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Why Was A Restoration Necessary? What was Joseph Smith’s Role In The Restoration?. Why Was A Restoration Necessary?.
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Why Was A Restoration Necessary?What was Joseph Smith’s Role In The Restoration?
Why Was A Restoration Necessary? During His mortal ministry, Jesus Christ established His Church with priesthood authority. It was led by prophets and apostles who taught true doctrine and received revelation that was recorded as scripture. With the death of the apostles, priesthood authority was taken from the earth, revelation ceased, and essential doctrines were lost or corrupted.
What Is Apostasy? When individuals or groups of people turn away from the principles of the gospel, they are in a state of apostasy.
Apostasy Regardless of the valiant efforts of Christ’s apostles and their faithful followers, the original church that Christ restored began to fade away. Members faced severe persecution and all but one of the apostles were martyred. This is a period called the Great Apostasy, when there was a "falling away” from the gospel Christ organized.
The Apostasy During the Great Apostasy, people were without divine direction from living prophets. Many churches were established, but they did not have priesthood power to lead people to the true knowledge of God the Father and Jesus Christ. Parts of the holy scriptures were corrupted or lost, and no one had the authority to confer the gift of the Holy Ghost or perform other priesthood ordinances.
The Church Will Never Again Be Destroyed We now live in a time when the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored. But unlike the Church in times past, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will not be overcome by general apostasy. The scriptures teach that the Church will never again be destroyed (see D&C 138:44; see also Daniel 2:44).
Restoration The Great Apostasy was a time of spiritual darkness, but we now live in a time when we can partake of “the light of the glorious gospel of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:4; see also D&C 45:28).
Restoration Latter-day Saints believe that, through the priesthood conferred to Joseph Smith by the ministering of angels, the authority to act in God’s name was brought back to the earth. This is “restored,” not “reformed,” Christianity.
Restored vs. Reformed Restore: To bring back to the original condition Reform: To change, or the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory.It is not the result of a reformation, with well-meaning men and women doing all in their power to bring about change. It is a restoration of the Church established by Jesus Christ. It is the work of Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son.
Joseph Smith Joseph Smith was the Lord’s anointed to restore Christ’s Church to the earth. When he emerged from the grove of trees, he eventually learned four fundamental truths not then taught by the majority of the contemporary Christian world.
Joseph Smith First, he learned that God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, are two separate, distinct beings.
Joseph Smith The second great truth Joseph Smith discovered was that the Father and the Son have glorified bodies of flesh and bones.
Joseph Smith The third truth that Joseph Smith learned was that God still speaks to man today—that the heavens are not closed.
Joseph Smith The fourth truth that Joseph Smith learned was that the full and complete Church of Jesus Christ was not then upon the earth. Of course there were good people and some components of the truth, but not the full and complete gospel.
A More Complete Christian Church The early Saints belief in a restored Christianity helps explain why most Latter-day Saint converts, from the 1830s to the present, converted from other Christian denominations. None of these converts thought they were leaving Christianity; they are simply grateful to learn about, and become part of, the restored Church of Jesus Christ, which they believe offers a more complete and rich Christian Church spiritually, organizationally, and doctrinally.
Joseph Smith In many ways the gospel of Jesus Christ is like a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle. When Joseph Smith came on the scene, perhaps 100 pieces were in place. Then Joseph Smith came along and put many of the other 900 pieces in place so that people could say, “Oh, now I understand where I came from, why I am here, and where I am going.” As for Joseph Smith’s role in the Restoration, the Lord defined it clearly:“This generation shall have my word through you” (D&C 5:10).
Joseph Smith Through Joseph Smith have been restored all the powers, keys, teachings, and ordinances necessary for salvation and exaltation. You cannot go anywhere else in the world and get that. It is not to be found in any other church. Salvation is to be found in one place alone, as so designated by the Lord Himself when He said that this is “the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth” (D&C 1:30).Elder Tad R. Callister
Restoration As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you can receive blessings that were absent from the earth for almost 2,000 years. Baptism Confirmation Repentance, Remission of sins Companionship of the Holy Ghost Led by Living Prophet Temple Ordinances Gospel Knowledge Such as: Nature of the Godhead The Atonement The Purpose of Life Reality of Life after Death
President Uchtdorf Every gift and power and grace of God that was available when Jesus Christ walked the earth has been restored in our time.
President Uchtdorf Through the knowledge of the Restoration we learn that God has a plan for us that will enable us to both enjoy the beauties of life and cope with its sorrows and disappointments.
President Uchtdorf The sacred knowledge of this plan brought us joy when we accepted it in our premortal life, and it gives us an eternal vision as we follow it in this life.
Personal Apostasy Although there will not be another general apostasy from the truth, we must each guard against personal apostasy by keeping covenants, obeying the commandments, following Church leaders, partaking of the sacrament, and constantly strengthening our testimonies through daily scripture study, prayer, and service.
Strengthen Your Testimony of The Restoration A strong testimony is necessary to get through the difficult teenage years. Studying the principles of the restored gospel can change your life and strengthen you for the future.Speaking of youth and their testimonies, President Thomas S. Monson has said “Effort is required, but it is effort you will never, ever regret.”
