Faith brings Forgiveness - Enos 1:8

And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed. 

And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away. And I said: Lord, how is it done? 

And he said unto me: Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen.

It is through faith in Jesus Christ in which sins are forgiven. We are told by King Benjamin:

And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent. (Mosiah 3:17)

In Jesus' ministry, the principle of forgiveness through faith is evident:

And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, and stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. 

And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. 

And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. 

And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? 

And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace. (Luke 7:37-38,44-50)

And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus. 

And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.

And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? 

But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts? Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house. 

And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house,glorifying God. (Luke 5:18-25)

 Note that in all of these examples, those who showed faith had acted before receiving the blessing of forgiveness. As was shown before, faith is a principle of action. And as is shown here, not only does faith bring miracles, it also brings forgiveness.

Prophecy is Essential for Faith - Jacob 4:6

Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea.

 The true saints have always enjoyed the gift of the spirit of prophecy from the very beginning. Amos truly said: Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets (Amos 3:7). The spirit of prophecy is vital to the church of Christ. If we look at the Old Testament, nearly every book was written by a servant of God who had the spirit of prophecy. Consider this statement of Christ concerning the legacy and longevity of the prophets and the Jews' treatment of them: ...upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. (Matthew 23:35).

The spirit of prophecy was not given to the Jews only - don't forget the heathen prophet Balaam who prophesied of the coming of Christ: (Numbers 24:16-24), and Job who prophesied of Him: (Job 19:25-26). There are others as well, the three wise men, for example. After Christ as well, the legacy of prophecy continued with the Apostles, consider the visions Paul, Peter and of Stephen (Acts 7:55-56), and Paul's statements about the organization of the church to include "prophets" (Ephesians 4:11).

Remember that faith is a gift, which "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). And how shall we have the word of God except by the spirit of prophecy?

Consider this gem revealed unto us by Nephi:

Do ye not remember that I said unto you that after ye had received the Holy Ghost ye could speak with the tongue of angels? And now, how could ye speak with the tongue of angels save it were by the Holy Ghost? Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do. (2 Nephi 32:2-3)

There are many ways in which God reveals himself (Moroni 7:22-25). But it appears that there are two principle sources of the word: The first being the prophets themselves, whether via the scriptures or directly from their lips; the second being the spirit speaking directly to us. Both of these sources of the word are available to us, but the second one is just as necessary as the first. Because without the spirit to speak truth unto our souls, there is no way to confirm the words of the prophets. But with the spirit, God can reveal the "truth of all things". (Moroni 10:5, John 14:26)

Faith Keeps Us on the Path - 2 Nephi 31:19-20

And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save. Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.

Nephi is speaking here about baptism as the entrance to the straight and narrow path. Recall what Jesus said about that path:

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)

The path referred to is the path of discipleship. The privilege of taking His name upon us is available to all those who have faith, or who strive to have faith. Actually per the clause above - we cannot come as far as baptism without first having "unshaken faith". Sometimes I wonder about this phrase, since typically, those who are ready to accept baptism don't have a particular longevity to the faith. And yet, their faith must be unshakable!

It occurs to me that in truth, many face stiff opposition when seeking baptism. Many face sore trials, which may seem small in the eyes of some, yet the trials are nonetheless real and often acute for the one who experiences them. For all who persevere before and after passing through that gate, faith is required, otherwise, as in the parable of the sower: "tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended... [or] ... the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful." (Matthew 13:21-22)

But is it really possible for someone like me, (and you) to have "unshaken faith", or "a perfect brightness of hope"? The answer is yes! It is possible - "For with God, nothing shall be impossible" (Luke 1:37). But we have to take the right steps and precautions to stay on that straight and narrow path - we must "press forward" with hope and faith and determination that come what may, we will do His will as it is manifest to us, whether via scripture or via the urgings of the Holy Spirit - both of which are "the word of Christ" to us. And as we do so we will "obtain the promise" (Hebrews 6:15) of eternal life which is a real promise made by the Father unto us. It requires work and "relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save", and is the purpose of our creation.

A Visit from the Savior - 2 Nephi 26:13

... He manifesteth himself unto all those who believe in him, by the power of the Holy Ghost; yea, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, working mighty miracles, signs, and wonders, among the children of men according to their faith.

I believe this statement to be literal and personal. To put it succinctly, I believe that Jesus Christ will literally manifest himself to me and to you, in this life, just as soon as we develop the faith sufficient. Such visitiation from Him is termed "the second comforter", and is not a pipe dream, but a real, attainable promise.

The above quotation does mention large groups: nations, kindreds, tongues, ..., but that does not mean that He will manifest Himself to large groups. It simply means that there are no national, racial, ethnical, or ecclesiastical boundaries to this particular promise - it is a promise available to all. And it is based on one thing and one thing only - Faith in Christ.

It is possible for anyone to seek this amazing gift. Regardless of who you are or where your spiritual standing is before Him. This is available to all by commandment to "seek His face" (Psalms 105:4, 1 Chronicles 16:11). All gifts are available to the faithful: (1 Corinthians 12:1-11, Moroni:10:8-18, D&C 46:8-26). We are in fact commanded to seek these gifts earnestly and deny them not! But somehow, I think that many misunderstand that these gifts are meant for prophets and the chosen few, when in fact, they are for all of us - for those that seek them with faith; which is the only requirement.

Fulfillment of the Law - 2 Nephi 25:24-26

And, notwithstanding we believe in Christ, we keep the law of Moses, and look forward with steadfastness unto Christ, until the law shall be fulfilled. For, for this end was the law given; wherefore the law hath become dead unto us, and we are made alive in Christ because of our faith; yet we keep the law because of the commandments. And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.

