Lately, I have been pondering and studying the principle of
faith. I think I have always believed
that my faith should somehow make it so that God would take away suffering when
it becomes too painful, or that my faith should be rewarded sooner rather than
later, that I should receive constant reassurance that the decisions I am
making are right. While this might
sometimes be the case, this is not the purpose of faith. Today I had a powerful spiritual
experience. I decided to study the Bible
Dictionary’s definition of faith, which led me to Hebrews 11. I have read this chapter before, but never
had the power of its message hit me like it did today. This chapter is a commentary on faith. I have learned today after studying and
pondering it why faith is the first principle of the gospel of Jesus
Christ. Article of Faith number 4 does
not just say “Faith,” it says, “First, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.” Actionable
faith must be based on our belief in Jesus Christ. In order to receive the gift of faith in our
lives, we have to recognize Christ’s essential role in our lives and then obey Him like our lives depend on it because they do.
I would encourage you to study the Bible Dictionary’s
definition of faith and read the scriptures that go along with it. You will find that faith is a principle of
action and power. We can have faith and
confidence in anything we choose to, but if we don’t have faith in Jesus
Christ, our faith will not produce salvation.
Because of the way He lived, because of His perfect character and the
attributes He exemplified, we can “place confidence in Him without
reservation.” Faith is work. It begins by hearing God’s word. It continues by acting up it.
I have noticed in my study that answers to prayer, even by
great men, did not come easy to them.
Some describe themselves as “wrestling” with God to describe their labor-intensive
prayers as they sought for His answers and His help. As I study their “wrestle” (The Book of Mormon, Alma 8:10 and
Enos 1), I am learning that engaging God requires an intense desire or hunger
for help, answers, forgiveness, or whatever it is we desire from Him. I have learned that answers take time (Enos
1:4). I have learned that we must seek
repentance before clear answers can come. I have learned that as we engage God with all
of our faculties (our heart, might, mind, and strength), we can feel a
wholeness that we otherwise would not have known or understood (Enos 1:8). If we have faith (even the smallest desire),
then we must wrestle, and as we wrestle, our faith grows. There are many instances in the scriptures
where Christ refers to faith. He wants
us to know that we have an active part to play in our “wholeness,” that it
takes both our active engagement of Him and the gift of His grace to improve, draw
closer to Him, and ultimately achieve eternal life. As He said to the women who was healed after
just barely touching His robe, “They faith hath made thee whole,” so it can be
for us.
Hebrews 11 reaffirms this “wrestle.” Today I gained a greater understanding of the
great struggle that good men and women throughout history have had to endure in
order to grow and stand strong in their faith.
I have learned that we cannot assume that because we have faith, our
lives will be and should be easier. I
have learned the true meaning of Elder Uchtdorf’s quote, “Doubt your doubts and
not your faith.” If our faith centers on
Jesus Christ, we have no reason to doubt Him.
He has not given us one. It
follows then, that obedience to His commandments, to His gospel, should be the
way we exercise and strengthen our faith.
Please read and ponder Hebrews 11, making sure that you read
the Joseph Smith Translation of verse 40.
As you read about the examples of faithful people, apply their experiences
to your own lives.
Listed below are some
powerful principles and lessons that this chapter taught me:
- Faith is a principle of obedience. There will be times in our lives when faith requires us to obey God without knowing where that obedience will lead. Abraham provided a beautiful example of this when he was called by God to go to a strange land and he “obeyed, and he went out, not knowing whither he went.” Sometimes we are led to paths in our lives by God that may seem strange or uncomfortable for us at first, only to find out that He has led us to something better for us than we could have imagined. In some cases, we may not find this out until after this life is over.
- Ultimately our faith will require us to “forsake Egypt,” whatever sinful behavior or worldly attitude that might mean for us.
- Faith means, “esteeming the reproach of Christ” as more important than “the treasure of Egypt” (or the world).
- Faith sometimes requires us to choose to “suffer affliction with the people of God” rather than “enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.”
- None of the people referred to in this chapter had easy lives by any stretch of the imagination. The more they acted according to their faith in Christ, the more they felt like “strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” They sought a country that could not be found here. They felt desire for “a better country, that is an heavenly” place prepared for the faithful after this faith-building experience we call earth life is over. Faith is meant to propel us to hope for a better life to come so that we don’t focus too much on the pleasures and pain of this one.
- Even Joseph Smith, who obviously had incredible faith, was stretched to the limits of his physical and mental capacity, and he, like so many of the faithful people described in this chapter, died in faith, without seeing the fruits of their steadfast faith.
- We do not receive the full blessings of faith in this life. Faith requires patience and hope. Prophets throughout the scriptures saw the blessings and promises of their faith “afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them,” without receiving the full promises and blessings in their lifetime, and yet they still remained true to their faith in Jesus Christ.
- Faith requires us to give our lives to God in such a way that we are willing to sacrifice anything He requires of us.
- Having faith means forsaking what is comfortable, natural, or worldly.
- Faith means not following the visible societal trends around us, but instead “seeing Him who is invisible.” It is seeing, feeling, and doing what our heart feels and knows is right without having to see it with our eyes.
- When I came to the reference to the parting of the Red Sea, a question popped into my mind. What are the Red Seas in my life that I have to part in order to pass over to God’s side and become more like Christ? What is keeping me from Him?
- When I came to the account of the walls of Jericho, I thought, what walls do I need God to tear down for me and how much faith-filled effort am I willing to give in order to obtain this blessing?
- Sometimes the rewards of our faith are evident but sometimes we must suffer in order to continue faithful. Verse 35: “By faith . . . women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection . . ."
- We cannot assume that because we have faith our lives will be and should be easier. Faith gives us the strength to endure hard things, and sometimes it is because we choose to stand as a witness of our faith that others use their agency to cause us suffering. One who has the power of faith is consistently striving to transform his/her character to the point where he/she could not deny their belief and hope in Christ. Their desire for heavenly blessings precludes all worldly comfort, accolades, and pleasures. Their faith is transforming their character in such a way that they are willing to endure sufferings in order to remain true to their God.
- Sometimes we get so upset with God that our faith isn’t “rewarded” immediately. We forget that true faith means faith in Christ, that He understands us, that He will help us, and that ultimately, if not in this life, then when this life is over, He will deliver us. Faith is the actionable reassurance that this earth life is but a means to an end.
- How can I be so small minded as to think that I can receive the blessings of eternity, the blessings of Christ, without also knowing that if He, a perfect man, was required to suffer because of his “faith,” why wouldn’t I be as well. Faith molds us into perfect vessels of the Lord.
- The Joseph Smith translation of the last verse (40) reads: “God having provided some better things for them through their sufferings, for without sufferings they could not be made perfect.” This pretty much gives us the answer as to why good, faithful people still suffer in this life.
- Faith goes against the grain of the world. The more faith we obtain through our faithful obedience, the more “homeless” and often uncomfortable we feel with the world we live in (verses 37-38).
- God wants us to increase our faith not so that we can be happier in this life (although this is often the result). He wants us to increase our faith so that we can have joy in the next life.
- “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13). We need faith in Christ because life is hard, and while having faith does not necessarily change our circumstances, it allows Christ to give us the strength and power to deal with them.
I hope you will study the things I have referred
to. They have changed the way I feel
about the essential role of faith in Christ.
They have increased my sense of urgency to establish my priorities to
match my faith. I would also recommend reading, “The
Transforming Power of Faith and Character” by Richard G. Scott, from the
October 2010 General Conference.
The Transforming Power of Faith and Character
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