--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Anderson, James H. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 26 number: 3 published: 1923-01 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'James H. Anderson, "The Gospel Story", *Improvement Era* 26, no. 3 (January 1923): 233–239.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2603unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera2603unse start_page: 233 end_page: 239 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1923-01) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2603unse publication_year: 1923 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1923, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # The Gospel Story The Gospel Story By James H. Anderson "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." — John 3:16. This statement, made by the beloved disciple John, has been a source of great comfort and encouragement to every believer in Christ, for ages past. The Apostle Paul referred to the same subject matter in his epistle to the Romans, 1:16, when he said: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation unto everyone that believeth." It is through the gospel of Christ, obedience to which con- stitutes a real belief in the Lord Jesus, that the blessing of everlasting life named by the Apostle John comes to mankind. The story of the gospel, so far as it is associated with the presence of Jesus in mortal tabernacle, begins with the teaching of John the Baptist, which receives direct and frequent mention in all of the four gospels, in the New Testament. Divine Calling of John the Baptist John the Baptist was the son of Zacharias, a priest after the order of Aaron; for the Priesthood of Aaron descended in regular order from father to son, from Eleazar, the third son of Aaron, down to John the Baptist, son of Zacharias. The Apostle John, 1:6, says that John the Baptist was "sent from God." The words used by this historian are: "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John." Thus John the Baptist had divine authorization for the mission which he was to perform. He did not select himself, but was "sent" from God. The historian St. Luke, 3:2, writing of the commencement of the active ministry of the Baptist, when the latter was about thirty years of age, tells us: "The word of God came unto John the ^on of Zecharias in the wilder- ness." Obedient to the word of God which thus came to him, John the Baptist entered upon his mission as the forerunner of Jesus Christ. John knew what his calling was; when the Jews sent 234 IMPROVEMENT ERA to him messengers demanding to know what he had to say for himself, he told them that he was not the Christ for whom they were looking, and said, as recorded in John 1:23: "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the- way of the Lord, as said the Prophet Esaias." This reference to the Prophet Esaias — the Isaiah of the Old Testament — is the prophecy of Isaiah, 40:3: "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God." St. Matthew in his third chapter, tells of the Baptist's com- mencement of his active ministry, where it is said: fcTn those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea." So John the Baptist was divinely commissioned for his great work; he was "sent from God;" and when the time came for him to go forth among the Jews, the "word of God" for him to do so came to him in the wilderness, and he obeyed; he was "the Voice" — the forerunner of Jesus Christ the Savior of the world, prophesied of by the Hebrew Prophet Isaiah. John the Baptist's Teachings John the Baptist taught faith in the Father, in his Son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost. Some of his words in this respect are given by the historian St. John, 1:33-34; "He that sent me to baptize with water" — that is, God, the Father, whose word came to John the Baptist in the wilderness — "the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God." This same John also taught repentance from sin. St. Mat- thew 3:2, says, that John the Baptist called to the people, "Re- pent ye," at the same time announcing that the kingdom of heaven was at hand. St. Matthew also declares, in verse 8 of the same chapter, that John the Baptist demanded of the adult people who had gathered to hear him that they "bring forth fruits meet for repentance" before he would baptize them. St. Luke also relates, in verse 9, chapter 3, how that the Baptist insisted that the multitude bring forth fruits worthy of repent- ance before he would administer to them the ordinance of bap- tism in water. This same John also made the requirement of baptism as the ordinance for the remission of sins. St. Mark, 1:4, 5, thus expresses this fact: THE GOSPEL STORY 235 "John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repent- ance for the remission of sins. And there went out unto him all the land of Judea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins." The river of Jordan afforded excellent opportunity for the administration of the ordinance of baptism, which was by immersion, and in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, as expressed in St. Matthew, chapter 28, verse 19; for John had been "sent from God" to administer this ordinance of baptism as part of his work in proclaiming the gospel of Christ as the power of God unto salvation. He also baptized our Lord and Savior in the River Jordan, and the historian, St. Matthew, thus records what immediately followed the ad- ministration of the baptismal ordinance: "And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God, descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: and lo a voice from heaven saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." John the Baptist also taught the principle of bestowing the Holy Ghost, but he did not confer it; he says, St. Luke 3:16: "I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire." This baptism with the Holy Ghost was to follow after the baptism in the water for the remission of sins, and was to be administered by one holding a higher authority or Priesthood in which to officiate than did John at that time. It was to be applied by and under the authority of the One whom John the Baptist, as recorded by St. John, 1:29; testified to be "the Lamb of God, which taketh awav the sin of the world." All the gospels, and all the other writings in the New Testament, wherever these refer to the calling and mission of John the Baptist, are in perfect harmony as to his teachings and action, as these are brought to attention here. John the Baptist taught and administered baptism to those who were of sufficient age to believe in Christ and to repent of wrong doing. His teaching was Faith in God, Repentance from Sin; Baptism for the Remission of Sins, after which there was to come the baptism with the Holy Ghost, by the Mightier One who should follow — Jesus, the Lamb of God, through whom salvation comes to mankind. What Jesus Did and Taught Immediately following his baptism as described in Mat- thew, third chapter, Jesus instituted the organization of his 236 IMPROVEMENT ERA Church under