Revealed Faith

Volume One—Chapter Nine REVEALED FAITH

#Introduction

I always cringe a little when I suggest to someone there is more they can learn about the concept of faith. In the Church virtually everyone assumes they already intuitively understand the concept. After all, faith is a word we use commonly in secular conversations, and it is very often spoken in Church settings. Most church members’ intuitive definition of faith goes something like this: It is holding to a belief in something that you cannot know for sure. We need to avow that Christ lives, that Joseph was a prophet, and that the Book of Mormon is true even though we can’t know these concepts for certain. That is faith. So why spend time studying it? I can easily imagine the individual thinking, “What can I possibly learn? I just know you’re going to bore me.” I assure you that seeking after the precise definition—or definitions—of faith is a most exciting adventure!

I believe faith is the most oft discussed and yet the most poorly understood concept in the gospel. If you were to read several scriptural passages about faith with an open mind and in an effort to truly understand the use of the word, I believe you would find the exercise to be confusing. For example, you would read about “faith unto salvation” (1 Peter 1:5) or that faith is “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1), or you may struggle to make sense out of Alma’s seed metaphor in Alma 32. You would read that faith can render a man “mighty even unto the power of deliverance” (1 Nephi 1:20), or that by even a small amount of faith “ye shall say unto this mountain, remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you” (Matthew 17:20). What exactly is faith in these passages? Can you state it simply?

#Three Concepts of Faith

I have concluded it would not be possible to make sense of all the scriptures containing the word faith if there existed only one concept of faith. I have also concluded there are three separate and distinct concepts spoken of as faith. Two of them are referred to commonly in the scriptures and the third only infrequently. It is particularly important to understand the first two as unique and separate concepts. It is also vital to learn how they interact with one another. And they do, indeed, interact. In this chapter we will identify one type of faith and tantalize you with the second type.

Now, why all the fuss about striving for a thorough understanding of the principle of faith? Is it really necessary? If we come to understand faith, its structure, its workings, and how they apply to us, that insight may be useful in our coming to know better how to acquire it, how to nourish and maintain it, how to understand its workings in ourselves and others, and how to avoid losing it. It will also enable us to teach more effectively the principle of faith to others.

#The Ideal Sequence for Learning Gospel Doctrines

When the idea of creating this book first occurred to me, I anticipated I would be able arrange the chapters in a logical sequence. The simple, most basic doctrines would be placed first, followed by the more complex ones. Each chapter would provide a platform for the next. Ideally, this would allow us to build a fund of knowledge of doctrine in a logical, orderly way, step by step, “line upon line.” I thought it would be easy to identify that logical sequence for all the doctrinal topics. It turned out to be more difficult than anticipated. Unfortunately, you the reader will occasionally encounter mention of concepts in some of the chapters that will not be discussed fully until later in the book.

There is, however, good reason for our having studied the doctrine of spiritual

growth prior to approaching the doctrine of faith. If you have firmly in mind what we have already learned about the process of spiritual growth, then coming to an understanding of faith is simply a matter of taking the next logical step.

#A Review of the Concept of Spiritual Growth

In case your understanding of spiritual growth has tilted a little, allow me to straighten it.

The essence of spiritual growth is this: As we earnestly, persistently strive to deny our natural selves and obey the Lord’s commandments, we are granted, in return, increments of divine attributes through personal revelation. These increments are “gifts of the Spirit.” The Holy Ghost, in his role as the Holy Spirit of Promise, plays a vital role in this process. As we strive to obey the commandments, he evaluates our efforts. When he judges them to be adequate, he nods his approval and begins to reveal to us increments of the attributes of Christ. Though the Holy Ghost reveals them to us, they do not originate with him. They are, instead, the very attributes of our Lord Jesus Christ (Moroni 10:18). These attributes produce fundamental changes in us. They change our hearts, our minds, our thinking, our priorities, our behaviors. They render us “new creatures” (Mosiah 27:26; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15). We become a little more like God. The source of this change is the gifts of the Spirit that have been revealed to us. These are of two general types —obedience specific and perquisite gifts.2 There exist several types of perquisite gifts, but for the purposes of this review, we will concentrate on only four:

1. Lessening of the pulls of your “natural self.” Obedience is rendered less difficult.

2. Joy. Receiving an increment of a divine attribute produces an incomparable spiritual joy which enlarges your appetite for more spiritual growth. Your fleshy appetites pale by comparison and seem tawdry and inferior. This joy renders spiritual growth deeply satisfying, highly desirable, and it is likely you will continue to grow.

3. Enhancing your spiritual confidence. Your belief in God is strengthened—in his existence and in his authorship of the commandment you have just obeyed. You have just had a successful spiritual experience. You feel more certain that further obedience will bear good fruit. This additional gift of confidence enlivens the expectation that further obedience will result in more joyful spiritual growth.

4. Character or strength in secular and spiritual matters. Not only is your resistance to obeying lessened, but also your strength to obey is enhanced.

We may summarize our review with a diagram:

#Holy Spirit

#of Promise

#Obedience Gifts of

#the Spirit

#New Creature

#1. Obedience-

#Specific Gifts

#2. Perquisite Gifts

Fig. 1

The loop diagram in Figure 1 is most important to us as mortals. It is the very essence of mortality from the Lord’s standpoint. It is the formula for exaltation. It is the process by which we may return to him. Without entering into this loop we cannot return to our celestial home. We may refer to this loop diagram as “The Algorithm for Getting to Heaven.”

