Articles of Faith and Official Declarations 1 and 2

<p>&ldquo;The gospel plan is based on individual responsibility. Our article of faith states the eternal truth &lsquo;that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam&rsquo;s transgression.&rsquo; This requirement of individual responsibility, which has many expressions in our doctrine, is in sharp contrast to Satan&rsquo;s plan to &lsquo;redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost.&rsquo; The plan of the Father and the Savior is based on individual choice and individual effort.&rdquo;</p>

<p>&ldquo;Without the blessings that come from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, we can never do enough or be enough by ourselves. The good news, though, is that because of and through Jesus Christ we can become enough. All people will be saved from physical death by the grace of God, through the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. And if we turn our hearts to God, salvation from spiritual death is available to all &lsquo;through the Atonement of [Jesus] Christ &hellip; by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.&rsquo; We can be redeemed from sin to stand clean and pure before God. As Micah explained, &lsquo;[God] hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?&rsquo;&rdquo;</p>

<p>&ldquo;Repentance is sequential. It begins with faith in Jesus Christ, even if just a particle. Faith requires humility, which is an essential element of having a &lsquo;broken heart and a contrite spirit.&rsquo; Indeed, the first four principles of the gospel are sequential. &lsquo;We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.&rsquo; King Benjamin taught his people this important truth: &lsquo;And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.&rsquo;&rdquo;</p>

<p>The first article of faith addresses the most basic of Latter-day Saint beliefs, our belief in the Godhead. The article hints at but does not directly address the most distinctive of Latter-day Saint beliefs relating to the Godhead, specifically our rejection of the Trinity as taught in Christian creeds and followed by most other Christian religions. The Trinity, or the belief that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are three persons who are also a single God, does not appear in the Bible. It was created as a way to synthesize the Old Testament teaching that there is only one God (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 43:10; 46:9; Romans 3:30; 1 Corinthians 8:4) with the New Testament teaching of three Gods: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost (Matthew 3:16–17, 12:32, 17:5; Luke 3:21–22, 4:1; John 15:26, 16:7–16; 2 Corinthians 13:13). The Trinity is a central part of several creeds other Christians view as foundational, such as the Athanasian Creed and the Nicene Creed. </p> <p>When the Father and the Son appeared to Joseph Smith in 1820, they refuted the validity of traditional Christian creeds. The Son told Joseph specifically, “their creeds were an abomination in his sight” (Joseph Smith—History 1:19). In recent times, some Latter-day Saints, attempting to reach out to Christians of other faiths, have referred to a “Social Trinitarianism.” This concept teaches that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost “are three separate persons who constitute a perfectly harmonious social unit but are not one metaphysical substance or essence.”<a href="#_ftn1" id="_ftnref1" title="" class="see-footnote">[1]</a> Outside of this very specific concept of the Trinity, it is simply impossible to reconcile the traditional teachings of the Trinity most Christians accept with the revelations of Joseph Smith. </p> <p>Every version of the First Vision given by the Prophet Joseph Smith in his lifetime—save one—describes two separate beings, the Father and the Son. In the 1832 account of the First Vision, Joseph Smith only speaks of seeing “the Lord.”<a href="#_ftn2" id="_ftnref2" title="" class="see-footnote">[2]</a> However, the 1832 history must be taken in context. Only a few months before it was written, Joseph Smith described seeing the Son in another vision “even on the right hand of God and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the only begotten of the Father” (see D&amp;C 76:23).<a href="#_ftn3" id="_ftnref3" title="" class="see-footnote">[3]</a> Writing about the same vision, Joseph and Sidney described Christ as “the only begotten son whom the father loved who was in the bosom with the father” (see D&amp;C 76:25).<a href="#_ftn4" id="_ftnref4" title="" class="see-footnote">[4]</a> Both of these statements suggest that Joseph Smith saw the Father and the Son as two separate beings. The 1832 account also does not make any statements in support of the Trinity; instead, it focuses on Joseph’s communication with the Savior.</p> <p>The Latter-day Saints’ rejection of the Trinity has at times caused friction with Christians of other faiths. One Christian thinker wrote, “Until Mormons reject their foundational beliefs about God and Christ (and a lot more) and accept the classic, creedal definitions of the faith, they have no business calling themselves Christians.”<a href="#_ftn5" id="_ftnref5" title="" class="see-footnote">[5]</a> Despite this assertion, Latter-day Saints base their belief in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost on revelation to prophets and apostles, not on the creeds. </p> <p>President Gordon B. Hinckley taught, “We do not accept the Athanasian Creed. We do not accept the Nicene Creed, nor any other creed based on tradition and the conclusions of men. We do accept, as the basis of our doctrine, the statement of the Prophet Joseph Smith that when he prayed for wisdom in the woods, ‘the light rested upon me [and] I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—<em>This is my Beloved Son. Hear Him!</em>’” (Joseph Smith—History 1:17).<a href="#_ftn6" id="_ftnref6" title="" class="see-footnote">[6]</a></p> <div class="footnotes"> <p class="footnote"><a href="#_ftnref1" id="_ftn1" title="" class="footnote-label">[1]</a> Roger R. Keller, in <em>Mormonism in Dialogue with Contemporary Christian Theologies, </em>eds. David L. Paulsen and Donald W. Mussner, 2007, 39. </p> <p class="footnote"><a href="#_ftnref2" id="_ftn2" title="" class="footnote-label">[2]</a> History, circa Summer 1832, p. 3, JSP. </p> <p class="footnote"><a href="#_ftnref3" id="_ftn3" title="" class="footnote-label">[3]</a> Vision, 16 February 1832 [D&amp;C 76], p. 3, JSP. </p> <p class="footnote"><a href="#_ftnref4" id="_ftn4" title="" class="footnote-label">[4]</a> Vision, 16 February 1832 [D&amp;C 76], p. 3, JSP.</p> <p class="footnote"><a href="#_ftnref5" id="_ftn5" title="" class="footnote-label">[5]</a> Joel J. Miller, “Why Mormons Aren’t Christians,” <em>Patheos Evangelical</em>, October 30, 2001. </p> <p class="footnote"><a href="#_ftnref6" id="_ftn6" title="" class="footnote-label">[6]</a> Gordon B. Hinckley, “What Are People Asking about Us?” October 1998 General Conference. </p> </div>

