We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Pearl of Great Price, Articles of Faith, Articles of Faith 4)
The Apostle Paul in the New Testament taught that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1; see footnote b). In the Book of Mormon, Alma made a similar statement: “If ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true” (Alma 32:21).
Faith is a principle of action and power. Whenever you work toward a worthy goal, you exercise faith. Just like when you set a date to be baptized today. You show faith and worked towards baptism. You gave up coffee, tea, alcohol and tobacco to grow closer to the Savior. This is your faith in action. Fear is the opposite of faith. You show your hope for something that you cannot yet see.
The first principle of the Gospel is Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
In order for your faith to lead you to salvation, it must be centered in the Lord Jesus Christ (see Acts 4:10–12; Mosiah 3:17; Moroni 7:24–26; Articles of Faith 1:4). You can exercise faith in Christ when you have an assurance that He exists, a correct idea of His character, and a knowledge that you are striving to live according to His will.
Having faith in Jesus Christ means relying completely on Him—trusting in His infinite power, intelligence, and love. It includes believing His teachings. It means believing that even though you do not understand all things, He does. Remember that because He has experienced all your pains, afflictions, and infirmities, He knows how to help you rise above your daily difficulties (see Alma 7:11–12; D&C 122:8). He has “overcome the world” (John 16:33) and prepared the way for you to receive eternal life. He is always ready to help you as you remember His plea: “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not” (D&C 6:36).
Living by Faith.
Faith is much more than passive belief. The Lord will work mighty miracles in your life according to your faith (see 2 Nephi 26:13). Faith in Jesus Christ helps you receive spiritual and physical healing through His Atonement (see 3 Nephi 9:13–14). When times of trial come, faith can give you strength to press forward and face your hardships with courage. Even when the future seems uncertain, your faith in the Savior can give you peace (see Romans 5:1; Helaman 5:47).
Increasing Your Faith
Faith is a gift from God, but you must nurture your faith to keep it strong. Faith is like the muscle of your arm. If you exercise it, it grows strong. If you put it in a sling and leave it there, it becomes weak.
Repentance
Repentance is other principle of the gospel (see Articles of Faith 1:4). It is essential to your happiness in this life and throughout eternity. Repentance is much more than just acknowledging wrongdoings. It is a change of mind and heart that gives you a fresh view about God, about yourself, and about the world. It includes turning away from sin and turning to God for forgiveness. It is motivated by love for God and the sincere desire to obey His commandments. (True to the Faith, Repentance)
Baptism, our first covenant
Faith in Jesus Christ and repentance prepare and lead us for the ordinance of baptism and confirmation. What is an ordinance? An ordinance is a sacred ceremony or rite that shows that we have enters into a covenant with God. A covenant is it to way promise between you and God.
Baptism is one of the first steps we take to come to Christ. Understanding the symbolism of baptism helps us understand the eternal nature of the covenants and blessings that come because of baptism. Through continued obedience, we can overcome spiritual death and return to the presence of our Father in Heaven. Since this is made possible by the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we take Jesus’ name upon us when we are baptized and promise to remember him in all that we do.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is simple. There are three simple things to keep us strong in the gospel.
1- Prayer. You can nurture the gift of faith by praying to Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ. As you express your gratitude to your Father and as you plead with Him for blessings that you and others need, you will draw near to Him. You will also be receptive to the quiet guidance of the Holy Ghost.
2 - You can strengthen your faith by keeping the commandments and attending church each week. Like all blessings from God, faith is obtained and increased through individual obedience and righteous action. If you desire to enrich your faith to the highest possible degree, you must keep the covenants you have made.
3 - You can also develop your faith by studying the scriptures and the words of latter-day prophets. In the Book of Mormon, Alma compared faith to a seed. In order for a seed to grow, we have to plant it in good soil and nourish it by giving it water and sunlight. As the seed starts to grow, we have to continue taking care of it in order for it to keep growing. If we stop giving it water and sunlight, the plant will die. The plant did not die because the seed was bad, but because it was not getting the nourishment and care that it needed to grow. But if we keep taking care of the seed, it will keep growing and growing until we can pick the delicious fruit and taste it.
Faith in the gospel is much like the seed. In order for faith to start growing we need to plant it in our hearts by wanting to learn more about the gospel, and practice its teachings. As we do this, we will see the results and have a good feeling inside about what we are doing. This is a sign that the seed, or our faith, is good and is beginning to grow within us. At this point our faith needs to be nourished to keep growing.
Throughout our whole life, we need to nourish our faith with diligence and patience through prayer, keeping the Commandments and attending church and reading our scriptures daily we will feel our faith grow and grow. If we do this we will taste the fruit of our faith which is eternal life.
