Our Partial Witness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ

In order that anyone may have a context for what is shared in this blog I would like to share part of what I and my wife, by experience, can honestly be witnesses of concerning the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We testify that Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten Son of God.  He is the way the truth and the light and the only name under heaven whereby man can be saved.

We testify that the Prophet Joseph saw God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ and through the Prophet Joseph the Lord brought forth the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price as well as restoring many plain and precious things that had been removed from the Bible.  

We witness that the Prophet Joseph was at very least a prophet of God. 

We testify that Joseph was more than a prophet for he truly exhibited the gifts of seership and translation and revealed, by the power of God, knowledge concerning the covenants of God to the House of Israel which had been lost and many many other truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

    

We testify that the Prophet Joseph stood in the presence of the Father and the Son multiple times, that the heavens were open to his view, that God Himself ordained him as head of a dispensation and that God Himself during Joseph’s life vouched for and still vouches for Joseph’s words. 

We testify that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and contains in perfect clarity much of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  We know, as Joseph declared, that,

                 “…the Book of Mormon was (is) the most correct of any book on earth, and the            keystone of our religion, and a man would (will) get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.”  

We testify that the Doctrine of Christ, set forth clearly and simply the Father and the Son as recorded by Nephi in 2Nephi 31 and 2Nephi 32: 1 – 7 and by the Lord Himself in 3Nephi 11: 31 – 40, is as Nephi declared,

                 “…the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and       true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without          end. Amen.”

We testify that James 1:5 and Moroni 10:4 - 5 are true statements from our own first hand experiences.  Any who lack wisdom may ask of God and receive an answer from Him on any matter and God will not upbraid them.  By the power of the Holy Ghost anyone may know the truth of all things.  We have asked questions of God and by the power of His Holy Spirit He has answered us in His own voice, enlightening our minds and opening our understandings.  This enlightening has filled our souls with great joy and peace.

             

We testify that the words of Christ in the Joseph Smith Translation of Mark 9:42 – 47 are true. 
            “…And again, if thy foot offend thee, cut it off; for he that is thy standard, by whom thou            walkest, if he become a transgressor, he shall be cut off.  It is better for thee, to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell; into the fire that never shall be quenched.  Therefore, let every man stand or fall by himself, and not for another; or not trusting another.  Seek unto my Father, and it shall be done in that very moment what ye shall ask, if ye ask in faith, believing that ye shall receive.  And if thine eye which seeth for thee, him that is appointed to watch over thee to show thee light, become a transgressor and offend thee, pluck him out.  For it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God, with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.”

There was only one who was perfect and that was Christ.  We trust in Him and in His words.  All other things we measure against His words and as they match up we accept them and as they don’t we don’t accept them.  We seem to be in good company with this position:
                D&C 42:59 – 60 Thou shalt take the things which thou hast received, which have been given unto thee in my scriptures for a law, to be my law to govern my church; And he that doeth according to these things shall be saved, and he that doeth them not shall be damned if he so continue.
                
                “If any man writes to you, or preaches to you, doctrines contrary to the Bible, the Book of Mormon, or the book of Doctrine and Covenants, set him down as an imposter [impostor].(Joseph Smith, “Times and Seasons”, Vol. 5. No. 7 City of Nauvoo, Ill. April 1 1844)

                “We have heard men who hold the priesthood remark that they would do anything they were told to do by those who preside over them—even if they knew it was wrong. But such      obedience as this is worse than folly to us. It is slavery in the extreme. The man who would thus         willingly degrade himself should not claim a rank among intelligent beings until he turns from his     folly. A man of God would despise this idea. Others, in the extreme exercise of their almighty           authority have taught that such obedience was necessary...When Elders of Israel will so far        indulge in these extreme notions of obedience as to teach them to the people, it is generally         because they have it in their hearts to do wrong themselves.” (Joseph Smith, Millennial Star,             14:38, pp. 593-595.)

It would seem that at least the Lord and the Prophet Joseph would agree with this point of view.  We choose to stand with them.  Others may choose as they like.

We testify that Jacob spoke truly when he declared,

                “… O then, my beloved brethren, come unto the Lord, the Holy One, Remember that his paths are righteous.  Behold the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name.  And whoso knocketh, to him will he open ;…”(2Nephi 9: 41-42)

We testify of the importance of living a clean and righteous life according to the principles of the Gospel God has revealed.

                “O, my beloved brethren, remember the awfulness in transgressing against that Holy God, and also the awfulness of yielding to the enticings of that cunning one. Remember, to be carnally-    minded is death, and to be spiritually-minded is life eternal.” (2Nephi 9 : 39)

We testify that God is the same yesterday today and forever.  He works by power and by the gifts.                “And whatsoever thing is good is just and true; wherefore, nothing that is good denieth the       Christ, but acknowledgeth that he is.  And ye may know that he is; by the power of the Holy             Ghost; wherefore I would exhort you that ye deny not the power of God; for he worketh by         power, according to the faith of the children of men, the same today and tomorrow, and                forever.  And again, I exhort you, my brethren, that ye deny not the gifts of God, for they are        many; and they come from the same God…” (Moroni 10: 6 – 8) 

             “And again I speak unto you who deny the revelations of God, and say that they are done away, that there are no revelations, nor prophecies, nor gifts, nor healing, nor speaking with tongues,   and the interpretation of tongues; Behold I say unto you, he that denieth these things knoweth not the gospel of Christ; yea, he has not read the scriptures; if so, he does not understand them. For do we not read that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and in him there is no variableness neither shadow of changing?  And now, if ye have imagined up unto yourselves a god who doth vary, and in whom there is shadow of changing, then have ye imagined up unto yourselves a god who is not a god of miracles.   But behold, I will show unto you a God of miracles, even the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and it is that same God who created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are.”(Mormon 9: 7 – 11)

We testify of the absolute importance in the Gospel of Jesus Christ of caring for the needs and wants of the poor without judging whether they are worthy to receive help. We testify that the term “worthy poor” describing who is supposedly worthy to receive aid is an abomination before God.                              “Nevertheless, in your temporal things you shall be equal and this not grudgingly, otherwise the abundance of the manifestations of the Spirit shall be withheld.” (D&C 70: 14)

          “And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of  your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up       his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.    Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has   brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of     my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are   just— But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent;   and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.    For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend  upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?   And behold, even at this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a remission of your sins. And has he suffered that ye have begged in vain? Nay; he has poured out his Spirit upon you, and has caused that your hearts should be filled with joy, and has caused that your mouths should be stopped that ye could not find utterance, so exceedingly great was your joy.    And now, if God, who has created you, on whom you are dependent for your lives and for all that ye have and are, doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith, believing that ye shall receive, O then, how ye ought to impart of the substance that ye have one to another.    And if ye judge the man who putteth up his petition to you for your substance that he perish not, and condemn him, how much more just will be condemnation for withholding your substance, which doth not belong to you but to God, to whom also your life belongeth; and yet ye put up no petition, nor repent of the thing which thou hast done.   I say unto you, wo be unto that man, for his substance shall perish with him; and now, I say these things unto those who are rich as pertaining to the things of this world.    And again, I say unto the poor, ye who have not and yet have sufficient, that ye remain from day to day; I mean all you who deny the      beggar, because ye have not; I would that ye say in your hearts that: I give not because I have not, but if I had I would give.   And now, if ye say this in your hearts ye remain guiltless, otherwise ye are condemned; and your condemnation is just for ye covet that which ye have not received.    And now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto you—that is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants.” (Mosiah 4: 16 – 26)

 We could continue.  This is not by any means an exhaustive list of the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that we desire to testify to but it is demonstrative of what we hold dear.