There are many aspects to the gospel and all are somehow relevant to the other. But probably the most common aspect, or the one thing that everything eventually comes down to, is faith. Not only faith in the Lord, but also faith in his plans and that everything will work out if I do my part.
In Ether 12:3 it says:"For he did acry from the bmorning, even until the going down of the sun, exhorting the people to believe in God unto repentance lest they should be cdestroyed, saying unto them that dby efaith all things are fulfilled." Truly all things are fulfilled through faith. Ironically it even takes faith to believe that through faith all things can be fulfilled. As referred to in this scripture faith is also one of the key components to repentance. It is not a simple physical act of wiping our slate clean, but much more a process of humbling one's self before god and having faith in his son's atonement.
Another aspect to faith is that it builds upon itself. Again in Ether (12:12) it states:"For if there be no afaith among the children of men God can do no bmiracle among them; wherefore, he showed not himself until after their faith." One must have faith in order to obtain blessings or revelation. These, once obtained, come back to strengthen your faith and testimony even more, but it all starts with the seed. Hence the doctrine that the best way to strengthen your testimony is to bear it.
In Ether we read furthermore:
"13 Behold, it was the faith of Alma and Amulek that caused the aprison to tumble to the earth.
14 Behold, it was the faith of Nephi and Lehi that wrought the achange upon the Lamanites, that they were baptized with fire and with the bHoly Ghost.
15 Behold, it was the faith of aAmmon and his brethren which bwrought so great a miracle among the Lamanites.
16 Yea, and even all they who wrought amiracles wrought them by bfaith, even those who were before Christ and also those who were after."
This is the area where faith is applied the most. The Lord shows us that with faith anything can be accomplished, as long as it is his will. Absolute faith secures us the helping hand and protection of our Heavenly Father. As was the case with Nephi and the brother of Jared, if we have the faith, then the Lord will give us the tools to get the job done.
Though faith is a mighty miracle-worker, it is most important that we apply it daily in the small and simple things in life that we struggle with. The more regularly we apply faith, the more readily it will come to us in times of dire need and the stronger it will be. "Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in agood works, that Christ, the bLord God Omnipotent, may cseal you his, that you may be brought to heaven, that ye may have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom, and power, and justice, and mercy of him who dcreated all things, in heaven and in earth, who is God above all. Amen."(Mosiah 5:15)
9 comments:
Stefan, thanks for your blog! I really liked some of the connections you made: all things can be fulfilled, all things can be accomplished. It seems like you really understand faith as a principle of power. Good support in the scriptures. You could use some other sources and personal experiences to enrich this particular piece.
This is so true that we have to have faith in the atonement. It is hard to have hope for the future if we do not have faith that we will one day be one with Christ again.
i thuroughly enjoyed your blog. one of the things i liked best was how you pointed out that we need to exercise our faith in actions in our daily activities. you should be careful of accidental typoes though.
I strongly agree with you. Faith is one of the most important element that we musht have. And it is true that faith requires some efforts- it builds upon itself! That's why we should always keep our testimonys strong within Christ's Atonenment for us.I really liked how you finished your blog with Mosiah 5:15.
It is very true that if something is the Lords will that it will be done, even though it can be difficult for us at times to have faith that it will happen. The Scriptures that you used have extra letters in front of the words.
You made great use of scripture references to support your topic. I really enjoyed reading this post - it's always nice to have a reminder about the importance of faith as a basic principle of the gospel.
I liked the emphasis on the fact that you have to have faith in faith. It was really interesting and so true. I have had many experiences where I needed to have faith before progress could be made. Thanks!
Thanks for reminding me to bear my testimony. It's hard for me to do in Sacrament meeting or any other public setting, but I know that when I have bourn my testimony my faith has increased.
I like your talk on faith, it is really straightforward which makes it really easy to understand. Great Job
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