13th Article of Faith
Reading 1 – Philippians 4:8
Acts 16:9-12
Reading 2 – Philippians 1:19-25
Philippians 1:29
Reading 2A - Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote: "When the
saints suffer persecution for righteousness' sake, they stand in the place and
stead of Christ and are receiving what the ungodly would heap upon the Son of
God were he personally present." (DNTC, 2:530)
Reading 3 – Philippians 2:12
Reading 4 - President Joseph Fielding Smith wrote: "We know that
the Lord is merciful and kind and that he does not rejoice in causing fear in
the hearts of the righteous; nor does he command them to approach him in the
spirit of fear in the sense in which this term is usually interpreted. It is
true that the wicked will fear and tremble before him in that great day of
judgment and that he is angry with the wicked, and dreadful fear and trembling
will fill their hearts at his coming. The fear spoken of in these passages is
in connection with the spirit of obedience." (Answers to Gospel Questions,
2:2)
Reading 5 - President David O. McKay said: "'Work out your own salvation' is an
exhortation to demonstrate by activity, by thoughtful obedient effort the
reality of faith. But this must be done with 'fear and trembling;' that is with
a consciousness that absolute dependence upon self may produce pride and
weakness that will bring failure. With 'fear and trembling' we should seek the
strength and grace of God for inspiration to obtain the final victory.
"However, to work out one's
salvation is not to sit idly by, dreaming and yearning for God miraculously to
thrust bounteous blessings into our laps. It is to perform daily, hourly,
momentarily, if necessary, the immediate task or duty at hand, and to continue
happily in such performance as the years come and go, leaving the fruits of
such labors either to self or to others to be bestowed as a just and beneficent
Father may determine." (CR, April 1938)
Reading 6 – Philippians 3:7-11
Elder Neal A. Maxwell wrote: Let others, if they choose, advocate
lesser lords or causes for mankind. Only Jesus, truly and fully, advocates the
basic and central cause of mankind. Christ’s advocacy is advocacy with perfect
empathy and mercy. Being sinless Himself, the wounds and scars He bears are
actually ours. After all, He was “wounded for our transgressions.” He loved us
so dearly that He voluntarily laid down His life for us. Furthermore, even
though He gives us demanding commandments and stern tasks, He has mercifully
promised to prepare a way for us to keep and to fulfill all of them. (Neal A.
Maxwell, Even As I Am, p.33 – p.34)
Reading 7 - Joseph Smith said:
"Sacrifice is the crowning test of the gospel. Men are tried and tested in this mortal probation
to see if they will put first in their lives the things of the kingdom of God.
(Matthew 6:33.) To gain eternal life, they must be willing, if called upon, to
sacrifice all things for the gospel. 'If thou wilt be perfect,' Jesus said to
the rich young man, 'go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou
shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.'
"A religion that does not
require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the
faith necessary unto life and salvation; for, from the first existence of man,
the faith necessary unto the enjoyment of life and salvation never could be
obtained without the sacrifice of all earthly things." (Lectures on Faith
#6)
Reading 8 – Philippians 3:14-15
Elder Russell M. Nelson has spoken about the word teleios, translated as perfect in the New Testament: “[T]he term
perfect was translated from the Greek teleios,
which means “complete.” Teleios is an
adjective derived from the noun telos,
which means “end.” The infinitive form of the verb is teleiono, which means “to reach a distant end, to be fully
developed, to consummate, or to finish.” Please note that the word does not
imply “freedom from error”; it implies “achieving a distant objective.” In
fact, when writers of the Greek New Testament wished to describe perfection of
behavior—precision or excellence of human effort—they did not employ a form of teleios; instead, they chose different
words. (Perfection Pending, October, 1995, General Conference)
Reading 9 – Philippians 4:6-7
Reading 10 -- Colossians 1:12-22
Colossians 1:23
Colossions 2:6-7
Reading 11 – Elder Neal L. Anderson, then of the Seventy,
said: “What does it mean to be grounded, rooted, established, and settled
spiritually? It means having an eternal perspective. It means realizing those
things that will shape our lives over much more than the next 5, 10, 15, or 50
years, but that will shape and mold our spirits eternally, for our spirits live
forever. It is having a faith that is not a generalized feeling but reflects
specific experience with interlocking principles. Being grounded and rooted
means being able to look forward and backward from this life. A hundred years
from now, how will my decisions affect me? A thousand years? A million years?
The difficulties that are now mine, how meaningful will they be in a future state?
This perspective of seeing the
spiritual all around us, seeing the purposes of life, does not come merely
because we want to believe these things. If we have not grounded and settled
these things deep within the foundation of our soul, when the tornadoes come we
will find ourselves carried away, and rarely will we land right side up on our
neighbor’s trailer.
Being grounded, rooted,
established, and settled means that we see things as they really are, that we
see the spiritual hosts that surround us, that we understand that those who are
with us are more than those who are against us. It means that we sense that
while this earth life is a true proving ground, and there will be many
difficulties and obstacles to overcome, all lasting happiness will come as we
keep the commandments of God and as we put our trust in Christ, who is our
Savior.”
Reading 12 -- Colossians 3:12-15
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