Lesson 154: The Articles of Faith and Official Declarations 1 and 2

The Articles of Faith

Learning Foundational Truths of the Savior’s Gospel

On March 1, 1842, the Prophet Joseph Smith responded to a request from newspaper editor John Wentworth to provide information about the history and beliefs of the Church. As part of his response, Joseph declared 13 fundamental principles of the gospel known today as the Articles of Faith. This lesson can help students deepen their understanding of the Savior’s doctrine by studying the truths contained in the Articles of Faith.

Possible Learning Activities

Explaining our beliefs

Consider beginning class with the following scenario.

Imagine you have a friend who wants to know more about what members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe. Your friend is very interested but only has a few minutes to listen before going to class.

• What would you want your friend to understand about Jesus Christ and His gospel?

  You could give students three minutes to write their responses in their study journals. Alternatively, they could discuss what they would share as a class or role-play the scenario with a partner.

• What resources could you share with your friend to help them learn more about the Savior and His gospel?

If needed, point out that one helpful resource is the Articles of Faith. Ensure that students can locate the Articles of Faith in their scriptures. You might give them a few moments to assess their level of familiarity with the Articles of Faith. For example, you could ask students if they have ever memorized one or used some while teaching a lesson, writing a talk, or sharing the Savior’s gospel with others.

The Articles of Faith

To help students learn about how we got the Articles of Faith, consider sharing with students the video “The Articles of Faith” (4:43), available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org. You could also summarize the following background information:

In 1842, Joseph Smith responded to a letter he had received from John Wentworth, who lived in Chicago, Illinois. Wentworth was the editor of a newspaper called the Chicago Democrat and desired to know more about the beliefs and history of the Saints living in Nauvoo, Illinois. In parts of the letter, Joseph shared details about the establishment and destiny of the Savior’s Church. The Prophet ended the letter with 13 brief statements containing foundational truths and doctrine of the Church. These statements were later titled the Articles of Faith and were published in 1851 in the first edition of the Pearl of Great Price.

Elder L. Tom Perry (1922–2015) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared the following about how learning the Articles of Faith can help us.

I encourage you to use your bright minds to study and learn the Articles of Faith and the doctrines they teach. They are among the most important and certainly the most concise statements of doctrine in the Church. If you will use them as a guide to direct your studies of the gospel of Jesus Christ, you will find yourself prepared to declare your witness of the restored truth to the world. You will be able to declare in simple, straightforward, and profound ways the core beliefs you hold dear as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (L. Tom Perry, “The Doctrines and Principles Contained in the Articles of Faith,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2013, 48)

• What did you learn from this statement about the importance of studying and knowing the Articles of Faith?

Consider bearing your witness of any blessings you’ve noticed from studying the Articles of Faith and using them to declare the Savior’s gospel.

Learning the gospel of Jesus Christ with the Articles of Faith

The following idea is one way to help students have a meaningful experience with the Articles of Faith. Consider distributing the handout titled “Articles of Faith Study Activity.” Give students time to complete the activities on the handout. Encourage them to pay attention to spiritual promptings or insights they receive from the Holy Ghost as they study. You may want to ensure that some students will focus on the first four articles of faith, which teach important foundational truths about Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and Their doctrine.

Make yourself available to assist students, but invite them to use the study skills they have learned at home, church, and seminary to complete the activities. If students finish the activity quickly, invite them to choose a different article of faith and repeat the process.

Articles of Faith Study Activity

Step 1: Select one of the Articles of Faith you would like to study today and answer the following questions:

• What eternal truth or truths do you learn from this article of faith?

• How can the teachings from this article of faith impact your relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?

Step 2: Choose at least two of the following options to help you learn more about your chosen article of faith:

1. Memorize. Think of an idea to help you memorize your article of faith and spend time memorizing it.

2. Find related resources. Find related scriptures or statements from Church leaders that relate to the article of faith you chose. You could use tools such as the footnotes in your scriptures, the Topical Guide, the Guide to the Scriptures, or the search function on the Gospel Library app to help you.

3. Create a visual representation. Use art to help you communicate or represent teachings from your chosen article of faith. Examples could include a drawing, collage, word cloud, or meme. (Due to the sacred nature of Deity, avoid drawing members of the Godhead.)

4. Create a scenario. Think of situations you or other teenagers face, or gospel questions that your article of faith could help with. Write the scenario or questions and explain how or why the truths taught in the article of faith would help.

