For We Walk By Faith, Not By Sight

Faith: a confidence in something or someone. Such a basic definition of faith is easily applicable and understandable. But faith in what? This faith we are encouraged to attain, to nurture, and to perfect, but what exactly are we to have this confidence in? This is well answered in 1 Corinthians, teaching, “...your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.”(1) So beautifully put, this scripture narrows and focuses the definition of faith. Of course we can have faith in ourselves, our goals, our families, but our ultimate goal is that of having a hope and belief in the power and gospel of God. President Monson also shares the goals of faith, “We must have faith in ourselves, faith in our Heavenly Father to bless us and to guide us in our endeavors.”(2)

One misconception often associated with faith is that one wants to attain faith by seeing some sort of miracle. It is often believed that if one is allowed to witness an unbelievable sight or happening , then and only then will they discover faith. But this is untrue. Miracles do not produce faith. Strong faith is developed by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. This faith comes from righteousness, and miracles only confirm one's faith. This is shown in several places throughout the scriptures, one particular example being the woman in the New Testament with an issue of blood. She follows Christ to touch his robes, completely believing that this touch alone will cause her to be healed. When Christ realizes she has done this, he inquires of her. He leaves her saying, “Thy faith has made thee whole; go in peace.”(3) This example shows that it was by her faith in which he performed this miracle. Christ did not perform the miracle to give her faith, she already had it and the miracle merely enforced it.

Faith is a principle of action and of power, and by it one can command the elements or heal the sick. This is such a huge gift and a huge advantage that is available to us if we can but have faith. By faith we can achieve the impossible and do the unthinkable. The priesthood is such a beautiful example, and through this many people have been healed and bettered by the faith of others through the priesthood. In the book of Matthew, after Christ whithers the fig tree, the disciples are baffled and ask him how he did this feat so quickly. He answers with, “If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.”(4) We too, can have this power to perform great things and overcome difficult obstacles via faith.

Not only does power come from faith, but also the way back to live with Heavenly Father. By faith one obtains a remission of sins and eventually can stand in the presence of God. With our faith, we can be granted forgiveness and repentance allowing us to one day stand blameless before God. In Ephisians, this idea is reinforced by, “For by grace you are saved by faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.”(5) It is a gift, the atonement. And this gift is ours if we but have the faith to put it to our use.

Once attained faith is not permanent. It is a continuous process, it can be gained just as soon as it can be lost. In Alma, faith is likened to a seed, a seed has to be fed and nurtured to grow. Once the seed has been cared for it will grow into a beautiful tree and produce fruit. (6) Exactly parallel, faith has to be continuously strengthened, exercised and reinforced. As with a plant, faith will not grow on its own, nor will it become strong without any sort of commitment. We have to put in the work, and keep putting in the work to strengthen our faith, and with this we can strengthen the faith of others.

Sources:
1 Corinthians 2:5
Thomas S. Monson, “A Royal Priestood,” Nov 2007, 1
Mark 5:34
Matthew 21:21
Ephisians 2:8
Alma 32:34