What Is Faith?

To have faith is to “hope for things which are not seen, which are true” (see Book of Mormon, Alma 32:21 and Hebrews 11:1). Each day you act upon things you hope for, even before you see the end result. This is similar to faith.

Faith in God is more than a theoretical belief in Him. To have faith in God is to trust Him, to have confidence in Him, and to be willing to act on your belief in Him. It is a principle of action and power.

The Book of Mormon prophet Alma compared faith to a seed. If you plant a seed and nourish it, if it is a good seed it will grow and eventually bear fruit (Alma 32:28-43). It is the same with faith. If you are obedient to God’s commandments, study His word, and have a desire to believe in Christ, faith will grow inside of you.

“And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.” (Mosiah 3:17.)

Further, he said we must humble ourselves “and become as little children, and believe that salvation was, and is, and is to come, in and through the atoning blood of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.” (Mosiah 3:18.)

We are Christian. We want the whole world to know it. We look to Christ as the author and finisher of our faith, and he has not left us without direction for he has given us a living prophet and many revelations—revealing his will with respect to his church and kingdom on earth today.

In Section 42 of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord sets forth the conditions for service in his kingdom. Beginning with verse 11, he says:

“Again I say unto you, that it shall not be given to any one to go forth to preach my gospel, or to build up my church, except he be ordained by some one who has authority, and it is known to the church that he has authority and has been regularly ordained by the heads of the church.” (D&C 42:11.)

This indicates that the Lord will select those who are to act for him. No one is authorized to take this authority or honor to himself; rather, an authorized servant of the Lord will ordain them or set them apart to a specific assignment, and it will be known that the authorizing agent has such authority because he will have been regularly ordained to his position by the heads of the Church.

The Lord next proceeds to indicate what he expects his authorized ministers to teach:

“And again, the elders, priests and teachers of this church shall teach the principles of my gospel, which are in the Bible and the Book of Mormon, in the which is the fulness of the gospel.” (D&C 42:12.)

Here the Lord specifically spells out what he wants preached and taught—the principles of the gospel—and further what he wants his servants to use as source materials—the standard works of the Church. He did not mention the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price, possibly because they were not in existence in February of 1831 when this statement was received from the Lord.

From this it is plain that we are not called to preach the philosophies of men mingled with scripture or our own ideas or the mysteries of the kingdom, nor are we called to bring forth new doctrine. The president of the Church will do that. But we are to stick to the basic fundamental principles of the gospel.

The Prophet Joseph Smith re-emphasized this principle when he said:

“After all that has been said, the greatest and most important duty is to preach the gospel.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 113.)

President Joseph Fielding Smith reiterated this in his opening conference remarks in April of 1972 when he said:

“To those who are called to positions of trust and responsibility in the Church we say: Preach the gospel in plainness and simplicity as it is found in the standard works of the Church. Testify of the truth of the work and the doctrines revealed anew in our day.” (“Counsel to the Saints and to the World,” Ensign, July 1972, p. 28.)

This is a clear signal as to what the Lord would have taught by his servants today.

The Lord next gives some specifics as to the conduct he expects of his authorized ministers:

“And they shall observe the covenants and church articles to do them. …” (D&C 42:13.)

Once again, these are very plain, clear instructions. He did not say it would be “nice” if we keep the commandments. He says “they shall observe the covenants and church articles to do them.” Surely obedience is the first law of heaven. We are given to understand that there will be no disobedience in the celestial kingdom. It is therefore vitally important that we keep the commandments with exactness and not just “almost.”

The account of the Lamanite striplings in the Book of Mormon as mentioned by Elder Monson is an excellent illustration of the blessings that flow from precise obedience. Helaman had formed them into an army of 2,060 young men who fought on the side of the Nephites, and when they were fighting for the Nephites, the Nephites could not lose.

At one time 200 of them were so badly wounded that they fainted from the loss of blood. When they were carried from the battlefield, it was thought they were dead, but they weren’t. They came back to life again—it seemed they could not be killed. What was their secret? It is recorded in Alma 57:21: “Yea, and they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness. …”

Yes, they gave their mothers credit for teaching them, but they kept the commandments with exactness. This is the great secret. It is so important that we be in condition to serve the Lord, and condition comes only through obedience. To be a great leader, we must first be a great follower.

The revelation continues:

“And they shall observe the covenants and church articles to do them, and these shall be their teachings, as they shall be directed by the Spirit.” (D&C 42:13.)

Here the Lord stresses the fact that his servants must be led by his Spirit.

Brigham Young’s counsel to missionaries going into the field was to the effect that he would: “rather hear an Elder … speak only five words accompanied by the power of God … than to hear long sermons without the Spirit.” (Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 330.)

It is true that the Spirit giveth direction. It is the Spirit that carries conviction to the hearts of those who are honest.

Our living prophet, President Harold B. Lee, made a significant statement

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