The Gospel: An Exposition of Its First Principles: Revised and Enlarged Edition

B.H. Roberts, one of Mormonism's most formidable intellects, wrote this volume in 1888 to address a generation slipping from its spiritual foundations. As the Church grew, many young Saints had inherited their parents' faith without understanding its architecture. Roberts systematically dismantles that gap, walking readers through the first principles: faith as a living force, repentance as transformative work, baptism as rebirth, and the Atonement as the hinge upon which eternity swings. He insists that belief without practice is hollow, that the gospel must be not merely affirmed but inhabited. Written with the rigor of a scholar and the urgency of a shepherd, this book captures a pivotal moment in LDS intellectual history, when the Church's second generation needed to make the faith their own rather than merely wear it. For readers seeking to understand what Mormons actually believe, and why, this remains a lucid and passionate entry point.