What I Believe

My Spiritual Truths

My faith is in Jesus Christ alone. I want to be built on the Rock of my Redeemer.

Additionally, I have learned the following spiritual truths through personal revelation, experience, and study. I choose to believe them. They are the basis for "the story" I tell myself and my children about the universe and about God. They are the truths that guide my life decisions. They are the reason I choose to stay in the Church, regardless of changing policies or the mistakes of church members and leaders. They are the spiritual truths I will believe and defend when other doctrines, policies, and traditions fail. If a statement or idea is not on this list — however related it may be to a point on this list — then it is not a necessary cornerstone of my testimony. These are the only spiritual truths I claim to "know." I readily acknowledge that "I don't know" anything else.

This list of spiritual truths sometimes uses a first person narrative, but I believe the truths apply equally to others. Furthermore, I reserve the right to wordsmith these statements, when appropriate.

"The List"

  • Jesus Christ is the Anointed One, the Messiah. He is Jehovah, and He is God, the creator of earth. He is the Son of God who, because of God's love, came to earth in the flesh. Jesus suffered and died for my sins, and He rose from the tomb. He lives today, and His life is the focus of the Gospel — it is all about Him. He is the Savior and Redeemer of whom the Eternal Father and the Holy Spirit testify. His is the only name that saves, and He is the only Way to eternal life. All who have faith in Jesus, who turn back to Him after their sins and mistakes, and who desire to love God and love others will ultimately be justified, sanctified, and saved by the grace, the love, the obedience, and the atonement of Jesus.
  • I am a child of God with infinite worth. I am a completely unique expression of God's creation. God created me in the image of God. God loves me and everyone else.
  • The Bible is the word of God. The Book of Mormon is the word of God. All truth, whether revealed or hidden, is the word of God.
  • Joseph Smith is God's prophet, chosen to reveal and restore the gospel of Jesus Christ, to receive the keys of the Priesthood, to organize the Church of Jesus Christ, and to begin the gathering of Israel in preparation for the return and millennial reign of the Savior.
  • The current Presidency of the High Priesthood holds the keys of the Priesthood, or the right to direct and govern the Church of Jesus Christ.

Comments

  1. UnknownFebruary 8, 2018 at 9:51 PM

    Great post! I would say that the basis for my testimony is very similar, and it is centered on Jesus Christ. One thing that always helps me when a leader of the Church says something I don't quite agree with or a new policy comes out that I don't really understand is that there is a big difference between Church policy and/or administration and the doctrine or the gospel of Christ. Doctrinal truths are unchanging, but policy and administration is always changing based on those in authority and their specific strengths and talents, the current needs of the Church, and the current affairs of the world and laws of the land. I've often heard the phrase when someone gets offended by a Church leader or member "Church members and leaders are imperfect, but the Church is perfect." I disagree because the Church is lead by imperfect people who are prone to make mistakes. Don't get me wrong, I know that the leaders of the Church are called of God and are guided in how to govern the affairs of the Church, but I also know that they're human and are doing the best they can with the knowledge and experience they have, so they sometimes make mistakes. That's okay! Jesus Christ is the only perfect being to have walked this earth. So, we shouldn't expect everything one of His called and set-apart leaders says or does to be perfect. That's why we're taught to build our foundation on Jesus Christ, and it is in Him that I trust.

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