Table of Contents
Articles of Faith: Thirteen
1.We firmly believe in the existence of the Holy Ghost, Jesus Christ, the Eternal Father, and God.
2.We think that rather than being punished for Adam’s sin, men will be punished for their misdeeds.
3.We hold that through abiding by the rules and regulations of the gospel, all people can be saved through the Atonement of Christ.
4.We hold that the four pillars of the gospel—faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism by immersion for the forgiveness of sins, and the laying on of hands for the impartation of the Holy Spirit—come first.
5.We hold that to preach the Gospel and carry out its ordinances, a man must first be called by God through prophecy and the laying on of hands by people in positions of power.
6.We hold a similar belief in the apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and other leaders that were present in the Primitive Church.
7.Insofar as it is faithfully translated, we take the Bible and the Book of Mormon to be the inspired words of God.
8.We hold fast to all God has shown, everything He is still revealing, and everything He has promised to reveal in the future about the coming Kingdom of God.
9.Ten Tribes; the construction of Zion (the New Jerusalem) on the American continent; the personal reign of Christ over all of creation; and the renewal and restoration of the planet to its paradisiacal grandeur.
10.We assert the right to worship the Almighty God following our consciences and grant everyone else the same freedom to worship, however, wherever, and however, they see fit.
11.We support respecting, upholding, and honoring the law as well as being subservient to kings, presidents, and other authorities.
12.We follow Paul’s advice to “believe all things, hope all things, endure all things, and hope” because we believe that being honest, true, chaste, generous, and virtuous is the best policy to possess the capacity for endurance. We look for anything that is noble, lovely, deserving of praise, or good news.
Not Included in the 13 Articles of Faith Are Other LDS Beliefs
It was never the intention of the 13 Articles of Faith to be all-inclusive. Simply said, they help to clarify certain fundamental Mormon ideas.
The whole gospel of Jesus Christ, according to Mormons, is present on earth thanks to the benefit of modern revelation. These comprise all the rituals required for everyone’s salvation. Only in our temples are these ordinances available. These rites allow us to eternally seal families as well as temporal ones.There has also been more scripture revealed. What Mormons refer to as the standard works are comprised of this scripture. These four books are all distinct.
Ascension and Apostasy
The Mormon Church (established in 1830), according to Mormons, is the “restored church,” and they assert that “complete” apostasy engulfed the church after the apostolic era. However, one would anticipate finding first-century historical proof for Mormon doctrines like the plurality of gods and God the Father having formerly been a man if the Mormon Church were a “restored church.” Such proof is entirely lacking.
God
According to God Mormons, God the Father was once a man before becoming a god (that is, he is a now-exalted, immortal man with a flesh-and-bone body). But according to the Bible, God is not and never has been a man. He is a spirit because a spirit doesn’t have a body and bones. In addition, God is unchangeable and eternal . (or unchangeable in his being and perfections. He never “progressed” towards being a god; he has always been God.
Polytheism
Mormons hold that the Trinity is made up of three separate gods rather than three persons in one God. In addition to these, there may be thousands more gods, according to Mormonism. However, the Bible makes it clear that believing in or honoring more than one deity is wrong.
Honoring of Humans
According to Mormons, people can become gods through a process similar to that of God the Father.
But according to the Bible, mankind’s desire to be like God caused them to fall. God has nothing good to say about people who try to become gods. God wants people to humbly acknowledge that they are his creations . The redeemed will be in a blissful eternal state in eternity, but they will always be God’s creatures and his adopted children. Never will believers ascend to godhood.
Mormons who follow Jesus Christ consider him to be the firstborn spirit child of a heavenly Father and a heavenly Mother.
Then, in the afterlife, Jesus became a god.
He later became the actual “only begotten” Son of God the Father in the flesh through bodily conception in Mary’s womb (though many present-day Mormons remain somewhat vague as to how this occurred).
But according to the Bible, when Jesus is referred to as the “only begotten,” it means that he has the same divine character as the Father and is the Father’s one and only Son for all eternity.
Four Kingdoms
According to Mormon belief, depending on one’s level of fidelity, the majority of people will ultimately reside in one of three kingdoms of glory. Only the most spiritually reprehensible people will go to hell because belief in Christ, or even in God, is not necessary to achieve immortality in one of these three realms.
But according to what the Bible teaches, there are only two possible afterlife scenarios for humans: either they will spend forever in hell or they will spend it with God in the new heavens and new earth.
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