Lesson Highlights

• Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the first principle of the gospel.
• Through sincere repentance, we can partake of the blessings of the Atonement.
• Baptism is an essential ordinance.
• Through the ordinance of confirmation, we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
• We must endure to the end in faith to receive eternal life.

A study of this lesson will help us understand and seek the blessings that come from the first principles and ordinances of the gospel: faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism, and confirmation.

Scripture references for study:  Review Class Member Study Guide
    Note: Underlined scripture references have been hyperlinked to the LDS Scriptures at LDS.org and will open in a new window.

Lesson 7 Handout (PDF format)

Faith In The Lord Jesus Christ

• The restoration of the gospel corrected many errors in doctrine that crept in during the centuries that passed since the death of the Apostles. It seems appropriate to explore the Doctrine and Covenants and see what modern revelation says about these basic principles and ordinances of the gospel. All of the scriptures have much to say on these vitally important principles, but we shall limit our focus to what is written in this book of modern revelation.
• The opening of the latter-day dispensation began by an act of faith. After young Joseph had read James counsel to those who lacked wisdom, he determined to ask God.

    Said the Prophet, "At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of God. I at length came to the determination to 'ask of God,' concluding that if he gave wisdom to them that lacked wisdom, and would give liberally, and not upbraid, I might venture" (JS-History 1:13).
    Having faith in James admonition, Joseph retired to the woods fully expecting to receive an answer. Again, prior to Moroni's first visit, Joseph turned to prayer having "full confidence in obtaining a divine manifestation" (JS-History 1:29). These simple acts of faith opened the door to the restoration of knowledge and power that has changed the lives of millions.
• WHY IS IT IMPORTANT THAT WE CENTER OUR FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST?
• Consider this powerful statement from Brother Stephen R. Covey:  "Let us never stray from forcefully, clearly, explicitly declaring our faith in Jesus Christ as the first principle of the gospel, as the foundation principle, as the principle from which all other gospel principles derive their power and efficacy, as the integrating, organizing, unifying, harmonizing principle. . . . He is the head of our church. It bears his name. We belong to his kingdom. He is the Truth, the Way, the Life, the Light. He is our advocate and mediator, our Savior and Redeemer. We have taken upon ourselves his name. Through the gospel and the spiritual rebirth we become his children, his sons and his daughters. He is the driving force."  (The Divine Center, p84)
• HOW DO WE STRENGTHEN OUR FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST?
• "Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me." (D&C 19:23)
• "And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith." (D&C 88:118)
• It seems that the process of obtaining and strengthening our faith in the Lord is an incremental process that comes from doing those things which have been prescribed by the Lord. One of the great examples from the scriptures is Peter. His faith in the Lord grew over a period of time as he applied the teachings of the Master. Are we any different? I think not. Our faith grows a little at a time, not by leaps and bounds, as we are diligent in pursuing the course of faith.
• Brigham Young:  "If mankind could know the object God has in their creation, and what they might obtain by doing right and by applying to the source and fountain of wisdom for information, how quickly they would turn away from every ungodly action and custom." (Journal of Discourses, 10:208)
• As President Young has stated, if we had any idea what the Lord has in store for us, we would turn from our natural tendencies and seek for wisdom and the "fountain of wisdom." Our faith will grow as we seek after the things of God.
• HOW DO WE DEMONSTRATE OUR FAITH IN CHRIST?
• "And the members shall manifest before the church, and also before the elders, by a godly walk and conversation, that they are worthy of it, that there may be works and faith agreeable to the holy scriptures—walking in holiness before the Lord."
(D&C 20:69)
• WHAT DO YOU THINK IT MEANS TO HAVE A "GODLY WALK AND CONVERSATION"?
• If we have faith in Christ, we will be striving to live within the boundaries the Lord has set, to follow his path, to do as he would do. This does not mean that we must live a perfect life. We will make mistakes. I think it means that we are doing are best to follow the Master in thought, in word, and in deed.
• "Remember that without faith you can do nothing; therefore ask in faith. Trifle not with these things; do not ask for that which you ought not."
(D&C 8:10)
• WHAT CAN WE ACCOMPLISH WITHOUT FAITH?
• "And your minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received—" (D&C 84:54)
• WHAT CAN WE ACCOMPLISH WITH FAITH?
• President J. Reuben Clark, Jr:  "As I think about faith, this principle of power, I am obliged to believe that it is an intelligent force. Of what kind, I do not know. But it is superior to and overrules all other forces of which we know. It is the principle, the force, by which the dead are restored to life." (CR, Apr 1960, p21)
• "And whoso shall ask it in my name in faith, they shall cast out devils; they shall heal the sick; they shall cause the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak, and the lame to walk." (D&C 35:9)
• Those who have faith will be healed (D&C 42:48-51).
• Signs come by faith, including signs of the Second Coming (D&C 63:9-11; 68:10-11).
• Faith is essential to salvation (D&C 20:29; 63:47; 68:9).
• HOW HAVE YOU SEEN THE POWER OF FAITH MANIFESTED?
• We have each seen numerous instances where the power of faith has been manifested. Church history is full of accounts where the power of faith has made a difference. This Church could not have gone forward without the power of faith. The movement of the pioneers west was built upon the cornerstone of faith.