5. Testify. Write your testimony of the truths taught in your article of faith. Describe how these teachings have blessed your life and brought you closer to God.

Share what you learned

Consider ways to help students share and present what they’ve learned. You could write numbers 1–13 on 13 small pieces of paper and place them in a hat. Draw one out at random and ask if any students who studied that article of faith would be willing to share. For a larger class, consider organizing students into pairs or small groups and inviting them to share with each other.

After the sharing, willing students could display their papers throughout the room for others to view.

Additional Resources

Where can I learn more about the Wentworth letter and the Articles of Faith?

In 1851, the Articles of Faith were included in the first edition of the Pearl of Great Price, published in the Church’s British Mission. They became official Church doctrine after the Pearl of Great Price was revised in 1878 and canonized during the Church’s October 1880 general conference. The following resources may be helpful.

For the text of the entire letter written by Joseph Smith, see “The Wentworth Letter,” Ensign, July 2002, 26–32, or the Joseph Smith Papers website.

To learn more about the Articles of Faith, study the following conference talk and article:

• L. Tom Perry, “The Doctrines and Principles Contained in the Articles of Faith” (Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2013, 46–48)

• John W. Welch, “The Articles of Faith and the Life of Joseph Smith” (Ensign or Liahona, Dec. 2013, 69–75)

How can the Articles of Faith help me share the gospel with others?

President M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

Whatever you choose to use to inform your friends and acquaintances about the Church, write it down, check it for accuracy, and keep it simple and short.

The growing prominence of the Church and the increasing inquiries from others present us with great opportunities to build bridges, make friends, and pass on accurate information. But it can also present a greater possibility of misunderstanding and sometimes even prejudice if we allow others to define who we are and what we believe rather than presenting it ourselves. …

I would hope that those who know very little about the Church would seek to learn more about us. …

You as members can help this to happen by reaching out and sharing with others the basic information found in the Articles of Faith. (M. Russell Ballard, “Faith, Family, Facts, and Fruits,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2007, 27)

How can learning and living by the truths and principles in the thirteenth article of faith bless my life?

Speaking of the thirteenth article of faith, President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008) said:

[This] article of our faith is one of the basic declarations of our theology. We ought to reflect on it again and again. Then, whenever we might be tempted to do anything shoddy or dishonest or immoral, there would come into our minds with some force this great, all-encompassing statement of the ethics of our behavior. (Gordon B. Hinckley, “Fear Not to Do Good,” Liahona, Feb. 2000, 5; Ensign, Jan. 2000, 2)

Supplemental Learning Activities

The thirteenth article of faith

To help students study some of the Christlike attributes listed in the thirteenth article of faith, consider writing the following words on the board in no particular order:

Honest, True, Chaste, Benevolent, Virtuous, Believing, Hopeful, Steadfast (“able to endure all things”).

Ask students if they know which article of faith discusses these standards and attributes. Consider reciting the thirteenth article of faith together. You might point out that the “admonition of Paul” comes from Philippians 4:8 in the New Testament.

Divide students into small groups and assign each group one of the words on the board to study. Encourage each group to look up the meaning of its assigned word and find additional scriptures or statements by Church leaders that teach more about it. Students could also find an example from the life of the Savior where He exemplified the standard or attribute. Invite students to share what they learned. Consider asking some questions such as the following:

• How can living the standards and attributes in this article of faith help you become a better follower of Jesus Christ?

• How could doing good to others and seeking after things that are virtuous and praiseworthy help you avoid sin and temptation?

After students respond and share their ideas, share the statement by President Hinckley in the “Additional Resources” section.

The Standard of Truth

Another important part of Joseph Smith’s writings in the Wentworth letter is sometimes referred to as “The Standard of Truth.” Consider inviting students to study the following statement, looking for words or phrases that are meaningful to them.

The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear; till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done. (“The Wentworth Letter,” Ensign, July 2002, 31)

Discuss what students learned from this statement by asking questions such as the following:

• What stood out to you from this statement?

• How do you see the Prophet Joseph Smith’s words being fulfilled in our day?

Another way to help students internalize this statement could be to give them an opportunity to create a visual illustration that represents what is being taught in this statement. For example, students could think of creative ways to depict the truth of God spreading throughout the world. Students could share their visuals with others and explain why they included what they did.