the fulness of his gospel. He chose twelve discip- les, also called apostles. St. Mark, 3:14, tells of this action, say- ing: "And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach." The Lord himself reminded those apostles how that they were called and given authority by him to go forth in his name, as related by the Apostle John 15:16: "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it unto you." Jesus also made a further organization of his Church, call- ing a quorum of Seventy as well as a quorum of Twelve, and as he went on in this organization, St. Luke 10:1, says: "After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come." And in the 17th verse of the same chapter St. Luke records: "And the Seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name." Jesus taught Faith, as his sayings handed down to us by the Apostle John 14:1, 26 declare: "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me * * * Rut 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." Jesus also taught repentance, as in his words given in St. Mark 1:15: "Saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel." Baptism by immersion, as taught and practiced by John the Baptist, also was positively required by the Lord, as stated by the Apostle John 3:5: "Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of the water and of the Spirit he cannot enter' into the kingdom of God." St. Luke, in his seventh chapter, gives the statement of the Savior that "Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist," and the record goes on to say, in the 29th and 30th verses: "And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God being baptized with the baptism of John. Rut the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him." THE GOSPEL STORY 237 Jesus also blessed his disciples, and conferred upon them the Holy Ghost. St. John 20:21, 22, makes this record: *Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father has sent me, even so I send you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost." He also made to them the promise of the special outpour- ings of the Holy Ghost, fulfilled on the day of Pentecost, this promise being recorded in Acts 1:8: "But ye sholl receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the utermost parts of the earth." Jesus also taught that the gospel would be preached to the dead, that those who had not heard it in mortality still might do so, and render obedience thereunto. St. John, 5:25, 28, gives these words of the Savior: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. * * * Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice." The Apostle Peter, first epistle 3:19, tells how Christ "went and preached to the spirits in prison," and in the 4th chapter, 6th verse, explains the reason therefor: "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." As the dead are to be "judged according to men in the flesh," and Jesus said that a man cannot enter the kingdom of God except he be ""born of the water and the Spirit," there is in the gospel the ordinance of baptism for the dead, mentioned by the Apostle Paul, First Corinthians, 15:29: "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?" Jesus also taught the resurrection and eternal judgment. He said of himself, St. Matthew 17:22, 23: "And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of Man shall be betrayed into the hands of men: and they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again." And of those who are in their graves he said, St. John 5:29, that — |"They shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resur- rection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." 238 IMPROVEMENT ERA These teachings set forth the fundamental principles of the gospel of Christ, as the gospel story is told in the New Testament. These fundamental principles are: Faith, Repent- ance, Baptism (for the living and the dead), Conferring of the Holy Ghost, the Resurrection, and the Eternal Judgment. The Apostles' Testimony Paul, the Apostle, names these fundamental principles in his epistle to the Hebrews, 6:12: Faith, Repentance, Baptism (for the living and the dead), the Laying on of Hands for the Giving of the Holy Ghost, the Resurrection of the Dead, and the Eternal Judgment. When, after the resurrection and ascension of Christ, the apostles were asked by the multitude who were touched by the preaching of the chief apostle, Peter, what they should do, Peter answered: "Repent and be baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all thai are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." The teachings of the apostles were in full accord with those of the Savior in all these things. There was no varying or departing therefrom. But there was predicted a "falling away" from the gospel; the Apostle Paul, in writing to the Thessalon- ians concerning the second coming of Christ, makes this very plain and specific statement in Second Thessalonians, 2:3: "Let no man deceive yon by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition." And John the Revelator, in view of this ."falling away" of the world from the gospel of Christ, was shown the restoration in latter days of that gospel, as he tells in Revelation 14=6, 7: "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the ever- lasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every na- tion, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of water." This restoration of the gospel was to be in the latter days, as the hour of God'a judgment drew near, and just previous to the overthrow of "Mystery Babylon" described in the seventh chapter of St. John's Revelation. The Gospel Story This is the Gospel Story, as told in the New Testament. The restoration foretold by John the Apostle, through the THE GOSPEL STORY 239 revelation of Jesus Christ, has been accomplished in these latter days. With its teaching is also made the same promise as that recorded in St. John 7:16,17: "Jesus answered them and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man do his will, he will know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." The New Year The New Year does not bring to me The thought of joy alone; For who seeks opportunity, Must meet the vast unknown, Prepared to cope with adverse things Which oft obstruct the way; Must bear the hurt of venom's stings, Nor be impelled to pay The diebtor coin for his coin, But good return for ill; And all who would thus kiss the rood, Must e'er bid self be still. The New Year does not bring to me The sombre thought alone — For who can see the majesty Of work, and can have known The power of this gift divine, The peaceful weariness That follows in its wake each time 'Tis wrought with cheeriness, And not know joy? What eye can forward look and view A chance to have and hold The stewardship of service true, More potent far than gold, But to himself, in truth must own That every year may yield, From what his willing hands have sown Upon some barren field, An aftermath unto the soul, Ungained by worldly pleasure, The knowledge that a higher goal Brings to his life its treasure. Provo, Utah. Grace Ingles Frost