Developing Christlike Attributes: Faith in Jesus Christ

Who am I, and what type of person should I become? This question is one that has risen to the surface many times throughout my life. Who should we be? 

Christ answered this question during His ministry among the people of ancient America, as found in the Book of Mormon. He said, "...What manner of men ought you to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am." (3 Nephi 27:27)  

How do you we become like Christ? By developing his attributes. The next nine blog posts will include seven different Christlike attribute and how we can develop them in our own lives. As we strive to develop these attributes, a greater love will come into our lives for Jesus Christ and His atonement, for others, and for ourselves. Obviously, we can never in any way, shape, or form compare to the majesty of the master, but we can strive to be like him.

Faith in Jesus Christ

In order to become like Christ we first need to develop our faith in Christ. When we have faith in Christ, we believe in Him as the Son of God, the Only Begotten of the Father in the flesh. We accept him as our Savior and Redeemer and follow his teachings. We believe that our sins can be forgiven through Christ's Atonement. Faith in Him means that you trust Him and are confident that He loves you.

Faith consists of not only of BELIEVING  IN CHRIST, but it also means that we BELIEVE CHRIST. What is the difference between believing in Him and believing Him? Believing in Christ consists of believing that He lived and is the savior and redeemer of the world. Believing Christ means that we accept his teachings, trust in him, and have confidence that he did in fact pay the price for each of us. Through Him we can be forgiven of our sins and return to live with Him and our Heavenly Father again. There is more to believing Christ than there is to believing in Christ. Faith includes both believing in Christ, and believing Christ.

"Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." (James 2:17)

Faith in Christ leads to action. These actions include repentance, obedience, and service. When we have faith in Christ we trust the Lord enough to follow His commandments-- even when we do not completely understand the reasons for them. We do the things that the Lord asks us to do. We bring about good in our own lives and the lives of others.  Our faith is made known by our diligence in these things. "Believe in God.... believe that man doth not comprehend all this which the Lord can comprehend." (Mosiah 4:9) We may not know the specific reason that the Lord asks certain things of us, but faith is believing that the Lord knows what is best for us and remembering He can comprehend all things.

"And ye may know that he is, by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore I would exhort you that ye deny not the power of God; for he worketh by power, according to the faith of the children of men, the same today and tomorrow, and forever." (Moroni 10:7)

Faith is a principle of power. God works by power, but His power is usually exercised in a response to faith. He works in accordance with our faith. Doubt and fear are opposed to faith.

Our faith increases as we search and ponder the scriptures, offer sincere prayer, give dedicated service, and walk in obedience to the commandments.

As our faith increases increases we become better acquainted with Christ and His teachings. As we pray and diligently study the scriptures we learn of His ways, His love for all people, and His commandments. Therefore, we learn how we can become more like him.

Faith also includes confidence in the mission and power of the Holy Ghost. Through faith we receive answers to our prayers and personal inspiration to guide us in our lives.

Faith in Jesus Christ is the first step to becoming more like Him. Other Chrislike attributes follow as a direct result from our faith in Him.  

Additional Scriptures
Alma 32:21     Hebrews 11:1
Ether 12:6       Topical Guide, "Faith"
2 Nephi 25:29  Bible Dictionary "Faith
2 Nephi 26:13  Mosiah 4:6-12
Alma 32          Helaman 15:7-8
Ether 12:7-22  Mosiah 3:17
Mosiah 5:1-15 Helaman 5:9-12
John 14:6         Moroni 7:33
Romans 10:17  Hebrews 11



Taken from Preach My Gospel

Death: The Way to Life

Last Saturday I received a phone call informing me that my uncle had passed away. It was quite a blow to receive such shocking news. I have thought about the loss of my 29 year old uncle, and have felt the sorrow that the loss of a loved one leaves behind.

Elder Russell M. Nelson of the quorum of the twelve apostles in the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints taught, "Death separates 'the spirit and the body [which] are the soul of man.' (D&C 88:15.) That separation evokes pangs of sorrow and shock among those left behind. The hurt is real. Only its intensity varies. Some [sorrows] are heavier than others. The sense of tragedy may be related to age. Generally the younger the victim, the greater the grief. Yet even when the elderly or infirm have been afforded merciful relief, their loved ones are rarely ready to let go..." (Doors of Death, April 1992)

I have seen evidence of the Elder Nelson's words both with the tragic loss of my uncle, and in my daily labor as a missionary. An older woman that we visit has been through quite a lot throughout her life. She has dealt with death on more than one occasion, however the loss of her only daughter has left stains of sorrow and grief impressed on her heart. The hurt she feels is indeed real and intense, and it is safe to say that she was not ready to let go of her daughter when the time came for her daughter to leave this mortal existence.  Death is often a hard thing to cope with, but the restored gospel of Jesus Christ offers peace and comfort, along with the hope that we will in fact see our loved ones again.

"Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection—Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.

"Yea, this bringeth about the restoration of those things of which has been spoken by the mouths of the prophets.

