Mormonism Teachings: Cleansing Through Christ

One of the great teachings of Mormonism is that of repentance.  Through repentance a person may be cleansed through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  Previously I have shared a page about Christ's healing power with the Legion.  Now I'd like to share another scripture story of his healing power, that of Naaman the Syrian captain.

Although these two stories - Naaman and Legion - are physical healing, they equally show what the Lord can do for us through repentance.  First I will share the story, and then add my thoughts on the repentance side of it.

2 Kings 5
1. Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria:  he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper.
2. And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife.
3. And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.
4. And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel.
5. And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel.  And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.
6. And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy.
7. And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me.
8. And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.
9. So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.
10. And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.
11. But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.
12. Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean?  So he turned and went away in a rage.
13. And his servants came near, and spake unto him and said, 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?
14. Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God:  and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

Naaman had leprosy, which was one of the most feared diseases at this time.  Moses' law taught that if a man had leprosy he was to live alone outside of the city (see Leviticus 13:45-46).  To make matters more humiliating for Naaman, Elisha told him not to wash in the clean Abana or Pharpar rivers, but to wash in the filthy Jordan.

Like that of Legion, this must have seemed like a worst-case scenario for Naaman.  He was unclean and was told to wash in an unclean river.  But, with the encouragement of his servants, he did wash in Jordan and was cleaned of his unclean disease.

I believe this to be a testament that Christ is the master-healer.  No one can become too unclean through sin to be healed by the Atonement.  The process of repentance is real and the cleansing through Christ is real.  Like Naaman and Legion being clean with physical problems, we can be clean of sinful problems through Jesus Christ.

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If you have further questions about repentance you can read more about it here:

Forgiveness is a Gift

Or you can ask a Mormon missionary here:

http://mormon.org/chat

Mormonism Basics: The Atonement of Jesus Christ

Introduction

The center of Mormonism is Jesus Christ (see MormonTopics.org). Jesus Christ is the son of God, the Only Begotten. Before the world was made he was with the Father and there was chosen to the be Savior of the world. In the Meridian of Time he came forth to do his work to redeem mankind from the fall of Adam. He finished his mortal ministry with what is called The Atonement. It was here that the Lord Jesus Christ suffered and died, and three days later was resurrected. It is this atonement that I will talk about on this page.

Gethsemane

Jesus Christ, in the garden of Gethsemane, did something that no mortal man can do.  The scriptures tell us that he knelt and prayed in the garden, bleeding from each pore, and took all mankind's sins upon himself.

Nothing I have read or heard speaks of the atonement of Christ in a more profound or personal way than those of Elder Bruce R. McConkie, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:

"We do not know, we cannot tell, no mortal mind can conceive the full import of what Christ did in Gethsemane.

"We know he sweat great gouts of blood from every pore as he drained the dregs of that bitter cup his Father had given him.

"We know he suffered, both body and spirit, more than it is possible for man to suffer, except it be unto death.

"We know that in some way, incomprehensible to us, his suffering satisfied the demands of justice, ransomed penitent souls from the pains of penalties of sin, and made mercy available to those who believe in his holy name.

"We know that he lay prostrate upon the ground as the pains and agonies of an infinite burden caused him to tremble and would that he might not drink the bitter cup.

"We know that an angel came from the courts of glory to strengthen him in his ordeal, and we suppose it was mighty Michael, who foremost fell that mortal man might be.

"As near as we can judge, these infinite agonies - this suffering beyond compare - continue for some three or four hours." (The Purifying Power of Gethsemane, General Conference, April 1985.)

Golgotha | Calvary

After his agonizing experience in Gethsemane the Lord was arrested and taken to the leaders of the day - Annas, Caiaphas, Pilate and Herod - to be tried as a blasphemer.  His sentence was to be scourged 39 times, and then crucified in Golgotha, on the hill Calvary.

On the cross he again felt the pains of Gethsemane.  This he did until he was able to say to God, the Father, that his work on earth was finished.

Tomb of Joseph of Arimathea

The Atonement, in its entirety, was not completed until three days later.

After the Savior of the world died on the cross he was moved to the tomb owned by Joseph of Arimathea.  Here Nicodemus, Joseph, and others that believed and loved him in life, placed him in linen and spices.

Three days later, in a way that none of us can fully understand, Jesus Christ reunited his spirit and his body, and was the first to be resurrected.  In so doing he broke the fearsome bands of death and completed the Atonement.

In Closing

The Lord did all of this for each and every person who lives on the earth, that we may again live with God in heaven again.  He took all sins upon him that we may be allowed to repent of these sins and be clean again (see Forgiveness Is A Gift).  And he was resurrecting, opening the gates for the resurrection of all mankind.

