Building Faith in Christ Part 1.0 to 1.1

Note: the following is a narrative based on some ongoing study of the subject "Building Faith in Christ." I have a general outline of where I want to go with this, but mostly, I want to compile my study notes into words, sentences and complete thoughts. Although I will be sharing this with whoever wants to read it, it really is for me, to organize, categorize and develop my the results of my study and reflections. So here goes

What is Faith?

Paul wrote to the Hebrews, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” The dictionary describes faith as “1) something that is believed especially with strong conviction; 2) a system of religious beliefs ; 3) firm belief in something for which there is no proof; 4) fidelity to one's promises; 5) sincerity of intentions.“ This will discss the first principal of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that of Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We will discuss what faith is, and what faith is not. We will discuss the ways and means of building faith in Christ, and what results we should look for as we seek the end of our faith. We should keep in mind that the purpose of faith is to help us 1) be happy and find joy, 2) become more confident in our future and in our relationship with God, 3) provide a standard of behavior for us to follow.

There seems to be four important concepts in the above scripture, as we discover the nature and purpose of faith. 1) faith springs from hope, 2) true faith has substance, which includes a desired pattern of behavior, 3) we may not see the object of our faith, but 4) pursuing faith will provide us with evidence that that He is real and can bless our lives.

Hope As we journey through life, we meet certain events or circumstances that provide us with the knowledge that we are imperfect. We are fallen, mortal men. We make mistakes that we cannot correct by ourselves. We will grow old, deteriorate and die. What is to become of us, if we cannot be perfect? What shall become of ourselves, our families and loved ones if we cannot find some way to improve upon our circumstances? The future looks bleak if there is no way to overcome our mistakes. Upon what basis do we have to hope for improvement?

In Alma12: 32, the prophet writes, “Therefore God gave unto them commandments, after having made known unto them the plan of redemption, that they should not do evil, the penalty thereof being a second death, which was an everlasting death as to things pertaining unto righteousness; for on such the plan of redemption could have no power, for the works of justice could not be destroyed, according to the supreme goodness of God.”

So we have been given a knowledge of good and evil. God has given us commandments. If we are disobedient, even one time, we will suffer the second death, meaning that we cannot get back into the presence of our Creator.

Now why would Father send us to earth in a lost and fallen state, if the penalty would be that we could not ever be with him again? What good parent does not like to see the success of their children? What grandparents do not delight in the development of their grandchildren? The answer. Of course, is that Father has prepared a way for us, from before the foundation of the world, that we can be free from the bondage of sin.

In 1 Peter 1:20, we read “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.”

We can develop a hope that the words in the scriptures are true, and that we can be redeemed from the penalty of our sins. We can hope in the plan of salvation that is discussed and described in the Holy Scriptures. That spark of hope gives birth to the idea of faith.