Elder Santos

Elder Santos

Friday, November 28, 2014

November 3, 2014

I just barely realized how long this is.

Recently President asked us to read through the book of Mormon studying a particular theme. He asked for a report on what we learned that was supposed to be one page (oops). This is what I wrote to him. It took me all my time, so as a consolation prize for a real email (it was a pretty funny week, too), have this!

With love,

-Elder Santos

As I recently read through the Book of Mormon, I did a focused study on a principle which, as a missionary and as a disciple of Christ, has been on my mind a lot recently. I studied faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ. As I read through, I marked and counted occurences of the word "faith" or similar forms in one color, and marked examples of exercise of faith, blessings of faithfulness, and examples of unfaithfulness, each in a different color. The multiple little lessons that I learned through the book taught me, for example, that faith is a portal to power (literal, observable power included), that ... and that prayer is always an act of faith. What stuck out to me the most, though, and what I would like to talk about now, is what I learned in the final pages of the Book of Mormon, as civilizations lay in ruin and courageous, lonely prophets live out their days giving us all the knowledge that they can, that we may indeed learn to be more wise than they have been.
The great final message of the Book of Mormon, the last thing that these inspired men leave with us, is indeed a message of faith. The current edition of the Book of Mormon is printed on 531 pages, on which a form of the word "faith" is found 288 times. On the first 509 pages of the book, "faith" is used 215 times, which figures to roughly one occurance every two and a half pages, or, for statistical purposes, 0.4 "faith"s per page. In those final 22 pages, "faith" is used by the writers an incredible 73 times, or about 3.5 times per page. Why, we could ask, should the first principle of the gospel, already so prominent in the book of scripture, become almost nine times more common as the story comes to a close? I think that there are multiple answers, but to help us learn from this, I have isolated three particular lessons on faith that these prophets emphasize. To do so, I will reference scriptures from three extensive sermons on faith found in Ether 12, Moroni 7, and Moroni 10 (67 of the previously mentioned 73 final references come from these chapters).
First and foremost, these prophets (and it is both Mormon and Moroni who speak to us here) wanted everyone to know, and to have no doubt, that faith produces miracles. It is the great focus of Ether 12, where Moroni proves by abundant witnesses that God has always intervened in the history of this people by faith. This lesson, already taught and understood for many, is made even more poignent when put in its context, taught both among a people who was watching their world burn to the ground and by the lone survivor who lived to witness its utter destruction. It must have been very meaningful indeed for the worshipers in Mormon's audience to hear, from the mouth of their prophet-leader, that "it is by faith that miracles are wrought; and it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men; wherefore, if these things have ceased wo be unto the children of men, for it is because of unbelief, and all is vain." (Moroni 7:37) These were the Christians, the few faithful souls left in a decaying world, that would soon live to see the utter destruction not only of their nation, but of their religion as well. Where, then, were their miracles? Where then, was their God of deliverance? Their faith, was it not seen? Was it not real? (Mormon is quick to reassure them, judging them better, as he says) Then, from courageous Moroni comes the call "Christ truly said unto our fathers: If ye have faith ye can do all things which are expedient unto me." Even then, fleeing and friendless, he was never faithless. Moroni would yet accomplish many great things, expedient to the Lord, by faith.
The second observation is of eternal significance: Both prophets proclaim unequivocally that faith is not optional and it is not a convenience-it is absolutely essential for anyone who would be in God's kingdom (Moroni 10:21). Mormon even goes so far as to say that if there is no faith among the children of men, then "awful is the state of man, for they are as though there had been no redemption made." (Moroni 7:38). We already know the awful consequences that would be made universal without the redemtion of Christ; here, Mormon is teaching us as clearly as he can, that such will be the lot of those who do not have faith. I am reminded of Christ's visit to Nazareth, of which we read that He did little miracles there, because of the unbelief of the people. Thus, this point becomes a variation of the first-Christ will not and cannot work the miracles of redemtion and sanctification among us if we do not have faith in Him. We must have faith that we can be saved. We must have faith that we can be changed.
Finally, (stick with me on this one), these prophets show us that, by its very nature, faith brings us to Christ. In a very real way, faith makes us more like the Savior, and is certainly the only way that we will ever become coheriters with him. Following the very familiar promise to make weak things become strong unto those who have faith, Christ himself reminds us "that faith, hope and charity bringeth unto me—the fountain of all righteousness." (Ether 12:28) How, then, does faith lead us to the Savior? First and foremost, it is by faith, and not otherwise, that our garments are made clean (Ether 12:38). Scriptures witness abundently to the importance of purity before God. But, what really strikes me in this final message has to do with a phrase which I didn't really understand before this last reading, and which I am still learning about now. "by faith, they did lay hold upon every good thing." In Moroni 7:25-28, Mormon explains that throughout history, "they who have faith in Him [did] cleave unto every good thing". Faith allows us to reject that which is evil and to cleave unto that which is good. This is a phrase which we don't see before this in the Book of Mormon, nor after-that is, not until the very final five verses of the volume. "And again I would exhort you that ye would come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing." (Moroni 10:30) Moroni does not, in fact, use the word "faith" at all in this last sacred invitation to be perfected in Christ, but in the canon of scripture available to us, I cannot help but think that in this final, sacred moment, he must have been thinking of his father. "Come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ". So, here is the miracle. Here is salvation. Here is safety for the soul, even in the ash-heap of a godless world. Here is the mind of a man, close to the end of his life, but far from the end of his faith. He knew where he was going, for he had truly seen with his eyes that which he had first beheld with an eye of faith (Ether 12:19). He knew, and he wanted us to know.
This has been too long already, so I will end by saying that it is my sacred desire to walk in faith, to receive more faith, and to be exalted in faith. It is why I am here.

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