(Alma 32:26-43)
I know that God lives
The Apostle Paul in the New Testament taught that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1; see footnote b). In the Book of Mormon, Alma made a similar statement: “If ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true” (Alma 32:21).
Faith is a principle of action and power. Whenever you work toward a worthy goal, you exercise faith. Just like when you set a date to be baptized today. You show faith and worked towards baptism. You gave up coffee, tea, alcohol and tobacco to grow closer to the Savior. This is your faith in action. Fear is the opposite of faith. You show your hope for something that you cannot yet see.
The first principle of the Gospel is Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
In order for your faith to lead you to salvation, it must be centered in the Lord Jesus Christ (see Acts 4:10–12; Mosiah 3:17; Moroni 7:24–26; Articles of Faith 1:4). You can exercise faith in Christ when you have an assurance that He exists, a correct idea of His character, and a knowledge that you are striving to live according to His will.
Having faith in Jesus Christ means relying completely on Him—trusting in His infinite power, intelligence, and love. It includes believing His teachings. It means believing that even though you do not understand all things, He does. Remember that because He has experienced all your pains, afflictions, and infirmities, He knows how to help you rise above your daily difficulties (see Alma 7:11–12; D&C 122:8). He has “overcome the world” (John 16:33) and prepared the way for you to receive eternal life. He is always ready to help you as you remember His plea: “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not” (D&C 6:36).
Living by Faith.
Faith is much more than passive belief. The Lord will work mighty miracles in your life according to your faith (see 2 Nephi 26:13). Faith in Jesus Christ helps you receive spiritual and physical healing through His Atonement (see 3 Nephi 9:13–14). When times of trial come, faith can give you strength to press forward and face your hardships with courage. Even when the future seems uncertain, your faith in the Savior can give you peace (see Romans 5:1; Helaman 5:47).
Increasing Your Faith
Faith is a gift from God, but you must nurture your faith to keep it strong. Faith is like the muscle of your arm. If you exercise it, it grows strong. If you put it in a sling and leave it there, it becomes weak.
Repentance
Repentance is other principle of the gospel (see Articles of Faith 1:4). It is essential to your happiness in this life and throughout eternity. Repentance is much more than just acknowledging wrongdoings. It is a change of mind and heart that gives you a fresh view about God, about yourself, and about the world. It includes turning away from sin and turning to God for forgiveness. It is motivated by love for God and the sincere desire to obey His commandments. (True to the Faith, Repentance)
Baptism, our first covenant
Faith in Jesus Christ and repentance prepare and lead us for the ordinance of baptism and confirmation. What is an ordinance? An ordinance is a sacred ceremony or rite that shows that we have enters into a covenant with God. A covenant is it to way promise between you and God.
Baptism is one of the first steps we take to come to Christ. Understanding the symbolism of baptism helps us understand the eternal nature of the covenants and blessings that come because of baptism. Through continued obedience, we can overcome spiritual death and return to the presence of our Father in Heaven. Since this is made possible by the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we take Jesus’ name upon us when we are baptized and promise to remember him in all that we do.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is simple. There are three simple things to keep us strong in the gospel.
1- Prayer. You can nurture the gift of faith by praying to Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ. As you express your gratitude to your Father and as you plead with Him for blessings that you and others need, you will draw near to Him. You will also be receptive to the quiet guidance of the Holy Ghost.
2 - You can strengthen your faith by keeping the commandments and attending church each week. Like all blessings from God, faith is obtained and increased through individual obedience and righteous action. If you desire to enrich your faith to the highest possible degree, you must keep the covenants you have made.
3 - You can also develop your faith by studying the scriptures and the words of latter-day prophets. In the Book of Mormon, Alma compared faith to a seed. In order for a seed to grow, we have to plant it in good soil and nourish it by giving it water and sunlight. As the seed starts to grow, we have to continue taking care of it in order for it to keep growing. If we stop giving it water and sunlight, the plant will die. The plant did not die because the seed was bad, but because it was not getting the nourishment and care that it needed to grow. But if we keep taking care of the seed, it will keep growing and growing until we can pick the delicious fruit and taste it.
Faith in the gospel is much like the seed. In order for faith to start growing we need to plant it in our hearts by wanting to learn more about the gospel, and practice its teachings. As we do this, we will see the results and have a good feeling inside about what we are doing. This is a sign that the seed, or our faith, is good and is beginning to grow within us. At this point our faith needs to be nourished to keep growing.
Throughout our whole life, we need to nourish our faith with diligence and patience through prayer, keeping the Commandments and attending church and reading our scriptures daily we will feel our faith grow and grow. If we do this we will taste the fruit of our faith which is eternal life.
(Alma 32:26-43)
I know that God lives
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