What Mormons Believe; Article of Faith #2

"We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression."

First off, what is "Adam's transgression"?

What that is referring to is when Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden and were told by God not to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge. Long story short, Satan tempted Eve and she ate the fruit and then Adam did as well, or else he would remain in the garden alone.

Because Adam and Eve disobeyed Heavenly Father they were cast out of the Garden of Eden and could no longer be in the presence of God. They became subject to sin, pain, and death, which is why we are subject to those same things.

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints we do not believe we are held accountable for Adam's disobedience at the beginning of time.

It says in Deuteronomy 24:16 "The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin."

The only sins we believe we are accountable for at the last day are our own.

I know some people, including loved ones of mine, believe that we are under punishment because of Adam right from the get go. That's why some people believe their infants need to be baptized ASAP.

In the Book of Mormon one of the Prophets named Moroni went to the Lord concerning this matter and this was the answer he received:

8 "Listen to the words of Christ, your Redeemer, your Lord and your God. Behold, I came into the world not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance; the whole need no physician, but they that are sick; wherefore, little children are whole, for they are not capable of committing sin; wherefore the curse of Adam is taken from them in me, that it hath no power over them; and the law of circumcision is done away in me.

10 "Behold I say unto you that this thing shall ye teach—repentance and baptism unto those who are accountable and capable of committing sin; yea, teach parents that they must repent and be baptized, and humble themselves as their little children, and they shall all be saved with their little children.

 11 "And their little children need no repentance, neither baptism. Behold, baptism is unto repentance to the fulfilling the commandments unto the remission of sins."

 12 "But little children are alive in Christ, even from the foundation of the world; if not so, God is a partial God, and also a changeable God, and a respecter to persons; for how many little children have died without baptism!"

 13 "Wherefore, if little children could not be saved without baptism, these must have gone to an endless hell."

 14 "Behold I say unto you, that he that supposeth that little children need baptism is in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity; for he hath neither faith, hope, nor charity; wherefore, should he be cut off while in the thought, he must go down to hell.

 15 "For awful is the wickedness to suppose that God saveth one child because of baptism, and the other must perish because he hath no baptism." Moroni 8: 8, 10-15

We can see in this response from the Lord to Moroni that "children are alive in Christ" and that they aren't able to commit sin because they don't know right from wrong. Why would God punish an innocent child for something someone did 1000's of years ago? Would you punish one of your children for something that your Grandfather did?

Those children that have past away at the beginning years of their life are not lost. They are with our loving Savior Jesus Christ and our eternal Father.  

We believe that we have a loving, unchangeable God who adores and cares so much for each individual that is, was, and will be on this earth. He wants all of us to return to live with Him through baptism at the age of accountability and will not punish us for something that someone else did.

25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy. 2 Nephi 2:25

What Mormons Believe; Article of Faith #1

There are a lot of preconceived notions about "Mormons" concerning what we believe, what we do, who we are. I want to clearly state the beliefs that we do have that are true! I've been told that if you want to know what a Mormon believes, you should ask a Mormon. 

We have a wonderful set of beliefs outlined very clearly by the first prophet of the church, Joseph Smith. It's called the 13 Articles of Faith!

So, let's not waste any more time and begin!

Article of Faith #1

1 We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.

• We believe that God is our loving Heavenly Father and loves us just as our fathers here on earth should love us.
• We believe that Jesus Christ is God's divine Son and that He came into this world to save us from our sins. He is our Brother and loves us so much!
• We also believe that the Holy Ghost (Spirit, Holy Spirit, Comforter, etc.) to be a wonderful guide given to us, by the laying on of hands, in this life. Through Him we "may know the truth of all things." -Moroni 10:5

We believe that God and Jesus Christ have resurrected bodies of flesh and bone, however the Holy Ghost does not have a body. They are all separate beings, as well.

In John 10: 30 and many other scriptures in the Bible its says "I and my Father are one."

At first glance, yes, I would assume that God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are all one being.

 Let's look at it this way. When you are married and they say you are one, do you become one person? No, it means that you are one in purpose. To help each other reach the same goals and raise a happy family. 

 

God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are three separate beings but ONE in PURPOSE.

There are many examples in the Bible where Jesus, in His earthly ministry, is praying TO the Father. The biggest example, when Christ is praying in the Garden of Gethsemane asking His Father to "let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." He is asking something of someone else.

