The Articles of Faith Part 11

FAITH AND REPENTANCE.

=Article 4.=--We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are (1) Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; (2) Repentance; ...

FAITH.

=1. Nature of Faith.=--The predominating sense in which the term faith is used throughout the scriptures is that of full confidence and trust in the being, purposes, and words of G.o.d. Such trust, if it be implicit, will remove all doubt concerning things accomplished or promised of G.o.d, even though such things be not apparent to or explicable by the ordinary senses of mortality; hence arises the definition of faith given by Paul: "Now faith is the substance [i.e.

confidence, or a.s.surance] of things hoped for, the evidence [i.e. the demonstration or proof] of things not seen."[268] It is plain that such a feeling of trust may exist in different persons in varying degrees; indeed, faith may manifest itself from the incipient feeble state which is little more than mere belief, scarcely free from hesitation and fear, to the strength of abiding confidence that sets doubt and sophistry at defiance.

[268] Heb. xi, 1.

=2. Belief, Faith, and Knowledge=, while intimately related and ofttimes regarded as one, are in reality not identical. The terms faith and belief are sometimes used as synonyms, nevertheless each of them has a specific and definite meaning in our language, although in early English there was virtually no distinction between them, and therefore the words are used interchangeably in the ancient scriptures. Belief may consist in a merely intellectual a.s.sent, whilst faith implies such confidence and conviction as will impel to action.

Dictionary authority justifies us in drawing a distinction between the two, according to present usage in English; and this authority defines belief as a simple a.s.sent to the truth or actuality of anything, excluding however the moral element of responsibility through such a.s.sent, which is embraced by faith. Belief is in a sense pa.s.sive,--a mental agreement or acceptance only; faith is active and positive,--such a reliance and confidence as will lead to works. Faith in Christ comprises belief in Him, combined with trust in Him. One cannot have faith without belief; yet he may believe and still lack faith. Faith is vivified, vitalized, living belief.

=3.= Certainly there is a great difference in degree, even if no essential distinction in kind be admitted between the two. As shall be presently demonstrated, faith in the G.o.dhead is requisite to salvation; it is indeed a saving power, leading its possessor in the paths of G.o.dliness; surely a mere belief in the existence and attributes of Deity is no such power. Mark the words of the Apostle James.[269] In his general epistle to the Saints, he chided his brethren for certain empty professions. Said he in effect:--You take pride and satisfaction in declaring your belief in G.o.d; you boast of being distinguished from the idolaters and the heathen because you accept one G.o.d; you do well to so profess, and so believe; but, remember, others do likewise; even the devils believe; and so firmly that they tremble at thought of the fate which that belief makes plain to them.--What, do devils believe in Christ? Aye, their belief amounts to certain knowledge, as to who He is, and as to what const.i.tutes His part, past, present, and to come, in the Divine plan of human existence and salvation. Call to mind the case of the man possessed by evil spirits, in the land of the Gadarenes; a man so grievously tormented as to be a terror to all who came near him; he could be neither tamed nor bound; people were afraid to approach him; yet when he saw Christ, he ran to Him and worshiped, and the wicked spirit within him begged for mercy at the hands of that Righteous One, calling Him "Jesus, Son of the Most High G.o.d."[270] Again, an unclean spirit in the synagogue at Jerusalem implored Christ not to use His power, crying in fear and agony, "I know thee, who thou art, the Holy One of G.o.d."[271] And then, we are told that Christ was once followed by a mult.i.tude made up of people from Idumaea and Jerusalem, from Tyre and Sidon; among them were many who were possessed of evil spirits, and these, when they saw Him, fell down in the att.i.tude of worship, exclaiming: "Thou art the Son of G.o.d."[272] Was there ever mortal believer who confessed more unreservedly a knowledge of G.o.d and His Son Jesus Christ than did these same followers of Satan? The evil one knows G.o.d and Christ; remembers, perchance, somewhat concerning the position which he once occupied as a Son of the Morning[273]; yet with all such knowledge he is Satan still. Neither belief nor its superior,--actual knowledge,--is efficient to save; for neither of these is faith. Belief may be a product of the mind, faith is of the heart; belief is founded on reason; faith largely on intuition.

