Vocabulary

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we tend to have a "vocabulary" that may be unfamiliar to most people. This page is meant to help you understand the meaning of certain words and phrases that are often used.
   If there are other terms that you would like defined, just leave a comment.  I'll be glad to answer.


Agency: The God-given ability to make choices for ourselves.  Although we are thus free to choose our actions, we do not choose the outcomes.

Apostasy: A falling away from the truth.  Individuals can be in a state of apostasy by turning away from and rejecting God and His Gospel.  The same can happen with a community or nation.  At various times the world has fallen into a complete apostasy where the Priesthood authority to run Christ's church has been removed from the earth.  Today we are in the final dispensation, the fulness of times, and the Priesthood and gospel will never again be removed from the earth.  However, individuals may still turn away from the church.

Atonement: Christ's atonement includes His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane, His subsequent suffering and death, and His resurrection on the third day.  In the Garden of Gethsemane He took upon Himself the pain and burdens of the sins of all mankind.  He also suffered the pain of every mental, emotional, and physical ailment that any of us have ever suffered.  On the cross He subjected His will to the Father's will and allowed himself to die.  On the third day He rose again and thus overcame the obstacle of death for everyone who has ever or will ever live on this earth.  (see Alma 7:9-13)

Consequences: The outcome or result of our personal choices.  We recieve happiness, joy, and peace when we obey God's commandments. Sin, disobeying the commandments, brings misery, heartache, and despair. (See 2 Nephi 2:27)

Covenant: A Sacred promise that we make with God.  God sets the terms and we faithfully accept and do those things that we have promised we will do.  As we fulfill what is expected of us, the Lord will give us His promised blessings. (see Doctrine and Covenants 82:10)

Dispensation: A period of time when the Lord has a prophet on the Earth to whom He has given priesthood authority to run His church and teach His gospel.  All former dispensations have ended in a general apostasy, but ours will not.

Eternal Life: Living with our families in God's presence.  Through living the Gospel of Jesus Christ we can receive this gift from God.

Faith: A "hope for things which are not seen, which are true." (Alma 32:21)  "The substance [assurance] of things hoped for, the evidence [proof] of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1)  True Faith is active.  Since we believe and love the Lord, we follow His commandments and do the things that we must do.

Immortality: Living forever without pain or death after the resurrection.  All men and women who have lived or who will live on this Earth are given immortality through the grace of Jesus Christ.

Priesthood: The power and authority of God which He delegates to man to accomplish His work on the Earth.

Resurrection: The reuniting of spirit and body after death, but before the judgement.  At the end of this life our spirits leave our bodies.  Our spirits enter the spirit world and our bodies are put into the grave.  Because Christ had the power to overcome death, He was resurrected on the third day after His death.  He extends the wonderful blessing of resurrection to all who will live on Earth.

Spirit World: Where our spirits reside between death and the resurrection.  For the righteous, it is a place of peace, joy, and rest.

Testimony: A spiritual witness from the Holy Ghost of eternal truths.  The foundation of a testimony is the knowledge that God is our Heavenly Father, that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer, that Joseph Smith was called by God to restore and reestablish Christ's Church, that the Book of Mormon is a true testament of Jesus Christ, and that we have living prophets today.