Pearl of Great Price Commentary
Articles of Faith

by Don R. Hender

THE ARTICLES OF FAITH
OF THE CHRUCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]
Commentary & Explanation
Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
                                                    History of the Chruch, Vol. 4, pp. 535—541
 1 WE abelieve in bGod, the Eternal Fathera, and in His cSon, Jesus Christb, and in the dHoly Ghostc.

The Fahter and Son 
We know, as seen by Joseph Smith and Stephen, that the Father and the son are two separate persons. And as the model of the Old Testament temple ordinance set out, the 'son' acts in the 'stead' of the father in all things (Leviticus 16:31). And as stated by the First Presidency and Twelve Apostles of 1916, with the son acting for and in the stead of the father in all things, then the Father and the Son share the name title of 'Father' in every instance except that of God our Heavenly Father being the Father of our spirits as the 'Father of Spirits'.
   Now only God the Son and God the Holy Ghost do minister unto this fallen second estate. While God the Father does upon occassion appear of his voice is heard, it is only in introduction of the Son, and it is by and in and through the Son that He does minister unto this estate. Thus Jehovah/Christ is our advocate with the Father, he stands as the mediator and the intercessor between God the Father of Spirits and men of this earth. Yes we pray to God the Father of Spirits, but it is done in the name of Jesus Christ the Son. And only in and through the Son may men come unto and return unto the Celestial Kingdom of God the Father of Spirits. 		 1a God the Eternal Father He is ELOHIM, the Father of all the spirits of men including Jesus Christ as Jehovah, who was the Firstborn spirit son of the Father in that pre-mortal First Estate. He is a Glorified Being of Immortal Spirit housed in a Celestial Immortal and Uncorruptable body of flesh and bone.
 1b Son, Jesus Christ He is JEHOVAH, the Firstborn spirit son of the Father of Spirits and the Only Begotten of God the Eternal Father in the flesh. As Jehovah also spoken of as the WORD, under the direction of the Father he created all things pertaining to the Second Estate. And as the Selected and Anointed of the Father, He is the Ministering God of this Second Estate, known as Jehovah that God of Spirit in the Old Testament and as Jesus Christ in the New Testament, having come to earth, born of Mary to suffer and atone for the salvation of men, being raised to being one with the Father, at the right hand of the Father as a Resurrected and Glorified God of Spirit house in a Celestial Immortal Uncorruptable Body of Flesh and Bone. He it is who took upon Himself the sins of the world that man might be redeemed from the Fall of Adam and forgiven of their sins in they do rightly come unto Him, to be judged according to their works and according to their heart.
 1c Holy Ghost The Holy Ghost is the third member of the Godhead, God the Eternal Father and Jesus Christ being the first two members. The Holy Ghost stands next to the Father and the Son in power and authority. He it is who is to be a witness of the Father and the Son to the hearts, spirits and souls of men. He is a personage of spirit, which allows him to enter into the hearts and souls of mean to commune with the spirit of man in revealing unto him the truth of all things. The operations and functions of the Holy Ghost are many. He is the Spirit of Revelation. There are many gifts which come by way of the Holy Ghost. And he is that constant companion of men unto righteousness which is given unto men as a gift from God as a part of one of the six saving ordiancnes of the Gospel.
 1a TG Believe
   b TG God the Father—Elohim;
      TG Godhead
   c TG Jesus Christ, Divine Sonship;
      TG Jesus Christ - Jehovah;
      TG Jesus Christ - Lord;
      TG Jesus Christ - Father, The;
      TG God the Father - Jehovah;
      BD Jehovah
   d TG Holy Ghost;
      BD Holy Ghost

The Godhead 
Of the members of the Godhead, only God our Heavenly Father, Elohim, was not of this world, that is of this second estate, He being alreay a Celestial being of Celestial Body of flesh and bones. Both of the other two members of the Godhead were selected from among us, the spirit children of the Father. And as such both Jehovah who is Jesus Christ and the spirit personage who is the Holy Ghost are, like us, those who do pertain unto this second estate. As members with us of those who do pertain unto this second estate, meaning that they will come down and participate in temporal mortality in order to obtain their bodies of flesh and bones, they may act and minister to this estate in the name of the Father, as it is so stipulated that only those who do so pertain unto this estate may minister unto it (D&C 130:5).
   Of course Jehovah, the God of the Old Testament who administered the creation and Godship of this world, did condescend to come down in the meridian of time and take upon himself his body as Jesus Christ. And he did descend below all things, taking upon himself the sins of the world, suffering for thoses sins in the Garden of Gethsemane and upon the cross at Calvery. Thus he provided the way, the if we would but follow him we might again return unto the presence of God the Father in that Celestial realm of the Kingdom of God. On the other hand, the Holy Ghost still remains a spirit performing his special role as the third member of the Godhead who works as the Spirit of God, the revelator, he who communes between God and man bearing witness of the Father and the Son and by whom the authorized powers and gifts of God do operate as gifts and powers of the spirit. He will remain a spirit until all of Gods children have obtained that state of maturity that they have become totally spiritually selfsufficient and not longer are in need of the administration of the Holy Ghost, and then, likely some time during the Millennium, he too will come to earth to obtain his body of flesh and bone.
 2 We believe that men will be apunished for their bown sins, and not for Adam's ctransgression.
 3 We believe that through the aAtonement of Christ, all bmankind may be csaved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
 4 We believe that the first principles and aordinances of the Gospel are: first, bFaith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, cRepentance; third, dBaptism by eimmersion for the fremission of sins; fourth, Laying on of ghands for the hgift of the Holy Ghost.
 5 We believe that a man must be acalled of God, by bprophecy, and by the laying on of chands by those who are in dauthority, to epreach the Gospel and administer in the fordinances thereof.
 6 We believe in the same aorganization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, bprophets, cpastors, dteachers, eevangelists, and so forth.
 7 We believe in the agift of btongues, cprophecy, drevelation, evisions, fhealing, ginterpretation of tongues, and so forth.
 8 We believe the aBible to be the bword of God as far as it is translated ccorrectly; we also believe the dBook of Mormon to be the word of God.
 9 We believe all that God has arevealed, all the He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet breveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
 10 We believe in the literal agathering of Israel and in the restoration of the bTen Tribes; that cZion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will dreign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be erenewed and receive its fparadisiacal gglory.
 11 We claim the aprivilege of worshiping the Almighty God according to the bdictates of our own cconscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them dworship how, where, or what they may.
 12 We believe in being asubject to bkings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in cobeying, honoring, and sustaining the dlaw.
 13 aWe believe in being bhonest, true, cchaste, dbenevolent, virtuous, and in doing egood to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we fhope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to gendure all things. If there is anything hvirtuous, ilovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.