[269] See James ii, 19.

[270] See Mark v, 1-18; also Matt. viii, 28-34.

[271] See Mark i, 24.

[272] Mark iii, 8-11. See "Jesus the Christ," pp. 181, 310-312.

[273] Doc. and Cov. lxxvi, 25-27.

=4.= We frequently hear it said that faith is imperfect knowledge; that the first disappears as the second takes its place; that now we walk by faith but some day we will walk by the sure light of knowledge. In a sense this is true; yet it must be remembered that knowledge may be as dead and unproductive in good works as is faithless belief. Those confessions of the devils, that Christ was the Son of G.o.d, were founded on knowledge; yet the great truth which they knew did not change their evil natures. How different was their acknowledgment of the Savior from that of Peter, who, to the Master's question "Whom say ye that I am?" replied in practically the words used by the unclean spirits before cited, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living G.o.d."[274] Peter's faith had already shown its vital power; it had caused him to forsake much that had been dear, to follow his Lord through persecution and suffering, and to put away worldliness with all its fascinations, for the sacrificing G.o.dliness which his faith made so desirable. His knowledge of G.o.d as the Father, and of the Son as the Redeemer, was perhaps no greater than that of the unclean spirits; but while to them that knowledge was but an added cause of condemnation, to him it was a means of salvation.

[274] Matt. xvi, 15-16; see also Mark viii, 29; Luke ix, 20.

=5.= The mere possession of knowledge gives no a.s.surance of benefit therefrom. An ill.u.s.tration may perhaps be here allowed. During an epidemic of cholera in a large city, a scientific man proved to his own satisfaction, by chemical and microscopical tests, that the water supply was infected, and that through it contagion was being spread.

He proclaimed the great truth throughout the city, and warned all against the use of unboiled water. Many of the people, although incapable of comprehending his methods of investigation, far less of repeating such for themselves, had faith in his warning words, followed his instructions, and escaped the death to which their careless and unbelieving fellows succ.u.mbed. Their faith was a saving one. To the man himself, the truth by which so many lives had been spared was a matter of knowledge. He had actually seen, under the microscope, the death-dealing germs in the water; he had tested their virulence; he knew of what he spoke. Nevertheless, in a moment of forgetfulness he drank of the unpurified water, and soon thereafter died a victim to the plague. His knowledge did not save him, complete though it was; yet others, whose reliance was only that of faith in the truth which he declared, escaped the threatening destruction.

Truly he had knowledge; but, was he wise? Knowledge is to wisdom what belief is to faith; one an abstract principle, the other a living application. Not possession merely, but the proper use of knowledge const.i.tutes wisdom. Of belief compared with faith it may be said, as it has been taught of knowledge and wisdom:--

"Knowledge and wisdom, far from being one, Have oft-times no connection....

Knowledge, a rude unprofitable ma.s.s, The mere material with which wisdom builds, Till smoothed and squared and fitted to its place, Does but enc.u.mber whom it seems to enrich."

=6. The Foundation of Faith.=--In a theological sense, we understand by faith as already outlined, a living, inspiring confidence in G.o.d, and an acceptance of His will as our law, and of His words as our guide, in life. Faith in G.o.d is possible only as we come to know, or at least to believe, that He exists, and moreover, that He is a Being of worthy character and attributes. The grounds upon which man founds his belief or knowledge respecting the existence of G.o.d, have been examined in a previous lecture;[275] some of the Divine attributes, as made known through G.o.d's dealings with mankind, have been likewise specified. A restatement of the princ.i.p.al facts relating to the character of the Supreme Being may be in place here, inasmuch as some knowledge concerning the attributes of Deity is essential to the exercise of faith in Him. Let us adopt the summary of facts as set forth by the prophet, Joseph Smith; he presents, on the testimony of scripture, the following statements respecting the character of G.o.d.

