The Articles of Faith

Index
The Articles of Faith were set forth by Joseph Smith, the 1st Prophet in this dispensation. These are fundamental doctrines of the Gospel as taught by this church. On October 6, 1890, the Latter-day Saints in general conference adopted the Articles of Faith as a guide to outline what we believe for our faith and how we should conduct ourselves.

Besides being a guide to help us understand and live our faith, how else can we use the Articles of Faith? How about to help us become better missionaries! Let me share a story with you that President Monson told. It will give us the idea of how effective the Articles of Faith can be as we share the gospel with those we meet.

Sharman Hummel lived back East. He was journeying by bus to San Francisco to establish a new business, after which he would send for his wife and children. All the way from New York City to Salt Lake City, the bus trip was uneventful. But in Salt Lake there entered the bus a little girl who sat next to Mr. Hummel. As they journeyed westward, Mr. Hummel noticed a road sign that read ‘Visit the Mormon Sunday School this week.’ Mr. Hummel said to the little girl, "I guess there are a lot of Mormons in Utah, aren’t there?"

She replied, "Yes, sir."

Then Mr. Hummel said to her, "Are you a Mormon?"

Again, "Yes, sir."

“What do Mormons believe?"

The girl recited the first Article of Faith, and then she talked about it. Continuing, she gave him the second Article of Faith and talked about it. Then she gave him the third, and the fourth, and the fifth, and the sixth, and all of the Articles of Faith and talked about all of them.

Sharman Hummel recounted, “By the time she arrived at her destination, he was profoundly impressed. All the way to San Francisco he thought, ‘What is it that prompts that young girl to know her doctrine so well?"

When he arrived in San Francisco, the very first thing he did was to look through the yellow pages for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He called the Mission President, who sent two missionaries to where Mr. Hummel was staying. He became a member of the Church, his wife became a member, and all of their children became members. As time went on Sharman Hummel brought 24 people to a knowledge of the truth. All because a young girl knew her Articles of Faith and had the ability and the courage to proclaim the truth. This young girl shows us a good example of living the principle that the Apostle Paul taught in Romans chapter 10 verse 16. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth.”

When I received this assignment from Bro. McBride I asked my family to brainstorm how we can use the Articles of Faith to help us with missionary work. This is what we came up with:

  • They are super-easy answers to help people know what we believe in. They are well defined and straight to the point. We are encouraged to memorize them, and when we do they will always be ready to share.
  • The Articles of Faith cover all the main points of doctrine. Using the Articles of Faith as our guide and help from the Holy Ghost we should never be scared or think we don’t know enough about the gospel to share it.
  • They are the main points of our religion that distinguish it from every other religion. Many times people we come in contact with would like to know why our church is different, or what makes us special. We can teach them about the true nature of the Godhead-A.of F. #1. We can share our testimony of how the atonement works in a persons’ life,-through obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel-A of F. #3. We can explain why we need to have latter-day scripture, especially the Book of Mormon A.of F. #8. We can prove to people that we honor and obey the laws of the land. A. of F #12.
  • The Articles of Faith give us confidence when it comes to needing to clear up misconceptions about the church. When we are asked if we are Christians, we can share our belief in God the Eternal Father and in His Son, Jesus Christ as stated in the first Article of Faith. We can also use A. of F. #6 and share how we believe in the same organization that existed in the primitive church under Jesus Christ.
Many times in conversations with my non-member friends I have used points of doctrine contained in the Articles of Faith to explain what our church believes in.

[Share your testimony—]

I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.