<p>The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the central doctrine on which Latter-day Saints build their faith. When asked to summarize Latter-day Saint beliefs in 1838, Joseph Smith responded simply, “The fundamental principles of our religion is the testimony of the apostles and prophets concerning Jesus Christ, ‘that he died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended up into heaven;’ and all other things are only appendages to these, which pertain to our religion” (see D&amp;C 20:33–34).<a href="#_ftn1" id="_ftnref1" title="" class="see-footnote">[1]</a></p> <p>While the Atonement remains the central event in all human history, in many ways, Latter-day Saints believe that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is an ongoing event and that a focus on Christ is more helpful than a focus on the event itself. President Russell M. Nelson taught:</p> <blockquote> <p>“There is no amorphous entity called ‘the Atonement’ upon which we may call for succor, healing, forgiveness, or power. Jesus Christ is the source. Sacred terms such as <em>Atonement</em> and <em>Resurrection</em> describe what the Savior did, according to the Father’s plan, so that we may live with hope in this life and gain eternal life in the world to come . . . It is the Savior who broke the bands of death. It is the Savior who paid the price for our sins and transgressions and blots them out on condition of our repentance. It is the Savior who delivers us from physical and spiritual death.”<a href="#_ftn2" id="_ftnref2" title="" class="see-footnote">[2]</a></p> </blockquote> <div class="footnotes"> <p class="footnote"><a href="#_ftnref1" id="_ftn1" title="" class="footnote-label">[1]</a> Questions and Answers, 8 May 1838, p. 44, JSP. </p> <p class="footnote"><a href="#_ftnref2" id="_ftn2" title="" class="footnote-label">[2]</a> Russell M. Nelson, “Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives,” April 2017 General Conference. </p> </div>

<p>The first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are at times referred to simply as “the doctrine of Christ” by prophets in the Book of Mormon (2 Nephi 31:2, 32:6; Jacob 7:2; 3 Nephi 2:2). These four simple actions open the door for men and women to gain eternal life. The revelations of the Restoration proclaim the knowledge that these principles and ordinances have <em>always </em>been the key to salvation. They did not come into being when taught by Jesus and John the Baptist in the meridian of time. Adam was the first person to exercise faith in Jesus Christ, repent of his sins, receive baptism, and be given the gift of the Holy Ghost (Moses 6:64–68). Using the priesthood, Adam then taught these principles and performed these ordinances for his wife, Eve, and for all who were willing to receive them. </p> <p>The sealing power restored by Elijah makes it possible for people to exercise faith and repent after death, and then to work in tandem with living people on earth to receive priesthood ordinances. In his great vision of the spirit world, President Joseph F. Smith saw that departed spirits “were taught faith in God, repentance from sin, vicarious baptism for the remission of sins, the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands” (D&C 138:33). The vast majority of humanity does not learn the principles of the gospel or receive priesthood ordinances while they are in mortality. But the great plan of happiness allows every person a chance in this life or the next to hear the good news and enter into sacred covenants with God. Thus God not only has the desire to save all of his Children, but has instigated a plan that facilitates that possibility.</p>

<p>Many Christian ministers speak of receiving a “call” to the ministry through feelings given to them by God to preach the words of Christ and minister to their fellow men and women. Those most serious about pastoral work then receive degrees and theological training before embarking on a career in the ministry. Latter-day Saints often share in these feelings of being called to the ministry, and they honor the value of an education in the scriptures. However, Latter-day Saints believe that a call to the ministry comes by revelation through one who is authorized and holds the keys of the priesthood. In the Latter-day Saint faith, a person alone does not choose to enter the ministry; instead, the Lord works through His authorized servants to identify by revelation the right people to serve. </p> <p>The fifth article of faith speaks of “a man” called of God, but in more recent years many Church leaders have spoken of “priesthood authority” as something that is given to all officers of the Church, male or female. It is true that certain offices in the Church are only held by men, and other offices are only held by women, but both genders can hold priesthood authority. For instance, when Jean B. Bingham was serving as General President of the Relief Society, she taught, “In my callings, because I am serving with priesthood authority given to me by one who holds the keys, there have been numerous times when I have had thoughts or words given to me that are just what a young woman or Relief Society sister or Primary child needed to hear. I know that those words came because of the priesthood authority I was given when I was set apart for that calling.”<a href="#_ftn1" id="_ftnref1" title="" class="see-footnote">[1]</a></p> <p>The authority for every office in the Church, whether it is a priesthood office such as deacon, Primary teacher, Relief Society president, or bishop, is bestowed through the direct laying on of hands by one who is in authority and acts under the direction of a leader with appropriate priesthood keys.</p> <div class="footnotes"> <p class="footnote"><a href="#_ftnref1" id="_ftn1" title="" class="footnote-label">[1]</a> “President Bingham on Women and the Priesthood,” <em>Church News, </em>May 12, 2020. </p> </div>