Faith in Jesus Christ
President Benson has said:
Now let me describe to you what faith in Jesus Christ means. Faith in Him is more than mere acknowledgment that He lives. It is more than professing belief. Faith in Jesus Christ consists of complete reliance on Him. As God, He has infinite power, intelligence, and love. There is no human problem beyond His capacity to solve. Because He descended below all things, He knows how to help us rise above our daily difficulties. (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1988], 66).
Brigham Young
“I would like to impress upon the minds of the brethren, that he who goes forth in the name of the Lord, trusting in him with all his heart, will never want for wisdom to answer any question that is asked him, or to give any counsel that may be required to lead the people in the way of life and salvation, and he will never be confounded worlds without end. Go in the name of the Lord, trust in the name of the Lord, lean upon the Lord, and call upon the Lord fervently and without ceasing, and pay no attention to the world.” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, selected and arranged by John A. Widtsoe [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1954], 323.)
Charity Never Faileth
President Benson has taught us concerning charity,
The final and crowning virtue of the divine character is charity, or the pure love of Christ (see Moro. 7:47). If we would truly seek to be more like our Savior and Master, learning to love as He loves should be our highest goal. Mormon called charity “the greatest of all” (Moro. 7:46). . . . Charity never seeks selfish gratification. The pure love of Christ seeks only the eternal growth and joy of others.
The Lord Jesus Christ liberated man from the world by the pure gospel of love. He demonstrated that man, through the love of God and through kindness and charity to His fellows, could achieve His highest potential. He lived the plain and sure doctrine of service, of doing good to all men—friends and enemies alike. (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1988], 275)
The Holy Ghost
Joseph F. Smith said:
“The office of the Holy Ghost is to bear record of Christ, or to testify of him, and confirm the believer in the truth, by bringing to his recollection things that have passed, and showing or revealing to the mind things present and to come. “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” “He will guide you into all truth.” Thus, without the aid of the Holy Ghost no man can know the will of God, or that Jesus is the Christ—the Redeemer of the world—or that the course he pursues, the work he performs, or his faith, are acceptable to God, and such as will secure to him the gift of eternal life, the greatest of all gifts” (John 14:26; 16:13.) (Gospel Doctrine: Selections from the Sermons and Writings of Joseph F. Smith, comp. John A. Widtsoe [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1939], 101].
James E. Talmage taught:
“The office of the Holy Ghost in His ministrations among men is described in scripture. He is a teacher sent from the Father; and unto those who are entitled to His tuition he will reveal all things necessary for the soul’s advancement. Through the influences of the Holy Spirit the powers of the human mind may be quickened and increased, so that things past may be brought to remembrance. He will serve as a guide in things divine unto all who will obey Him, enlightening every man, in the measure of his humility and obedience; unfolding the mysteries of God, as the knowledge thus revealed may effect greater spiritual growth; conveying knowledge from God to man; sanctifying those who have been cleansed through obedience to the requirements of the Gospel; manifesting all things; and bearing witness unto men concerning the existence and infallibility of the Father and the Son.
. . . The power of the Holy Ghost, then, is the spirit of prophecy and revelation; His office is that of enlightenment of the mind, quickening of the intellect, and sanctification of the soul.” (The Articles of Faith, 12th ed. [Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1924], 162–63).
Brigham Young said, “The preacher needs the power of the Holy Ghost to deal out to each heart a word in due season, and the hearers need the Holy Ghost to bring forth the fruits of the preached word of God to his glory” (Discourses of Brigham Young, sel. John A. Widtsoe [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1941], 333).
The Power of the Atonement
Joseph F. Smith:
“When we commit sin, it is necessary that we repent of it and make restitution as far as lies in our power. When we cannot make restitution for the wrong we have done, then we must apply for the grace and mercy of God to cleanse us from that iniquity.
Joseph F. Smith:
“Men cannot forgive their own sins; they cannot cleanse themselves from the consequences of their sins. Men can stop sinning and can do right in the future, and so far their acts are acceptable before the Lord and worthy of consideration. But who shall repair the wrongs they have done to themselves and to others, which it seems impossible for them to repair themselves? By the atonement of Jesus Christ the sins of the repentant shall be washed away; though they be crimson they shall be made white as wool. This is the promise given to you. We who have not paid our tithing in the past, and are therefore under obligations to the Lord, which we are not in position to discharge, the Lord requires that no longer at our hands, but will forgive us for the past if we will observe this law honestly in the future. That is generous and kind, and I feel grateful for it.”—Oct. C. R., 1899, p. 42. (Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine: Selections from the Sermons and Writings of Joseph F. Smith, compiled by John A. Widtsoe [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1939], 98.)
Spencer W. Kimball:
“There are many people who seem to rely solely on the Lord’s mercy rather than on accomplishing their own repentance. One woman rather flippantly said, “The Lord knows my intents and that I’d like to give up my bad habits. He will understand and forgive me.” But the scriptures will not bear this out. The Lord may temper justice with mercy, but he will never supplant it. Mercy can never replace justice. God is merciful, but he is also just. The Savior’s atonement represents the mercy extended. Because of this atonement, all men can be saved. Most men can be exalted.
Many have greatly misunderstood the place of mercy in the forgiveness program. Its role is not to give great blessings without effort. Were it not for the atonement of Christ, the shedding of his blood, the assumption by proxy of our sins, man could never be forgiven and cleansed. Justice and mercy work hand in hand. Having offered mercy to us in the overall redemption, the Lord must now let justice rule, for he cannot save us in our sins…”(Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1969], .)
Neal A. Maxwell:
“As for submissiveness, it is both proper and important for us in our afflictions and trials to ask for relief through fasting, prayer, and priesthood blessings. But after all we can do, we then submit to God’s will as did Jesus in Gethsemane and on the cross, when, in anguish, He posed aloud the possibility that the cup might pass from Him. On that occasion, the key word that expressed Jesus’ attribute of submissiveness was “nevertheless.”
(Neal A. Maxwell, Even As I Am [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1982], 47.)