Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Guide
I’m a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or Mormon. There are so many things to say about the church, but I’ve broken it down into a few core doctrines and principles of our faith below.
See the official church website at ChurchofJesusChrist.org for more information.
God
God is the Father of our Spirits, thus the reason we refer to Him as Father in Heaven (Acts 17:27-29). We are created after His image (Romans 8:16). Through modern revelation, we know that He has a body of flesh and bone (D&C 130:22). His purpose is to help us to return to live with Him after this life in the eternities (Moses 1:39).
Gospel of Jesus Christ
In order to access the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we must follow His Gospel. The first principles of the Gospel are Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Repentance, Baptism by Immersion and Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost.
Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ
Faith in Christ mean having a firm believe that He is the Son of God and the Savior of the World. This also included following His commandments and believing that He can help us overcome sin and return to God after this life (Ephesians 2:8).
Repentance
If we have broken God’s commandments, we have sinned. This separates us from Him and we lose His influence. In order to regain His influence in our lives and receive forgiveness, we must repent. This means we acknowledge what we have done is wrong, beg for forgiveness, confess our sins and don’t repeat the sin (2 Cor 7:9-10).
Baptism
Baptism is a sacred ordinance in which we covenant (a two way promise between you and God) to follow God and keep his commandments. We promise to take upon the name of Jesus Christ, always remember Him and to keep His commandments. In return, God promises His Spirit to always be with us and that we will redeemed from our sins (Mosiah 18:10-18). Baptism is done by immersion to represent the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is done through the authority of the Priesthood, which is God’s power delegated to Man for the salvation of His children (Matt 3:13-17).
The Gift of the Holy Ghost
To be spiritually reborn, Jesus taught we must not only be baptized by water, but also baptized of the spirit (John 3:1-8). After baptism in the Church, a person is given the Gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands through the Priesthood. The Holy Ghost purifies us and makes us holy before God. It also acts as a guide and comforter, as long as we remain worthy (John 14:26).
Endure to the End
Once we have exercised faith, repented, been baptized and received the Holy Ghost, we need to remain true to the covenants we made to God. If we have slipped, then we need to repent and re-commit to living God’s commandments. We must repeat that pattern for the rest of our lives in order to become the person God would have us become (Matt 10:22).
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He created this world under the direction of our Heavenly Father (John 1:3). He was born of his mortal mother, Mary. During mortal ministry, He taught His Gospel, which guides us to live as He lived and how to return to our Heavenly Father (3 Nephi 27:13-21). As imperfect humans, we make mistakes and sin, which is turning against the will of God. Jesus Christ came to make it possible for us to overcome sin and be purified before God. He did that through the Atonement, which not only allows us to be forgiven, but it also enables us to overcome death (John 3:16-17). The way we access that Atonement is through the Doctrine of Christ, which is to have faith in Him, repent of our sins, be baptized in His name, receive the Holy Ghost and endure to the end (2 Nephi 31).
Prophets & Priesthood
The Priesthood is the authority of God delegated to man for purposes of saving His children. God has called prophets throughout the history of the world to lead and direct the priesthood on the Earth. Prophets learn the will of God through revelation and they share that knowledge through teaching and testifying of God (Amos 3:7). Examples include Moses, Abraham and Peter from the Bible. The scriptures, including the Bible, are records of the prophet’s teachings. There came a time when people rejected the prophets after Christ and the priesthood authority was taken from the Earth.
A modern prophet was called in the 1830’s named Joseph Smith. Through him, the priesthood was restored and revelation continued. Today, the priesthood is given to every worthy male member of the Church (Alma 13:1-19). They receive it through the laying on of hands by a priesthood holder. With that authority, they can preach the Gospel, baptize and perform other savings ordinances (D&C 84:19-20).
Plan of Salvation
We lived with God before this Earth Life as Spirit children (Jeremiah 1:5). We came here to Earth to gain a physical body and to learn how to become more like Him. We have been given moral agency to choose whether or not we would want to follow God and Christ (D&C 101:78). Heavenly Father has created a plan for all of His children to return to Him. It is called the Plan of Salvation. It is broken down into three components: The Creation, The Fall and the Atonement.
The Creation
Under the direction of our Heavenly Father, Christ created this world as a place for us to gain a body and use our agency, or ability to choose, to be obedient to His commandments (1 Nephi 17:36). Part of our test on Earth is to follow God, without being in His presence or remembering that we lived with Him before coming to this life (2 Cor 5:6-7).
The Fall
God placed Adam and Eve on the Earth as the first of His children to inhabit the planet and to have bodies of flesh and blood (Gen 1:26-31). They were placed in the Garden of Eden, in which they were still in the presence of God and in a state of innocence and could live forever. God presented them with a choice to not partake of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Partaking would allow them to know the difference between good and evil and could make choices on that using their moral agency. But doing so would also transgress God’s commandment to not partake of it. Heavenly Father allowed Satan to tempt Adam and Eve to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil so that they could have the opportunity to be persuaded to make a different choice than God’s commandment (Gen 3). Adam and Eve decided to partake of the fruit and as a consequence were cast out of God’s presence and they became mortal, meaning they were subject to death or the separation of the body and the spirit. This made it possible for Adam and Eve to experience opposition, choose between good and evil and they were also given the ability to have children (Alma 12:22-34).
The Atonement
Jesus Christ was ordained to be our Savior before the creation of this world. In order to overcome the effects of the Fall, which are sin and death, we needed a Redeemer. The Atonement of Jesus Christ helps us overcome the Fall through His death, burial and resurrection. Death is when the spirit and the body separate. Resurrection is the reuniting of the body and the spirit. Christ was the first person to do that and because He did it, all of us will be resurrected (2 Nephi 9:6-7). Christ also suffered for our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane. He took upon our infirmities and rebellious acts to pay the price that justice requires. Mercy is extended because Jesus did that for us, but as a condition, we must follow His commandments (Alma 34:7-10).