Posted by rayww on August 9, 2003, at 10:32:13
I'm going to start this post with the words, "I Believe", because I hope we all have an equal right to state what we believe concerning faith on the Faith board. If by so doing I offend another's belief please forgive me, don't ban me.
I believe the first principle of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is Faith. Without faith in God, the gospel would be dead. The gospel of Christ undefiled, is caring for the poor and needy among us (all of us caring for one another). If faith without works is dead, then, we without faith are also dead spiritually.
I believe the second principle of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is repentance because having faith in Christ leads a person to a desire to live better. Faith preceeds the miracle of forgiveness. Forgiveness is linked to repentance. Without repentance, faith is dead, because faith without works is dead.
Repentance activates the atonement of Jesus Christ, thus, I believe the next principle of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is baptism by immersion for the remission of all sins. Since God is so willing to forgive all sins we repent of after baptism, it becomes necessary to continually repent.
To be able to understand what it is we are in need of repenting from, I believe the fourth principle of the Gospel, "receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost" follows baptism.
The gift of the Holy Ghost, bestowed by divine authority from Jesus Christ, through appointed priesthood bearers, will be our constant companion of comfort, peace, and guidance when we apply the previous three principles to our personal life.
Since a constant renewal of this principle and ordinance is more important than a one time belief or baptism experience, the weekly partaking of sacrament is provided for those honestly seeking this blessing. Thus to keep faith in Christ alive and growing, this weekly renewal of the baptismal covenant (I promise to keep the commandments and God promises to enable us and forgive us) will keep the atonement active in our life.
How does one know when they have received and accepted the gift of Jesus Christ in their personal life? Activate the seed of faith and let it carry you where it will. A seed when properly nourished cannot be stopped from growing. A seed blowing in the wind will go nowhere, but when it falls to fertile ground.
Today I will get dressed, do my chores around the house, bake a cake and share it with someone, write a story, love my kids, feel good about myself.
Tomorrow, some Sabbath reading:
http://scriptures.lds.org/query?words=%22first+principles%22&search.x=19&search.y=10
poster:rayww
thread:249524
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faith/20030530/msgs/249524.html