all-encompassingly

This article on Mormonism was written by Pamela. It is one of a series of informational posts about perceived mysteries or secrets of the LDS Church. –Admin

Faith

“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…For if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them…And neither at any time hath any wrought miracles until after their faith; wherefore they first believed in the Son of God.”[1]

Faith is the first principle of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the Mormon Church.[2] It is believed that faith is given to those who exercise obedience to God’s laws; hence the gift of faith increases. The Prophet Joseph Smith stated, “…That the course of life which [we] pursue [must be] according to the will of God, in order that [we] may be enabled to exercise faith in him unto life and salvation.”

Having faith means relying wholly on the Savior, trusting in His endless power, intelligence, love, and having an absolute belief in His teachings. In other words, learn of Him through prayer, through scripture study and by following ALL of His commandments. Faith is moving forward when we don’t understand, believing in God and knowing that He knows us better than anyone and that He will do what is best for us. The Prophet Alma in the Book of Mormon “taught that the word of God helps strengthen faith. Comparing the word to a seed, he said that the ‘desire to believe’ can lead you to ‘give place’ for the word to be ‘planted in your heart.’ Then you will feel that the word is good, for it will begin to enlarge your soul and enlighten your understanding. This will strengthen your faith. As you continually nurture the word in your heart, ‘with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life.’”[3]

Through His Atonement, we can know that with faith we can overcome the difficulties of life. “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.”[4] Through our faith in Jesus Christ and through repentance, we are able to make His atonement fully effective in our lives. It is through this faith that we can overcome the temptations in this life.

Latter-day Prophet Spencer W. Kimball explained that, “There must be works with faith. How foolish it would be to ask the Lord to give us knowledge, but how wise to ask the Lord’s help to acquire knowledge, to study constructively, to think clearly, and to retain things that we have learned.” Faith is more than just believing, it is living a life worthy of the blessings that only God can offer. It is a life of action, a life of doing all we can to bring about those things that we hope for and pray for.

For more information on the Mormon Church please see the following websites:

Mormon Church

———Footnotes———
[1] “Book of Mormon”; Ether 12:6-18; “Holy Bible”, Hebrews 11
[2] “Article of Faith 1:4
[3] “True to the Faith”, 2004, p.55-56; Book of Mormon, Alma 32:26-43
[4] Doctrine and Covenants 6:36