When circumstances were right, Heavenly Father once again reached out to His children in love, dissapating the darkness that had inclosed the world. He called a young man, although weak in the ways of the world, strong in faith. This young man was named Joseph Smith. He was an instrument in the hands of the Lord for the restoration of all things, prophesied by Peter in Acts 3:19-21.
Joseph Smith lived in the United States, one of the only countries in the world that enjoyed religious freedom. It was a time of great religious awakening, and his family was deeply religious. Joseph listened to many preachers, pastors and teachers but was unable to join with a religion because of the many different positions that they held on different doctrines. “So great were the confusions and strife,” he said,”among the different denominations that it was impossible for a person young as I was..to come to any certain conclusion who was right and who was wrong..” A midst all of this, Joseph turned to the scriptures for guidance. He was reading in his Bible one day and came across a scripture in James 1:5, which says: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him”. Because of this passage, Joseph determined to ask God which church was the true church.
It was early in the spring when Joseph went to a nearby wood to pray and ask which church to join. His faith was great as he knelt in those woods. He realtes the experience in his own words:
“I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me…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!”
In this vision, God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith and told him not to join any of the churches, for they were all wrong. Christ stated “They draw near unto me with their lips but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof (Joseph Smith History 1:19)”. Even though many good people believed in Christ and tried to follow His teachings, they did not have the fulness of the truth, nor the power and authority of God to lead and direct the Church.
Just as God had called prophets like Adam , Moses and Abraham to lead the Church, God called Joseph Smith as a prophet to lead in the Restoration of the Gospel. Many angels appeared to Joseph to restore priesthood keys, John the Baptist, Peter, James and John and Elijah.
A living prophet leads the Church today. He is an authorized successor to Joseph Smith. He and the present apostles can trace their authority to Jesus Christ in an unbroken chain of ordinations through Joseph Smith.
Is there anyone that can be saved outside of the Mormon Church?
By: thyofsco on February 8, 2009
at 1:19 pm
thyofsco- I suppose that the term, “saved” could be applied to a variety of different definitions. First of all, to most Christians, the term “saved” means that they have chosen to follow Christ’s teachings. In that sense, yes, all can be “saved”. However, to Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) there are several more definitions.
First, saved from permanent death, according to 1 Cor. 15:22,“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive”. In this case, ALL would be saved.
Second, salvation from sins and the effect of sins. “We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, ALL mankind MAY be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel”(LDS Articles of Faith, 1:4, emphasis added). So, ALL mankind may be saved, but only through obedience. Note that this includes obedience to ordinances, such as baptism (by the right authority). Mankind can ALL be saved, but, with conditions.
Third, saved from the darkness of ignorance. When Jesus said, “I am the light of the world”, He offered light to all, saving ALL from darkness.
Fourth, a Latter-Day Saint definition, is exaltation. Elder Dallin H. Oaks, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, said this : “This salvation requires more than repentance and baptism by appropriate priesthood authority. It also requires the making of sacred covenants, including eternal marriage, in the temples of God, and faithfulness to those covenants by enduring to the end. If we use the word salvation to mean “exaltation,” it is premature for any of us to say that we have been “saved” in mortality. That glorious status can only follow the final judgment of Him who is the Great Judge of the living and the dead.”
So, in some definitions, ALL can be saved, while in others. salvation is conditional to obedience, ordinances and covenants.
If you would like to read more about the LDS view on “saved” read this: http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=83db605ff590c010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1
By: oldfashionedgirl07 on February 8, 2009
at 3:44 pm