In his talk “The Restoration of All Things” President James E. Faust speaks of the restoration of the gospel to the church. He speaks of things, which were lost from the time when Christ first established the church. President Faust also speaks about the Reformation, when different religious leaders called for change within their churches. He speaks of how the gospel has now been restored to earth. He says:
“We now have in the restored Church apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, and evangelists, as spoken of by Paul to the Ephesians. These priesthood offices were established by the Savior when He organized His Church in the meridian of time. We recognize the two orders of the priesthood and the offices contained within them: the lesser priesthood is the Aaronic Priesthood, named after Aaron; and the greater priesthood is the Melchizedek Priesthood, named after Melchizedek, to whom Abraham paid tithes. The Aaronic Priesthood was restored on May 15, 1829, under the hands of John the Baptist, and the Melchizedek Priesthood within a month under the hands of the ancient Apostles Peter, James, and John to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. Thus those possessing the priesthood today claim the power to act in the name of God through the priesthood, ‘which power commands respect both on earth and in heaven.’”
President Faust goes on to speak about other things which were restored and how they fulfilled the prophecy found in the Bible. He also talks about the importance of temples and eternal marriage. President Faust then says:
“We believe The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a restoration of the original Church established by Jesus Christ, which was built ‘upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.’ It is not a breakoff from any other church.
“We believe that the fullness of the gospel of Christ has been restored, but this is no reason for anyone to feel superior in any way toward others of God’s children. Rather, it requires a greater obligation to invoke the essence of the gospel of Christ in our lives—to love, serve, and bless others. Indeed, as the First Presidency stated in 1978, we believe that ‘the great religious leaders of the world such as Mohammed, Confucius, and the Reformers, as well as philosophers including Socrates, Plato, and others, received a portion of God’s light. Moral truths were given to them by God to enlighten whole nations and to bring a higher level of understanding to individuals.’ Thus, we have respect for the sincere religious beliefs of others and appreciate others extending the same courtesy and respect for the tenets we hold dear.”
This is a wonderful talk, which explains the restoration of the gospel. It explains both why the gospel needed to be restored, and how it was restored to the earth. I hope that you will take the time read and study this wonderful talk.