To this point in the book, we’ve attempted to explain, as far as possible, the idea of faith in a general context, equally applicable to all outcomes, not just those that explicitly involve faith in Christ. Faith is a process that yields improved outcomes in any context. This is not because it is a principle that is independent of God. Rather, it is because it is very much a part of who he is, and because he is in and through all things, faith is a mechanism of action in all things.
God is merciful in allowing all people—whether they believe in him or not—to benefit from applying the faith process to any aspect of their lives they care to. However, there are many aspects of faith that cannot be explained, understood, or applied fully outside of the specific context of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Belief in Christ
What does it mean to believe in Christ? Realize that a phrase like “believing in Jesus” is used by many people to justify very different ideas. How do you make a distinction between different meanings of this phrase or others like it? Belief is the same, and faith is the same process, no matter the target of that belief or faith. Belief in Christ is just a special case of belief in general.
Just as general beliefs can vary in correctness, efficacy, value, and so on, beliefs purported to be in Christ are not all equally valuable.
Not all purported belief in Christ is equally desirable. Some beliefs in Christ promise very different outcomes than others. Most purported belief in Christ offers nothing substantially different than what is already manifest. For example, the difference in joy and peace in a person who is an atheist and a person who merely wishes in a God who will magically save them from all bad things is not substantial, particularly in the inevitable times of affliction that will come upon them, when their shallowly-rooted, false hope evaporates.
Not all purported belief in Christ is equally likely. What makes one belief more likely than another? Stronger reasons to support it.
Not all purported belief in Christ motivates the same actions. Anyone with any experience with more than one organized religion realizes that vast differences exist in the practices of different sects. And, any honest analysis of the scriptures will reveal significant differences between the practice of former disciples of God and modern churches or synagogues.
Because not all purported belief in Christ motivates the same actions, not all belief in Christ leads to the same outcomes.
Not all purported belief in Christ is equal in effect. What makes one belief more correct than another? The rate of successful attainment of the intended outcomes.
The path to a more accurate and effectual belief in Christ lies in iterative application of the faith cycle. Through improved desire, reasons, actions, and outcomes, one will grow closer to the full bounty of belief in Christ.
Outcomes in Christ
What is the outcome of faith in Christ? Does your answer for what “faith in Christ” means consist of a rational path to the outcome you intend? If not, it isn’t faith.
Is your outcome peace? Joy? Heaven? What, exactly, do you mean by whichever words you use to describe your outcome? Would you even recognize the outcomes you say you seek if you obtained them?
Even if you can define outcomes, what reasons do you have to believe they will be as you expect? Is your understanding of what these outcomes are like based on the descriptions of those who have obtained them, or just your imagination?
Are you confident that you will actually enjoy and value what you seek? Why?
Faith in Jesus Christ offers us everything that the Lord has. It is the mechanism to claim our joint inheritance from the Father:
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. (Romans 8)
We can receive all that the Lord has only by becoming like him. Faith in Christ is not just about believing he lived, died, and was resurrected, but also learning about his character and believing that we can be like he is.
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2)
The faith cycle causes us to gradually become more and more like Jesus:
But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 3:18)
Those who continue in faith in Christ will obtain eternal life:
Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life. (2 Nephi 31:20)
Eternal life—to be as he is and to be with him forever—is the greatest outcome:
If thou wilt do good, yea, and hold out faithful to the end, thou shalt be saved in the kingdom of God, which is the greatest of all the gifts of God; for there is no gift greater than the gift of salvation. (D&C 6:13)
And, if you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God. (D&C 14:7)
Reasons for Christ
What reasons do you have for believing what you do about the Lord? During his mortal ministry, Jesus continually provided reasons for people to believe in him:
5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
6 But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,
7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?
8 And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?
9 Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?
10 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)
11 I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.
12 And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion. (Mark 2)
He said things more clearly than anyone had:
If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin. (John 15:22)
39 And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.
40 And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also?
41 Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth. (John 9)
He did things that no one else had done:
24 If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.
25 But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause. (John 15)
10 ... the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake. (John 14)
2 Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,
3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?
4 Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:
5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. (Matthew 11)
He told them the future:
Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he. (John 13:19)
And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe. (John 14:29)
He was killed publicly:
18 Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.
