The Articles of Faith are thirteen statements of basic belief for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (referred to as the Mormons). They were written as a part of a document called the Wentworth Letter, which Joseph Smith wrote in 1842 to John Wentworth of the Chicago Democrat. Later, these brief statements were set to music by American composer Vanja Watkins. In this series, we will examine the truths presented in the Articles of Faith.
Article of Faith 1:
We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
This is the basis of all things we believe in the modern Church of Jesus Christ. Without a correct knowledge of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, worship and pursuit of other truth would be pointless.
When Joseph Smith, the first modern president of the Church, received his First Vision at the age of 14, God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him. They answered his prayer, but they also taught him by their appearance that the Father and the Son are separate physical beings, and that the Holy Ghost does not have a physical body. This corroborates the account of the baptism of Jesus Christ, when God the Father spoke from Heaven, the Holy Ghost descended in the form of a dove, and Jesus, Son of God, was in the river Jordan with John the Baptist.
President Gordon B. Hinckley, fifteenth President of the Church, said the following about the significance of this Article of Faith:
The first article of faith is familiar to all members of the Church. It is the pivotal position of our religion. It is significant that in setting forth the primary elements of our doctrine, the Prophet Joseph put this number one. . .
I believe without equivocation or reservation in God, the Eternal Father. He is my Father, the Father of my spirit, and the Father of the spirits of all men. He is the great Creator, the Ruler of the Universe. He directed the Creation of this earth on which we live. In His image man was created. He is personal. He is real. He is individual. He has “a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s.”
In the account of the Creation of the earth, “God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”Could any language be more clear? Does it demean God, as some would have us believe, that man was created in His express image? Rather, it should stir within the heart of every man and woman a greater appreciation for himself or herself as a son or daughter of God.
I am grateful for the blessings of this first, basic principle: that God is our Father, His Son is our Redeemer, and the Holy Ghost testifies of Them.
MP3 Recording of “The First Article of Faith” children’s song
