10 Things Restored Through Joseph Smith

10. The True Understanding of Adam's Fall.

We are punished for our own sins, not Adam's Transgression. We inherit a fallen nature from our earthly parents, but we also inherit a divine nature through our Heavenly parents as God's spirit children. This means we do have a personal responsibility to choose the good. Even though we have a fallen nature, we need to put the natural man "off" (Mosiah 3:19, 1 Cor 2:14) through the atonement of Christ and do good works. We are capable of good works. (1 John 2:17) We are not born into this world totally depraved. It is only when we choose to sin that we become unclean.

9. The way to Christ is through faith, repentance, baptism, receiving of the Holy Ghost, and endurance to the end.

A simple prayer acknowledging that we are sinners and that we accept Jesus as our savior is only the start. We must repent of our sins, entering into a covenant relationship with Christ through baptism, then receive the Holy Ghost as our guide. Then, we must continue in this covenant relationship with Christ by keeping His commandments until the end of our mortal lives. We will not be perfect, but His grace will be sufficient if we are continually trying our best, and repenting when we fall short. This is the only process that can truly bring us to Jesus Christ. Then, it is through the merits alone of Christ that we are saved in His kingdom. In short, it is by grace that we are saved, but we are required to do what is in our power to access that grace. (2 Nephi 2:8, 10:24, 25:23)

8. The Holy Priesthood

In order for baptism to be efficacious, it must be performed by the correct authority. This authority is known as the Holy Priesthood. It was restored through the hands of angels to the prophet Joseph Smith and has been passed down to the present day to worthy males in the church. This priesthood is in use in the church today and no church can claim to be Christ's true church without it. It is the same priesthood that Peter, James, and John used to baptize. It is the same priesthood that was used in the time of Moses. It is the priesthood of God Himself. (Alma 13: 1, 16)

7. The keys of the Priesthood

The before mentioned priesthood is governed by keys. These are the keys which Jesus spoke about when He told Peter that He would give him the Keys of the Kingdom. (Matt. 16:19). You may be ordained to the priesthood, but you cannot use it without the consent of those who hold these keys. These keys have been handed down from Joseph Smith to the present day prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints.

6. Knowledge of the full plan of salvation, including the pre-existence.

We lived before we were born. We are literally the spirit offspring of the Father. (Acts 18:28-29). Because of this each of us have inherited a divine birthright and nature. We have also inherited a fallen nature through Adam. These two opposing natures allow us to know the good from the evil. We are given the power to choose between them. If we choose the good, and choose to have faith in Christ, repent, be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end, we will eventually become like our Father in Heaven, and through the merits of Christ become joint heirs with Christ. (Rom. 8:17)

5. Revelation.

God wants each of us to seek after Him. He has promised that if we do, we can know the truth of all things in a very personal way. He will reveal it to us. He has also established a pattern of revelation through those who hold the keys of the Priesthood. This is so that He can reveal things to the world as a whole and we can know we are not deceived. In the church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints, the prophets receive revelation from God today for the world, but we are also supposed to seek confirmation from the Holy Ghost, or personal revelation that what they are teaching is from God. This is how God is able to witness to us of His truths. Joseph Smith didn't just say "I talked with God so you have to listen to me" But he said "I talked with God and you can too!" (Matt 7:7, James 1:5, Moroni 10:3-5)

4. The Pearl of Great Price

The Pearl of Great Price is a book of scripture that contains doctrines and stories that have been lost to our current Bible, but restored through revelation to us today. In it we are given clarification on subjects such as the fall of Adam, the creation, the greater and lesser laws, and man's purpose on the earth, to name a few.

3. The Doctrine and Covenants

The Doctrine and Covenants is full of doctrine and information from the Lord on how His church and kingdom is to be organized and run in these last days. In it we find a record of specific revelations given to the prophets in our day. We find the oath and covenant of the priesthood, the description of the Kingdoms of Glory, the Word of Wisdom, and the New and Everlasting covenant of Marriage.

2. The Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon is another Testament of Jesus Christ. It is the record of ancient prophets that lived in the Americas and testified of Him. It is another witness from the other side of world that Jesus is the Christ, the very savior of the world. It confirms the validity of the Bible and it clarifies doctrines found in both records. Joseph Smith said that it is the most correct book and that one could get closer to God by abiding by it's teachings than by any other book. It contains an account of when Jesus came and visited the people in the Americas shortly after His resurrection.

1. The knowledge of God's true nature.

When Joseph Smith went into that grove of trees to supplicate to God in prayer, he found out that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are three separate and distinct beings united in purpose. He found out that God is literally the Father of us all and He loves us. He found out that we really are made in His image, He having a body like ours only a perfected one. God has a plan for us and He didn't just create us for pleasure, but He wants us to become one with Him and be heirs to all He has. He Loves us not just because He created us, but because we are His children.

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