#Without Faith We Cannot Grow Spiritually

Now, one more point before we actually get underway in our consideration of the types of faith. I want you to see clearly the relationship between faith and your spiritual growth. Let me ask you three questions:

1. What is God’s eternal goal for each of us? He wants to live with us forever. Indeed, it is the very object of his yearning (Moses1:39).

2. What must we do to make the goal of living with him forever a reality? We must deny our natural selves and obey his commands. This allows us to progress spiritually, become increasingly more like him, and qualify ourselves for exaltation.

3. What role should faith have in our obedience to the commandments? What does your intuition tell you? Paul, in his letter to the Hebrews, wrote: “Without faith it is impossible to please him” (Hebrews 11:6). Without faith we cannot please the Lord.

Without faith we can’t make this loop work for us and reach our celestial home. Without faith we will not obey his commandments. Hence, without faith, we cannot grow spiritually. Faith renders obedience possible. Without it, obedience is impossible. Only with faith can we live with God again.

Do you suppose that faith—both types—are right in front of you as you study figure 1? Are they illustrated in figure 1? They are. We will do a bit of sleuthing to try to find them.

#Revealed Faith

We’ll begin our sleuthing with one of the two specific types of faith. We will call it “revealed faith.” Where is revealed faith in figure 1? Here is your clue: Elder Bruce R. McConkie succinctly defined this type of faith as: “Faith is a gift of God bestowed as a reward for personal righteousness. It is always given when righteousness is present, and the greater the measure of obedience to God’s laws the greater will be the endowment of faith” (Mormon Doctrine, 264).

So what is it and where is it in figure 1? The attributes of Christ a man earns through his obedience to the Lord’s commands are his “revealed faith.” The sum total of his gifts of the Spirit are identical with his faith—his revealed faith. They include both his obedience-specific gifts and perquisite gifts. They are revealed to him as (in Elder McConkie’s words) “as a reward for [his] personal righteousness.” The more gifts of the Spirit revealed to him because of his obedience, the more revealed faith he possesses. The person of great faith is highly likely to continue to obey the Lord’s commands and progress spiritually.

#Spiritual Growth Accelerates As We Continue to Grow in Faith

During our discussion of the process of spiritual growth, we observed that our spiritual growth is not “linear”—it is not constant over time. Rather, it is “exponential.” That is, it tends to accelerate with time as we continue to grow. The individual who progresses or grows spiritually is subsequently able to continue to grow at even a more rapid rate.

It should be obvious why this is so. As the individual grows in faith (receives gifts of the Spirit), the loop in figure 1 accelerates. Each gift of the Spirit, particularly the perquisite gifts, contributes to this acceleration.

#Perquisite Gifts Are Non-specific

It may be helpful to emphasize again a pertinent characteristic of perquisite gifts of the Spirit. In chapter 8, The Blessings of Spiritual Gifts, we concluded that perquisite gifts are not specific for the particular law being obeyed. For example, if an individual earns an increment of the gift of testimony of the Book of Mormon through his reading, pondering, and praying about the book, the additional perquisite gifts he receives will enhance his subsequent growth in more than just the area of his testimony of the Book of Mormon. The extra blessings or gifts he receives enable and enhance his subsequent growth in all areas. The spiritual perks better enable him to obtain any and all of the gifts he may subsequently strive to receive.

We may state this principle in yet another way. The individual growing in his faith in any particular area of the gospel, becomes better able to grow spiritually in all other areas.

#Is Acquisition of Faith a Prideful Thing?

Fortunately, and perhaps somewhat ironically, there is nothing of pride in the joyful experience of growing one’s faith. The individual who grows spiritually—the person who increases his revealed faith—is inclined to want to share his greater spiritual capacities with others. He desires to succor others less faithful and help them experience the joy he is experiencing. He has no inclination to boast of his new faith or use it to his advantage.

#Testimony

What is the relationship between revealed faith and testimony? They are synonymous. When spiritual knowledge or divine attributes are revealed to us by the Holy Ghost, they become our testimony.

Revealed faith is a quality that grows within each of us as we progress spiritually. It is vital we develop this faith in order to qualify for exaltation. Each of us is responsible for nurturing our own revealed faith—it is a life-long quest. While we are here in mortality, we must be engaged in that process constantly. To what end? Our revealed faith is a significant factor in the Lord’s judgment of each of us.

It should now be simple for you to understand Paul’s reference to “faith unto salvation” (1 Peter 1:5). The prophet Joseph Smith referred to this same entity as “faith unto life and salvation” (Lectures on Faith, 6:58). One of the criteria by which we will be judged is how much faith we obtained here on earth—how much spiritual growth we have achieved.

It should also be simple for you to understand the scriptural verse “Without faith it is impossible to please him” (Hebrews 11:6).

When we say of an individual, “He is a man of great faith,” we mean the individual has earned many spiritual gifts through his devoted obedience to the commandments of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Consequently, he knows the joy and satisfaction of spiritual growth. He has been “born of the Spirit.” He is a “new creature.” Resisting his natural self is less difficult. He is indeed a man of great faith. He will grow spiritually at an accelerated rate because of his revealed faith.

There is another type of faith vital to our spiritual growth. It is also in plain sight as you study figure 1 above. The precise definition of this other type of faith and its relationship to revealed faith is the subject of the next chapter.

See chapter 7, Spiritual Growth—Gifts of the Spirit and chapter 8, The Blessings of Spiritual Gifts.

Please review “’Specificity’ of Spiritual Gifts: and “Perquisite Gifts of the Spirit” in chapter 8, The Blessings of Spiritual Gifts.