Below are the quotes that were used in the video.
Two of the most fantastic examples of faith are a part of this week's Come, Follow Me readings in the New Testament. The first is a Canaanite woman who doesn't seem to be treated very well. But she perseveres and worships Christ. As a result of her great faith, her daughter was healed by Christ. The second example was a man who had some faith and Lord, I believe." But then added, "help thou mine unbelief." Look for miracles in this week's study.
President Dallin H. Oaks: “Traditions, established patterns of behavior transmitted from generation to generation, are an inherent part of culture. Our culture and its related traditions help establish our sense of identity and fill the vital human need to belong.”
“In the Church, powerful traditions remind us of the strength and sacrifice of our ancestors and inspire our efforts. Among them are industry, frugality, and complete devotion to a righteous cause. Others are based on doctrine and standards which may seem peculiar to the world but are consistent with God’s pattern. These include chaste behavior, modesty of dress, unpolluted language, Sabbath observance, adherence to the Word of Wisdom, and the payment of tithes.
Even in ethnic culture, many traditions can reinforce gospel standards and principles.”
“Unwanted traditions are those which lead us away from performing holy ordinances and keeping sacred covenants.” (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2000/10/cultivate-righteous-traditions?lang=eng)
Elder Richard G. Scott: "Where family or national traditions or customs are in conflict with the teachings of God, set them aside. Where traditions and customs are in harmony with His teachings, they should be cherished and followed to preserve your culture and heritage. There is one heritage that you need never change. It is that heritage that comes from your being a daughter or son of Father in Heaven. For happiness, control your life by that heritage." (Ensign, May 1998, 87).
In Jewish traditions, partly through an interpretative reading of Zeph 1:12, the purging of the house of all leaven was understood as a symbol of moral purification, with candles to look into corners. By analogy, the church is to clean out what defiles its identity and purity.
Elder Jay E. Jensen: A testimony is usually defined as knowledge or assurance of a truth that a person declares by the convincing power of the Holy Ghost. The Apostle Paul taught, “No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost” (1 Cor. 12:3). Because the things of God are known only by the power of the Spirit, they must be declared by the Spirit, and that means bearing testimony.
Because a testimony is personal, testimony bearing often begins with the pronoun I. (Parents, missionaries, and Church leaders may at times use we.) A testimony can be identified by the use of powerful verbs such as know, testify, believe, certify, declare, affirm, bear witness, bear record. Often it is a declaration of what you know, feel, experience, or believe, such as “We listened, we gazed, we admired!” (JS—H 1:71, note). Generally speaking, a testimony is short, precise, and concise.
Sometimes we can learn much about a principle by identifying what it is not. I have found that a testimony is:
President Dallin H. Oaks: “A testimony of the gospel is a personal witness borne to our souls by the Holy Ghost that certain facts of eternal significance are true and that we know them to be true. Such facts include the nature of the Godhead and our relationship to its three members, the effectiveness of the Atonement, and the reality of the Restoration.
“A testimony of the gospel is not a travelogue, a health log, or an expression of love for family members. It is not a sermon.
“One of the greatest things about our Heavenly Father’s plan for His children is that each of us can know the truth of that plan for ourselves. That revealed knowledge does not come from books, from scientific proof, or from intellectual pondering. As with the Apostle Peter, we can receive that knowledge directly from our Heavenly Father through the witness of the Holy Ghost.
“When we know spiritual truths by spiritual means, we can be just as sure of that knowledge as scholars and scientists are of the different kinds of knowledge they have acquired by different methods. (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2008/04/testimony?lang=eng)
President Dallin H. Oaks: “The first step in gaining any kind of knowledge is to really desire to know. In the case of spiritual knowledge, the next step is to ask God in sincere prayer. As we read in modern revelation,
“As we desire and seek, we should remember that acquiring a testimony is not a passive thing but a process in which we are expected to do something. Jesus taught, “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself” (John 7:17).