Repentance

1. WHAT IS REPENTANCE?
• "Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more. By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will confess them and forsake them." (D&C 58:42-43)
• President Ezra Taft Benson:  "Repentance means more than simply a reformation of behavior. … True repentance is based on and flows from faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no other way. True repentance involves a change of heart and not just a change of behavior (see Alma 5:13)." (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p71)
• President Marion G. Romney:  "One having forsaken his sins and, by proper confession, cleared his conduct with the Lord, with the people he has offended, and with the Church of Jesus Christ, where necessary, may with full confidence seek the Lord's forgiveness and go forth in newness of life, relying upon the merits of Christ. . . ." (CR, Oct 1955)
• Elder Orson F. Whitney:  "Repentance is not that superficial sorrow felt by the wrongdoer when 'caught in the act'—a sorrow not for sin, but for sin's detection. Chagrin is not repentance. Mortification and shame alone bring no change of heart toward right feeling and right living. Even remorse is not all there is to repentance. In highest meaning and fullest measure, repentance is equivalent to reformation; the beginning of the reformatory process being a resolve to 'sin no more.' '. . . by this ye may know that a man repenteth of his sins: Behold he will confess them and forsake them'." (Saturday Night Thoughts, 1931, p239)
2. "For, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him. And he hath risen again from the dead, that he might bring all men unto him, on conditions of repentance."
(D&C 18:11-12)
• See also D&C 19:16-19.
• "When we sin, we become unclean and subject to the punishments required by the law of justice. Being imperfect, we cannot become clean again or meet the demands of justice on our own. By atoning for our sins, the Savior took upon Himself the punishments required by the law of justice and is able to offer the mercy and forgiveness we need to become clean. These blessings of the Atonement are available to us only on the condition that we repent (Alma 7:14)." (Lesson Manual, p37)
• IF THE REDEMPTION OF CHRIST HAS THE POWER TO REMOVE OUR SINS, WHY IS IT NECESSARY TO REPENT?
• As the above verses reveal, the terms for redemption and forgiveness are conditional upon our repentance.
• All of this seems to tie back to that great debate in the pre-earthly world. It was determined that in order for us to obtain eternal happiness and glory, our agency to choose was a prerequisite. The Atonement of Christ is built upon a foundation of agency. We are free to choose our eternal reward. The Atonement of Christ is necessary for us to return to Heavenly Father.

      Let me attempt an example. If I had an adult son that had committed some sort of crime, I would probably go down to the police station and pay the bail in order to get him out. I would be very pleased if he learned his lesson and changed his way. If he committed the crime again, I would be less reluctant to put up the bail. If he continued without changing his ways, I would no longer post the bail. It would not be worth the effort. My son would have to find another way to make the payment.
    How can the Savior possibly forgive our sins if we choose to continue in the way of wickedness? If we are willing to exercise our agency by renouncing our sins and changing our ways, not only will the Savior post bail, but he will pay the penalty for the crime.
3. WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT REPENTING? THE BLESSINGS OF REPENTANCE?
    

Consequences	Blessings
The light one has received will be taken.      D&C 1:33 One must suffer as did Christ.       D&C 19:17-18 Cannot be saved in the kingdom of God.      D&C 20:29 The Lord to take vengeance upon the wicked.      D&C 29:17 One's sorrow will be great.      D&C 136:35	One shall be forgiven.      D&C 1:32 The Lord will no longer remember the sin.      D&C 58:42 Salvation.      D&C 20:29 We don't have to face the consequences listed      in the opposite column.