[275] Lecture II, page 28.

"(1.) That He was G.o.d before the world was created, and the same G.o.d that He was after it was created.

"(2.) That He is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abundant in goodness, and that He was so from everlasting, and will be to everlasting.

"(3.) That He changes not, neither is there variableness with Him; but that He is the same from everlasting to everlasting, being the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever; and that His course is one eternal round, without variation.

"(4.) That He is a G.o.d of truth and cannot lie.

"(5.) That He is no respecter of persons; but in every nation he that fears G.o.d and works righteousness is accepted of Him.

"(6.) That He is love."[276]

[276] Doc. and Cov., Lectures on Faith, iii, 13-18.

=7.= A knowledge of these comprehensive features of the Divine nature will enable one to exercise rational and intelligent faith in G.o.d. And upon such knowledge of G.o.d's existence, the worthiness of His character, and the perfection of His attributes, is man's faith in Him established. Faith then cannot be exercised in the absence of all knowledge; yet even the benighted heathen show some of the fruits of faith; but they have at least the conviction that arises from man's natural intuition regarding a supreme power, which has been described as a common heritage of humanity. In every human soul, even in that of the savage, there is some basis for faith, however limited and imperfect the darkness of heredity or of wilful sin may have made it.

Every child of G.o.d is born with the capacity for faith inherent within his own nature; and all yearn in some degree for the strength and aid which only faith can give. We shall yet learn:--

"That in all ages Every human heart is human; That in even savage bosoms There are longings, yearnings, strivings, For the good they comprehend not.

That the feeble hands and helpless, Groping blindly in the darkness, Trust G.o.d's right hand in that darkness, And are lifted up and strengthened."[277]

[277] Longfellow.

The heathen's faith may be imperfect and weak, for his ability to recognize the evidence upon which belief in G.o.d depends may be small.

While the first promptings of faith toward G.o.d may be the result of natural intuition,--a faint echo of the songs of praise which were so common during the state of primeval childhood,--the later development will be largely the result of unprejudiced and prayerful investigation and search for truth.

=8.= From trustworthy evidence, rightly interpreted, true faith will spring; from false evidence, only distorted and misplaced faith can arise.[278] Our conclusions concerning any question under test will be governed largely by the number and credibility of the witnesses, if it so be that we cannot investigate the alleged facts for ourselves; and in either case, by the amount and quality of the evidence obtainable.

Now, however improbable a declaration may appear to us, if the truth of it be affirmed by witnesses in whom we have confidence, we are led to admit the statement, at least provisionally, as true. If many credible witnesses testify, and moreover, if collateral evidence suggest itself through facts in our possession, we may consider the statement as proved; although we would be unable to affirm the truth of it on the strength of our personal knowledge, until we had seen and heard for ourselves, until in fact each of us had become a competent witness through personal observation. To ill.u.s.trate: of the citizens of this country but a comparative few perhaps have visited the seat of government; the ma.s.ses know nothing by actual observation of the Capitol, the executive mansion, and other buildings of national interest and importance; very few have personally met the President who resides there. How does any one of the mult.i.tudes who have not seen for themselves, know of the city of Washington, of the Capitol, and of the President? Solely through the testimony of others. He may have among his acquaintances one or many who have been in the capital of our country and whose statements he accepts as true; a.s.suredly he has heard or read of those who do know for themselves. Then he hears of laws being framed there, and of edicts issuing from the nation's headquarters; his studies in school, his use of maps and books, and many other incidents add to the evidence which soon becomes decisive.

His inferences multiply, and develop into a positive conviction. He acquires a faith in the existence of a center of national government, and a regard for the laws which emanate therefrom.

[278] See Note 1.

=9.= Let us take another ill.u.s.tration: Astronomers tell us that the earth is of a kind with certain of the stars; that it is one of a family of planets which revolve about the sun in concentric orbits; and that some of those planets are many times the size of our globe.