“Another way to seek a testimony seems astonishing when compared with the methods of obtaining other knowledge. We gain or strengthen a testimony by bearing it. Someone even suggested that some testimonies are better gained on the feet bearing them than on the knees praying for them.” (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2008/04/testimony?lang=eng)
President Ezra Taft Benson: “I do not believe that a member of the Church can have an active, vibrant testimony of the gospel without keeping the commandments. A testimony is to have current inspiration to know the work is true, not something we receive only once. The holy Ghost abides with those who honor, respect, and obey God’s laws. And it is that Spirit which gives inspiration to the individual.” (Ensign May 1983 )
President Harold B. Lee: “A testimony is fragile. It is as hard to hold as a moonbeam. It is something you have to recapture every day of your life.” (Church News July 15, 1972)
Joseph Smith: “Jesus in His teachings says, ‘Upon this rock I will build my Church. …’ [Matthew 16:18.] What rock?
Revelation.” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 195).
Joseph Smith: “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was founded upon direct revelation, as the true Church of God has ever been, according to the Scriptures.” (Amos 3:7, and Acts 1:2)” (Teachings: Joseph Smith, 195).
President Dallin H. Oaks: “‘Priesthood keys are the authority God has given to priesthood [holders] to direct, control, and govern the use of His priesthood on earth’ [Handbook 2: Administering the Church (2010), 2.1.1]. Every act or ordinance performed in the Church is done under the direct or indirect authorization of one holding the keys for that function.” (“The Keys and Authority of the Priesthood,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2014, 49).
“By focusing only on the Savior’s coming death, Peter failed to understand Jesus Christ’s true mission—the redemption of all mankind. When the Savior rebuked Peter and referred to him as ‘Satan’ Matthew 16:23; Mark 8:33, He was not implying that Peter was Lucifer. The Hebrew word Satan means ‘adversary or tempter.’ Thus, Christ recognized that at that moment Peter had put himself in an adversarial role, in opposition to the Savior’s ultimate saving mission.
“Peter probably meant well when he objected to the teaching that Jesus Christ would have to suffer and be killed (see Matthew 16:22; Mark 8:32). However, if Jesus had accommodated Peter’s wishes by avoiding the suffering of the Atonement, there would have been no redemption from sins and no Resurrection conquering death. All mankind would unavoidably have perished (see Alma 34:9), and God’s work of bringing to pass ‘the immortality and eternal life of man’ (Moses 1:39) would not have been fulfilled. All this would have served the destructive aims of Satan. In the moment of his impulsive protest, Peter was unwittingly siding with the adversary.” (New Testament Student Manual Church Educational System manual, 2014, 122).
What Happened on the Mount of Transfiguration?
“From the New Testament accounts and from the added light revealed through Joseph Smith it appears evident that:
Joseph Smith: Faith [is] the first principle in revealed religion, and the foundation of all righteousness.
Faith is the assurance which men have of the existence of things which they have not seen and…the principle of action in all intelligent beings.
As faith is the moving cause of all action in temporal concerns, so it is in spiritual.
But faith is not only the principle of action, but it is also the principle of power in all intelligent beings, whether in heaven or on earth.
The principle of power which existed in the bosom of God, by which he framed the worlds, was faith. (Lectures on Faith, Lecture 1).
Elder Jeffery R. Holland: “I can hardly read those words without weeping. The plural pronoun us is obviously used intentionally. This man is saying, in effect, “Our whole family is pleading. Our struggle never ceases. We are exhausted. Our son falls into the water. He falls into the fire. He is continually in danger, and we are continually afraid. We don’t know where else to turn. Can you help us? We will be grateful for anything--a partial blessing, a glimmer of hope, some small lifting of the burden carried by this boy’s mother every day of her life.” (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2013/04/lord-i-believe?lang=eng)
“… when facing the challenge of faith, the father asserts his strength first and only then acknowledges his limitation. His initial declaration is affirmative and without hesitation: “Lord, I believe.” I would say to all who wish for more faith, remember this man! In moments of fear or doubt or troubling times, hold the ground you have already won, even if that ground is limited. In the growth we all have to experience in mortality, the spiritual equivalent of this boy’s affliction or this parent’s desperation is going to come to all of us. When those moments come and issues surface, the resolution of which is not immediately forthcoming, hold fast to what you already know and stand strong until additional knowledge comes.”(https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2013/04/lord-i-believe?lang=eng)
“When problems come and questions arise, do not start your quest for faith by saying how much you do not have, leading as it were with your “unbelief.” That is like trying to stuff a turkey through the beak! Let me be clear on this point: I am not asking you to pretend to faith you do not have. I am asking you to be true to the faith you do have. Sometimes we act as if an honest declaration of doubt is a higher manifestation of moral courage than is an honest declaration of faith. It is not! So let us all remember the clear message of this scriptural account: Be as candid about your questions as you need to be; life is full of them on one subject or another. But if you and your family want to be healed, don’t let those questions stand in the way of faith working its miracle.” (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2013/04/lord-i-believe?lang=eng)
Teaching Thoughts:
President Dallin H. Oaks: “Traditions, established patterns of behavior transmitted from generation to generation, are an inherent part of culture. Our culture and its related traditions help establish our sense of identity and fill the vital human need to belong.”
