Exercising Faith

The last post discussed the process of acquiring faith, noting parallels with the scientific method. It described the natures of our spirits and the Holy Ghost, and various scriptural experiments we can try to gain faith: seek (e.g., in scripture), ask (prayer), act (put into practice), and reason/discern. I also listed some basic tenets of my faith – hypotheses that can be tested.

Works

As I concluded there, acquiring faith is far from the end. It would seem that works are intimately tied to faith – not only in developing faith, but in exercising, maintaining & growing it – faith motivates & facilitates actions. That is, works are integral to living by faith.

In James we read, “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.
“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?” (James 2:18-20)

Further, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” (James 1:22)

Further emphasizing the importance of works as evidence of our faith, we are told we will be judged and rewarded according to them:

“For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.” (Matth. 16:27)

“And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” (Rev. 20:12)

I will lean more on scriptures than commentary for this post – they say it better and more authoritatively than I could.

Keep my Commandments

Faith is the first principle of the gospel, a foundation upon which all else is built, and from which all else follows. When we have faith in God, we understand His goodness and love as expressed in what He has done for us, and promises us. That inevitably will instill in us appreciation and love for Him. But how can or should we express that? Christ said simply,

“If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15)

Let us then consider some of those commandments.

Love

“Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
“Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
“This is the first and great commandment.
“And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
“On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:35-40)

Love, then, in addition to faith, is also a quality that motivates and facilitates and guides fulfillment of all other commandments. We learn of perfect love, or charity, in the following:

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—
“But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.
“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.” (Moroni 7:46-48)

Repentance & Baptism

Purification is key to becoming more like Him, and indeed we are commanded to do so.
“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matth. 5:48)

The reason being, “... he hath said that no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of heaven;” (Alma 11:37)

Through faith we have an understanding of the nature of God and His perfections. And by comparison, and through the Holy Ghost, we recognize our own imperfections – our lack of charity, our disobedience to commandments and sinful nature. Our faith and love of Him give us desire to be reconciled with Him, and for assurance of that reconciliation. He has provided a way for all of that.

Like any good, loving parent who has had a wayward child, He wants us to get our lives in order – for our benefit, and reconciliation. He has sent prophets in all ages to cry “repent!” to His children. John the Baptist was sent to prepare the way of the Lord.
“In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judæa,
“And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
“Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judæa, and all the region round about Jordan,
“And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.” (Matth. 3:1,2,5,6)

And though He was himself perfect, with no need of the cleansing power of baptism, “Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
“But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
“And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.” (Matth. 3:13-15)
And so Christ set the example for us, by making a covenant with His Father.

Baptism is the first ordinance of the gospel – a covenant that gives us, and God, assurance, confidence and faith in our reconciliation with Him, and that we are on the right 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.” (Matth. 7:13-15)

“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,” (Heb. 12:1)

Faith & Ordinances of Salvation Universally Required & Available

The importance of baptism was emphasized by Christ to Nichodemus: “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5)

And again at the end of each gospel in His charge to the apostles,
“And he said unto them, ‘Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.’” (Mark 16:15-16)

Note that there are no exceptions stated in these verses. But how can a just God condemn or damn those who die without hearing the gospel or being baptized? One should expect from a just God (and He is just) that something universally required be also universally available. And so it is.

“Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?” (1 Cor. 15:29)

Baptism for the dead is one ordinance performed vicariously in LDS temples. But we have seen that a pre-requisite for baptism is faith and repentance. How can the dead fulfill that, without having heard the gospel?

“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
“By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
“Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.” (1 Peter 3:18-20)

“For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.” (1 Peter 4:6)

Gift of the Holy Ghost

As John the Baptist explained, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:” (Matth. 3: 11)

Then Peter said unto them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 2:38)

This, too, is an ordinance – performed by the laying on of hands of those in authority. “Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.
“And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given,...” (Acts 8:17-18)

As described in the previous post, the Holy Ghost guides us to truth, and away from sin and error, and after we have entered “...in at the strait gate” (baptism) it will help us remain on the “narrow way, which leadeth unto life...”

The Schoolmaster

God gave commandments to Adam and Eve, shortly after their creation, and by extension to all of their descendants. “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” (Genesis 1:28)

Further, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground;” (Genesis 3:19)

Various other commandments were delivered by prophets prior to Christ’s birth. “The law,” the 10 commandments, were received by Moses:
“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, ... Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them:
“Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain;
“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work...
“Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
“Thou shalt not kill.
“Thou shalt not commit adultery.
“Thou shalt not steal.
“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, .... nor any thing that is thy neighbour's. (Exodus 20:3-5,7-10,12-17)

To put the law into context, “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” (Gal. 3:24)

Song and gratitude are also part of worship. “Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.” (Psalm 30:4)

“Behold, ... the just shall live by his faith.” (Habakkuk 2:4)

One of the last commandments in the Old Testament is, “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." (Malachi 3:10)

Christ’s Example & Teachings

After the schoolmaster of the law of Moses, Jesus Christ brought a higher law to bring us even closer to our Father in Heaven, and His entire life was an example of how to live that law.

“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” (Acts 10:38)

“But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.” (John 5:36)

“If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.
“But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.” (John 10:37-38)

In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ taught,
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven....
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you....
“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matth. 5:16,33,48)

“And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's, and to God the things that are God's.” (Mark 12:17)

But we are counseled to not only do good, but avoid evil. “Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.” (Mark 14:38)

“... give yourselves to fasting and prayer;...” (1 Cor. 7:5”

When the storm arose on the sea, Christ said to His chosen apostles, “...Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?...” (Matth. 8: 26) Even at the last supper, after all that they had been through together, and miracles, Christ recognized that his apostles’ faith was imperfect. “But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” (Luke 22:32)

Greater Works

But he knew that their faith would grow after He was gone – as is no doubt more prone to happen when we must look beyond what we can see. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father." (John 13: 12)

“For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” (Rom. 1:17)

Hebrews chapter 11 is a long citation of many great and praiseworthy works performed by the faithful in scripture, by faith. After that, Paul wrote "... let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;...” (Heb.12:1)

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1 Thess.18:18)

“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)

May we be able to say as Paul did towards the end of his life, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:” (2 Timothy 4:7)

By Every Word

How do we keep the faith, or stand "fast in the faith?" By being true to the faith we have received, by exercising it in good works and obedience to the word of God we have received, and by being open to and receiving every word of God.

“But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Matth. 4:4)

And so when God speaks, even in modern times by a prophet to all, or as He speaks through the Holy Ghost to us individually, we need to listen and live by it. He sent a prophet to prepare the way for Christ's mortal ministry. Why would He not speak through a prophet in preparation for His return in glory, surely one of the most momentous events in history?

“Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” (Amos 3:7)