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*All photos taken from LDS.org's Media Library.

As is always the case, if you have questions about Jesus Christ, the Atonement, or any other topic relating to Mormonism, just ask the missionaries and they will help you.
http://mormon.org/chat

Testimonies Throughout Mormonism's History

Yesterday I made this video containing testimonies of eight of the sixteen latter-day prophets of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormonism).  The prophets contained in this video are:

David O. McKay | Joseph Fielding Smith | Harold B. Lee | Spencer W. Kimball
Ezra Taft Benson | Howard W. Hunter | Gordon B. Hinckley | Thomas S. Monson

I love listening to the words of these prophets.  Their teachings help us live happier lives, be better people, and, most importantly, come closer to Christ.  I know The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to be the church that has been set up through the guidance of the Lord himself, by the hands of Joseph Smith and his successors.

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If you would like to learn more about The Church of Jesus Christ, or Mormonism, check out some of the following sites:

Mormon Topics | http://mormontopics.org/eng/christ

LDS | https://www.lds.org/

Mormon | http://mormon.org/

If you have further questions there are missionaries ready to help answer your questions.  Just ask.

Chat with a Missionary | http://mormon.org/chat

What is Mormonism: Articles of Faith - Article #8

What is Mormonism? - Article of Faith #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.

The Bible
The Holy Bible is a marvelous book of holy writ.  Contained within its pages are many of the teachings, prophecies and revelations of the ancient prophets, and even those of Christ himself.  Four of the books are of the life of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  Truly this is a sacred volume of scripture.

So why do we say it is the word of God only so far "as it is translated correctly"?  One must understand that the scrolls and documents and other manuscripts that are now recorded in the Bible are thousands of years old.  The New Testament took place approximately 2,000 years ago, and the Old Testament before that.  These books have been rewritten time and time again for centuries.  In addition, these scriptures were originally written in Hebrew and Greek.  They have been translated numerous times before they have become what they are today, in our English.  As the Bible was translated more and more, some of the passages have been altered.

To learn more on this we can go the words of Nephi, an ancient prophet that was shown the history of the Bible.

"...Thou hast beheld that the book proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew; and when it proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew it contained the fulness of the gospel of the Lord, of whom the twelve apostles bear record  and they bear record according to the truth which is in the Lamb of God.

"Wherefore, these things go forth from the Jews in purity unto the Gentiles, according to the truth which is in God.

"And after they go forth by the hand of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, from the Jews unto the Gentiles, thou seest the formation of that great and abominable church, which is most abominable above all other churches; for behold, they have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious; and also many covenants of the Lord have they taken away."
- 1 Nephi 13:24-26 -

In summary, some passages have been lost to time, some have been removed by people, but the Holy Bible, if read and understood correctly, contains the word of God and is a book of holy scripture.


The Book of Mormon:  Another Testament of Jesus Christ
The Book of Mormon does not have the same history that the Bible does.  It was not translated time and time again with time, but only once.  After the records now called the Book of Mormon were complete, the prophet Moroni hid them where they would not be disturbed until the Lord wanted them to be found.  That was approximately 420 A.D.  In the early nineteenth century the Lord sent again Moroni, now as a an angel, to guide Joseph Smith to the place he hid these records.

Just as the Bible is a record of ancient civilizations, and the spiritual teachings, prophecies and revelations, etc., so is the Book of Mormon.  The Bible is a record of the tribe of Judah and the Book of Mormon is a record of part of the tribes of Joseph.  The Bible in the Old World and the Book of Mormon in the New World.

Together these two canonized books of scripture contain the full gospel of Jesus Christ, and are the words of God.

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To learn more about Mormonism, visit here: http://mormontopics.org/eng/christ
More on Mormonism's belief of the Bible: http://www.squidoo.com/mormonisms-take-on-the-holy-bible
Ask any questions you have here: http://mormon.org/chat

What is Mormonism: Articles of Faith - Article #9

This post is another addition to the "What is Mormonism?" series of posts.  In this post I'll discuss the ninth Article of Faith.

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.

It is oft mentioned in the scriptures that God is "the same yesterday, today, and forever" (see 2 Nephi 27:23; Mormon 9:9; Hebrews 13:8).  This scripture is an important part of Mormonism.  In Article 6 I talked of the restitution of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  This restoration came when the Lord Jesus Christ, and God, the Father, visited the later-to-be-prophet Joseph Smith, just as he had done with the prophets of past dispensations.  We believe that God had spoken to his prophets in Biblical times just as he did with Joseph Smith (for example see Deuteronomy 34:10).

