enlisted the spirit of prophecy... Read the rest of this article »
Repentance in Mormonism
Repentance is a wonderful gift from a loving Heavenly Father. Mormons believe that repentance should be viewed in a positive light as an opportunity to improve. The root of the word repentance in both Hebrew and Greek refers to a turning from sin toward God and a change of heart. Repentance is not synonymous with penance, but refers rather to the inner spiritual change. The Book of Mormon refers to it as a change of heart. Repentance is therefore the act of trying to bring one’s life more in accord with God’s teachings.
To repent we must acknowledge our mistakes and weaknesses. We must take responsibility for our own actions and recognize that what we have done has hurt others and offended God. Second, we must forsake the sin. This means we must stop doing it and never return to it again. We must, if possible, make restitution. This means that if we stole something, we should return it or pay the person... Read the rest of this article »
