Part of following Jesus Christ is living His teachings of charity, forgiveness, faith, and other virtues. But the gospel of Jesus Christ means more than simply refraining from evil deeds or doing good toward others. It also includes these requirements for an eternal life of joy with God:- Faith in God and faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior
- Repentance of our sins
- Baptism
- Receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost
- Enduring to the end by continuing to follow Jesus throughout the rest of our lives
Faith
The scriptures teach that faith is to believe in something true without seeing it. For example, you can have faith that God is real even though you have never physically seen Him.
Growing your faith in God and in Jesus Christ requires action. As you make an effort to learn about the gospel of Jesus Christ and to practice what you have learned, you can have experiences that will help your faith become stronger.
Repentance
Because of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for us, when we make mistakes, we can repent and be forgiven by God as if the sin never happened.
To repent, you must feel genuine regret for your disobedience to God’s laws. Repentance also includes confessing your sins to God, making restitution, and trying hard not to commit the same sin again.
Baptism
Jesus taught that we must be “born of water and of the Spirit” to receive eternal life (John 3:5). This means we must be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost.
Baptism is a sacred ceremony in which we are immersed under the water and brought back up again, symbolizing spiritual rebirth. When we are baptized by someone with priesthood authority from God, we make promises to God to serve Him and keep His commandments for the rest of our lives. As we make and keep this promise, we are cleansed from sin by the power of Jesus Christ and spiritually reborn.
The Holy Ghost
After baptism we also receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, who is the third member of the Godhead alongside God and Jesus. The Holy Ghost, sometimes known as the Holy Spirit, brings us comfort, guidance, and warnings from God. The gift of the Holy Ghost means we will have that influence with us always, as long as we live righteously.
If you desire to receive the life–changing blessings of baptism and the Holy Ghost, missionaries can help you learn what you need to do to prepare. |