Because God is the same today as yesterday, we believe he speaks to his modern prophets (currently Thomas S. Monson is prophet of the Church).  An example of modern revelation is the Word of Wisdom given to the Prophet Joseph, recorded now in the Doctrine and Covenants section 89.  And because God is the same today as he will be tomorrow, we believe revelation will be given to prophets in the future.  We do not know what these future revelations will be, but we believe they will pertain to the kingdom of God.

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If you have any questions concerning Mormonism or the Articles of Faith that have not been answered in this post, the missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be happy to help answer your questions.

http://mormon.org/chat

What is Mormonism: Articles of Faith - Article #13

Continuing with the "What is Mormonism?" series of posts, I now add Article of Faith #13.  This is the final Article of Faith.  It is as follows:

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.

Number thirteen is my personal favorite of the Articles of Faith.  This final point of belief leaves a person with hope of the future.  One day there can be found a future of honesty, truth, chastity, benevolence, and virtue, among other good and praiseworthy traits and standards.

I do not pretend to say that hard times won't come.  We all know that no matter how righteous a person strives to be, challenges will enter life.  Consider the prophets in the scriptures.  They were prophets of the Lord but they still had their problems.  Think of Joseph Smith, a martyr for the gospel of the Lord.  It was the President Joseph Smith that said, "The nearer a person approaches the Lord, the greater power will be manifested by the adversary to prevent the accomplishment of His purposes."

But we have already "endured many things" that the adversary has thrown at us.  Elder James E. Faust has given us these words of comfort:  "He [the devil] can have no power over us unless we permit it" (The Great Imitator, 1987).  So we strive to obtain the good things in life to the greatest of our abilities, with the hope of being able to endure all things, making life better for us and those around us.

If, after reading this series on the Articles of Faith, you have any questions on Mormonism or Joseph Smith or anything else pertaining to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ask the missionaries by clicking the picture below.

Receiving Answers to Prayer

Once a month, in the Ensign and Liahona magazines, the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gives a special message to its readers.  This month the message was written by President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor to President Thomas S. Monson, on the topic of prayer.  I will be quoting parts of his message on this page, but if you are interested in reading his full article you can do so here:  The Voice of the Lord.

I have touched on the meaning of prayer in the post - "Back to the Basics:  Prayer" - and if you'd like to learn about that you can visit that post.  This time, to follow along with President Eyring's message, I'd like to talk about answers to prayers, and how they are received.

As mentioned in my previous Prayer page, prayer is "a reverent communication with God during which a person gives thanks and asks for blessings." (LDS Guide to the Scriptures - Prayer).  If we are going to speak to the Lord, it is only natural that he answer us, thus creating that communication with God.

How do we get answers to our prayers?  Elder Dallin H. Oaks, of the Quorum of the Twelve, has said, "as in the gospel itself, the first principle is faith."  He then goes on to say that following faith one must have humility (The Lord's Way, pp. 33-34).  President Eyring echoes these words, saying, "Humility and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ are the key."  If we are humble and believe that God will answer us then we will receive his answers.

Taking from President Eyring's article, we learn why we need faith and humility:

"Over and over in the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord requires faith and humility before he gives His help.  One reason for this is that His answers may not come in the way we expect.  Neither will they always be easy to accept."

He continues with the example of his ancestor:

"My great-grandfather Henry Eyring prayed fervently to know what he should do when he heard the restored gospel taught in 1855.  The answer came in a dream.

"He dreamed that he was seated at a table with Elder Erastus Snow of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and with an elder named William Brown.  Elder Snow taught the principles of the gospel for what seemed to be an hour.  Then Elder Snow said, 'In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to be baptized and this man [Elder Brown] ... shall baptize you.'"

Although it is a rare occasion for prayers to be answered in such a way, it can happen in a vision (see 1 Nephi 8:2; Acts 10:10-16).

Many times answers to prayers can be found in reading the scriptures.  This is not strange when one realizes that many recorded scriptures are simply the answers to prayers asked by prophets in ancient times.  Answers to those prayers can help answer our prayers.  I remember a few years ago needing help with some problem I had.  After going to the privacy in my room I prayed about it and once I opened my eyes I saw my Book of Mormon.  Opening the Book of Mormon I found a scripture with my answer.

Among the most common ways a prayer is answered is through the whispering of the Spirit.  In an interview with Mr. Wallace, of 60 Minutes, Gordon B. Hinckley was asked how he communicates with the Lord.  President Hinckley answered him with by quoting from the book of 1 Kings.

"And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind:  and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:  and after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire:  and after the fire a still small voice" (1 Kings 19:11-12).

The Book of Mormon also speaks of the Spirit of the Lord, the still small voice:

"They heard a voice as if it came out of heaven; and they cast their eyes round about, for they understood not the voice which they heard; and it was not a harsh voice, neither was it a loud voice; nevertheless, and notwithstanding it being a small voice it did pierce them that did hear to the center ... and did cause their hearts to burn" (3 Nephi 11:3).

