“We Believe in Christ,” Friend, Mar. 1998, inside front cover
We Believe in Christ
(Adapted from an October 1996 general conference address. See Ensign, November 1996, pages 70–73.)
If ye love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15).
We believe the first principle of the gospel is “Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ” (A of F 1:4). “No [one] cometh unto the Father, but by [Him]” (John 14:6).
We base our belief and conviction of the divine nature and mission of the Lord Jesus Christ on the holy scriptures and on continuing revelation to latter-day prophets.
“We believe the Bible to be the word of God” (A of F 1:8). We delight in the knowledge of the Lord that we find recorded in the Old and New Testaments. We read and study the Bible, we teach and preach from it, and we strive to live according to the eternal truths it contains. We love this collection of holy writ.
“We also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God” (A of F 1:8). God brought forth the Book of Mormon as a second witness to the Bible’s testimony of the Savior.
Jesus commanded us to pattern our lives after His. Though we may fall short, our hearts are committed to striving earnestly to be obedient. We try always to go the extra mile, to fast, to pray for our enemies, to care for the poor, and to do our acts of charity in private. We try to follow the example He gave in the parable of the Good Samaritan. We avoid profanity. We avoid finding fault. We keep the Sabbath day holy.
We love our neighbors. We strive to treat others as we would want to be treated. We strive to show concern for others and courtesy in all that we do.
Can any one doubt that we follow a religion based on the life and teachings of the Savior? Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the Savior and Redeemer of all mankind, our Mediator with the Father, and our perfect example. As President Hinckley testified, “He lives! He lives, the living Son of the living God.”
Painting by Carl Heinrich Bloch
Photo by John Luke