"The soul shall be restored to the body, and the body to the soul; yea, and every limb and joint shall be restored to its body; yea, even a hair of the head shall not be lost; but all things shall be restored to their proper and perfect frame." (Alma 40: 11, 22-23)

From these few verses in the Book of Mormon we learn that when we die we are taken home to that God who gave us life. We can find comfort in knowing that our loved ones are in the care of a loving Heavenly Father as soon as they depart from this mortal body. Furthermore, we can find peace in knowing that as all die, all shall be made alive (see 1 Corinthians 15:22). We can find hope through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Our Heavenly Father loves us and knows all to well the pain we feel.  Thomas S. Monson, president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and Prophet in these days, helps us realize this when he said, "I [express]...my personal testimony as a special witness...God our Father [is] mindful of [us]...He too had a Son who died, even Jesus Christ the Lord; that He is our advocate with the Father, the Prince of Peace, our Savior and divine Redeemer, and one day we [will] see Him face-to-face." (Mrs. Patton-the Story Continues, October 2007)

The Atonement of Christ can bring hope to all of us. Three days after Christ suffered and died for us on the cross, he arose from the dead as a resurrected being. Because Christ overcame physical death by being resurrected so will each of us. We will all live again. "...there is a resurrection therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up by Christ." (Mosiah 16:8)

Christ is life and the light of the world and through him we can gain eternal life, our ultimate goal.  "We were born to die, and we die to live." (Doors of Death; see also 2 Corinthians 6:9) Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us, and Christ is central to that plan. They share the same work and they are one in purpose. Their work and their glory is to "bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39) Comfort is established when we turn our lives over to our Father in Heaven and realize that we and our loved ones are in His loving hands, and through His Son we can, with our loved ones, return to live with him again.  Times of sorrow are the times that we need Christ the most. He asked us to come unto him saying, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) Through Him we can find rest from our burdens.

I know with all my heart that Heavenly Father has a plan for His children. I know that He lives and that Christ is His literal living Son. I know of the comfort that comes from the knowledge that we are all the children of our Heavenly Father. "The spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God." (Romans 8:16) I know that this is true. I know that the Book of Mormon is the words of Christ and through that book we can find rest from our afflictions, and find rest from our pain.

IN MEMORY OF STEVEN BEARDALL 4/11/1981-3/26/2011

"...The Only True God, and Jesus Christ, Whom Thou Hast Sent"-John 17:3

Throughout the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, there has been speculation around the piercing question: Are Mormons christian?

The Book of Mormon answers this question when Nephi, an ancient prophet, declared "... we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophecy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins." (2 Nephi 25:26) Can it be any more clear than that? 

So what do we have to do to recieve this remission of our sins?

"And thus he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrificem to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance. And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice; therefor only unto him that has faith unto repentance is broght about the great and eternal plan of redemption. Therefore may God grant unto you, my brethren, that ye  may begin to exercise your faith un to repentance, that ye begin to call upon his holy name, that he would have mercy upon you." (Alma 34:15-17)  

Jesus Christ wants to extend his mercy toward us, but there are things we have to do. We must not only have faith in his name, but we must also exercise our faith in him through repentance. When we sin we transgress the laws of God. We break one of any of his commandments, thus separating ourselves spiritual from his prensence. When we repent we bridge the gap that we have created and bring ourselves closer to God. The first principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ are faith and then repentance. When we have faith and exercise that faith through repentance, it inturn leads to recieving the first oridinances (sacred ceremony where covenants or promises are made between us and God)  of the gospel of Jesus Christ which are baptism by immersion by the proper authority, and recieving the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. The gospel fits so well together, one thing leads to another, and the end result, if we are true and faithful, is living in neverending happiness with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

This week, while out trying to share this message with the wonderful people of Montana, we came across a man who didn't think we were christians. Somewhere along the way He was sadly misinformed about our religion. He believed that we worship Joseph Smith which is not true in the slightest. Though Joseph Smith was an important person in the founding of our religion and was a key figure in the restoration of Christ's church again to the earth, he had a completely separate purpose to Heavenly Father's plan than does His Son Jesus Christ. We only worship Jesus Christ because he is the savior of the world and the only means whereby we can recieve forgivness of our sins. I want to make it clear to everyone Jesus Christ is at the head of our church and there is no other means whereby we recieve forgiveness.

I know, without a doubt that Jesus Christ is the savior of the world. He did in reality Atone for our sins and through him and him alone we can return to live with our Heavenly Father. He was in fact born in Bethlehem to a virgin mother, He did in fact live a sinless life, He did, on this earth, raise the dead, cause the blind to see, the deaf to hear, and He does have the authority both in heaven and in earth to forgive the sins of man if we turn our lives over to Him and do the things that he asks us to do. I know that while He lived on this earth He eastablished His church. After his death, the church that He set up became extinct and no longer existed upon the face of the earth, but I know that His same church, the very one that He established while on this earth is back again. Through the prophet Joseph Smith the authoriy to baptize, recieve revelation, and call prophets and apostles was restored again to the earth. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is Christ's church again upon the earth. He lives and is at the head of that church. I know that my redeemer lives.  "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." (John 17:3)