“In the Church, powerful traditions remind us of the strength and sacrifice of our ancestors and inspire our efforts. Among them are industry, frugality, and complete devotion to a righteous cause. Others are based on doctrine and standards which may seem peculiar to the world but are consistent with God’s pattern. These include chaste behavior, modesty of dress, unpolluted language, Sabbath observance, adherence to the Word of Wisdom, and the payment of tithes.
Even in ethnic culture, many traditions can reinforce gospel standards and principles.”
“Unwanted traditions are those which lead us away from performing holy ordinances and keeping sacred covenants.” (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2000/10/cultivate-righteous-traditions?lang=eng)
Elder Richard G. Scott: "Where family or national traditions or customs are in conflict with the teachings of God, set them aside. Where traditions and customs are in harmony with His teachings, they should be cherished and followed to preserve your culture and heritage. There is one heritage that you need never change. It is that heritage that comes from your being a daughter or son of Father in Heaven. For happiness, control your life by that heritage." (Ensign, May 1998, 87).
In Jewish traditions, partly through an interpretative reading of Zeph 1:12, the purging of the house of all leaven was understood as a symbol of moral purification, with candles to look into corners. By analogy, the church is to clean out what defiles its identity and purity.
Elder Jay E. Jensen: A testimony is usually defined as knowledge or assurance of a truth that a person declares by the convincing power of the Holy Ghost. The Apostle Paul taught, “No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost” (1 Cor. 12:3). Because the things of God are known only by the power of the Spirit, they must be declared by the Spirit, and that means bearing testimony.
Because a testimony is personal, testimony bearing often begins with the pronoun I. (Parents, missionaries, and Church leaders may at times use we.) A testimony can be identified by the use of powerful verbs such as know, testify, believe, certify, declare, affirm, bear witness, bear record. Often it is a declaration of what you know, feel, experience, or believe, such as “We listened, we gazed, we admired!” (JS—H 1:71, note). Generally speaking, a testimony is short, precise, and concise.
Sometimes we can learn much about a principle by identifying what it is not. I have found that a testimony is:
- Not an exhortation. Individuals who stand and exhort others in a fast and testimony meeting or even try to call others to repentance, even with the best of intentions, are usurping authority and are often offending others and disrupting the spirit of the meeting.
- Not an experience, although experiences may illustrate belief and conviction.
- Not an expression of gratitude or love, although these are often appropriately included in our testimony sharing.
- Not a public confession.
- Not a sermon or a talk on some doctrinal point, although someone may quote a scripture and then testify of it.
- Not a long explanation of how you know but rather what you know.
- Not merely saying the words “I have a testimony.” It is not inappropriate to say this, but hopefully there is an expression following these words about the doctrines, truths, and principles of which you have a testimony. (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2005/10/bearing-testimony?lang=eng)
President Dallin H. Oaks: “A testimony of the gospel is a personal witness borne to our souls by the Holy Ghost that certain facts of eternal significance are true and that we know them to be true. Such facts include the nature of the Godhead and our relationship to its three members, the effectiveness of the Atonement, and the reality of the Restoration.
“A testimony of the gospel is not a travelogue, a health log, or an expression of love for family members. It is not a sermon.
“One of the greatest things about our Heavenly Father’s plan for His children is that each of us can know the truth of that plan for ourselves. That revealed knowledge does not come from books, from scientific proof, or from intellectual pondering. As with the Apostle Peter, we can receive that knowledge directly from our Heavenly Father through the witness of the Holy Ghost.