Nephi explains the purpose with which he and his people viewed and kept the law of Moses. That is, with an eye of faith, waiting for it's fulfillment in the Messiah, or Christ. It is important to note the meaning of the word "Christ":

In the Septuagint version of the Hebrew Bible, the word Christ was used to translate into Greek the Hebrew mashiach (messiah), meaning "anointed." Christós in classical Greek usage could mean covered in oil, or anointed, and is thus a literal translation of messiah. Wikipedia

So the word Christ, is simply the Greek form of the word Messiah... The meaning "anointed one" is significant. It literally means to dab or pour water or oil on a person. But the meaning of the anointing is what's important. In Jewish tradition, when a new king was chosen, or a man was chosen of God for a calling he was anointed by one holding the priesthood to signify that his calling was from God. For example, both King Saul and King David of the Old Testament were anointed by the prophet Nathan prior to their kingship. (1 Samuel 16:13)

Jesus actually declared that He was the Anointed One, as we read in Luke: [Comments added]

And he [Jesus] came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. [Ref Isaiah 61:1]

 ... And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

Thus, the "anointed one" - the Messiah is synonymous with being "chosen" of God. And as evidenced by the foregoing scripture, Jesus claimed to be that chosen one. This is not the only time He did so.

Jesus also declared that He was come to fulfill the law:

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. (Matthew 5:17,18)

It is apparent that the Nephites understood that the ordinances and sacrifices of the law of Moses were in place in order to point them to Christ. The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews makes this point clear in Chapter 9, how Jesus fulfils the role of High Priest in the temple ordinances on behalf of the people. But nobody made it more clear that Jesus was the last sacrifice for men in the law than John the Baptist who declared:

The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and said; Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world! (John 1:29)

In the law, one of the sacrifices prescribed was that of one or more lambs, having no blemish. A lamb of the same type was also prescribed to be the meal of the passover.

Paul also told the Galatians that "the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ". In the Book of Mormon history, we see this proclaimed again and again by the prophets; that the law would be fulfilled in Christ. We also see it in the Old Testament. Some scholars say that the number of prophecies about Christ in the Old Testament number in the hundreds. One of the earliest allusions to Him was made by Jacob, in his last blessing on his sons:

The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. (Genesis 49:10)

Not surprisingly, the beliefs of the Nephites of the Book of Mormon (being Jews of the half-tribe of Manasseh) are Judaistic. The Nephites always anticipated the coming of the Messiah. Judaism also, from the beginning, has always anticipated the coming of the Messiah. While most sects still profess to believe that the Messiah has not yet come, some sects such as Messianic Jews believe that He has already come. Interestingly, there are other non-Abrahamic religions also that believe in a Messiah figure. Of these, we include Zoroastrianism and Taosim. Though they call Him by different names, both believe that He will come at the end of the world to save His people.

The main confusion of the Jews at the time of Christ, (and possibly now) as I understand it, about the Messiah having come, is that there are some prophecies about the Messiah which were not fulfilled by Christ when He came. But there are also many prophecies that were. It is my belief that many of the prophecies that are yet unfulfilled by Christ will be fulfilled when He comes again. There are many prophecies, so I will only have room to mention a few here.

Prophecies already fulfilled:
They range from being born in Bethlehem, yet being called a Nazarene, to the manner in which He would die. There's a pretty good list here: http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Miscellaneous/messianic_prophecies.htm

Prophecies yet to be fulfilled:
He will come in glory, triumphantly, "in the clouds of heaven": (Daniel 7:13-14, Matthew 26:64, 1 Thessalonians 4:17, Ezekiel 43:2, Matthew 24:27, Malachi 3:2-3)
He will subdue his enemies (Psalms 110:1,Matthew 22:42-45)
He will issue the Millennial Reign (Revelation 20)

See, the Jews were expecting Him to come in his splendor, not as a babe in a manger. But it is hard to see how He could could fulfill all of the prophecies at once. For example, this one:

 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. (Isaiah 53)

And this one:

I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. (Daniel 7:13-14)

It is difficult (if not impossible) to see how the Messiah could have fulfilled both of these prophecies in a single lifetime. Yet, if we understand that he was to suffer the lowly prophecies first, and then return in what is called the second coming, it is easy to see how all of the prophecies will be fulfilled.

First Principles - 2 Nephi 9:23

And he commandeth all men that they must repent, and be baptized in his name, having perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel, or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God.

This verse is emphasizing the first three principles and ordinances of the gospel: Faith, Repentance and Baptism. Notice that baptism is a one-time event, while faith and repentance are ongoing things. Before and after baptism, we must continuously repent and cultivate faith. Baptism is really the consummation of a commitment to faith in Christ and continuous repentance and reliance upon his mercy and grace.

It is interesting how a man of faith is more likely to feel his faults (and more accutely) than he of little faith. Faith will drive us to repentance, and repentance will drive us to faith. It is in the realization of our faults that we more earnestly feel after the Holy One for enabling grace and forgiving mercy.

There is not enough that can be said about repentance. We all need it and much more than we understand. But without faith in Jesus Christ, repentance is relegated to simply something akin to "self-improvement". In repentance and faith, we move toward complete dependence on God. Now, this is a great paradox because "complete dependence" sounds like we're pulling a cop-out and letting God do all of the work and make all of our decisions for us. There could be nothing further from the truth.

The reality is that when we put ourselves in His employ, we put ourselves in a situation where we have access to all wisdom as He is willing to give it, then we put ourselves in full responsibility for our actions. In this manner, it is more akin to walking a tight-rope than getting a free ride. The point though, is that when we can put our trust in Him, miracles happen. Real miracles. And life becomes even more exciting and fulfilling. You see, we were made for much greater things than to simply follow our own mediocre whims. Because His plan for us is spectacular and stellar. But it requires faith, repentance and diligence on our part.

Exercising Faith - 1 Nephi 7:12

Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to do all things according to his will, for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise faith in him? Wherefore, let us be faithful to him.

The Lord is able to do anything provided that:

1. The thing is according to His will
2. We exercise faith

This underscores many of the things we have discussed in previous posts. That we're not expected, (actually advised not to) exercise faith in something until we have first ascertained His will via prayer and/or study. And secondly, we cannot expect Him to bless us with the fruits of our faith unless we act.

Note that both principles are absolutely essential. We're not allowed to decide what the Lord's will is; We may presume to at times, but it usually results in disaster. And once we understand His will, we're not permitted to sit back and wait for Him to do all of the work. We must be anxiously engaged. We must also do our best with the knowledge He has given us, which means if we don't think we've yet received His will concerning a particular thing, we can't sit idle - we must press forward with our best knowledge and assumptions of what we know to be right. If our heart is right, He will fill in the gaps of what we need to know and direct us according to His will.