 

 

One of the 12 living Apostles once said:

"We believe these three divine persons constituting a single Godhead are united in purpose, in manner, in testimony, in mission. We believe Them to be filled with the same godly sense of mercy and love, justice and grace, patience, forgiveness, and redemption. I think it is accurate to say we believe They are one in every significant and eternal aspect imaginable except believing Them to be three persons combined in one substance, a Trinitarian notion never set forth in the scriptures because it is not true."

 -Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

 

 

 

So, to basically sum this up, we believe that God is our Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ is His Son, and the Holy Spirit testifies to us of Them. They are all ONE IN PURPOSE but are THREE SEPERATE BEINGS.

 

These are few of many scriptures that strengthened my testimony the God truly is our Father, and that His Son, Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. Will you read them also to strengthen your faith?

John 17  2 Corinthians 1:3   2 John 1:3   Joseph Smith History 1:17   Luke 23:34   3 Nephi 11: 8-17

There is opposition in all things; but why?

Have you ever made a decision and felt really good about it? Not necessarily something you have acted on yet but you made the choice that you are going to go for it. Then, all of the sudden, BAM!!! You run into this invisible brick wall that randomly showed up in front of you. It isn't the best feeling, is it? Then it makes you question whether or not it was the right decision to go with in the first place, right? I'm pretty sure we have all been there! I certainly know I have many times. The best decisions I always make have opposition come right as I choose to follow the right path.

Why does it happen?

Let me ask you one question...Who wants you to be miserable and will do anything to stop you from bringing joy and happiness to your life?

I think we both know who I'm taking about.

Satan, of course. He's a sly guy. He tries to make us think that when opposition comes when making, what we thought was a good decision, bad all of the sudden that it's God telling us to not do it.

For example in my life every time I pray about a decision and decide to act upon my answer there is always opposition. The best choices I've made have always come with opposition. When I moved to Utah by myself for school, filling out my mission papers, and just a few days ago applying to go to BYU. All of these huge decision (but the right ones) have come with opposition!

Some people on my mission have committed to be baptized but sometimes get scared and back out because all these bad things start to happen and they think God is telling them not to be baptized. What do you think happens?  Well why would Satan want you to be eligible to live with God and Jesus Christ again? Think about it.

Joseph Smith had opposition just before God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ appeared to restore the fullness of the gospel to the earth again.

Despite all the opposition Job dealt with in his life, he continued to press on and trust in God.

Christ, our ultimate example, dealt with opposition everyday of His mortal life. He was always on the right path and He constantly was faced with ridiculing, judgement, and torture. He pressed on, alone.

Opposition is good! It means that you are on the right track and that most likely you are doing what God wants you to do!  If you have prayed about a decision and feel good about it, do everything you can to fulfill it. God won't let you go too far off the right path without warning you first.

11 "For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things." -2 Nephi 2:11

How can you tell the difference between God warning you and Satan messing with your head?

 

16 For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.

 17 But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him. Moroni 7:16-17
 

Whichever decision you make that will bring you closer to God, you know it's from God.
If it is bringing you further away from God you know it's from Satan.

So next time you have trouble when you are pushing forward in your life just remember there is opposition in all things and to put your trust in God, that you are following His plan and He will deliver you.

More precious than rubies; Daughters of God

I've been thinking a lot about my youth and how hard it was sometimes. I grew up in a town that didn't have very many "LDS" kids my age. To be honest it was really hard. I fell to temptation sometimes but learned how to pick myself back up. I want all the girls in this world to know that you don't have to be someone else other than yourself to be accepted.

 

 

 

 

I know its hard sometimes to be surrounded by so many "things" of the world. There are so many different people telling us who we need to be, what we need to do, and what we need to look like. Let me tell you something I learned later than I hoped, YOU ARE A DAUGHTER OF GOD. You are beautiful the way you are! You have a loving Heavenly Father who knows what you go through and made you (physically and spiritually) the way you are for a purpose. He doesn't want you to give into temptation because it will make you more popular or fit in with others. We all have weaknesses and will fall sometimes but we have a loving Heavenly Father who is there to forgive us and to strengthen us.