• Elder Neal A. Maxwell:  "Repentance is a rescuing, not a dour doctrine. It is available to
the gross sinner as well as to the already good individual striving for incremental improvement." (Ensign, Nov 1991, p30)

Baptism - An Essential Ordinance

1. "The subject of Christian baptism was much discussed among the rival sects in the early decades of the 19th century. The purpose of it; the proper subjects to receive it; the effects of it; the manner in which it should be administered; by whom it could be administered, by any Christian who understood its significance, or only by ordained ministers? By pouring, or sprinkling, or by immersion only? All these questions were subjects of intense controversy in the period named.

    "When, therefore, in the course of translating the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery came to a passage making reference to 'baptism for the remission of sins,' it is not surprising that they held divergent views upon the subject; but instead of resorting to argument on the matter they agreed to inquire of the Lord, through prayer, for the knowledge essential to a right understanding of the subject." (Comprehensive History of the Church, 1:177-178)
• As we know, Joseph and Oliver retired to the woods and knelt in prayer with the intent to ascertain a true knowledge of baptism. In response to that prayer they were visited by an angel, John the Baptist, and received the Aaronic Priesthood and the power to baptize (see D&C 13).
2. WHY IS BAPTISM AN ESSENTIAL ORDINANCE?
• "Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, according to the holy commandment, for the remission of sins; And whoso doeth this shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, by the laying on of the hands of the elders of the church." (D&C 49:13-14)
• "And as many as repent and are baptized in my name, which is Jesus Christ, and endure to the end, the same shall be saved." (D&C 18:22)
• "And again we bear record—for we saw and heard, and this is the testimony of the gospel of Christ concerning them who shall come forth in the resurrection of the just—They are they who received the testimony of Jesus, and believed on his name and were baptized after the manner of his burial, being buried in the water in his name, and this according to the commandment which he has given." (D&C 76:50-51)
3. WHAT ARE THE QUALIFICATIONS FOR BAPTISM?
• "And again, by way of commandment to the church concerning the manner of baptism—All those who humble themselves before God, and desire to be baptized, and come forth with broken hearts and contrite spirits, and witness before the church that they have truly repented of all their sins, and are willing to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end, and truly manifest by their works that they have received of the Spirit of Christ unto the remission of their sins, shall be received by baptism into his church." (D&C 20:37)
• One must have arrived at the age of accountability (see D&C 20:71).
• "But behold, I say unto you, that little children are redeemed from the foundation of the world through mine Only Begotten." (D&C 29:46)
• Children must be at least eight years old (see D&C 68:25).
4. WHY IS IT NECESSARY TO BE BAPTIZED BY ONE WHO HAS THE PROPER AUTHORITY?
• While on his mission, my son taught a sister who was very interested in the gospel, but could not understand why she needed to be baptized again when she was previously baptized in another church. How do we answer those with this challenge?
• Section 22 is a direct answer to that challenge.
• READ D&C 22.
5. Baptism by immersion is the way the Lord has directed it be done.
• READ D&C 20:72-74.