We may not be skilled in astronomers' methods of observation and calculation, and may therefore be unable to test the truth of these statements for ourselves; but we find such a ma.s.s of evidence resulting from the united testimony of those in whose skill as scientific workers we have confidence, that the conclusions are accepted by us as fully proved.

=10.= So too concerning the existence, authority, and attributes of G.o.d, the testimonies of many holy men in ancient and modern times,--prophets whose credibility is established by the fulfillment of their predictions,--have come to us in united declaration of the solemn truths, and nature furnishes corroborative testimony on every side. To reject without disproving such evidence is to ignore the most approved methods of investigation and research known to man. The development of faith from evidence is ill.u.s.trated in the scenes of a certain memorable Pentecost celebration, on which occasion thousands of Jews, imbued with a preconceived prejudice that Jesus was an impostor, heard the apostles' testimonies, and witnessed the attendant signs: three thousand of them were convinced of the truth and became followers of the Son of G.o.d, their prejudice giving place to belief, and their belief developing into faith with its accompanying works.[279] The foundation of faith in G.o.d then is a sincere belief in or knowledge of Him, as sustained by evidence and testimony, tested and proved by earnest, prayerful search.

[279] See Acts ii.

=11. Faith a Principle of Power.=--In its widest sense, faith,--the a.s.surance of things for which we hope, and the evidence of things not discernible through our senses,--is the motive principle that impels men to resolve and to act. Without its exercise, we would make no exertion the results of which are future: without faith that he may gather in the autumn, man would not plant in the spring; neither would he essay to build, did he not have confidence that he would finish the structure and enjoy its use; had the student no faith in the possibility of successfully following his studies, he would not enter upon his courses. Faith thus becomes to us the foundation of hope, from which spring all our aspirations, ambitions, and confidences for the future. Remove man's faith in the possibility of any desired success, and you rob him of the incentive to strive. He would not stretch forth his hand to seize did he not believe in the possibility of securing that for which he reaches. This principle becomes therefore the impelling force by which men struggle for excellence, oftentimes enduring vicissitudes and suffering that they may achieve their purposes. Faith is the secret of ambition, the soul of heroism, the motive power of all effort.

=12.= The exercise of faith is pleasing unto G.o.d, and thereby His interposition may be secured. It was through faith that the Israelites in their exodus from Egypt followed their dauntless leader into the bed of the sea; and through the protecting agencies of G.o.d, which that faith drew forth, they were saved, while the Egyptians met destruction in attempting to follow.[280] With full confidence in the instructions and promises of G.o.d, Joshua and his intrepid followers laid siege to Jericho; and the walls of that city of sin fell before the faith of the besiegers without the use of battering rams, or other engines of war.[281] By the same power Joshua gained the a.s.sistance of the luminaries of heaven, in his work of victory over the Amorites.[282]

Paul cites[283] us also to the instances of Gideon,[284] Barak,[285]

Samson,[286] Jephthah,[287] David,[288] Samuel,[289] and the prophets, "who, through faith, subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong." It was by faith that Alma and Amulek were delivered from captivity, while the prison walls which had previously held them were rent and demolished.[290] By faith, Nephi and Lehi[291] the sons of Helaman were protected from their Lamanite foes, even by fire, though they were not burned; and a still greater work was wrought in the hearts of their persecutors, for they became enlightened, and accepted the testimony of truth. Through the operation of faith even the waves of the sea may be subdued,[292] trees are subject to the voice of Him who commands by faith;[293] mountains may be removed for the accomplishment of righteous purposes,[294] the sick may be healed,[295] evil spirits may be cast out,[296] and the dead may be raised to life.[297] All things are wrought through faith.[298]

[280] Exo. xiv, 22-29; Heb. xi, 29.

[281] Josh. vi, 20; Heb. xi, 30.

[282] Josh. x, 12.

[283] Heb. xi, 32-34; Doc. and Cov., Lecture i, 20.

[284] Judges vi, 11.

[285] Judges iv, 6.

[286] Judges xiii, 24.