Testing the words of LDS leaders with Biblical Truth:
March 2012
Preparing for Exaltation Teacher’s Manual
What Is Faith? (Page 57):
Help class members understand that faith is a trust or confidence in someone or something, even though that person or thing is not seen. Faith is more than just a belief that something is real and true; it is a feeling that motivates us to do something based on our belief.
• Why do you think Joseph Smith called faith a “principle of power” and “the moving cause of all action”? Discuss some ways faith is a necessary “moving cause” of ordinary actions… Remind class members that faith must be based on truth. Farmers who hope for crops to grow but who do not plant seeds first are not exhibiting real faith. People who buy tickets on a northbound bus while hoping to travel south are not showing faith…
“We must be doers of the word and not hearers only. It is more than lip service; it is not simply confessing with the mouth the divine Sonship of the Savior. It is obedience and conformity and personal righteousness.”
Test these LDS Words with Biblical Truth:
I have lived a very different life than most. I was born into a devout LDS family, with a strong faith that the Church was true. At 28 I discovered that my faith in the Mormon Church was false, so I went looking elsewhere for the true church. For a few years I searched amongst Protestant Christianity, but eventually gave up on the Christian faith altogether. Over the next eight years I gained and lost faith in many different “spiritual” beliefs.
I tried Shamanism, New Age, Positive Thinking… I would find something new and become very excited and involved, but eventually, my faith died. Finally, I gave up on organized religion. I knew there had to be a God, but I figured He just didn’t interfere with mankind. My biggest daily struggle was to find peace in my life.
One day, the most incredulous thing happened. I went to a Christian Church to hear a neighbor girl sing. Miraculously, the Holy Spirit brought me to faith in Jesus! I didn’t know or understand it at the time, and I vehemently struggled with it. I had become very liberal minded and didn’t want to have anything to do with organized religion. To my surprise, I discovered that there is something amazingly different and unique about a “faith” in Jesus. Faith in Jesus is the only faith that gives birth to a living spiritual creature! Jesus explained this to Nicodemus:
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:6-8.)
To the Jews, Jesus explained: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” (John 5:24)
A miracle happened while I was at that Church when I heard God’s Word being spoken. The Holy Spirit brought me to faith in Jesus; and in one moment, I “passed from death unto life”. I had been brought to life spiritually—literally born-again, as a new spiritual creature! I fought this new creature for a few months. Then one day in 1994 I heard the amazing message that all of my sins had been forgiven through Christ’s blood. I was so thrilled that I gave my life to my Savior and I haven’t looked back since.
Now, coming back to the Lesson, we read: “We must be doers of the word and not hearers only. It is more than lip service; it is not simply confessing with the mouth the divine Sonship of the Savior. It is obedience and conformity and personal righteousness.”
The person who wrote this doesn’t truly know about a living faith in Christ! I testify that I believe in Jesus Christ and I know I have eternal life with my Heavenly Father. Faith alone has saved me. And trust me, I am not merely giving “lip service” to my Savior. Faith has nothing to do with anything that “must” be done before eternal life is gained. When you are a living spiritual creature brought to life by the Holy Ghost, you can’t help being alive. Just think of a baby. That baby just naturally breathes and eats and moves.
I can’t help but to give my life over to this new spiritual creature because God has placed this love in my heart. Oh, my sinful side of me is still alive and will be until the day I die. There are many days that I do everything wrong. But guess what? It doesn’t matter because I have already crossed over from death to life. I don’t have to do anything for my Savior to gain something for myself. I am free to serve him simply because I love Him.
If you want to read more about what a living faith truly is, go to this blog Post: “The Testimony of Three Witnesses: Faith Without Works is Dead!” written December 20, 2008; or, Click here:
Latter-day Saint Woman 
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