Jesus Christ

The first Article of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often inadvertently called the “Mormon Church,” states, “We believe in God the Eternal Father and in His Son Jesus Christ and in the Holy Ghost” (Articles of Faith 1:1.) The Lord Jesus Christ is the glorious Being adored and worshiped by Latter-day Saints (“Mormons”.) The reestablishment of The Church of Jesus Christ in modern times began by an event known to Latter-day Saints as The First Vision.  After studying the tenets of religion and wanting to follow God’s commandment to be baptized, Joseph Smith read James 1:5 which states, “If any of you lack you lack wisdom, let him ask of God who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not.”  Emboldened by God’s promise to answer his sincere prayer, Joseph knelt alone in a grove of trees to ask God which church he should join. Joseph recorded, I saw a pillar of light, exactly over my head above the... Read the rest of this entry »

In a book titled, Experiencing Christ: Your Personal Journey to the Savior, published in 2009 by Cedar Fort, Inc., and written by Randall J. Brown, (a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes inadvertently called the “Mormon Church”) shares his personal witness of our need for a Savior: Experiencing Our Nothingness How freeing it was for me to know that the Lord did not hold me responsible for earning my own salvation. How grateful I am for the understanding that I am, in reality, powerless to do so without His grace. As we become increasingly aware of the enemies of our souls, we will come to know of our powerlessness to overcome the natural man through our own efforts alone. No mortal being possesses the power sufficient to put off the natural man without the divine help of the Savior. Read the rest of this entry »  Read More →

Have you ever felt like you should do something, even if it doesn’t make sense to do it? For instance, just yesterday I was taking a walk near a temple owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes inadvertently called the “Mormon Church” by friends of other faiths), and I saw a girl sitting on a bench and she looked like she was thinking about something of great importance (something that members of The Church of Jesus Christ—also known as “Mormons” do often at Mormon temples in order to receive answers to prayers). The first time I walked past her I told her she was beautiful, inside and out. She smiled and said thank you, but quickly went back to her deep contemplation look. When I walked past her the second time a voice (not an audible one, just a “feeling” one) said, “go tell her that she can do it!” When I felt that, I quickly shrugged it off with the thoughts, “I already complimented her, I would just... Read the rest of this entry »

When I was growing up, I remember my parents teaching us about Adam and Eve. How Heavenly Father created them, and put them in the Garden of Eden, and then how they ate the forbidden fruit and were cast out. I remember thinking, “Why’d they have to ruin it for us?” I thought that surely if they had stayed there, then we all would just be living in the beautiful garden, and be immortal. It would be great! Later, though, I came to understand the true doctrine of the Fall, and the important place it holds in Heavenly Father’s plan for each of us. What Exactly Does “The Fall” Mean? In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes  inadvertently called the “Mormon Church,” we call these events the Fall because Adam and Eve fell from the presence of God to mortality. Before the Fall, when they were in the garden, they didn’t know good from evil, and were immortal. After the Fall, they had knowledge of good and evil, and became... Read the rest of this entry »

“What happens when we die?” This is one of the pressing questions about life that people all across the world grapple with every day. Most of the time, we don’t think about it. People we don’t know die, people far away and unconnected with our own lives. Then, when someone we love and care about is facing death or suddenly taken from us, or we ourselves are facing death, this question looms bigger than ever before. Sometimes, the uncertainty of what lies ahead can be overwhelming or even paralyzing. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes inadvertently referred to as the “Mormon Church,” offers an explanation of what happens when we die that brings family and friends peace, hope and comfort. The Spirit and the Body Latter-day Saints, also called Mormons, believe that the body and spirit are two separate things. Our bodies are like a glove; objects that can’t move or touch or feel unless there is a hand in them. Our spirits... Read the rest of this entry »

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes mistakenly referred to as the Mormon Church) is the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, the same gospel and church that Christ established when He was on the earth over 2000 years ago. When the Church was established in 1830, there were hundreds of Christian churches on earth, each professing to have the truth. Joseph Smith, a young man living in New York in the early 1800s, was also puzzled by the number of churches. He decided to pray to God to know which church was true. When his prayer was answered, he was told to “join none of them, for they were all wrong” (Joseph Smith—History 1:19). How could so many churches all be wrong, and all profess to be right? The answer is the Great Apostasy. Prophecies about the Apostasy The Apostasy is an event foretold by both Old and New Testament prophets. Paul spoke of the Apostasy in more than one of his epistles. In 2 Timothy, Paul states that “the... Read the rest of this entry »

We believe in God the Eternal Father In 1842 Joseph Smith wrote a letter in response to an inquiry from John Wentworth, editor of the Chicago Democrat newspaper, in which he laid out the basic beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (inadvertently called the Mormon Church). The letter included what is now called “The thirteen Articles of Faith,” the first of which states, “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.” A foundational belief of Latter-day Saints is that God is our Loving Parent and that we can individually come to know Him through study, prayer and following Christ. How can we know God? In 2011 I attended a conference for single adult members of The Church of Jesus Christ (ages 18-30) in Oakland, California. I listened closely to the response from Russell M. Nelson, an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, to a question regarding faith in God: Read the rest of this... Read the rest of this entry »

In today’s world, people often wonder, “Who is God?” The next questions that often come up are: Does He know me? Do I matter to Him? These are age-old questions, and really the questions of life. If we know the answers to these questions, then we can put our life on earth into perspective. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes inadvertently called the Mormon Church, I believe that God is my Heavenly Father. In the Articles of Faith (13 points of belief that outline basic teachings and ordinances in the Mormon Church), the first one is: “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.” They are three separate and distinct beings. God is our Eternal Father, our Father in Heaven. If you look “God” up in the Latter-day Saint version of the Bible Dictionary, it says: “[God is] the supreme Governor of the universe and the Father of mankind.” ‘Our Father... Read the rest of this entry »

Brigham Young University (BYU) is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.” As part of their undergraduate coursework, BYU students take multiple semesters of spiritually uplifting, stimulating religion classes. Here, in this column, students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the New Testament and gospel of Jesus Christ in the form of letters to someone they know.  In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to witness to all of us of the relevance, power, and beauty of the New Testament, and God’s plan of happiness for each of us.  We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures. Let us know how these may help you in your own life. Share them with a friend. Jesus Christ: You Are Not Alone To my blog When we struggle, it is hard to believe that anyone can possibly know... Read the rest of this entry »

Brigham Young University (BYU) is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.” As part of their undergraduate coursework, BYU students take multiple semesters of spiritually uplifting, stimulating religion classes. Here, in this column, students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the New Testament and gospel of Jesus Christ in the form of letters to someone they know.  In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to witness to all of us of the relevance, power, and beauty of the New Testament, and God’s plan of happiness for each of us.  We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures. Let us know how these may help you in your own life. Share them with a friend. Jesus Christ: Salvation Part of a letter to a friend In my New Testament class this week, we talked about something... Read the rest of this entry »