19 And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, Jesus Of Nazareth The King Of The Jews.
20 This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin. (John 19)
He was publicly resurrected from the dead:
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. (1 Corinthians 15)
Those who have faith in Christ have reasons to believe that Jesus can forgive them of past sins:
Now I say unto you that ye must repent, and be born again; for the Spirit saith if ye are not born again ye cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven... (Alma 7:14)
And he hath power given unto him from the Father to redeem them from their sins because of repentance... (Helaman 5:11)
Those who have faith in Christ have reasons to believe that through him they can abstain from all future sin:
...therefore come and be baptized unto repentance, that ye may be washed from your sins, that ye may have faith on the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, who is mighty to save and to cleanse from all unrighteousness. (Alma 7:14)
Actions toward Christ
For most Christians, the intended outcome is that they will go to heaven after they die. Unfortunately, the actions they have chosen to obtain this outcome—some mix of verbal profession of God, occasional obedience to some of his commandments, and possibly having some idea of some of his word—are disjointed from what the scriptures and all who have obtained heaven have said regarding the path to eternal life. Wishing is not a sufficient reason to believe you will go to heaven.
Does your faith in Christ include both the actions that you believe will lead to the outcome you expect and strong reasons for them? If not, it isn’t faith.
What reasons do you have to believe that the actions you have in mind will lead to the outcome you expect? Where did you get the idea that those actions would lead to the outcome? If you made them up, it is unlikely that you are correct. If you heard them from someone else, what reason do you believe they knew what they were talking about? Have they already obtained what you seek, or are you getting directions from someone who, like you, does not yet know the way? “If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” (Matthew 15:14)
Those who have faith in Christ act according to their faith by obeying all of God’s commandments:
If ye love me, keep my commandments. (John 14:15)
They completely and constantly obey all they currently know:
Verily, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am; (D&C 93:1)
They diligently seek further instruction from God:
And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true. (Mosiah 4:12)
They persist in obeying and seeking God for their entire lives:
Behold, I am the law, and the light. Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life. (3 Nephi 15:9)
Desiring Christ
What would it be like to never feel guilty again? What would it be like to never feel shame again? What would it be like to feel a deep, peaceful satisfaction, all the time, no matter how intense life gets? What would it be like to feel complete contentment and peace at all times and in all places? What would it be like to be free of stress and to have the confidence to boldly march into the hardest of your endeavors? What would it be like to be completely free from anxiety and depression, except in the concern you feel for others and the sorrow you feel for their poor choices? What would it be like to be absolutely immune to temptation? What would it be like to be stronger than any substance, person, or situation—to be truly free to act and feel how you choose?
This is what Christ offers to you:
5 Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord.
6 For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.
7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.
8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. (Jeremiah 17)
Those who have faith in Christ desire to be forgiven of past sins and desire to abstain from future sin:
16 But Aaron said unto him: If thou desirest this thing, if thou wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest.
17 And it came to pass that when Aaron had said these words, the king did bow down before the Lord, upon his knees; yea, even he did prostrate himself upon the earth, and cried mightily, saying:
18 O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day. And now when the king had said these words, he was struck as if he were dead. (Alma 22)
In seeking and obeying God, the objective of the faithful is not just to obey arbitrary rules, but to actually be like Jesus in how they act, what they desire, and who they become.
14 ...have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?
15 Do ye exercise faith in the redemption of him who created you? Do you look forward with an eye of faith, and view this mortal body raised in immortality, and this corruption raised in incorruption, to stand before God to be judged according to the deeds which have been done in the mortal body?
16 I say unto you, can you imagine to yourselves that ye hear the voice of the Lord, saying unto you, in that day: Come unto me ye blessed, for behold, your works have been the works of righteousness upon the face of the earth?
17 Or do ye imagine to yourselves that ye can lie unto the Lord in that day, and say—Lord, our works have been righteous works upon the face of the earth—and that he will save you?
18 Or otherwise, can ye imagine yourselves brought before the tribunal of God with your souls filled with guilt and remorse, having a remembrance of all your guilt, yea, a perfect remembrance of all your wickedness, yea, a remembrance that ye have set at defiance the commandments of God?
19 I say unto you, can ye look up to God at that day with a pure heart and clean hands? I say unto you, can you look up, having the image of God engraven upon your countenances? (Alma 5)
The Lord told us to “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” (Matthew 22:37) He said this was “the first and great commandment.” (Matthew 22:38) If we desire the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind, then we won’t desire anything else above him. Like Paul, we will “count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.” (Philippians 3:8) It is what David described when he said: “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.” (Psalm 42:1)
If we desire Christ, we will do all things and suffer all things, even unto death, if that is what it takes. This consummate desire is what the Lord described as hungering and thirsting after righteousness, which he indicated is the price required to receive what is sought:
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. (Matthew 5:6)
Seek the Lord with all your heart, might, mind, and strength, and you will find him.