“When we know spiritual truths by spiritual means, we can be just as sure of that knowledge as scholars and scientists are of the different kinds of knowledge they have acquired by different methods. (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2008/04/testimony?lang=eng)
President Dallin H. Oaks: “The first step in gaining any kind of knowledge is to really desire to know. In the case of spiritual knowledge, the next step is to ask God in sincere prayer. As we read in modern revelation,
“As we desire and seek, we should remember that acquiring a testimony is not a passive thing but a process in which we are expected to do something. Jesus taught, “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself” (John 7:17).
“Another way to seek a testimony seems astonishing when compared with the methods of obtaining other knowledge. We gain or strengthen a testimony by bearing it. Someone even suggested that some testimonies are better gained on the feet bearing them than on the knees praying for them.” (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2008/04/testimony?lang=eng)
President Ezra Taft Benson: “I do not believe that a member of the Church can have an active, vibrant testimony of the gospel without keeping the commandments. A testimony is to have current inspiration to know the work is true, not something we receive only once. The holy Ghost abides with those who honor, respect, and obey God’s laws. And it is that Spirit which gives inspiration to the individual.” (Ensign May 1983 )
President Harold B. Lee: “A testimony is fragile. It is as hard to hold as a moonbeam. It is something you have to recapture every day of your life.” (Church News July 15, 1972)
Joseph Smith: “Jesus in His teachings says, ‘Upon this rock I will build my Church. …’ [Matthew 16:18.] What rock?
Revelation.” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 195).
Joseph Smith: “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was founded upon direct revelation, as the true Church of God has ever been, according to the Scriptures.” (Amos 3:7, and Acts 1:2)” (Teachings: Joseph Smith, 195).
President Dallin H. Oaks: “‘Priesthood keys are the authority God has given to priesthood [holders] to direct, control, and govern the use of His priesthood on earth’ [Handbook 2: Administering the Church (2010), 2.1.1]. Every act or ordinance performed in the Church is done under the direct or indirect authorization of one holding the keys for that function.” (“The Keys and Authority of the Priesthood,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2014, 49).
“By focusing only on the Savior’s coming death, Peter failed to understand Jesus Christ’s true mission—the redemption of all mankind. When the Savior rebuked Peter and referred to him as ‘Satan’ Matthew 16:23; Mark 8:33, He was not implying that Peter was Lucifer. The Hebrew word Satan means ‘adversary or tempter.’ Thus, Christ recognized that at that moment Peter had put himself in an adversarial role, in opposition to the Savior’s ultimate saving mission.
“Peter probably meant well when he objected to the teaching that Jesus Christ would have to suffer and be killed (see Matthew 16:22; Mark 8:32). However, if Jesus had accommodated Peter’s wishes by avoiding the suffering of the Atonement, there would have been no redemption from sins and no Resurrection conquering death. All mankind would unavoidably have perished (see Alma 34:9), and God’s work of bringing to pass ‘the immortality and eternal life of man’ (Moses 1:39) would not have been fulfilled. All this would have served the destructive aims of Satan. In the moment of his impulsive protest, Peter was unwittingly siding with the adversary.” (New Testament Student Manual Church Educational System manual, 2014, 122).
What Happened on the Mount of Transfiguration?
“From the New Testament accounts and from the added light revealed through Joseph Smith it appears evident that:
- Jesus singled out Peter, James, and John from the rest of the Twelve; took them upon an unnamed mountain; there he was transfigured before them, and they beheld his glory. Testifying later, John said, "We beheld his glory, the glory as of the only be gotten of the Father" (John 1:14); and Peter, speaking of the same event, said they "were eyewitnesses of his majesty." (2 Pet. 1:16.)
- Peter, James, and John, were themselves "transfigured before him" (Teachings, p. 158), even as Moses, the Three Nephites, Joseph Smith, and many prophets of all ages have been transfigured, thus enabling them to entertain angels, see visions and comprehend the things of God. (Mormon Doctrine, pp. 725-726)
- Moses and Elijah two ancient prophets who were translated and taken to heaven without tasting death, so they could return with tangible bodies on this very occasion, an occasion preceding the day of resurrection appeared on the mountain; and they and Jesus gave the keys of the kingdom to Peter, James, and John. (Teachings, p. 158.)