One of the 12 Apostles in the church said:
"In this same vein may I address an even more sensitive subject. I plead with you young women to please be more accepting of yourselves, including your body shape and style, with a little less longing to look like someone else. We are all different. Some are tall, and some are short. Some are round, and some are thin. And almost everyone at some time or other wants to be something they are not! But as one adviser to teenage girls said: “You can’t live your life worrying that the world is staring at you. When you let people’s opinions make you self-conscious you give away your power. … The key to feeling [confident] is to always listen to your inner self—[the real you.]”   And in the kingdom of God, the real you is “more precious than rubies.”   

Coming from a big sister point of view, I just want all my little sisters out there to know that YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL! You can be yourself, and if people don't accept you for who you truly are then they weren't your true friends anyway. Be strong and stand up for what you believe in and what you stand for. I was told once by a wise woman that "A girl without courage is like a night without stars." Be that shining star to others.

When you look in the mirror try and see what Heavenly Father sees you as. Let your light shine my dear sisters! Don't let boys, peer pressure, or anything take any light away from you. When you do make a mistake, take the blame, repent, and move on and don't do it again! Remember your goals and work towards them!

You are loved more than you know..I know sometimes it doesn't seem that way but it's true.

Remember who you are and be proud of it.

My sister sang this song a while back but I loved it so much I cried because it made me realize how I needed to love myself just as Heavenly Father loves me.

 

Oh how you shine..

You are filled with the Father's love,

you are worthy of His trust,

Oh what beautiful light,

Light keeper

 

Light keeper be strong..

Light keeper walk on through the night.

When all the world is telling you, you're not worth the fight

Hold onto your light,

Hold it tight...light keeper

 

Sea cuidado con los caminos desconocidos

Por el dia de perparacion esta semana todos los misioneros en mi area decidimos salir del departamento a una caminata. Ibamos a "Old Stone Fort" en Manchester, TN. Era tan hermoso y divertido!

 

Caminamos por casi 30-45 minutos.

Decidimos regresar para que podieramos regresar a tiempo para la cena! Lo que fue un 30 minutos en llegar se convertio en casi uns hora! Nos perdimos! Todos nosotros pensabamos que sabiamos el camino pero nadie estaba de acuerdo.

 

  No es suficiente dejarnos guiar únicamente por nuestros instintos.

No es suficiente tener las mejores intenciones.

No bastará el confiar solamente en nuestros sentidos naturales."

 
Eventualmente regresamos a nuestros carros. Lo que pensé cuando estábamos perdidos era que a veces nos apartamos del camino de Dios. Tenemos directrices que pueden ayudarnos a regresar al Padre Celestial con seguirdad.

Necesitamos poner atencion a ellos. Varios ejemplos son leyendo las escrituras y viviendo lo que aprendemos, escuchando al profeta, orando por la guia de Dios, el arrepentimiento, el bautismo, asistiendo a la iglesia, etc.
 
Las Escrituras son la palabra de Dios; son los puntos de referencia de Dios que muestran el camino que debemos seguir a fin de acercarnos a nuestro Salvador y de lograr metas dignas.
 
Al vivir los principios que aprendamos no nos perderemos. Sabremos cual direccion que necesitamos tomar en nuestras vidas para volver a Dios. Si, todavia tendremos dificultades a veces, pero todavia estamos en el camino. Yo se que haciendo las cosas que Jesucristo nos ha pedido hacer, podemos disfrutar este trayecto que se llama VIDA!!

 Siga adelante mi amigo!










 

Por la gracia de Dios soy lo que soy

Han visto, probablemente, que les escribo mucho acerca del sacrificio que Jesucristo hizo por cada uno de nosotros. Esta semana quiero que explicar porque me encanta escribir sobre eso. 

