Faith in Christ

What shall we do?

From a congregation of disheartened people came this question to the prophet Alma. Looking upon the forsaken assembly before him, one can imagine the full spectrum of emotions that Alma could see in their eyes. Discouragement. Embarrassment. Isolation. Frustration. We can easily feel the plight of these, whom were poor in heart, despised, and cast out. Why the shared empathy and frustration? Because many of us have felt the need to ask this question ourselves.

Perhaps on your early morning commute, in quiet or not-so-quiet anguish you have found yourself wrestling with God; begging, pleading, and even demanding relief. We yearn for any reply or inspiration that might alter the course of our personal, financial, or family misfortune. Feeling very much part of the fraternity of the disaffected, you find your own voice united with the voice of the maligned multitude of Alma's time:

What shall we do?

Regardless of circumstance or status, the answer remains the same:  we build and exercise faith in Christ.

In addressing you today, I hope to explain how our faith in Christ serves us as we show faith in God's plan, put trust in His timing, and find courage to accept His will.

God’s Plan - Your Future

I start by encouraging you to have faith in God's plan, and in your own future.

While God's ultimate success in His plan is assured, our part in that plan is not. What we do in the here-and-now dictates how aligned our own future becomes with God's plan. That alignment depends entirely on our faith in Christ and how we exercise that faith.

Knowing this, we ought to closely consider how we exercise our faith. A casual study of faith in the scriptures seems to cement this one important truth: that faith without works is dead (James 2). Faith is work. Faith is action. The topic of faith is always taught in tandem with action.

We already possess an inherent understanding that action and faith are inseparable. This is evident in the question posed in Alma 32 (and questions just like it):

What shall I do?

What is the next step?

What am I missing?

These questions prompted one of the most comprehensive sermons on faith. In that sermon, Alma demonstrates the essential bond between our faith in Christ and our actions.

Within the span of 23 verses, Alma pairs the principle of faith with action at least 100 times; that's nearly one out of every four words from Alma's entire sermon associating faith with action. A few of my favorites include endureth, remember, awake, exercise, give place, bring forth, take root, and spring up. (Alma 32)

Likewise, Alma warns about the peril of inaction. In contrast to faith and action, he pairs the tragedy of disbelief with inaction. If we neglect, take no thought, wither, cast out, and not nourish what faith we have, then we can be assured that our future will be fruitless, and our role within our Heavenly Father's plan left unfilled. (Alma 32:38-40)

We should note that hope and optimism play an important part in how we hold our faith in Christ. However, we ought to take care to avoid looking toward the future at the expense of taking important action now. In the face of intense (and inevitable) heartbreak, disappointment, and sorrow, our optimism will waver. Sometimes, the positive cannot be found in a particular circumstance or situation.

In these moments of melancholy, when any action might feel like a monumental task, our faith in the distant future may seem illogical. Instead, we might be better served placing our faith in the near future. This might look like putting forth your best efforts, and leaving the matter in God's hands, even if it means holding on until the end of the week, the end of the day, or even the end of the hour. It helps to remember that God's plan is at work, even at the present (albeit awful) moment.

In summary, Alma explains that "if [we] will not nourish the word, looking forward with an eye of faith to the fruit thereof, [we] can never pluck of the fruit of the tree of life." (Alma 32:40). But if we take consistent faithful action, mixing in an occasional moment of hope and optimism, then we can expect an alignment with God's plan, and a degree of joy for our future.

Faith In Yourself

Finding joy and alignment, even in the midst of suffering, also requires that we have a degree of faith in ourselves.

For many of us, understanding how we might walk the fine line between self-esteem and self-importance may prove challenging. Often, we might confuse humility with self-deprecation; or meekness with mild-mannerism. Here, we should remember the example of Christ. When tempted by the adversary, Christ was not tepid, rather he was affirmative. When interrogated by Pilate about who he was, Christ did not mince words. In declaring his divinity and in announcing his mission, Christ showed clarity and confidence. Christ had faith in himself. He expects the same from us. 

