Over the years, I've had people ask me questions about what I believe as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, so I decided to lay out some basic doctrines of what we believe. Although I deleted the original sources from quotes, they are easily searchable on the Church's website. Almost everything was pulled from student manuals. There will be 13 posts on this topic total. Enjoy! 7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth. Gifts of the SpiritThe Prophet Joseph Smith (1805–44) taught: “Paul says, ‘To one is given the gift of tongues, to another the gift of prophecy, and to another the gift of healing’—and again, ‘Do all prophesy? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?’ evidently showing that all did not possess these several gifts; but that one received one gift and another received another gift—all did not prophesy; all did not speak in tongues; all did not work miracles; but all did receive the gift of the Holy Ghost; sometimes they spake in tongues and prophesied in the Apostles’ days, and sometimes they did not. The same is the case with us also.” Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote: “By the grace of God—following devotion, faith, and obedience on man’s part—certain special spiritual blessings called gifts of the Spirit are bestowed upon men. Their receipt is always predicated upon obedience to law, but because they are freely available to all the obedient, they are called gifts… “Their purpose is to enlighten, encourage, and edify the faithful so that they will inherit peace in this life and be guided toward eternal life in the world to come. Their presence is proof of the divinity of the Lord’s work.” ProphecyElder James E. Talmage (1862–1933) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained: “To prophesy is to receive and declare the word of God, and the statement of His will to the people. The function of prediction, often regarded as the sole essential of prophecy, is but one among many characteristics of this divinely given power. The prophet may have as much concern with the past as with the present or the future; he may use his gift in teaching through the experience of preceding events as in foretelling occurrences. The prophets of God are entrusted with His confidences, being privileged to learn of His will and designs.”
Elder LeGrand Richards said: “The prophet Amos said, ‘Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.’ (Amos 3:7.) Now if we understand that, no one can look for a work here upon this earth that isn’t headed by a prophet. The Lord has never done a work that he has recognized without a prophet at its head.” Over the years, I've had people ask me questions about what I believe as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, so I decided to lay out some basic doctrines of what we believe. Although I deleted the original sources from quotes, they are easily searchable on the Church's website. Almost everything was pulled from student manuals. There will be 13 posts on this topic total. Enjoy! 1. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said: “In common with the rest of Christianity, we believe in a Godhead of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. However, we testify that these three members of the Godhead are three separate and distinct beings. We also testify that God the Father is not just a spirit but is a glorified person with a tangible body, as is his resurrected Son, Jesus Christ.” God the Eternal FatherIn a 1916 doctrinal exposition, the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles stated: “God the Eternal Father, whom we designate by the exalted name-title ‘Elohim,’ is the literal Parent of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and of the spirits of the human race.”
President Brigham Young (1801–77) said: “I want to tell you, each and every one of you, that you are well acquainted with God our heavenly Father, or the great Eloheim. You are all well acquainted with him, for there is not a soul of you but what has lived in his house and dwelt with him year after year; and yet you are seeking to become acquainted with him, when the fact is you have merely forgotten what you did know… “There is not a person here to-day but what is a son or a daughter of that Being [Heavenly Father]. In the spirit world their spirits were first begotten and brought forth, and they lived there with their parents for ages before they came here.” Elder Ezra Taft Benson said: Nothing is going to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we know our Father and how familiar his face is to us. What is the ultimate goal in life? The ultimate goal is Exaltation—the highest degree of glory in the Celestial Kingdom.[1] It is the life our Heavenly Father lives. It is endless development, endless progression, and the chance to have spirit children of our own.[2] Joseph Fielding Smith has said this of exaltation and eternal marriage: “The gift promised to those who receive this covenant of marriage and remain faithful to the end, that they shall ‘have no end,’ means that they shall have the power of eternal increase [exaltation]. Only those who have this power will truly ‘know the only wise and true God, and Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent.’ Others may see the Lord and may be instructed by him but they will not truly know him or his Father unless they become like them.”[3] Exaltation and eternal marriage are inextricably linked. You can’t achieve exaltation without eternal marriage. So, for this post, I’m going to focus on the key ingredient needed for eternal marriage. Without it, eternal marriage—even in the House of the Lord—is impossible.
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AuthorI am a proud member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am not a gospel scholar, but I hope to be one someday. While I’m learning and growing, I hope you join me on my journey for further light and knowledge. Archives
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