Creci en la Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Ultimos Dias. Asisti a la primaria, me bautice a la edad de ocho años, e hice las cosas que mi padres me pidieron. Cuando termine la preparatoria me di cuenta de que no tenia un testimonio del evangelio. En verdad, no sabia que las cosas que me enseñaron mi padres eran verdaderas. Me aparte de "la estretcha y angosta senda". Todavia no tenia un testimonio, me aleje de la Iglesia por casi dos años. Un dia, me di cuenta de que no me gustaba la persona que habia llegado a ser. Habia cometida muchos equivocaciones. Al mismo tiempo sentia tanta culpa y dolor y recordaba las cosas que mi padres me habian enseñado cuando era joven. Siempre me dijeron que puedo ser perdonada. Decidi que queria saber si el Libro de Mormon era verdadero. ( en ese tiempo estuve en la universidad en oregon). Me arrodille y le pide a mi Padre Celestial, sinceramente,"es este libro verdadero o no?" Una paz que nunca habia sentido antes lleno mi corazon y yo sabia que el Libro de Mormon y las cosas que habia aprendido eran verdaderas. Asisti a la Iglesia otra vez y empeze a crecer mi testimonio. Muchos misioneros me ayudaron a reactivarme. Se que estos misioneros fueron parte de mi vida por medio de la mano de Dios. Durante el proximo año me mude a Utah para la escuela y era bien activa en la Iglesia. Cuando regrese a mi hogar, por varios cosas me aparte otra vez. Mi padres en la tierra y mi Padre en los cielos me mostraron mucho amor y gracia en mi tiempo de obscuridad. Me ayudaron a mejoror mi misma y ser autosuficiente. Se que soy perdonada de todos mis errores. Esta es la razon que estoy en una mision. Yo se del poder de la Expiacion de Jesucristo. Se que puede cambiar todas de nuestras vidas como Alma, Saul, y yo! Estoy bien agradecida por mi padres, por los misioneros, y por mi Salvador Jesucristo. Ellos nunca me han abandonado. Quiero que todos ustedes puedan sentir, experimentar, y llegar a conocer que la Expiacion puede llevarles y cambiarles cada dia como lo hizo para mi.

"Pero por la gracia de Dios soy lo que soy; y su gracia no ha sido en vano para conmigo; antes bien, he trabajado más que todos ellos; aunque no yo, sino la gracia de Dios que está conmigo." - 1 Corintios 15:10


Este discurso es bueno para entender la significa de la gracia de Dios:
Su gracia es suficiente

La bendicion de misericordia

A veces nos equivocamos. Decimos cosas que no queremos decir, nos enfadamos un poquito, o hacemos cosas que ofenden a otras personas. Estoy segura que podemos pensar en una experiencia en la cual hemos tenido culpa de ofrender o lastimar a alguien. Básicamente, nos equivocamos! Hay muchos ejemplos en las escrituras de la gente que hace errores. La cosa mas importante es que todos nosotros podemos perdonar. Necesitamos pedirle misericordia a Dios. Dejemos nuestro orgullo y reconozcamos nuestras faltas y pidamos a El que nos perdone. En el Libro de Mormon hay tres hermanos en una familia. Se llaman Nefi, Laman, y Lemuel. Los mayors hermanos fueron bien enojados con su hermano menor Nefi. La historia dice:
"Y aconteció que cuando yo, Nefi, hube hablado estas palabras a mis hermanos, se irritaron contra mí. Y se lanzaron sobre mí, porque se habían enojado en extremo, y me ataron con cuerdas, pues intentaban quitarme la vida, para luego abandonarme en el desierto, a fin de que fuera devorado por animales salvajes."
"Y sucedió que se sintieron apesadumbrados de su maldad, al grado de que se humillaron delante de mí, suplicándome que les perdonara aquello que habían hecho conmigo."

"Y aconteció que les perdoné sinceramente todo cuanto me habían hecho, y los exhorté a que pidieran al Señor su Dios que los perdonara. Y aconteció que así lo hicieron. Y después de haber orado al Señor, emprendimos otra vez la marcha hacia la tienda de nuestro padre." 1 Nefi 7:16, 20-21

Los hermanos de Nefi dejaron su orgullo y pidieron misericordia.  Nefi les perdonó sinceramente.

 

Sé que en mi vida, cuando tenga culpa de mis errores porque tuve mucho orgullo, es mas dificil parar de vivir con ese dolor que hablar con la persona que yo ofendí. Vivía con seis chicas cuando asistía la Universidad de Utah State y un otra Universidad en Oregon. Estoy segura que pueden pensar en las equivocaciones y la drama que ocurrieron en esas casas. He aprendido muchisimo! He reconocido cuando hago un error y cuando necesito dejar mi orgullo y pedir misericordia de mi Padre Celestial. Me siento mucho mejor cuando perdono y pido misericordia.

 

Nuestro Salvador es perfecto. El sabe nuestros dolores y aflicciones. El ya sufrió por nosotros y en la cruz. El le dijo al Pad"Padre, perdónalos, porque no saben lo que hacen." Permitamos que la Expiacion de Jesucristo obre en nuestras vidas. Perdone los demas y peda misericordia cuando hace un error. No se precupe! No somos perfectos pero por medio de la Expiacion podemos mejorarnos cada dia!