In contrast, the adversary would instead have us doubt ourselves. Not content to have us believe that we are nothing in comparison to God, Satan would have us believe that we are nothing at all. With alarming tenacity, he whispers in a voice cleverly disguised as our own:

“You can’t do…”

“You can’t achieve…”

“You can’t progress…”

As he is apt to do, Satan advertises a half-truth to sell us a lie. Indeed, we cannot do, achieve, or progress; not without Christ’s help, his mercy, nor his support. And he offers these to us freely.

When we don’t buy that lie, Satan peddles another; that our efforts are pathetic, unworthy, and unimportant. For many of us, this lie is an easier sell. When compared next to the magnitude of the atonement, we genuinely mistake our efforts as miniscule. But we must not forget that without our action or our effort, the small and simple cannot become great.

As we put our faith in Christ, we start to develop a healthy faith in ourselves. That increased faith allows us to see in ourselves what Christ has always seen, even from the time when he stood among us in our pre-earthly existence. He saw our potential then. I know that he sees it now.

The Arm of Flesh

In your pursuit of building a better faith in yourself, I would caution you as Nephi once cautioned. “…[Do] not put [your] trust in the arm of flesh; for… cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm.” (2 Nephi 4:34)

We must practice discernment and show care over where we allow our faith to grow. Without proper spiritual vigilance, we may find ourselves believing that our faith in Christ is growing, when instead we are actually sowing the seeds of pride and temerity. Having faith in yourself does not amount to the belief in your superiority, your infallibility, nor your excellence.

In doing so, we soon forget “that it is upon the rock of our redeemer, who is Christ, the son of God, that [we] must build [our] foundation;” in turn making us vulnerable and exposed to the mighty winds, the shafts in the whirlwind, the hail and the mighty storms. (Helaman 5:12)

Faith in the arm of flesh boasts of our own strength. Faith in Christ glorifies the source of our strength.

Faith in the arm of flesh expects reciprocal action from others for our good deeds. Faith in Christ demands that we show charity in a spirit of meekness and prudence.

Faith in the arm of flesh depends upon the perfect scrutiny and treatment from imperfect people. Faith in Christ relies upon the flawless grace and compassion of our Savior.

Faith in the arm of flesh fills in the gaps of our understanding with unfounded fears, assumptions, and prejudices. Faith in Christ fills our mind with peace, patience, and kindness.

Faith in the arm of flesh lionizes our foolhardy stubbornness. Faith in Christ merges our righteous resolve with the Father’s will.

The Trial of Faith

In harmony with the testimony of the prophet Moroni, I too “…would speak somewhat concerning these things;… that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because you see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.” (Ether 12:6)

I have found that a significant amount of literature describes faith in terms of clarity and light. However, in reflecting on those moments that tested my faith, I can recall few (if any) illuminating experiences. In my most honest assessment, I can only describe these moments as cold, dark, and miserable. There was nothing illuminating about those experiences. They were hard. They were painful.

Faith did not illuminate my steps and it did not make my path clear. At times, the only light that I could see while in the grip of adversity was the uncomfortable glow of the refiner’s fire. My faith in Christ did not light the path, but it did keep me grounded. It did not keep me warm, but faith did orient me, allowing me to traverse the darkness one aching step after another. My faith in Christ accompanied me, and still accompanies me, until such times where I once again see light and feel warmth.

If, through your trials, discouragement keeps you from seeing any light or feeling any warmth, do not take this as a sign that you have no faith, or that you possess too little faith. Rather, recognize your faith as that perpetually sustaining force prompting you to take one more step, get up one more time, and make one more effort. 

This is the answer to that burning question of the soul, "What shall we do?" Build your foundation of faith where it is most secure, namely upon Jesus Christ. When built, take action. Exercise that faith, keeping an eye on the bigger picture, but never at the expense of persistent faithful action. Then, after the trial of your faith, you might find yourself once more enlightened and encouraged.

But until such a time, I urge to you to keep the faith. Keep going.