This principle is illustrated in the story of Oliver Cowdery who wished to translate parts of the Book of Mormon like Joseph. Initially, he was told this:

... surely shall you receive a knowledge of whatsoever things you shall ask in faith, with an honest heart, believing that you shall receive a knowledge concerning the engravings of old records, which are ancient, which contain those parts of my scripture of which has been spoken by the manifestation of my Spirit. Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart. Now, behold, this is the spirit of revelation; behold, this is the spirit by which Moses brought the children of Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground. Therefore this is thy gift; apply unto it, ...

Note that Oliver was told that indeed it was the will of the Lord for him to translate, and that he should apply himself to that work. However, he did not approach it in the right way:

... behold, it is because that you did not continue as you commenced, when you began to translate, that I have taken away this privilege from you. ... Behold, you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me. But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right. But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong; therefore, you cannot write that which is sacred save it be given you from me. Now, if you had known this you could have translated; nevertheless, it is not expedient that you should translate now. Behold, it was expedient when you commenced; but you feared, and the time is past, and it is not expedient now;

We learn from this that we must seek the will of God (ask), then we must go to work (apply ourselves), but in this, we must not go about the work in our own way, we must constantly rely on Him. He will direct us to do the work in the right way so that we can be successful. Doing things in our own way will not produce the results that God wants, thus He will not help us in that approach.

Faith and Diligence - 1 Nephi 16:28

And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the pointers which were in the ball, that they did work according to the faith and diligence and heed which we did give unto them.

 Here, Nephi is telling us about the liahona and the principles by which it worked. There were devices in the past (and present?) which worked upon similar principles such as the urim and thumim. The important part here is the principles by which they worked. It says "faith and diligence and heed".

Heed means to put into action. This is important to faith. One may believe something with all of their heart and yet not put it into action, in which case they have proven their lack of faith. I may well believe that if I quit smoking for example, that my health will improve, and yet not act on that belief - this is equivalent to lack of wisdom and faith. I may well believe that God will reward me for being generous to the needy and yet never give of my time and resources. Again, a lack of faith.

Diligence is related to heed in that it requires action. But it implies a certain level of constant effort and consistency. To be diligent is to keep trying even when things aren't clear or when they are tough and rocky. This is a very important element to faith because there is not a person who seeks to have faith that is not tried. We may fail our trials from time to time, but if we are diligent, we will not give up in the face of failure. We will seek forgiveness and determine not to fail when next tried.

He Shall Prepare a Way - 1 Nephi 3:7

And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.

 Interestingly, the word faith does not show up in this scripture, and yet it shows up under the topical guide for faith. And upon inspection, it explains a powerful principle of faith, which is that we must believe that God will not ask us to do anything impossible. It may seem impossible, and yet He will not set us up to fail, he will prepare a way for us. Therefore we can rest assured that any commandment or promise from Him will always be fulfilled as long as we are faithful and do our part.

Often we can't see how things will work out, but we can always rest our faith on Him, and trust His word to our souls.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:5,6)

Patience and Faith - Revelation 13:10

He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

This passage is thrown into a spot where it seems out of context. It is in the middle of a description of the beast and his power in the last days. The passages before and after this are enumerating a tale of how the world is deceived by the beast into worshiping him. It seems to be a warning to the saints not to fall into the trap of the sins of the beast. It is as if the saints would seek revenge in that day, but are warned against it. They are warned to have patience and faith.

To have patience is often difficult, but of course is essential to faith. We must endure many things for our own good. And the only way to endure well, is to have patience, for without it, we would give up prematurely to our own folly.

In your patience possess ye your souls. Luke 21:19

Contend for the Faith - Jude 1:3

Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

To contend for the faith is to fight an uphill battle. There is so much opposition that without the Lord's help, faith would not endure. I can't possibly list all of the forces that oppose faith, but in essence; all worldly things oppose faith. Materialism, ambition, false doctrines, a misdirected popular culture, pornography, violence, selfishness, greed, lust... you name it, the world not only offers it, but makes it look enticing and even normal, and rudely thrusts it upon you.

The bawling noisiness and blatantness with which the world operates can have a withering effect on faith. Faith is somewhat fragile and has a short shelf-life. While being a gift from God, it is also something that must be consciously nurtured and cultivated. God will not thrust Himself upon us like the world does, we must intentionally invite Him into our lives. We must seek Him through study and prayer and then He manifests Himself. My experience is that when I am conscious of Him, He communicates with me. When I forget Him, His voice becomes more distant.

There is a phrase oft repeated by the prophet Isaiah that describes His position succinctly: "...his anger is not tuned away, but his hand is stretched out still." God will never condone sin, nor look upon it with the least degree of allowance, but He is always right there waiting for us to come back.

Divine Attributes Accompany Faith - 2 Peter 1:5-8

...giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Faith is the foundation for a host of divine attributes. And though it is possible to strive for some of these attributes without having faith, it is impossible to develop robust faith without effort to develop these attributes. For example, I can strive for patience without striving for faith, and I know many who do not claim to have faith who have a great deal of patience. But if I'm honestly striving for faith, I must also be striving for all of the necessary accompanying attributes.

The other attributes; virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity become an appendage or even a manifestation of our faith. They are intricate parts of the entire superstructure of which our faith is the core. They must all grow together or the structure may be unbalanced or may not grow at an optimal rate.

So it's all or nothing. A true seeker of faith must put everything on the table, hold nothing back, and the Lord will add all things to them. If we understand correctly, we understand that not only is total commitment involved, but total reliance is essential; Understanding that while our own efforts are necessary, it is only through His grace that faith is truly realized.

Faith More Precious than Gold - 1 Peter 1:7-9

That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

I love Peter's poetic language. But upon closer inspection, he's not merely attempting poetic allusion. He's speaking literally. The trial of faith, is literally more precious than gold or any earthly possession. Why? Because faith, first and  foremost, is required for salvation. And secondly, is one of few things that we can take with us when we pass on. Gold is actually an inert element and will never rust nor fade, however, when Peter says "gold that perisheth", he's not talking about the specific properties of gold, but material possessions in general. We literally have nothing useful to do with Gold in the next life - even if we could take it with us.

There is an funny story of a man who made a deal with God that he could take one thing with him to heaven when he died. He fretted about what to take and after long last decided to buy as big a suitcase as he could manage, and using his life savings, filled it with gold bars. Finally, as is inevitable, he died, and as promised God allowed him to take one possession. So he lugged his suitcase up to the pearly gates, and Peter, being informed that the man was indeed allowed one single possession, asked to inspect the contents of the suitcase. So the man opens the suitcase to show Peter. Peter, with a quizzical look, finally meets the man's gaze and asks: "You brought pavement?"

Needless to say, pursuit of wealth is a misdirected cause. Jesus, knowing the Pharisees attention to such matters says:

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. (Matthew 23:23)

When our faith is tried, it is like a refiner's fire - the harsher and sorer the trial, the stronger faith it can produce. But we have to be careful not to lose faith in the midst of trials. Job, when he was tried, was judged of his friends and told to "curse God and die." Instead, he said:

Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. (Job 1:21)

He also showed great faith amid his trials when he said:

For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another... (Job 19:25-27)

The above quotation is one of my favorites, not only because it is inspiring, but because it is among a unique set of Old Testament scriptures that testifies of the Messiah. What's also interesting, is that Job is not of the house of Israel. He is a man of the east. And yet has the same beliefs as the Israelites. Note that there are others, not of Israel who shared in the knowledge and anticipation of the Messiah. The prophet Baalam prophesied of the messiah, and of course the magi knew of him.

Faith Brings Healing - James 5:14-16

Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Miracles attend faith. Why? Because the gifts of the spirit attend those of faith; Including the gift to heal and the gift to be healed. (1 Corinthians 12:7-11, Moroni 10:8-18) I have seen the gift of healing work numerous times, and it is done on behalf of the faith of those asking for the healing. The important thing about faith is that one attains the will of God before asking for the blessing. I guess what I'm saying is that we should approach these things with an attitude of "Thy will be done" - asking for His will to be done is always the correct approach, since nothing will ever come to pass except it be His will. And we must seek to align our will with His.

The seeker of a miracle should first have a belief in the power of God. That He has the power and ability to do the thing that is needed. (This belief is fundamental.) Next the seeker should pray to know His will. And be assured that the answer will come. Finally, having ascertained the will of God concerning the matter the seeker now has promise in which to place their faith - because He is a God of truth. The seeker then would call those with authority (the Elders of the church) to perform the anointing and blessing.

Every circumstance is different, but the steps are roughly the same. Faith is a belief in a promise from God. Obtaining such promise, is in my opinion fundamental to faith. Again, every circumstance is different - it may take months or years to understand His will concerning a matter, or it may take only a matter of minutes. But I don't believe that we're expected to believe in a miracle or other blessing without first obtaining His promise. I want to point out here that the promise may not be easily recognizable; it may simply be nothing other than an urge to have a blessing performed. The point is to follow such feelings and not doubt or dissuade ourselves from them.

Note that there are also promises which are based on us keeping certain parts of a covenant; Where the Lord has offered certain promises to those who keep certain laws. One such is that if we honor our parents, we will live a long life (Exodus 20:12, Ephesians 6:2), Another is the promise associated with paying tithes and offerings - which is that we will have enough and to spare (Malachi 3:10). In fact there is a principle in which every blessing is based on either our asking for it, or performing the law associated with the blessing:

There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated— And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.(Doctrine and Covenants 121:20-21)

Finally, I want to address the final promise given in this scripture concerning the healed person which is that  if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. This amazing promise is exemplified in the story of Jesus' healing the man with the palsy:

And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him.
And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus.
And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.
And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?
But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts?
Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?
But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house.
And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. (Luke 5:18-25)

What's interesting here is that it is not necessarily the healed person that showed faith, and yet they are the ones that receive forgiveness of their sins. It is similar in the case of a person converted, or the receiver of a charitable act, those acts carried out by the faithful can have the effect of cleansing the receiver. (James 5:20, 1 Peter 4:8) To me, this seems strange since it seems that the receiver of the gift (healing, charity, etc.) has done nothing to warrant forgiveness of sins, however, it occurs to me that an honest receiver is in fact changed by the receipt of the gift if their heart is in the right place.

Take for example, the old Charles Dickens tale Great Expectations, where a young orphan performs the simple act of giving food to an escaped convict. That simple act has such an effect on the convict that he completely changes his life.

It occurs to me that the receipt of any gift from God, can quite literally change us, and in fact "hide a multitude of sins" if we recognize the true source of the gift (and all gifts for that matter). So you never know how an act of kindness or faith, no matter how small can affect the life of another for good. Truly, we live in a vicarious universe, where no act, good or evil is performed in a vacuum. All acts ripple into other's lives and quite literally into the eternities. This is a topic which I feel strongly about and must discuss further in another post.

Faith Justified by Works - James 2:21-24

Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

Without works, our faith remains something abstract, intangible and unrealized. When our faith is tried, it is through actions that our faith is manifest. Indeed faith may exist in ones heart, but it cannot be perfected until we act on that faith. Faith should be the driving factor in our lives if it is to be perfected.

Abraham is the perfect example. He obviously believed in God before the command to sacrifice Isaac came. But it is really his reaction to the command that proved and solidified his faith. Acts of faith bring us closer to God. The acts of Abraham were the factor that brought him to be called the friend of God!

The Faith-Belief Dichotomy - James 2:19

Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

 There is a difference between faith and belief. As has been pointed out before: faith is a function of the heart while belief is a function of the head. These two could also be thought of as zeal and knowledge, or passion and logic. You actually need equal proportions of both. As James points out - the devils also believe in God. But what good does that do them? While they have belief in God as sure or more sure than any man, their works run contrary to that belief because they serve not God.

There is a dance that occurs between faith and belief. Belief seems to come first as knowledge of certain things. Belief is composed of the totality of the knowledge that we feel is true. And this set of knowledge represents our unique lens through which we view and interpret the world.

Faith on the other hand is the actuation of that knowledge. For instance, I may have a belief that God wants me to be kind. That is a true principle. But supposing I know it, but decide not to strive for kindness. My actions do not reflect my belief, and thus my faith in that thing is taken away.

I personally believe that God is all-powerful, answers prayers, watches over us and helps us. I believe He has gifts to give at any moment to those who exercise faith. And yet I have tendencies to try and rely on my own knowledge and strength; to forget the gifts that are available. This shows a lack of faith on my part because although I believe that He can do anything, I don't act like He can.

I believe that God can send angels to minister unto men and perform miracles, and yet do I act like He does? Do I really expect to see those things in my own life? Or do I have some notion that those blessings somehow apply to the prophets and the special few but not to myself?

Truly belief and knowledge are actuated by works - faith and zeal. As we shape our perception and beliefs, we must act according to those beliefs or we don't have faith, and are in danger of losing that belief which we do have.

Faith by Works - James 2:14-18

What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

Faith without works isn't really faith at all. The reason is that although someone may believe with all their heart, if they don't act on that belief, it remains a simply a belief - it is not actuated into faith. It is said that belief is a function of the head while faith is a function of the heart. Belief is based on logic - we are convinced that a certain thing is true; and faith is based on intuition - we feel it in our bones so to speak.

Neal A. Maxwell observed the following correlation between knowledge and implementation:

... gaining knowledge and becoming more Christlike are two aspects of a single process. This process is part of being “valiant” in our testimony of Jesus. Thus, while we are saved no faster than we gain a certain type of knowledge, it is also the case, as Richard Bushman has observed, that we will gain knowledge no faster than we are saved. So we have a fundamentally different understanding of knowledge and truth—behaving and knowing are inseparably linked. So defined, the gospel is inexhaustible
because there is not only so much to know, but also so much to become!

In my estimation, once we understand something new; whether it be secular or spiritual knowledge; We must make it part of our everyday life and philosophy or that knowledge will either damn us or disappear. In short - use it or lose it!

In the quotation at the top James cites the example of helping the poor. Some may argue that God doesn't need us to perform work like caring for the poor because, being omnipotent, He is perfectly capable of doing the works Himself. - But that's not the point! God doesn't need any more practice at being godly; but we do. And that's why works are important. We need practice, and lots of it!

Again it will be argued that we are imperfect, and we can never hope to work our way to heaven, nor repay our savior for His everlasting sacrifice on our behalf. In other words, we are saved by grace and not by works. These are true statements. We are NOT saved by works! However, you have to ask yourself: why are we here? To believe and rejoice? An emphatic yes! But... we're also here to become something, not just believe something.

One of the best analogies I've heard on this subject is that of a mother who pays for piano lessons. Now, what does the mother want? She wants her child to learn the piano, and have the joy of making music. Now suppose that child feels an obligation to pay their mother back for her generous gift of paying for these piano lessons. What is the proper way for the child to pay their mother back? Should they get a job and try to earn money to reimburse their mother? Knowing that (for a child) making that much money would be very time consuming and difficult. No - that's not the right way. What the child should do is focus on using the mother's gift to the fullest extent possible. Be diligent in their piano practice, and study. The reason is that the mother will be so much happier attending her child's piano recitals than with a fat wad of cash.

The point of this analogy is that God has supplied us with life and all the necessities for learning and growing. In this plan, He even provided the Savior to cover for our mistakes and selfishness. He already owns everything, so he's not interested in being paid back in any way; (e.g. somehow working our way to heaven.) What He's interested in is us growing and being perfected.  So what's our best course of action? Would it be to believe, rejoice, and rest on our lees? Does that sound like the process of being perfected? No. We can only grow by putting into practice the things that He taught, the things that we believe - rolling up our sleeves "relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save" (continuous repentance) and going to work. That's what He wants. He wants to see us learn and grow and that's the only way... Truly faith without works is dead.

The Poor of the World are Rich in Faith - James 2:5-9

Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called? If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.

To be poor of this world is almost a requirement to be rich in faith. I'm not necessarily talking about physical possessions, I'm talking about priorities. Remember that "... the love of money is the root of all evil."(1 Timothy 6:10) and "the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word..." (Matthew 13:22) Now, having sufficient for our needs is no sin, it is only when our focus is on material things that we are in danger of losing faith.

Brigham Young said:

...it is a folly for a man to love gold and silver, goods and chattels, or any other kind of property and possessions. One that places his affections upon such things does not understand that they are made for the comfort of the creature, and not for his adoration.

And yet we are so often prone to "adore" our possessions. How much time do we spend picking out a smartphone, selecting a new watch, a new car and insuring those possessions? We even aspire to insure against death... (as if that were possible). The bulk of our lives are spent in procuring and seeking to "enjoy" wealth. We go to school, intending to gain knowledge, and yet somewhere along the way our intent gets converted into "making a living". Once we land a job, we are inundated with deadlines, brown nosing and climbing the corporate ladder. We spend more time "supporting a family" than we do spending time with them.

Don't get me wrong, we absolutely must support ourselves by work. Indeed, it is an important part of His plan - "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground" (Genesis 3:19). Paul also says: "But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." (1 Timothy 5:8) Indeed, we must have material things in order to provide a stable life for ourselves and our families. It is a catch-22. We have to have some wealth in order to accomplish the purpose of our life, and yet we must be immune to its corrosive effects. It is a rather cleverly devised test of priorities and faith.

So we must work and obtain wealth for various reasons, but what should we work for? Here are a few hints:

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. (Matthew 19:23-26)

But the laborer in Zion shall labor for Zion; for if they labor for money they shall perish. (2 Nephi 26:31)

...if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? ... But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:30-33)

And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted. (Jacob 2:19)

Seek not for riches but for wisdom, and behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall you be made rich. Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich. (D&C 6:7)

For true seekers of faith; seeking after riches is not an option. Money and material possessions are only a means to an end, they do not bring happiness, but are a necessity to obtaining the great riches He has in store for us. It is simply a question of priorities: Are you looking for credit and personal gain, or are you looking for the kingdom of God?

Jesus told the rich man: If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. (Matthew 19:21) I believe we miss out on great blessings when we hoard our excess wealth. If we have faith, we trust that He will take care of us; and by being generous with our excess to those in need we obtain even greater treasures - treasures in heaven. We'll find that there are really hidden treasures available when we truly care nothing for the things of this world. And once we can accomplish that, we can cease to worry about them because: "all these things shall be added unto [us]."(Matthew 6:33)

Let Him Ask in Faith - James 1:5,6

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

It is imperative that we remember to pray. Prayer is not reciting a rote memorized script such as the Lord's prayer (although it could be on occasion if our heart is in it). Nor does it have to take hours. Actually, it should only take as long as is needed to say what He needs us to say. It sounds weird, but prayer usually starts out as us trying to say what is in our hearts, and should end up with us saying what He desires us to say.

This scripture sates that we should approach Him with faith. But faith typically requires some knowledge from Him. In the very least, it should be some notion of what is right, but may be a strong assurance of His will. The more knowledge we attain of His will pertaining to a certain thing, the stronger our faith in it should be. I don't believe He expects us to have faith in anything until He grants us knowledge of the thing to be faithful in. Prayer perhaps is the art of obtaining the will of God and asking for it to be done.

When our assurance that the thing we're praying for is right is not firm, the prayer becomes a wrestle. "...work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." (Philippians 2:12) "I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God..." (Enos 1:2) Prayer is usually perceived as us attempting to change the mind of God, but to the sufficiently humble, it is usually a process of offering to let Him change us.

A further principle that is important to latch onto, is that honesty and real intent is always required.

Moroni 6:8
But as oft as they repented and sought forgiveness, with real intent, they were forgiven.
Moroni 7:6
For behold, God hath said a man being evil cannot do that which is good; for if he offereth a gift, or prayeth unto God, except he shall do it with real intent it profiteth him nothing.
Moroni 7:9
And likewise also is it counted evil unto a man, if he shall pray and not with real intent of heart; yea, and it profiteth him nothing, for God receiveth none such.
Moroni 10:4
And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
2 Nephi 31:13
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ,..

Note that the wrestle is not with us and God, it is a wrestle within ourselves - A wrestle to subdue the natural man, to receive the power and grace needed to align our will with His, and having obtained it, to have faith to follow through.

"I pray... Not that it changes God, it changes me"
- C.S. Lewis

The Battle for Faith is Won By Patience - James 1:2-4

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Patience is a virtue as they say, and indeed it appears that patience is a very important virtue since it is required for us to be perfected. And apparently the way to get it is to have our faith tried via temptation. It would seem that each temptation that approaches us is a battle with a prize. To the victor go the spoils. Each battle won results in strengthening of faith and patience and progression toward perfection; Each battle lost is a backsliding toward faithlessness.

We should never feel guilty when tempted - even the Lord was tempted; instead we have to recognize that it is a temptation and steel ourselves against it. The amount and type of temptations that we experience does not matter, what matters is our reaction to it. Like the Lord, when the temptation arises, we can immediately put it in its place as when He said: Get the behind me Satan. A phrase that He uttered more than once.

In these battles, everything is at stake - literally salvation and eternal life. But should we lose some (and we inevitably will) we should never give up hope. Because it is for this very reason that the Lord suffered, bled and died - beauty for ashes, joy for mourning. But that is never an excuse to give in to temptation; remember the sore trials of the prodigal. He wasted everything and was still accepted of his Father, but if only he had avoided the waste in the first place!

The Author and Finisher of Our Faith - Hebrews 12:1,2

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

 The author of Hebrews now finishing his list of faithful saints, gives us the ultimate example. It is interesting that (in my experience at least) we seem to list many of the prophets and saints when talking about faith, but fail to list the Savior himself. But the truth is that although He is the Son of God, it still took great faith to perform the works that he did. And as Paul reminds us, ultimately enduring the cross.

His faith was such that he knew against all doubt, the joy that awaited Him and all people if he could endure to the end of His mission. I don't suppose it was any easier for Him than it is for any of us to keep the commandments, and go against the ways of the world, the urgings of the flesh and ultimately the tides of darkness. I don't suppose for a moment that His being the Son of God made it any easier; in fact may have (and apparently did) made the opposition against Him all the stiffer. Which makes His ultimate triumph all the greater.

Yes, He endured the ultimate trial of Faith. The translation in the KJV says he "endured the cross, despising the shame", but in other translations is rendered "disregarding the shame". In other words, He had the strength to see that the things that the world values are only a facade. That even torture and death are but a small thing compared to indulging in sin. And all the shame the world tried to heap upon Him for his faithfulness, He disregarded, He simply shrugged off, and quietly "went about His Father's business".

I pray that He will grant us faith and grace so that we can follow in His footsteps.

We Can Only Pass the Test Through Faith - Hebrews 11:39,40

And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

At first glance, this statement appears somewhat problematic. Because it appears to be saying that those of faith, while "obtaining a good report" through their faith, didn't receive the blessings attached to that faith. I submit that this is not the meaning of the scripture, but that they did receive the fullness of the promises proffered to them through their faith but perhaps the fulfillment of certain of the promises were not realized in this life.

Furthermore, let us not assume that because many of the early (and contemporary) saints were persecuted, buffeted and slain, that they did not receive the fulfillment of God's promises to them. Firstly, just because God allowed (as we assume) bad things to happen to them, does not mean that He was not fulfilling His promise. Because this life is both a test and a school, sometimes it is a school of hard knocks. God is more interested in building character and creating saints out of us than in making life easy for us - which would defeat His purposes in many cases. Often it is the very sufferings of the saints that make them into something that God considers valuable.

We must remember that in God's eyes, easy climbs, sunny walks and even survival are not nearly as important as grit, character and salvation. Indeed, the test that God has in store for us will test the very mettle of our souls - because the real promises he has in store require true grit and character to enjoy. So if you are a professor of faith, prepare for adventure and a bumpy ride.

C.S. Lewis provided this analogy:

Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.

G.K. Chesterton provided this insight:

Even when I thought, with most other well-informed, though unscholarly, people, that Buddhism and Christianity were alike, there was one thing about them that always perplexed me; I mean the startling difference in their type of religious art. I do not mean in its technical style of representation, but in the things that it was manifestly meant to represent. No two ideals could be more opposite than a Christian saint in a Gothic cathedral and a Buddhist saint in a Chinese temple. The opposition exists at every point; but perhaps the shortest statement of it is that the Buddhist saint always has his eyes shut, while the Christian saint always has them very wide open. The Buddhist saint has a sleek and harmonious body, but his eyes are heavy and sealed with sleep. The mediaeval saint's body is wasted to its crazy bones...

My good friend Dr. Katanuma provided this insight (paraphrased):

The Buddhist says: I love nobody, and nobody loves me - this sounds terribly peaceful because he doesn't have to care about anyone or anything. But oh, to miss out on the splendidness of love!

In short, God's plan for us is no walk in the park, it is an adventure of the grandest sort. And come what may, we can rest assured that He always fulfills all of His promises, ofttimes through sore trial and suffering but they are always fulfilled in His own due time. If we are mindful, we will still have joy and exquisite satisfaction in this life to see what kind of a person He is making out of us. The truly faithful wait on Him, with a surety that come what may, whether in this life or the next, He will fulfill all of his promises.

The Wages of Faith - Hebrews 11:33-38

And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

As it has been said; faith is a principle of power and has enabled men to receive the grace of God under the most dangerous of circumstances. The love of God is a powerful thing, so powerful that hundreds of thousands have died in  martyrdom in their personal quest of faith and love. It is said that the great St. Augustine had 400,000 fellow Christians slaughtered for believing in the "heresy" of the resurrection. Fox's book of martyrs attests to many of the struggles and triumphs of other martyrs. It seems that at certain times, a Christian's most likely demise was to be killed as a martyr. And most counted it a privilege.

Christians are called to take His name upon themselves - His name. (This is exactly what it means to be called a Christian.) And as such, to become His servants. Unfortunately, the wages of the world for being a Christian are not always good. But fortunately, the wages of God are eternal and unfathomable. This is part of what faith means; that doing what's right is always worth it, no matter the cost, because God is the great equalizer, and will compensate a hundredfold when we are only faithful.

Obedience Through Faith - Hebrews 11:17-19

By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

I can only imagine what it must have been like for Abraham when he had received the command to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac. I don't know what kind of agony he endured between receiving the command and carrying it out. But he must have had a terrible time understanding God's reasons for making the command. After all, Isaac was his heir through whom he was promised numberless posterity. We also know that Isaac was a good and faithful son, who assisted his father in carrying out the command to take his own life. The 100+ year-old Abraham would never have been able to bind and sacrifice him without his submission.

He must have had sleepless and tear-filled nights. But the miraculous part about Abraham is that he carried out the command without faltering. No matter how terrible and illogical the command seemed, Abraham trusted God completely. When most of us would have schemed up some other plan, Abraham simply trusted in the plan he was given.

I can't imagine how he must have felt raising the knife, knowing that he would never see his beloved son again in this life; but the joy he felt when the angel descended to tell him that it was a test must have been exquisite. To pass such a test from God is a testimony of the greatness of Abraham. Such faith is the envy of every man of God.

The lesson to learn here is to never second-guess a commandment from God, no matter how illogical it may seem. Obedience is the first law of heaven. Never let your ego get so big as to believe that your way is better than His way. To the faithful is always given the understanding of why the commandment is given, but to the disobedient there is only darkness; and they may never know what their joy or reward would have been for obedience.

In my own life, I have received instruction from Him which was hard to accept, but when I followed in obedience, no matter how illogical the command, I have always been blessed with joy to understand the consequences had I chosen another path. Not to say that I always make the right choice - because it isn't easy - but I can attest that when we do, the blessings are sublime.

Strangers and Pilgrims - Hebrews 11:8,10,13-16

By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. ... For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. ... These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

Abraham was a man of great faith. So much faith that he was able to completely trust God under the most trying circumstances. The first of the 10 trials of Abraham was constant wandering. Indeed, the name Hebrew literally means displaced person. But Abraham did not wander aimlessly, nor without a guide. As the writer of the epistle to the Hebrews suggests, he and his claimed to be strangers and pilgrims, because they in fact sought a country - not of the physical type... What they sought was nothing less than the Kingdom of God. Indeed, Abraham's motto could be summarized as: The Kingdom of God or Bust!

Therefore no trial was too great for Abraham. A few examples should suffice.

Despite the promise of a posterity in number like the sands of the sea or the stars in heaven, Sarah didn't conceive Isaac until Abraham was 100 years old. Yet Abraham still believed God would keep his promises. Also, consider that although he was almost killed by idolatrous men (Ref: Abraham in the fiery furnace; Abraham under the knife of the priest of Pharaoh) he did not resist the command to sacrifice Isaac.

Abraham's trust was absolutely unwavering. After rescuing his nephew from the raiding kings, the survivors from Sodom offered him their goods to which his reply was:

And Abram answered the kings of Sodom, saying, As the Lord liveth who created heaven and earth, and who redeemed my soul from all affliction, and who delivered me this day from my enemies, and gave them into my hand, I will not take anything belonging to you, ... For the Lord my God in whom I trust said unto me, Thou shalt lack nothing, for I will bless thee in all the works of thy hands.
Jasher 16:14,15

Abraham cared not for lucre; nor for the praise of men. His care and principles were set in trusting in and pleasing God. The trials of Abraham were many, but his faith was proportional.

Simplicity of Faith - Hebrews 11:6

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

It is impossible to please Him without faith. This saying is true. Jesus pointed this out to the Pharisees many times as we read in John 5:45:

How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?

Faith requires us to forget about what the world thinks and focus on what the Father thinks. It is to have our focus on what He wants - it is to endeavor to please Him and only Him.

King Benjamin gives us simple yet wise counsel:

Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend. ... Believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; ... remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, ... and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, ... And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true. (Mosiah 4:9-12)

The most fundamental action of faith is to simply try to believe and do what is right. It sounds simplistic, but it really works. It doesn't require any grand gestures, just patience, humility and a willing heart. But to those who seek Him, the reward is great. This seems to be the sentiment of Abraham who said:

Now, after the Lord had withdrawn from speaking to me, and withdrawn his face from me, I said in my heart: Thy servant has sought thee earnestly; now I have found thee; (Abraham 2:12)

A Progression of Faith - Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

The old saying seeing is believing, is not the motto of faith. This type of thinking tends to conclude that one must actually see something before allowing oneself to believe it. The phrase should more correctly be rendered: seeing is knowledge, or seeing is proof. Since it is very possible to believe something without actually seeing it. Thus the related phrase: I won't believe it until I see it, shows a lack of faith.

Now, faith and belief, while related are not the same thing either. To paraphrase James E. Talmage: belief deals with logic, but faith deals with intuition. Or in other words, belief is reconciled in the head, while faith is reconciled in the heart.

I may believe in God, based on logical evidences from things I have read or experienced, while still having no faith. To have faith in God means that I believe in Him, and trust in him as well. While belief may cause me to think in a certain way, faith will cause me to act a certain way. Abel (mentioned in v. 4) believed in God, but it was faith that caused him to act - e.g. offer the sacrifice of his flocks. While Cain also believed in God, he did not have faith because he offered his offering grudgingly.

A man may well profess belief in God and yet do nothing about it, while a man of faith acts according to his belief. A man may believe that God has the ability to save him from the fiery furnace, while a man of faith steps into the furnace, leaving the consequences to God. Note Shadrach, Mesach and Abed-nego's response to threat of incineration was:

... our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. (Daniel 3:17,18)

Note that I highlighted the phrase "but if not". This implies that while the three youths did not know the will of God concerning their fate, they were assured and had faith that doing the right thing was more important than avoiding death. That is what real faith is about.

The prophets Alma and Ether elaborate on this principle of believing without seeing. Ether states:

...faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith. (Ether 12:6)

In other words, the man of faith will actually receive confirmation (e.g. seeing) after his faith is tried. Or put another way: faith is required before the miracle is accomplished. It is often said that the children of Israel actually walked into the water before the Red Sea parted. Whether true or not, it demonstrates this principle.

Alma in his faith as a seed allegory, tells us that the consummation of our faith is knowledge:

And now as I said concerning faith—faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true. [and after the trial and consummation of your faith] your knowledge is perfect in that thing, and your faith is dormant; and this because you know, for ye know that the word hath swelled your souls, and ye also know that it hath sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your mind doth begin to expand. (Alma 32:21,34 comment added)

In this manner, we move as it were step by step from one principle of faith to the next, a cycle of acting in faith, seeing the result, gaining knowledge and then moving on to the next principle of faith, etc.

...he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day. (Doctrine and Covenants 50:24)

Faith in Him Who was Promised - Hebrews 10:21-23

And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

Here, Paul is alluding to an ancient ordinance that was performed in the tabernacle and later in the temple:

And the clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day: and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, and wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at even. (Numbers 19:19)

Speaking of how the rites of the law of Moses and animal sacrifice were supplanted by the sacrifice of the Savior, Paul shows how the old law was preparatory to the new one.
In v.5-7 Paul quotes Psalm 40:6-8 as the words of the Lord:

Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.

Paul further explains that in fulfilling the law, Jesus, having sacrificed himself for sin, now acts as the high priest as we would see in the tabernacle or the temple under the old law of Moses. Thinking of Him in that role, we are to  "draw near" as would an ancient worshiper in the tabernacle; and have "our hearts sprinkled" and our "bodies washed".

The difference now that Jesus is the high priest is that this is not a mere anticipatory formality, but real, because His real sacrifice was performed.

Paul uses this allegory to show the Hebrews at the time (in a way that they would understand) how Jesus fulfilled the law and opened the door for full faith and repentance. The important part of the allegory is to see Jesus as the master who we can trust "with faith unwavering" because of His sacrifice on our behalf.

Faith and Patience - Hebrews 6:11-16

And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

Abraham is often set forth as an example of great faith and patience. These two qualities go hand-in-hand since it takes patience to develop the gift of faith, and it takes an eye of faith to have patience and endure. Although faith may grow quickly in a relatively short amount of time, it may still take a very long time for it to be fully consummated. Abraham wandered many years on borrowed land before receiving covenants from the Lord. The word Hebrew literally means wanderer or displaced person.

But the miraculous thing about Abraham's faith was exactly that it was accompanied by patience. He trusted in the Lord, year in and year out because of faith combined with patience. Upon a partial consummation of many years of diligent faith, Abraham remarked:

Now, after the Lord had withdrawn from speaking to me, and withdrawn his face from me, I said in my heart: Thy servant has sought thee earnestly; now I have found thee;

 Having faith is not easy, and in many cases contradicts our would-be logic, but the quest for faith wasn't meant to be a walk in the park. It is for building grit and character. It is for making people who are worthy of Zion. The trick is to have patience and joy in that journey of faith because there are little miracles and wonders dispersed along the way. His plan for each individual isn't meant to be boring, but an adventure of the grandest sort.

Faith and Repentance - Hebrews 6:1-3

Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit.

Paul outlays six principles that "let us go on to perfection": repentance, faith, baptism, laying on of hands, resurrection and judgment. Paul says these are a foundation that he hopes his audience won't have to re-build. Which I take to mean that he wants to make perfectly clear that these principles should be well understood by all Christians.

"Repentance from dead works" is an interesting phrase. It appears that the original meaning was "works of death" or more appropriately; "works that lead to death". The meaning being that certain works (aka. sins) lead to spiritual death. Note that repentance is not possible without first faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The reason is that sin has effects that we cannot overcome on our own. For example, one may refrain from the repetition of some reprehensible act, but the psychological effects still remain. Feelings of guilt, unworthiness, self-hatred, etc. are effects that often accompany sin. Not to mention that our acts may cause similar scarring in others who were affected by our actions. In many cases, some acts are impossible to make full reparations for.

Enter Jesus Christ who said through his prophet Isaiah:

Come now, and let us reason together...: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Repentance is put into full effect by the atonement of Jesus Christ. He is the only one who "suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance". (Alma 7:13) He is the one that can take someone horrible and turn them into someone wonderful. Turn the reprobate into the upright, and the dross into treasure. As Isaiah said: "Beauty for ashes".

But how is the miracle done? It is done through faith in Christ, followed by sincere repentance; which means not only repenting of certain sins, but turning away from sin altogether. Only then can His atonement take effect:

Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God. And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.

Perhaps I will have to leave explanation of the remaining principles of baptism, laying on of hands, resurrection and judgment for another post.