Articles of Faith—I Never Knew You

I served my mission in Florida, and I met all kinds of Christians—Evangelical, Charismatic, Non-denominational, etc.  In my last area there was a big revival meeting happening every night, where the crowds became so huge they had to move out to the airport to have enough ground to meet on.  There were claims of medically-verified miracles, divine healings, and even a resurrection from the dead!  It was crazy, but I loved it.  And even though I met some weird Christians on my mission, I met many who were thoughtful, well-educated, and willing to listen and discuss.

One of the big issues Christians throw at Mormon missionaries is the question of how we are saved.  It's a fairly loaded question, because one's answer to the question encompasses one's belief about the nature of the Godhead, the Fall, the place of ordinances and good deeds, the need (or not) for authority, and a slew of other issues which can be—and have been—debated for centuries!

I worked with a recent convert in one area as he struggled to understand and accept our beliefs and doctrines, as opposed to his upbringing and training in a regular Christian faith.  Over time we've had to sort some things out, and see where we actually agree in many cases and disagree in others.  I was learning about so many of these issues and questions that we don't hear much about in church, and so it was helpful for the convert and fascinating for me to explain what we believe, and see it all laid out.


My learning has continued since coming home, and studying here at BYU.  After reading papers and articles and writing one of my own, I'm finally beginning to see a more complete picture of how and where we differ from regular Christians.


You wouldn't believe it if you looked up on Wikipedia all the different issues and debates and philosophies about how salvation occurs.  While they don't go into near as much depth, providing counter-arguments and rebuttals, the Articles of Faith actually state very clearly where we stand on these soteriological (salvation-related) issues.

For those somewhat familiar with such lingo, I'll illustrate.  The second article describes in a nutshell what we believe about the Fall—and by implication, comments on original sin, total depravity, predestination and accountability.  The third article explains tersely what we believe as it relates to the necessity of ordinances, the place of grace, and the question of universalism.  The fifth article states briefly that we believe callings and revelations from God are given by those with authority, contrary to the notions of a "priesthood of all believers", or "sola scriptura".


If you had never heard of some of those terms before, or never knew there was a debate about some of those things, you were just like I was before my mission.  It's funny to realize, but I had the Articles of Faith memorized when I left for my mission, I just didn't know how helpful they could be.


Suffice it to say that I have newfound appreciation for the Articles of Faith—for succinctly stating what we believe, running counter to the religious trends of Joseph Smith's day, and for being the true word of God through His prophet.