The Gift of the Holy Ghost

1. In a revelation to Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon, at or near Fayette in December 1830, the Lord said:  "Thou didst baptize by water unto repentance, but they received not the Holy Ghost; But now I give unto thee a commandment, that thou shalt baptize by water, and they shall receive the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, even as the apostles of old." (D&C 35:5-6)
• Section 20 lists among the duties of the elders, "to confirm those who are baptized into the church, by the laying on of hands for the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost" (D&C 20:41).
• Joseph Smith:  "Baptism by water is but half a baptism, and is good for nothing without … the baptism of the Holy Ghost." (TPJS, p314)
2. WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE HOLY GHOST?
• He is a personage of Spirit.
• "The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us." (D&C 130:22)
• He is a teacher and a revealer of truth.
• "Ask the Father in my name, in faith believing that you shall receive, and you shall have the Holy Ghost, which manifesteth all things which are expedient unto the children of men." (D&C 18:18)
• See also:  D&C 39:6; D&C 42:14; D&C 75:10; D&C 79:2.
• He is the Comforter.
• "And this is my gospel—repentance and baptism by water, and then cometh the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost, even the Comforter, which showeth all things, and teacheth the peaceable things of the kingdom." (D&C 39:6)
• He is a testifier.
• "For, behold, the Comforter knoweth all things, and beareth record of the Father and of the Son." (D&C 42:17)
• "And I give unto you this promise, that inasmuch as ye do this the Holy Ghost shall be shed forth in bearing record unto all things whatsoever ye shall say." (D&C 100:8)
• He leads us to do good, walk humbly, and judge righteously.
• "And now, verily, verily, I say unto thee, put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good—yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit." (D&C 11:12)
• He enlightens our minds and brings true joy to our soul.
• "Verily, verily, I say unto you, I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy." (D&C 11:13)
• Through Him we are sanctified.
• "For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies." (D&C 84:33)
• He inspires us in where to go, what to do, and what to say.
• "Go your way whithersoever I will, and it shall be given you by the Comforter what you shall do and whither you shall go." (D&C 31:11)
• "Neither take ye thought beforehand what ye shall say; but treasure up in your minds continually the words of life, and it shall be given you in the very hour that portion that shall be meted unto every man." (D&C 84:85)
3. As we review the above list of characteristics and functions of the Holy Ghost, we should be inspired and thankful to have access to such an enormous gift.
• While living in the Puget Sound area I was fascinated by the water and had a desire to go sailing. I loved walking out along the piers and looking at the sailboats. Every so often I bought a sailing magazine and looked at the boats and wondered what it would be like to wander around the passages of western Washington or British Colombia. These magazines often carry advertisements about sophisticated navigation equipment, including radar and GPS (global positioning systems) that cost hundreds of dollars. If one is going to take up sailing, it seems like a good idea to hand over the extra money and purchase the tools that can guide a sailor through potentially dangerous waters.
• If one is convinced of the importance of spending a great deal of money on navigation equipment just to guide a boat, how much more important is it to put our lives in order so that we may receive the influence of the ultimate navigation system, the Holy Ghost. Clearly, we do not want to run our boat upon the rocks or to get lost. Is not the life we live so much more important?
• President Joseph Fielding Smith:  "The Holy Ghost will not dwell with that person who is unwilling to obey and keep the commandments of God or who violates those commandments willfully." (Church News, 4 Nov 1961, p14)
• How blessed we are to live in a day when the authority to bestow this great gift has been restored. How blessed we are to access to this gift. The price we pay for this navigation system is not made in dollars, but in living up to the baptismal covenant which we have the opportunity to renew each Sabbath.
• WHAT IS THE PRICE?  (see D&C 20:77)
• Take upon us the name of the Christ.
• Always remember him.
• Keep his commandments.
• WHAT IS THE PROMISE?
• "...they may always have his Spirit to be with them."
4. HOW HAS THE HOLY GHOST BLESSED YOU IN YOUR LIFE?

Endure to the End

1. Sometimes called the fifth principle of the gospel. We must endure to the end to receive eternal life. Baptism is the door that opens the path to eternal life. What we do on that path determines our ultimate destiny.
• "And, if you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God." (D&C 14:7)
• "And as many as repent and are baptized in my name, which is Jesus Christ, and endure to the end, the same shall be saved." (D&C 18:22)
2. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ENDURE TO THE END?
• Throughout our lives we strive to keep the commandments.
• "Be patient in afflictions, for thou shalt have many; but endure them, for, lo, I am with thee, even unto the end of thy days." (D&C 24:8)
• Elder Neal A. Maxwell:  "To endure means not only to last but also to bear up under stress, to 'hold fast,' even 'valiantly,' while maintaining the correct course set by God." (If Thou Endure It Well, p1)
• Elder Maxwell:  "The challenges differ for each of us. Moreover, the configuration and weight of our own yoke of afflictions vary during the journey of discipleship such as in the differing seasons of our individual lives. Unvarying, however, is the reality that only by taking upon us the yoke Jesus assigns to us, and then enduring, will we learn most deeply of Him, love Him the more, and become more like Him." (Ibid., p3)
3. We are so blessed to have the Doctrine and Covenants to teach us more precisely about these principles that are essential to our eternal salvation. In the past, my studies of the Doctrine and Covenants have generally been historical and chronological in nature. The past three lessons have verified what a wonderful resource this work is when we seek information on specific doctrines.
    

Gospel Doctrine Notebook

1. Record your thoughts on the principles of the gospel as discussed in this lesson. What can you do to make these principles a more active part of your life?

Resources Used In This Lesson

• A Comprehensive History of the Church by B.H. Roberts (CHC).
• Church News.
• Conference Reports (CR).
• Ensign.
• If Thou Endure It Well by Neal A. Maxwell.
• Journal of Discourses (JD).
• Saturday Night Thoughts by Orson F. Whitney.
• Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith (TPJS).
• The Divine Center by Stephen R. Covey.
• The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson.

Next Lesson

Lesson 8:  D&C 13; 20:38–67; 27:12–13; 84:6–30; 107:1–20; 110:11–16; Joseph Smith—History 1:66–73
                  Our Heritage, pages 11–14