We, as most people, believe in a Supreme Being. We know that God lives and we want to share that knowledge with everyone.
God is perfect, all-wise, and all-powerful. He is also merciful, kind and just. We know that we can have faith in him. We can love him with all our hearts.
We are all children of our Father in Heaven. We are created in his image. Because he is the father of all people, we are all brothers and sisters.
Because God loves us, he wants us to progress and be happy. He wants us to become more like him. Just as a parent has a plan for his or her children, God also has a plan for us--his children. His plan will bring us joy in this life and eternal life with him. This plan is called the plan of salvation.
We know that God lives. He loves all of his children. As we have become parents, we are better able to understand this love. We know he has a plan for us and wants us to be happy. We have felt this happiness and joy through our knowledge of Him and his plan.
The Divine Sonship of Jesus Christ
Nobody in this life is perfect. Each one of us falls short of following every commandment that God has given to his children. Why did God give commandments if he knew we wouldn't be able to follow them perfectly? Our sins make us unworthy to return to him. Another problem we have is that we will all eventually die. How are we able to return to him?
If we have faith to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, we can and will find peace in this life and be able to return to our Father in Heaven.
What do you know about Jesus Christ? How does your knowledge of what Jesus did for you make you feel? We are grateful He provided a way for us. We are also very grateful for His example. We know that there is no way, except through Him, that we will be saved from our sins. We are so far from perfect that it would be impossible to return to God without Him. We have found peace in striving to follow His example. We hope that you may also find that peace in your life.
How The Plan Has Been Revealed
How do we know about this plan? Throughout history, God has revealed his truth through his pattern. This pattern is reflected over and over again throughout the Bible. That pattern is:
- God chooses witnesses (Prophets)
- The prophets testify of Christ
- The Holy Ghost confirms the truth of their message
- We are invited to obey
The Prophet Joseph Smith:A Modern Witness of Jesus Christ
He chose a prophet who learned about the plan of salvation first hand. This prophet was Joseph Smith.
In 1820, Joseph Smith was just 14 years old. He was confused about religion and many different churches that were all telling him they were God's church, but had different ideas and doctrines. Joseph was confused by this. Why would all of them say they have the true gospel, yet each are different? In his own words, this is what Joseph said about his confusion:
During this time of great excitement my mind was called up to serious reflection and great uneasiness; but though my feelings were deep and often poignant, still I kept myself aloof from all these parties, though I attended their several meetings as often as occasion would permit. In process of time my mind became somewhat partial to the Methodist sect, and I felt some desire to be united with them; but so great were the confusion and strife among the different denominations, that it was impossible for a person young as I was, and so unacquainted with men and things, to come to any certain conclusion who was right and who was wrong.Have you ever felt the same way?
One day, Joseph was reading in the Bible and found a passage that showed him a way to find the answer.
While I was laboring under the extreme difficulties caused by the contests of these parties of religionists, I was one day reading the Epistle of James, first chapter and fifth verse, which reads: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know, and unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, I would never know; for the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible.Joseph decided to do just as the Bible said. He went to a nearby grove of trees one spring morning and prayed to Heavenly Father. He had faith that God would answer his prayer.
Again, in his own words, this is what happened:
I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me....When the light rested upon me 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---"This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!"
In answer to Joseph's prayer, God the Father and Jesus Christ visited him. Through this and other experiences, Joseph was called to be a prophet. He is just like the prophets in the Bible. He saw and spoke with Jesus Christ. Through Joseph, God revealed many truths about His plan of salvation.
They told him not to join any of the churches because they did not have the complete gospel of Jesus Christ, only portions. They told him they had a great work for him to do in restoring the full gospel of Jesus Christ and his church to the earth.
We know that Joseph Smith was a prophet. We know he saw God and Jesus Christ.
The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ
As a prophet, Joseph Smith received and translated The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent. It is a collection of these writings and named after the prophet who compiled the writings into one volume--Mormon.
The prophets of The Book of Mormon knew of God's plan of salvation. They knew and taught about Jesus Christ. After his resurrection, Jesus Christ visited the people in America. He taught them his gospel---the same gospel that he taught during his life. An account of Jesus' visit to America can be found in 3 Nephi 11
Please view Our Invitation to All
The Holy Ghost: A Witness of the Truth
By calling the Prophet Joseph Smith and commanding him to bring forth The Book of Mormon, God followed the pattern he established for revealing truth. God has promised that the Holy Ghost will let you know that The Book of Mormon is true. John 14:26 says "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."By the power of the Holy Ghost, you can also know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God. He was called by God to be a special witness of Christ.
The Book of Mormon contains a promise to all those who read it. The prophet Moroni, in Moroni 10:3-5 says:
3Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.This passage explains that we can know through the power of the Holy Ghost that The Book of Mormon is true. First, you should read it. Second, you should think about what you have read--compare it to what you see in the Bible. Third, you should pray to the Father and ask with faith if the book is true. If you do these things, you will come to know by the power of the Holy Ghost that the book is true. Joseph Smith is a prophet. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is His church.
4And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.5And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.
We invite you to learn more about Joseph Smith and The Book of Mormon, and Jesus Christ. We know that you can know for yourself the truth. God loves you. His plan of salvation is amazing! He sent Jesus Christ to earth just for you to be able to return to Him. He also called his prophet, Joseph Smith, to bring forth the Book of Mormon and restore Christ's church.
If you know Joseph Smith is a prophet and that The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ, please share your testimony below and share this page with others! I would love to hear your stories!
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