- John the Baptist, previously beheaded by Herod, apparently was also present. It may well be that other unnamed prophets, either coming as translated beings or as spirits from paradise, were also present.
- Peter, James, and John saw in vision the transfiguration of the earth, that is, they saw it renewed and returned to its paradisiacal state an event that is to take place at the Second Coming when the millennial era is ushered in. (D. & C. 63:20 21; Mormon Doctrine, pp. 718-719)
- It appears that Peter, James, and John received their own endowments while on the mountain. (Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 2, p. 165.) Peter says that while there, they "received from God the Father honour and glory," seemingly bearing out this conclusion. It also appears that it was while on the mount that they received the more sure word of prophecy, it then being revealed to them that they were sealed up unto eternal life. (2 Pet. 1:16 19; D. & C. 131:5.)
- Apparently Jesus himself was strengthened and encouraged by Moses and Elijah so as to be prepared for the infinite sufferings and agony ahead of him in connection with working out the infinite and eternal atonement. (Jesus the Christ, p. 373.) Similar comfort had been given him by angelic visitants following his forty day fast and its attendant temptations (Matt. 4:11), and an angel from heaven was yet to strengthen him when he would sweat great drops of blood in the Garden of Gethsemane. (Luke 22:42-44).
- Certainly the three chosen apostles were taught in plainness "of his death and also his resurrection" (I. V. Luke 9:31), teachings which would be of inestimable value to them in the trying days ahead.
- It should also have been apparent to them that the old dispensations of the past had faded away, that the law (of which Moses was the symbol) and the prophets (of whom Elijah was the typifying representative) were subject to Him whom they were now commanded to hear.
- Apparently God the Father, overshadowed and hidden by a cloud, was present on the mountain, although our Lord's three associates, as far as the record stipulates, heard only his voice and did not see his form. (Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols., 1:, p.402)
Joseph Smith: Faith [is] the first principle in revealed religion, and the foundation of all righteousness.
Faith is the assurance which men have of the existence of things which they have not seen and…the principle of action in all intelligent beings.
As faith is the moving cause of all action in temporal concerns, so it is in spiritual.
But faith is not only the principle of action, but it is also the principle of power in all intelligent beings, whether in heaven or on earth.
The principle of power which existed in the bosom of God, by which he framed the worlds, was faith. (Lectures on Faith, Lecture 1).
Elder Jeffery R. Holland: “I can hardly read those words without weeping. The plural pronoun us is obviously used intentionally. This man is saying, in effect, “Our whole family is pleading. Our struggle never ceases. We are exhausted. Our son falls into the water. He falls into the fire. He is continually in danger, and we are continually afraid. We don’t know where else to turn. Can you help us? We will be grateful for anything--a partial blessing, a glimmer of hope, some small lifting of the burden carried by this boy’s mother every day of her life.” (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2013/04/lord-i-believe?lang=eng)
“… when facing the challenge of faith, the father asserts his strength first and only then acknowledges his limitation. His initial declaration is affirmative and without hesitation: “Lord, I believe.” I would say to all who wish for more faith, remember this man! In moments of fear or doubt or troubling times, hold the ground you have already won, even if that ground is limited. In the growth we all have to experience in mortality, the spiritual equivalent of this boy’s affliction or this parent’s desperation is going to come to all of us. When those moments come and issues surface, the resolution of which is not immediately forthcoming, hold fast to what you already know and stand strong until additional knowledge comes.”(https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2013/04/lord-i-believe?lang=eng)
“When problems come and questions arise, do not start your quest for faith by saying how much you do not have, leading as it were with your “unbelief.” That is like trying to stuff a turkey through the beak! Let me be clear on this point: I am not asking you to pretend to faith you do not have. I am asking you to be true to the faith you do have. Sometimes we act as if an honest declaration of doubt is a higher manifestation of moral courage than is an honest declaration of faith. It is not! So let us all remember the clear message of this scriptural account: Be as candid about your questions as you need to be; life is full of them on one subject or another. But if you and your family want to be healed, don’t let those questions stand in the way of faith working its miracle.” (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2013/04/lord-i-believe?lang=eng)
Teaching Thoughts:
- Traditions: Start, Stop and Continue
- Is our faith “great” enough?
- How do we “own” our testimony?
- Whose testimony can we strengthen today?
- “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”