Sharing Time:

I Believe the Scriptures Are the Word of God

By Karen Lofgreen

“Search the scriptures; for … they … testify of me” (John 5:39).

Because Heavenly Father and Jesus love you, they gave you the scriptures so that you can learn about the gospel and how to live it. The word scripture means a “holy writing.” When we read the scriptures, we learn what Heavenly Father expects of us, what he will do if we obey him, and what will happen if we disobey him. The four books that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints accept as scripture are the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. The inspired words of our living prophets are also accepted as scripture (see A of F 1:9).

The word Bible means “sacred book.” The Bible is divided into two sections—the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament foretells the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and records the Lord’s dealings with men before his birth. The New Testament tells about the life of Jesus when he was on the earth and about the Apostles he chose to lead his early church.

The Book of Mormon is about some of the people who were led anciently to the Americas and about the Savior’s visit to them soon after he was resurrected.

The Doctrine and Covenants contains revelations received by the Prophet Joseph Smith and others for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today. These scriptures teach us about principles and ordinances of the gospel such as baptism (D&C 20:72–74), the sacrament (D&C 20:75–79), and the law of tithing (D&C 119:3–4).

The Pearl of Great Price tells about our premortal life, the Creation, the purpose of life, and the last days. Joseph Smith’s story and the Articles of Faith are also found in the Pearl of Great Price.

Our scriptures contain some of the most exciting stories ever written, and the best part of all is that these stories are true!

Instructions

To help you read the scriptures every day, create a scripture bouquet. As you find a favorite verse, think of a word that will remind you of it, copy the word and the reference on a flower (for example—sacrament, D&C 20:75–79), then color the flower. When you have completed all the flowers, cut them out, make stems out of rolled paper or straws, and paste a stem to the back of each flower. Decorate an empty bottle or cup and put the bouquet in it. Design your own flowers and add to the bouquet each time you read the scriptures.

Illustrated by Denise Kirby

Sharing Time Ideas

1. Say the name of a book from the standard works, and have the children identify whether it comes from the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, or the Pearl of Great Price.

2. Display many books (recipe book, schoolbook, library book, or other Church books). Include the scriptures. Have the children discuss why each book is important and what each one teaches us. Discuss what makes the scriptures similar to and different from other books.

3. Have the children draw a picture to illustrate the following terms to add to their “My Articles of Faith Book” (see Sharing Time, February 1995, page 13): scriptures; Bible; Book of Mormon; Doctrine and Covenants; Pearl of Great Price (see text above for definitions).