That scripture ends by saying it caused their hearts to burn, which is another way to receive an answer - through feelings!  Oliver Cowdery, scribe to Joseph Smith, was told in answer to his own prayer that the Lord will "cause that your bosom shall burn within you" (D&C 9:8).

The final way to receive an answer that I will mention in this article is through other people.  They may not know it, but often times an answer to prayer comes through others.  I know families that were in need of food and prayed for a way to receive some when a neighbor decided to bring over some food.  I've seen this happen with other things, such as a person needing yard work done and a neighbor offering to help.

If we look out for such things mentioned above (and even others not talked about) we will see that the Lord does answer all of our prayers, in his way.

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Follow this link to learn more about the beliefs of Mormonism: http://mormontopics.org/eng/christ

If you have any questions on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ask the missionaries here.  They will do their best to help you out.: http://mormon.org/chat

All photos on this blog post are taken from the LDS Media Library.

Mormonism: A Living Prophet

Thomas S. Monson
Prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Photo taken from LDS.org

Apostle M. Russell Ballard was once asked the question:  What makes Mormonism different than other religions?  His answer was a question of his own:  If Moses was alive on the earth today, would you listen to him?  The interviewer responded, saying, "Of course!  Everyone would listen!"  Elder Ballard responded by saying that is what makes us different than other churches.  We have a prophet that has the same authority Moses had in Biblical times.

The Church of Jesus Christ does have a modern-day, living prophet to watch over and lead the church.  As the 6th Article of Faith explains, "We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth."  Among the ancient Church of Jesus Christ were prophets to give the will of the Lord to the people.  The Doctrine and Covenants explains further the role of a prophet:

"What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same" (D&C 1:38).

A prophets speak to the church the will of the Lord.  I have heard the question, "What is the need for a prophet to speak on behalf of the Lord when I can pray to the Lord myself?"  While it is true that we can pray to the Lord for ourselves and learn what God wants us to do, we cannot do so on behalf of the entire church.  The church does many wonderful things on a global level - such as sending necessities during natural disasters, or giving food to those that do not have the money for it themselves.  These are things that have been organized by our prophets according to the revelations and inspiration they have received from God.

The prophet is also often called a "seer" or "revelator."  I will only briefly discuss these as I have at an earlier time made a post on this topic specifically.  You can read that earlier post here, if you want to know more: Seers Ancient and Modern.

A Seer, as defined in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Guide to the Scriptures, is "a person authorized of God to see with spiritual eyes things which God has hidden from the world... A seer knows the past, present, and future."

And a revelator is a person with the authority to reveal the will of God to the people.  In this way he is able to guide the people of the Church in righteous ways.

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As is always the case, if you are confused about anything I have said here, or have any additional questions concerning The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormonism), you are welcome to ask the Mormon missionaries your questions here: http://mormon.org/chat.

What is Mormonism: Articles of Faith - Article #6

A while back I began a series of posts called, "What is Mormonism?" in which I gave my thoughts on the Articles of Faith.  I will now do some more on that.  This post is on Article of Faith #6, which reads as follows:

We believe in the same organization that existed in the primitive church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.

This article explains just what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints professes to be:  the same church that Christ formed during his ministry.  We believe that during Jesus Christ's mortal life he set up a church.  This can be seen in the words of Paul, when he said:

"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ."
- Ephesians 4:11-12 -

We believe, as the Article of Faith says, in that same organization.  I now add an excerpt from the words of Elder M. Russell Ballard, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:

"I realize that this is quite a claim, especially when we consider all of the other organizations that profess similar authority.  And many of those organizations have been around much longer than our Church.  How can we claim Heavenly Father's full authority when others can trace their ecclesiastical roots back through the middle ages to the time of Christ Himself?  Quite simply, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that God's full authority was lost from the earth for centuries following the mortal ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Apostles..." (M. Russell Ballard, Our Search For Happiness, pp. 26).

The apostle Paul spoke of the time this authority would be lost when he wrote "for that day [the Second Coming of Christ] shall not come, except there come a falling away first," (2 Thessalonians 2:3).  Peter, another ancient apostle during the time of Christ, wrote of a "restitution of all things" that must come before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ (Acts 3:20-21).  How can there be a restitution without a falling away?

We believe that this restitution of all things began in the early nineteenth century when young Joseph Smith prayed in a grove of trees and the heavens were again opened with a new dispensation.  (Read more about the First Vision of Joseph Smith here.)

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If you have any questions concerning Mormonism, Joseph Smith or the Articles of Faith, please ask the missionaries your questions by clicking the picture below.  They will do their best to answer any of your questions.