“Ether 3: ‘Such Exceeding Faith,’” Book of Mormon Student Manual (2024)
“Ether 3,” Book of Mormon Student Manual
Ether 3
“Such Exceeding Faith”
Have you ever truly considered the difference faith in Jesus Christ can make in our lives? A great example is the brother of Jared, who approached the Lord with a plan to solve his problems and humbly prayed with “such exceeding faith” (Ether 3:9) that “the veil was taken from off [his] eyes” (Ether 3:6) and he saw and conversed with the Lord. This lesson is intended to help you humbly exercise faith in Jesus Christ.
How do you show faith?
Make a list of three people you admire from Church history or scriptures.
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What are some ways these people showed faith in Jesus Christ?
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How can you tell if you are exercising faith in Jesus Christ in your life?
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Why would you want to exercise faith?
To help you ponder your own faith in Jesus Christ, write how true the following statements are on a scale of 1–5 (1 = never; 2 = sometimes; 3 = often; 4 = almost always; 5 = always):
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I believe in Christ and accept Him as my Savior.
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Through sincere prayer to Heavenly Father, I seek for help from God and Jesus Christ with my problems and trust in Their direction and help.
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I take action and trust the Lord to help me.
As you study this lesson, seek to learn more about how you can humbly exercise faith in Jesus Christ and why you may want to.
Exercising faith
In the previous lesson, you learned that the Lord commanded the brother of Jared to build barges and cross the ocean to the promised land; however, the barges had no light. The Lord asked the brother of Jared to propose a solution (see Ether 2:23). As the brother of Jared acted in faith in Jesus Christ, the Lord helped solve his problem and blessed him in ways beyond what he asked for.
One principle we can learn is that as we humbly exercise faith in the Lord, we will come closer to Him.
Coming closer to the Lord
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What are the different ways the Lord blessed the brother of Jared because of his faith?
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In what ways did the brother of Jared come closer to the Lord through this experience?
It may be helpful to mark the Lord’s words to the brother of Jared: “Ye are redeemed from the fall; therefore ye are brought back into my presence” (Ether 3:13). As we exercise faith in the Lord with our individual problems, we can also receive His help with our eternal goal to overcome our separation from Him and return to live with Him.
Watch or read one of the following examples of youth exercising their faith.
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Watch “Faith and the Goal” (4:40). A young professional soccer player tells how she exercises faith in the Lord.
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Watch “Rebuilding My Faith When I Felt Lost” (6:25). After returning early from a mission, a young man rebuilds his faith in Jesus Christ.
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Read the account of Jan Roothoff, a young boy in the Netherlands who sought the prophet Joseph F. Smith to heal his diseased eyes (Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, vol. 3, Boldly, Nobly, and Independent, 1893–1955 [2022], 123–25).
Look for ways you feel closer to the Lord as you act in faith.