What Do Mormons Really Believe?: Part IX

What Do Mormons Really Believe?: Part IX

Article of Faith #9

This is Part Nine of my series on what members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, sometimes called "Mormons", believe. Please remember that though I am an active member of the church, my disclaimer is that I do not claim to provide the official view from the church; I'll leave it to the church to do that (see www.mormon.org).

The intent of these articles is not to attack or demean other faiths or to cause any kind of contention or argument. They are written to simply outline the beliefs of church members in as straightforward a way as possible. I have no intention to convince, trick or deceive anyone. Indeed, this is far from the mind of any faithful member of the church. We realize full well that spiritual matters are deeply personal and can only be accessed through study, reflection, and with the aid of the Divine.

The Articles of Faith were written by Joseph Smith Jr., whom church members take to be a prophet and the first leader of the church in our time. They were written to clarify the church's position about many fundamental issues.

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Article of Faith #9
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.

Since the beginning of time on Earth, God has spoken to His children through prophets. Beginning with Adam, continuing through Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, and others in the Old Testament, and then speaking to Peter, John and others after the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus, God has clearly established this deity-approved method of communication. Indeed, the prophet Amos proclaims, "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets."

Church members are forever grateful for a Heavenly Father who loves them so much that He provides guidance and direction through a living prophet. A popular hymn sung in the church is "We Thank Thee O' God For A Prophet". Church members do not deem prophets higher than God or Jesus Christ; they are merely servants through whom He speaks.

It was Joseph Smith Jr. who at 15 years of age wanted to know which church he should join. He read a scripture in the Bible that affected him deeply, James 1:5: "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." He decided to do just that: ask of God. In his words (you can see a very lovely, short video of his story here):

At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of God. I at length came to the determination to "ask of God," concluding that if he gave wisdom to them that lacked wisdom, and would give liberally, and not upbraid, I might venture.

So, in accordance with this, my determination to ask of God, I retired to the woods to make the attempt. It was on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of eighteen hundred and twenty. It was the first time in my life that I had made such an attempt, for amidst all my anxieties I had never as yet made the attempt to pray vocally.

After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God . . . I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.

It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. 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!

My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right . . . and which I should join.

I was answered that I must join none of them . . . and many other things did he say unto me . . .

And so the heavens were once again opened as they had been through most of the past. Through Joseph Smith Jr., Jesus Christ eventually restored the church He had established long before. Important to the matters at hand for this article: Revelation was once again established as the means by which God communicates through his servants the prophets.

Of course, one very comforting thing for all church members is that revelation is not just for prophets. Each of us may receive the revelation we need to fulfill our various responsibilities. As a father, I have the right to receive divine revelation about my family. As a Sunday School teacher, I can receive help in preparing a lesson. The prophet and leaders of the church, of course, receive revelation for the entire church as a whole.

Usually, revelation is received by means of the Holy Ghost, though the scriptures (and some modern scriptural accounts) do contain many examples of visions, dreams, and actual visitations from Deity. In my personal experience, the Holy Ghost has usually been the messenger from God to me when I have asked in faith and when I have been found worthy to receive guidance from the Lord.

A prophet from the Book of Mormon adds his testimony to those prophets from the Holy Bible. Speaking of the Book of Mormon, he wrote:

And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

That we may know the truth of all things is a great and wonderful promise that is fulfilled in both living prophets and in our ability to receive our own personal revelation. As you may be able to see, the concept of revelation is one area in which the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints differs from other faiths--which is a bit puzzling when you think about it, since God is an unchanging God, and since this is a time-worn method He has always used.

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Next stop: Article of Faith #10

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Contents to articles:

What Do Mormons Really Believe?: Introduction

Part I (Article of Faith #1)

Part II (Article of Faith #2)

Part III (Article of Faith #3)

Part IV (Article of Faith #4)

Part V (Article of Faith #5)

Part VI (Article of Faith #6)

Part VII (Article of Faith #7)

Part VIII (Article of Faith #8)