The Gospel Articles
Conversion is the process of being born of God. “Born of God” or “born again” refers to the personal spiritual experience through which we receive a forgiveness of sins and a witness from God that if we continue to live the commandments and endure to the end, we will inherit eternal life. The scriptures teach that just as each of us is “born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit,” so must we be “born again” of water and the Spirit and be cleansed by the blood of Christ (John 3:5; Moses 6:59).
To be born of God implies a sanctifying process by which the old or natural man is supplanted by the new spiritual man who enjoys the companionship of the Holy Ghost and hence is no longer disposed to commit sin (Colossians 3:9-10; Mosiah 3:19; Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 51). When we are born again we are spiritually begotten sons and daughters of God and more specifically of Jesus Christ (Mosiah 5:7; 27:25). The Book of... Read the rest of this article »
Should I Rely on “Feelings” Rather Than Evidence to Know if the Book of Mormon is True?
Sooner or later everyone wonders how to know if something is true. In school, we learn about the scientific method. In this method a person tests an idea to see if it works every time. If it does, then he can conclude that his idea was right. When it comes to mathematics, physics, chemistry, and other sciences, we can test the evidence to understand the truth. However, it is more difficult to test the idea that there is a God or that the scriptures really contain His words. How can we therefore know the truth?
In John 14:26 Jesus told His disciples that after his departure into heaven, God the Father would send the Holy Ghost which “shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” It is important to understand that the Holy Ghost, also called the Holy Spirit, will teach us all things. ... Read the rest of this article »
I’m Saved, Why Do I Need Prophets and the Book of Mormon?
Many people believe that all they need to do in order to be saved is merely to accept Jesus Christ through some verbal profession or believe that He exists in order to be saved. Jesus, however, taught something much different. In His great Sermon on the Mount he taught that, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). It is important to follow God in all aspects of our life and to keep His commandments. The Bible commands us to live by “every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4), and to do so requires that we accept God’s prophets. Jesus taught his disciples:
” He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s... Read the rest of this article »
I Heard Mormons Believe You have to work to be saved, but doesn’t the Bible say we are saved by grace?
Mormons believe that man is saved by grace. However, Mormon beliefs about what grace is differs slightly from many other Christian denominations. In the “Guide to the Scriptures,” which is found at the end of new editions of the Book of Mormon, grace is defined as “The enabling power from God that allows men and women to obtain blessings in this life and to gain eternal life and exaltation after they have exercised faith, repented, and given their best effort to keep the commandments. Such divine help or strength is given through the mercy and love of God. Every mortal person needs divine grace because of Adam’s fall and also because of man’s weaknesses.” Grace is God’s mercy for us, because of our weakness for sin. Without it, no person who has ever lived could be saved. Many Christians teach that we are saved by grace alone... Read the rest of this article »
Do Mormons Worship a Different Jesus?
Critics of Mormonism often claim that Mormons worship a different Jesus or that the Mormons don’t even worship Jesus as God. They say this because Mormons have some beliefs about Jesus that differ from those of other Christian Churches. They wonder if Mormons are Christian or say that they oppose traditional Christianity. It is true that some Mormon beliefs about Jesus differ from other churches, but nevertheless, Mormons believe in the Jesus whose deeds and teachings are found in the Bible, but reject the creeds and additions made by medieval Christian theologians. Mormonism teaches that to correct errors in understanding about God, God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith in his First Vision, and called him to be a prophet, just as in Biblical times, to teach the truth about Jesus and to call all men to repentance.
In modern revelation given through the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord Jesus... Read the rest of this article »
Why do I need to be baptized if I have already accepted [block]0[/block] as my Savior?
Jesus has commanded that all who accept Him and want to come to Him must be baptized. Jesus told Nicodemus, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God (John 3:5). To be born of water means to be baptized, and to be born of the Spirit means to receive that Holy Spirit as your constant companion. The Book of Mormon teaches this very clearly:
“And now, if the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by water, to fulfil all righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized, yea, even by water! And now, I would ask of you, my beloved brethren, wherein the Lamb of God did fulfil all righteousness in being baptized by water? Know ye not that he was holy? But notwithstanding he being holy, he showeth unto the children of men that,... Read the rest of this article »
