Article of Faith #8

#8 We believe the Bible

 to be the word of God

 as far as it is translated correctly;

we also believe the

Book of Mormon to be

the word of God.

So We believe in the Bible, and that it is the word of God.

"The book that thou beholdest is a record of the Jews,
which contains the covenants of the Lord,
which he hath made unto the house of Israel;
and it also containeth many of the
prophecies of the holy prophets;
and it is a record like unto the engravings
 which are upon the plates of brass,
save there are not so many; nevertheless,
they contain the covenants of the Lord,
which he hath made unto the house of Israel;
wherefore, they are of great worth unto the Gentiles. (1 Nephi 13:23)

This scripture is a description of the Bible.  That it came out of the mouth of the jews, and that it contains the covenants and promises that the Lord gave to the jews. 
How important are the words of God?  Nephi describes His feelings of the importance when he said: "Wherefore, I, Nephi, did exhort them to give heed unto the word of the Lord; yea, I did exhort them with all the energies of my soul, and with all the faculty which I possessed, that they would give heed to the word of God and remember to keep his commandments always in all things.  (1 Nephi 15:25)

But with the various versions we have of the Bible today in our world, the importance to our Heavenly Father that it is translated correctly is crucial so that we can live God's way with exact obedience. The Bible did start out pure and complete, but through the years of multiple translations, it didn't remain pure.

"And after they go forth by the
 hand of the twelve apostles of the Lamb,
from the Jews unto the Gentiles,
thou seest the formation of that great and abominable church,
which is most abominable above all other churches;
for behold, they have taken away from the
gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious;
and also many covenants of the Lord have they taken away.

 And all this have they done that they

 might pervert the right ways of the Lord,

that they might blind the eyes and

 harden the hearts of the children of men."

  (1Nephi 13:26-27)

This confusion that comes from the Bible with people in the past taking and adding to the bible, states that we need something that can bring another witness to the table and clarify that which we need to do.  That the witness of two can bring the truth to light.  So God provided a Book of Mormon.

"And because my words shall hiss forth—many of the Gentiles shall say: A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible.  Thou fool, that shall say: A Bible, we have got a Bible, and we need no more Bible. Have ye obtained a Bible save it were by the Jews?

 Know ye not that there are more nations than one? Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath; and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth?

 Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word? Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also.

And I do this that I may prove unto many that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; 

Wherefore, because that ye have a Bible ye need not suppose that it contains all my words; neither need ye suppose that I have not caused more to be written."

 (2 Nephi 3, 6-10)

The Book of Mormon comes as a second witness to help God's people more fully understand the doctrine of Christ.  The way Christ's church is suppose to be.   

"Wherefore, the fruit of thy loins shall ^awrite;

and the fruit of the loins of ^bJudah shall ^cwrite;

and that which shall be written by the fruit of thy loins,

and also that which shall be written by the fruit of the loins of Judah,

shall grow together,

unto the ^dconfounding of ^efalse doctrines and laying down of contentions,

and establishing ^fpeace among the fruit of thy loins,

and ^gbringing them to the ^hknowledge of their fathers in the latter days,

and also to the knowledge of my covenants, saith the Lord. (2 Nephi 3:12)

Gaining a testimony

I was in the Mission Training Center and we, as missionaries, practice teaching one another.  So I was pretending to be an atheist for the other missionaries.  They were asking me a few questions and I was answering them.  Then I looked out our small window and said
"Look outside.  How can you look out there and think that there is a God?  There is NOTHING that proves there..."

I was going to finish that phrase, but was cut off by my emotions.  I couldn't say that God didn't exist.  I could not deny the testimony that I had received through my life. 

Joseph Smith said about receiving a vision from God "I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it, NEITHER DARED I DO IT."

So how do we gain the testimony that it gets to the point that we cannot deny it?  Gaining a testimony takes work.  We have to desire to gain it and work to gain it. 

Alma 32:27 "But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words." 

So first we have DESIRE.  We have to want a testimony.  We plant a seed.  We long to know the truth of something.  Then we go to work, or NOURISH the seed!  We nourish the seed by earnestly praying and reading more about it.  If it is the testimony, or knowledge that God exist, then we study out the scriptures and find where there is proof that God exist.  For example:
Alma 30:44 
"The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator." 

We continue to PONDER upon these teachings and PRAYING and asking if this is true.

Then, we know if it is true if it begins to grow, or gives us peace and sometimes warm feelings about the subject.  We know that if a seed is bad, that it will not grow and will not produce anything.  Or, we know that it won't make sense or feel right if it is wrong.  But if it grows, it will continue to grow as you strive to nourish it.  Then it can become a belief. 

Alma 32:34

"And now, behold, is your knowledge perfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing, and your faith is dormant; and this because you know, for ye know that the word hath swelled your souls, and ye also know that it hath sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and you mind doth behind to expand."

I can promise you that you can gain a testimony of anything if you desire to find the truth.  Then you can say,

"I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it."

I KNOW

So, I don't have a great analogy today with anything that I have seen, but I was sitting in this chair and was trying to decide what I wanted to blog about.  The only thing that kept coming into my mind was to testify.  Write out your testimony.   So here you go.

I know that God exists. I know that He loves each and everyone one of us.  I know that He is my Father.  I know that He is happy when we obey, and sad when we disobey.  I know that He wanted us to come to this earth, and that He wants ALL of us to return to His presence through baptism and keeping the commandments.

I know that His Son Jesus Christ lives.  I know He loves us.  I know that He performed the atonement for me because He loves me.  I know that the Atonement is there to allow us to be forgiven, to be cleansed, to right any wrongs that happen to us in this life, and to allow us each to return to live with our Father in Heaven.

I know that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God.  That he had the faith it took to go in to that grove of trees and kneel down and ask God himself which church was true.  And that God the Father came down and His Son, Jesus Christ, and told Joseph Smith that none of the sects were true and that he, Joseph Smith, was to be a prophet.  A prophet that is called by God himself to lead and direct His children back to Him.  To bring back those ordinances and covenants we need to do to enter God's presence.  Joseph Smith did translate the plates that contained the Book of Mormon through the power of God.  

I know that the Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints has been restored to the earth and that it is the same church that Jesus Christ established when he was on the earth.  I know this because I have asked God, my Eternal Father, and He has told me it's true in my heart and in my mind.




I know this clip is a little long, but it is SO amazing!  These are the testimonies of Apostles of Christ.  Apostles are to represent Christ and testify of Christ.  In the Bible dictionary it states:
"The calling of an apostle is to be a special witness of the name of Jesus Christ in all the world, particularly of his divinity and of his bodily resurrection from the dead."

So, grab a cup of hot chocolate, or a little bag of popcorn, or some of that Christmas candy you got and take the time to be uplifted as you listen to apostles of the Lord testify of Jesus the Christ.