“Firmer in the Faith of Christ,” Liahona, Aug. 2024.
Come, Follow Me
Firmer in the Faith of Christ
How do we develop faith in Jesus Christ sufficient for all seasons of life?
In the third chapter of Helaman, we read of a period of “continual peace” (Helaman 3:23) and “exceedingly great prosperity in the church” (Helaman 3:24). Thousands were baptized, and “the blessings which were poured out upon the people” were so numerous “that even the high priests and the teachers were themselves astonished beyond measure” (Helaman 3:25).
Sadly, some “of the people who professed to belong to the church of God” (Helaman 3:33) became prideful and began to persecute their fellow Church members (see Helaman 3:34). “Now this … did cause the more humble part of the people to suffer great persecutions, and to wade through much affliction” (Helaman 3:34).
I imagine this was particularly painful for the humble members of the Church. After all, just a few years earlier, the people had fought side by side to thwart a Lamanite attack (see Helaman 1). This time, however, the afflictions came from within. The persecutors were those with whom they had met and prayed and learned and worshipped.
In the midst of such suffering, how did the “more humble part of the people” respond? What helped them endure the irony of being persecuted by those who had once professed to be fellow disciples of Christ?
Helaman 3:35 provides the answer: “They did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God” (emphasis added).
Let us consider how we, like the Saints in Helaman’s day, might become “firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ” as we face together what President Russell M. Nelson has described as “a most complicated time in the history of the world,” a time of “unprecedented challenges.”
Two Examples of Nephi’s Faith
The scriptures are full of experiences of men and women who became firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ while facing the challenges of their day. For example, please ponder Nephi’s faithful response to two soul-stretching experiences that were nearly identical initially and yet challengingly different in the end.
As Nephi and his brothers returned from Jerusalem with Ishmael and his family, Laman and Lemuel and several others rebelled (see 1 Nephi 7:6–7). Nephi called them to repentance and pleaded with them to remember the Lord (see 1 Nephi 7:8–15). Laman and Lemuel became angry with Nephi and bound his hands and feet with cords and left him to die in the wilderness (see 1 Nephi 7:16).
As heartbreaking as his brothers’ actions must have been, and regardless of the fear he might have felt, Nephi chose to remain firm in the faith of Christ. He “prayed unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, according to my faith which is in thee, wilt thou deliver me from the hands of my brethren; yea, even give me strength that I may burst these bands with which I am bound” (1 Nephi 7:17).
Nephi’s prayer was immediately and miraculously answered! “The bands were loosed from off [his] hands and feet, and [he] stood before [his] brethren, and … spake unto them” (1 Nephi 7:18). Nephi’s heart must have swelled with gratitude to the Lord for delivering him.
This would not, however, be the last time Laman and Lemuel would bind their brother with cords. And the next time, Nephi’s deliverance would differ significantly from the first time and would prove, once again, the firmness of Nephi’s faith in Christ.
Many years later, while crossing the sea to the promised land, Laman and Lemuel and the sons of Ishmael began to act with “exceeding rudeness” and to forget the Lord’s power that had blessed their journey (see 1 Nephi 18:9). Nephi again called them to repentance, and Laman and Lemuel again became angry with him (see 1 Nephi 18:10). Just as they had done before, they took Nephi and bound him with strong cords (see 1 Nephi 18:11–12).
What did Nephi think when he was bound with cords for a second time? What would you or I have thought had we found ourselves in this predicament again? Perhaps we would have thought, “I have experienced this before! I know what to do. If I pray to the Lord, He will immediately and miraculously deliver me.” We do not know what Nephi thought, but we know that while these two experiences were similar, the immediate results were not. This time, Nephi would not be instantaneously delivered from his brothers, but instead he would endure four days of suffering at their hands (see 1 Nephi 18:14–15).
Remembering his prior experience, Nephi might have prayed with great confidence for immediate deliverance. When no such deliverance came, Nephi could have become discouraged, his faith weakened by doubt. As the hours and days dragged on, and his pain increased, the growing weight of that discouragement and doubt could have crushed Nephi’s faith. He could have murmured, “Why have I not been delivered?” Was his faith not greater now—more mature and full-fledged—than it had been the first time he was bound? Had his faith not increased through powerful experiences with the Liahona, his broken bow, and a ship built under the direction of the Lord Himself?
Rather than becoming discouraged or doubtful, Nephi remained firm in his faith. His faith was not centered on the timing or method of his deliverance, nor was his faith dependent on an anticipated outcome. His was not a conditional faith. Nephi’s faith was firmly centered in Jesus Christ—come what may. Because of that faith, he could write, “I did look unto my God, and I did praise him all the day long; and I did not murmur against the Lord because of mine afflictions” (1 Nephi 18:16).
Please note that the firmness of Nephi’s faith in Christ allowed him to find comfort amid his afflictions and to be filled with love for God notwithstanding his pain. He was the personification of what his brother Jacob would later teach:
“Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause. …
“… Lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever” (Jacob 3:1–2; emphasis added).
We Can Continue in Faith
Both Nephi and the Saints in Helaman’s day provide us with hope that, with the Lord’s help, we can become firmer in our faith in Christ. As you read this, you may wonder if this hope applies to you. Let us all take comfort and courage from these words from our beloved prophet, President Nelson:
“The Lord does not require perfect faith for us to have access to His perfect power. But He does ask us to believe. …
“… The Savior is never closer to you than when you are facing or climbing a mountain with faith.”
In the end, as Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught, “most of us find ourselves at this moment on a continuum between a socially motivated participation in gospel rituals on the one hand and a fully developed, Christlike commitment to the will of God on the other. Somewhere along that continuum, the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ enters into our heart and takes possession of our soul. It may not happen in an instant, but we should all be moving toward that blessed state.”
So, amidst the unique trials and tribulations of our day, may we resolve—once and for all—to choose faith in Jesus Christ, a faith sufficient for all seasons of life. May we work and fast and pray to wax firmer in the faith of Christ and, with firm minds, receive His consolation in our afflictions and feast upon His love forever.
To that end, I testify of the truthfulness of President Nelson’s special witness: “Whatever questions or problems you have, the answer is always found in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.”