The Church of Jesus Christ in Former Times

“Chapter 16: The Church of Jesus Christ in Former Times,” Gospel Principles, (2009),87–93

“We believe in the same

organization that existed in the

Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors,

teachers, evangelists, and

so forth” (Articles of Faith 1:6)

Jesus Established His Church

THIRD NEPHI 27:8 8 And how be it my church save it be called in my name? For if a church be called in Moses’ name then it be Moses’ church; or if it be called in the name of a man then it be the church of a man; but if it be called in my name then it is my church, if it so be that they are built upon my gospel.

EPHESIANS 2:19-20 19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;The Disciples Chosen and Sent Out

Revelation HEBREWS 1:1-2 1 GOD, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

MATTHEW 16:16-18 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Jesus spoke to Saul in a vision

ACTS 9:3-6 3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: 4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

Authority from GodThe Ordinances and Principles of the Gospel cannot be Administered and Taught without the

Priesthood. The Father gave this Authority to Jesus Christ, who in turn Ordained His Apostles and gave them the Power and Authority of the Priesthood. He reminded them, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you”. Jesus gave the Greatest Responsibility and Authority to

the Twelve Apostles. He Appointed Peter Chief Apostle and gave him the Keys to Seal Blessings both on Earth and in Heaven, and also Ordained other Officers with specific Duties to Perform.

The Church Organization

The Church of Jesus Christ was a carefully organized unit. It was compared to a building that was “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself

being the chief corner stone”

First Principles and Ordinances

The Apostles taught two basic principles: faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and repentance. After new converts had faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and their Redeemer and had repented of their sins, they received two ordinances: baptism by immersion and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

These were the first principles and ordinances of the gospel. Jesus had taught,

“Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5).

1 PETER 3:18-20 18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: 19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; 20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. 1 PETER 4:6 6 For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

1 CORINTHIANS 15:2929 Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?

D&C 138President Joseph F. Smith ponders upon the writings of Peter and our Lord’s visit to the spirit world; He sees the righteous dead assembled in paradise and Christ’s ministry among them; How the preaching of the gospel was organized among the spirits; President Smith sees Adam, Eve, and many of the holy prophets in the spirit world who considered their spirit state before their resurrection as a bondage; The righteous dead of this day continue their labors in the world of spirits.

Spiritual GiftsMORONI 10:8-18 8 And again, I exhort you, my brethren, that ye deny not the gifts of God, for they are many; and they come from the same God. And there are different ways that these gifts are administered; but it is the same God who worketh all in all; and they are given by the manifestations of the Spirit of God unto men, to profit them. 9 For behold, to one is given by the Spirit of God, that he may teach the word of wisdom; 10 And to another, that he may teach the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 11 And to another, exceedingly great faith; and to another, the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 12 And again, to another, that he may work mighty miracles; 13 And again, to another, that he may prophesy concerning all things; 14 And again, to another, the beholding of angels and ministering spirits; 15 And again, to another, all kinds of tongues; 16 And again, to another, the interpretation of languages and of divers kinds of tongues. 17 And all these gifts come by the Spirit of Christ; and they come unto every man severally, according as he will. 18 And I would exhort you, my beloved brethren, that ye remember that every good gift cometh of Christ.Jesus Restores Life to a Young Woman

Some Features That Identify The Church of Jesus Christ

1. Revelation

2. Authority from God

3. The Church Organization

4. First Principles and Ordinances

5. Ordinances Performed for the Dead

6. Spiritual Gifts

The Church of Jesus Christ

in the Americas After Jesus was resurrected, He visited the people in the Americas and organized His Church among them, teaching the people for three days and then returning often for some time thereafter. Before 400 A.D., one by one, the Apostles were killed or otherwise taken from the earth. Because of wickedness and apostasy, the apostolic authority and priesthood keys were also taken from the earth. The organization that Jesus Christ had established no longer existed. There were no Apostles or other priesthood leaders with power from God, and there were no spiritual gifts.

The Great Apostasy The prophet Isaiah had foreseen this condition, prophesying, “The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant”. (Isaiah 24:5)

A Restoration Foretold

“ He shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: whom

the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath

spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:20-21)

“I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to

preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred,

and tongue, and people” (Revelation 14:6)

Restoration Predicted

ISAIAH 2:2-4 Isaiah sees the latter-day temple, gathering of

Israel 2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. 3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths