Faith Cometh By Hearing - Romans 10:17

Faith cometh by hearing

 In v. 14 we read: How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? It follows that one cannot believe or have faith until they hare taught of Jesus Christ. The Holy Ghost is key in this process because it carries truths to our soul.

Faith Requires Revelation - Romans 4:16

Ye are justified of faith and works by grace.

Faith implies that we follow revelation - both personal revelation and that given to the prophets - so we can't leave works out of the equation. If we ignore the voice of the spirit, revelation ceases and no work was performed. Those of faith are obedient to the word of the Lord, whether the still small voice or the voice of His servants.

...every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.

No doubts or second guessing are required - if it is good - it is from God. The faithful follow it.

The Law is a Steppingstone - Romans 3:28, 5:1, Galatians 2:16

man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ...for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

To be justified is to be guiltless, blameless or at peace with God. Belief in the law, I say the letter of the law does not justify us. Merely keeping the law is very important, but does not have power to change our hearts. Strict trust in the law is a terrestrial practice and often reflects a certain lack of devotion and consecration.

Faith on the other hand, is dynamic since it attempts to follow the personalized dictates of the Spirit. It requires courage since one cannot predict it's requirements, nor hardly write them down as a law. Sometimes we call it the spirit of the law and it represents a commitment to perfection rather than a commitment to a minimum standard of performance. But even the phrase "spirit of the law" is lacking. It only implies an understanding of higher principles behind the letter of the law.

Faith, and more specifically faith in Christ implies not only a more perfect understanding and commitment, but a turning over of our will to Him. Again, it requires trust and courage. A leap into the dark as it were. Fortunately, although the way ahead is mostly obscured, the path already trod may at times be clear. We can discover that in times past that although the way was not well lit, it was a blessed one. Thus past experiences can serve to strengthen our faith in times of present trial.

To summarize, the law represents a bare minimum, while faith is a whole different animal.

Justified By Faith - Romans 3:27,28

...a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

The law is a means to an end. That end is Jesus Christ. In other words, keeping the commandments out of duty or fear or to save face are short-sighted. Faith means obeying the revelatory voice of our redeemer. He speaks to us every day, if only we will listen. The law was given to point us to Him. When we are obedient to His voice (not necessarily the law), it is then that we have faith. It is then that we have the oracles of God (revelation).

This is the point: Pray always and listen to the Spirit, only then will we be justified. Only then will we be purified. Only then will we have a fullness of joy unspeakable. This is the point.

Redeemed by His Blood - Romans 3:25

[Jesus Christ] was set forth to be a propitation (redeemer) through faith in His blood.

What is "faith in His blood"?  It is faith in the cleansing power of the atonement; that his grace can do anything, even make us holy without spot.

Faith Unswayed - Romans 3:3

Shall the unbelief [of some] make the faith of God of none effect?

Paul is speaking of how circumcision is of no worth unto the Jew who is only a Jew outwardly. He who is circumcised of heart (he who is a Jew inwardly) will have the "oracles" of God. In other words revelation!

So, just because there are some that don't believe, does it make your faith any less real? Does it make the manifestations of God unto you any less real? No! Trust in God! Just because others may have no faith, it does not need to influence our faith in the slightest. Any who would dissuade you from the faith are liars because God is true and faithful. Don't let the doubt of others derail you from faith, obedience and revelation.

Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith. -- Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Faith is the Deciding Factor - Acts 14:27

[God] opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles.

In Old Testament times, seldom did the Lord allow Gentiles to mix with Israel. The problem was that the Israelites were prone to fall to the religion of their neighbors. God's standards were higher and more difficult, and somewhat seen as a fall-back for times of crisis and war. "The Lord of Hosts" literally means the lord of armies.

There was however a clause in the law of Moses that would allow for strangers to become converted. After the Babylonian captivity, the Israelites became hardened against idol worship and never again in any real way turned back to idols.

In the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, outsiders were shunned and driven out. Even marriages to foreigners were broken up. Israel rejected all Gentiles in the interest of preserving the faith. But in the time of the Apostles, the faith was opened to all who would believe, Jew or Gentile. The only criteria for membership became faith in Christ. It was an effectual door which had been opened by God himself. This is significant since the blessings which had been promised to Abraham and his posterity were now available by adoption. The only deciding factor is faith.

Faith in His Name - Acts 3:16

And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.

The King James version of this translation is terrible - here is what is found in the New International Version:

By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see.

 "Faith in His name" is an interesting concept. A name is the only way to encapsulate something into one word. Much research has been done here (I need to do more myself), but it appears that the name translated as "Jesus" in our scriptures was really "Joshua" or "Yeshua" which means "God is help". "Christ" is the Greek version of the Hebrew word "Messiah" which means "anointed one" or "chosen one". Help is synonymous with salvation, so Jesus Christ means: "chosen savior". Which describes His role in the plan of salvation succinctly. Also, we know that His name before incarnation was "Jehovah" or "Yaweh" which means "Unchangeable one" or "I am". A third name He owns is synonymous with health, strength, power and posterity. But there are many more and unfathomable meanings encapsulated in the name Jesus Christ. As John says: "if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written."

So why is there power and salvation in the name of Jesus Christ? Perhaps there is really no other handle that's practical or appropriate for the everyday disciple to use. I suppose if we possessed some medallion or trinket - the holy grail, or the staff of Moses - we would be duped into something akin to idol worship. As if the thing itself had power. Instead, we must rely on Him whose name we bear. We take his name upon us as disciples. As disciples, we represent Him. As priesthood holders, we officiate in His behalf.

Every particle in the universe is subject to His name. Each scrap of matter remembers His love. His name is stamped on every grain of sand, every atom, everything. The only place it may not already be stamped is in our hearts - we must engrave it there ourselves. That is our task. Faith in His name is equivalent to faith in Him.

Pray for Faith - Luke 22:32

I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not.

Immediately following this statement, Christ revealed to Peter that he would deny Him. After committing such a thing it would probably be difficult to have faith. But Jesus assured him, and with His foreknowledge prayed for Peter's faith not to fail.

I really like the idea of praying for someone else's faith. It may be the best thing one could do for another person; Since faith is accompanied by obedience which is always accompanied by the reception of grace. To ask that someone have faith is akin to asking for all the highest blessings.

Perseverance in Faith - Luke 18:8

When the son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

This was spoken directly after the parable of the unjust judge. That parable speaks of the patience and unwearyingness of the petitioner. As a petitioner, we must not grow weary nor give up, lest when He comes he may find our faith to be lacking. The faith-filled petitioner will not give up simply because the Lord fulfills the petition in His own time-frame, but will be steadfast regardless of his perception of the timeliness of the answer or outcome of his efforts.

Increase Our Faith - Luke 17:5

...Lord, increase our faith.

This reflects the proper attitude about faith. It admits the source of our faith is from God. It also admits that one already has some faith. We all have some faith or we wouldn't be able to get up in the morning.

In the quest for obtaining an increase in faith, we must recognize the talents and abilities given to us. We must try to realize that those are gifts, and that those gifts can be increased as we strive to obey His voice. The only real gift that we to give is our will. The more submissive to His will we become, the more faith and grace are allotted to us. Submission is a very difficult task! - not for the faint of heart.

The submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar. The many other things we “give,” brothers and sisters, are actually the things He has already given or loaned to us. However, when you and I finally submit ourselves, by letting our individual wills be swallowed up in God’s will, then we are really giving something to Him! It is the only possession which is truly ours to give!

-- Neal A. Maxwell 

Development of Faith - Luke 8:25

Where is your faith?

Faith, though a gift, is also something that is developed. There is a process wherein as we exercise it, we are given more and more. It is comparable to the sunrise in which it increases gradually. If asked "where is your faith?" we may be able to consider where we are in that sequence of progression.

Have Faith in God - Mark 11:22

Have faith in God.

(See also Mosiah 4:9)

Jesus said this when shown the state of the cursed fig tree. It is to say (perhaps) any miracle is to be attributed to God. Even if we understand how a miracle happened we can always attribute the cause (and rightly so) to God. This is a commandment.

Peter received further instruction in v. 24: Whatsoever ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye have them and ye shall have them. (Mormon 9:21)(Moroni 7:33)(D&C 88:64)

Fear Indicates a Lack of Faith - Mark 4:40

How is it that ye have no faith?

This was spoken to the disciples after he calmed the tempest. They were afraid for their very lives. Jesus obviously knew that their time had not come. Perhaps his sleep that day had an important purpose, and so he did not awake when the storm came. I imagine that he was receiving some divine instruction during his slumber...

Any sort of fear, though natural to fallen man shows lack of faith because it belies an attitude that someone or something other than God is in charge. A man of faith will give Him the reins, seek His direction and rely on His salvation. We all can do what the disciples did that day. When tempests threaten to destroy, awaken the master and turn it over to Him.

Weightier Matters - Matthew 23:23

Ye have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith.

Here, Jesus rebukes the pharisees for paying attention to small superficial laws instead of the ones that really matter. Judgment and mercy are included with faith as being the "weighty" matters. We are admonished "judge not that ye be not judged" - this refers to judging the righteousness of others. This is a heinous sin considering we are sinners ourselves - making us hypocrites - and furthermore, we have no idea what their life and situation is like. Until we have experienced their life in the first person, we cannot judge.

Christ is the only one that can claim to have experienced what we have in the first person. So what are we to judge? Situations, philosophies, everything that presents itself in our lives. We must judge whether a certain situation is safe, an action is good or evil, etc. We must pass judgment on all kinds of things, but never the righteousness of others.

The Pharisees had abandoned the spontaneity of guidance by the spirit for guidance by the law. Perhaps because the Spirit is completely unpredictable. I comes when it pleases - the wind bloweth where it listeth. And trying to live by the Spirit, though exciting, is difficult, and requires a great deal of discipline. It is definitely easier to try to live an elaborate set of laws than to live ready to "jump to" at the unpredictable appearance of the whisperings of the Spirit. The former may be monotonous, but requires little thinking or ingenuity, the latter requires character, self discipline and depth of soul. The Pharisees had gone to great lengths to try to pre-conceive of what is proper to do in every possible situation. While instructive perhaps, is not a substitute for living by faith - which is actually the more important requirement.

It is said that the early doctors of the Christian church did the very same thing; replacing the office of prophets with crowns, robes and intellectualism. These things breed authority in the minds of men, but not authority from God who said that whosoever will be the greatest among you, let him be your servant.

Doubt Not - Matthew 21:21

Have faith, and doubt not.

This sounds like a sequence. Believe first and then reject the doubts that will try to creep in. Once a promise is received, we must galvanize against the doubts that will surely come. The next verse is also instructive:

All things whatsoever you ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

This does not mean that we can ask for whatever our hearts desire on a whim. We must seek his direction in what to pray for. We may have a pressing need and pray for it, and over the course of praying, our will will become aligned with His.

I don't think we're expected to believe anything until we've ascertained His will. To pray for anything contrary to His will is to try to force His hand. The blessings and answers that He intends to send are the only correct ones, and to expect otherwise would be a lack of faith.

There is a scenario however where the thing we desire is righteous and may only require us to ask before it will be granted. The important part is to always pray with the "thy will be done" attitude.

I have found that in praying always, I try to anticipate when the answer will come. This is hardly, if ever fruitful. Direction usually comes when we're not expecting it.We need to pray that we will recognize it, and have the courage to go through with it when it does come - and it will - because He always answers.

Quantity of Faith - Matthew 17:20, Luke 17:6

If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed...

The disciples had failed to cast out a devil. They were told that they failed because of "unbelief". Additionally, "this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting." Is unbelief equivalent to doubt? In this case, it was the disciples who were at fault for unbelief, not the father of the afflicted. In this case apparently it would have taken preparation (prayer and fasting) before they could believe in the will of God (which was that the boy should be healed).  Maybe prayer and fasting are the remedy for doubt?

Unbelief is akin to unsurety that an action (or outcome) is aligned with His will. Or perhaps it is akin to doubting the ability of God. It could be either one. Faith is believing the will of God once it has been manifested to us; and then an expectation that He can and will carry it out.

Moving a mountain is something that only God can do. In our eyes such an act would be a great miracle. But the Master taught that such a miracle would require only a small amount of faith. Faith is often referred to in quantities: "little faith", "as a grain of mustard seed", "great faith". Our faith can increase through the exercising of it, but great faith is not required for great miracles. The level of our faith depends upon our ability to accept (not resist) the will of God.

Perseverance Builds Faith - Matthew 15:28

Great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt

This woman, like the centurion, was not an Israelite. Yet she still sought these blessings. The Lord withstood her at first, not because she was a gentile (I assume), but because of a divine mandate, the will of God did not direct him to do so at first. But in order to make her stronger, she was required to test her faith.

Finally, she acquired a promise from the Lord. and once it was given, she immediately believed; perhaps it wasn't her intent to believe at first, (I do not know) but by the time the Lord responded to her, she was ready to believe - she was prepared to believe. Her diligence strengthened her faith.

The Source of Doubt - Matthew 14:31

Wherefore didst thou doubt?

Peter, walking on the water, allowed his faith to be shaken when he took his eyes off the Savior and saw the waves beneath him. Faith focuses on the will of the Lord, and attributes power unto Him. Doubt is caused by losing focus, forgetting where the power comes from or doubting the will of the Lord as it is revealed to us. If we pay attention to the waves and the world around us, we may fear that the Lord's will has changed, or doubt His will, or worry what others will think if His will is not accomplished. These are seeds of doubt.

Faith is a gift to those who have prepared themselves to reject doubt and fear. Doubt and fear are thrust upon us by the adversary. It may be that we are confused when this happens and ask "why am I doubting this?" But we must realize that feelings of doubt aren't ours unless we choose to accept them. The source is not necessarily ourselves, it is from an external source. It is our choice whether to accept them as our own. We may have programmed our thought patterns to accept doubts, but we can re-program them to reject doubts. This re-wiring of our thought process is actually crucial to faith.

Blessings Depend on Faith - Matthew 9:29

Be it unto you according to your faith.

Priesthood healings are more about faith and less about saying the right words. Faith to heal is a spiritual gift that lies in the hands of the healer. Faith to be healed is a spiritual gift that lies in the hands of the receiver.

Faith Marches By the Will of God - Mark 5:34, 10:52, Luke 7:50, 8:48, 17:19, 18:42

Thy faith hath made thee whole.

Faith is only present in a subject who is willing to do the will of God. Faith is also proceeded by works of obedience. The woman with an issue of blood tried everything she could do before her healing by the Master. Faith could care less what the world thinks. At times it may appear as insanity or desperation, but real faith only looks that way from the outside, but is not insanity. The faithful's actions may appear strange because the holder of faith doesn't act like the world, he/she acts any way that the Lord would have him/her act. This can be confusing to those viewing from a separate position but we are assured that faith accompanies those of a firm mind.

Faith Knows no Limits - Matthew 8:10, Luke 7:9

...Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

The centurion believed that Jesus could heal his servant without being present. He also felt himself unworthy. Perhaps he knew that by law, a Jew could not enter the house of a heathen and remain undefiled. Perhaps he could think of no other solution than to ask the Lord to heal from a distance. The nature of his request: "Say in a word and my servant shall be healed" shows this man's faith. This was faith that no physical contact was necessary. It was faith that He could know everything without being physically there to inspect it. It was faith in the omnipotence of God. Faith in His omniscience also. Wasn't it also faith in His omnipresence?

God Will Provide - Matthew 6:30, Luke 12:28

Wherefore, 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?

He clothes the grass of the field; Then why not us if we have even a little faith? We should expect to be provided for so long as we are obedient and keep trying. We are obedient when we have faith.

• Faith leads to change
• Faith leads to repentance
• Faith leads to wholeness and healing

Blessings Promised by Faith - Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38

The just shall live by faith.

To be "just" (as in justice), one must have a law, understand it, and live it. This world is governed by the telestial law as the default standard. The telestial law is only concerned with the basest standards of conduct (also known as survival of the fittest) and is of little interest to those seeking faith.
The terrestrial law is represented by the laws of Moses, and those laws have promises attached, though not always explicitly stated. (there is a promise specified for honoring parents.) Most respectable people keep the terrestrial law. The higher celestial law was in part given by the Savior in the sermon on the mount. We further received a restoration of the knowledge of celestial laws and covenants through modern-day prophets like Joseph Smith, such as the law of consecration and the temple covenants.

What does this have to do with faith? Faith deals in part with believing Christ will meet His end of the contract; That He will fulfill His part in providing the promised blessings due to the obedient. A just person keeps the law. A person of faith also anticipates the promised blessings. Often times we keep commandments with no expectation of reward. This is like paying for groceries without expecting to eat them. I'm not suggesting that we do what He asks looking for gain; our only motive should be love of the Lord - but do we expect the realization of promised blessings from our obedience?

Do we expect the windows of heaven to open then we pay our tithing and offerings? Do we expect to see the face of God for being pure in heart? Do we realize that we are authorized to the ministering of angels as part of exercising the keys of the priesthood?

Somehow these promises seem distant. But is it not faithless to not expect the Lord to fulfill his end of the contract? Some blessings require a higher level of obedience. For example, if the Lord appeared to me, I would have to live in perfect obedience, or near-perfect obedience from that point forward or risk losing my soul. No, in fact it is proper for us to be completely obedient before certain blessings occur so that we don't damn ourselves. Faith is a principle of power insomuch as the exerciser of faith relies on the Lord to fulfill His promises - promises obtained directly from Him by covenant.

Faith and Priorities - Deuteronomy 32:20

And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith.

 The children of Israel who fell to worshiping idols were characterized as "having no faith". This is breaking the first commandment.

Remember that idol worship does not equate to praying to objects of stone and wood; it means putting anything besides the Lord as our highest priority. Not all priorities are mutually exclusive. For example, family and faith go hand in hand, but trying to put money and faith at the same priority level is impossible in my estimation.  ...ye cannot serve God and mammon. (Matthew 6:24).

A Quest for Understanding

In January 2015, I felt impressed to start a quest for understanding faith. Faith being the first step in the process of conversion, it is an essential for a disciple of Christ.

...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. 

Hebrews 11:6

Yet, being so important, it is sometimes hard to define... at least for me.

In the process (which is ongoing) I have received many gems. Hoping to retain these gems, I had recorded all of the principles revealed to me with pen and paper. Then, this week, I came across this blog post: https://unblogmysoul.wordpress.com/2014/08/31/all-good-things/ which challenges us to blog our story, in an attempt to fill the world with uplifting material. I admit, some may find this material uninteresting, but to me it is breathtaking. The grace of Jesus Christ - who is full of grace and truth - has, and continues to change me into something better than I ever could have imagined, someone that I love more and more with each passing day.

It is my hope that some of what has been given me can in some way help someone else out there who is a seeker of Faith.

--Thayne Thomas Walker