Lesson 166: Doctrinal Mastery: Finding Answers to My Questions

Acting in Faith to Find Answers

Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge, Part 2

Jesus Christ invites us to look to Him and act in faith throughout our lives. It is critical that we focus on the Savior, especially when we cannot easily resolve questions or situations. This lesson can help students understand how to act with faith in Jesus Christ as they seek answers to their questions.

Possible Learning Activities

The importance of asking questions

Before class, you may want to write the following question from President Dieter F. Uchtdorf on the board. As students enter, invite them to ponder how they might answer his question and why they would answer that way. After students have had time to ponder, invite them to share their responses.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, then of the First Presidency, posed the following question:

Is it all right to have questions about the Church or its doctrine? (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “The Reflection in the Water” [Church Educational System devotional, Nov. 1, 2009], thechurchnews.com)

• How would you answer this question? Why would you answer that way?

As you read the remainder of President Uchtdorf’s statement, look for how your answers compare to his.

My dear young friends, we are a question-asking people because we know that inquiry leads to truth. That is the way [that] the Church got its start—from a young man who had questions. In fact, I’m not sure how one can discover truth without asking questions. …

… Inquiry is the birthplace of testimony. … Asking questions isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s a precursor of growth. (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “The Reflection in the Water” [Church Educational System devotional, Nov. 1, 2009], thechurchnews.com)

• What examples have you seen in the scriptures, Church history, or your own life that illustrate that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ want us to ask questions?

Sometimes we may discover new information about the doctrine, practices, or history of the Church that seems difficult to understand. We also may have questions that are difficult to answer. Having questions is not the same as doubting. Faithfully asking questions can increase our understanding and testimony of Jesus Christ. Fostering doubt can negatively affect our faith in Him (see Topics and Questions, “Answering Gospel Questions,” topics.ChurchofJesusChrist.org).

Ask students to think about questions they may have about the Church or its doctrine they cannot easily answer. You could invite students to write these questions in their study journals. Invite them to look for truths in this lesson that can help them when difficult questions arise.

Responding to difficult questions

To illustrate the importance of asking questions and to model how to act in faith, present a scenario to the class. Use the description below or show the video “Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge: Madison’s Story,” available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org, from time code 0:00 to 1:44.

In seminary, Madison learned that Joseph Smith practiced plural marriage. After she heard this, some questions came to her mind.

To help students discuss the following questions, you could divide the class into partnerships or small groups. After discussing the questions, students could report their answers to the class.

• What are some negative and positive approaches Madison could take to dealing with her questions?

• Why do you feel these approaches would be negative or positive?

When we encounter difficult questions, it can be helpful to use the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge.

Some students may have previous experience studying the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge in seminary. If so, ask class members if they can recite the three principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge. If needed, invite them to read paragraph 4 of the “Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge” section of the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document (2023). Consider writing these principles on the board:

• Act in faith.

• Examine concepts and questions with an eternal perspective.

• Seek further understanding through divinely appointed sources.

Act in faith

Today’s learning experience will focus on the principle of acting in faith.

Read Doctrine and Covenants 6:36. Identify how this invitation from the Savior can help us act in faith.

• What words or phrases in this verse could help Madison or others who have questions about the gospel or the Church?

• Why would those words or phrases be helpful?

As students share their responses, help them identify the following truth: When we have unanswered questions, we can look unto Jesus Christ and doubt not.

Explain to the students that many examples of how we can look to Jesus Christ are found in the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document.

Read paragraphs 5–7 in the “Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge” section of the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document, looking for ways you could act in faith when you have spiritual questions.

• Which of the statements from these paragraphs do you feel could be most helpful to someone with a challenging question? Why?

Consider inviting students to find scriptures that support their responses. For example, if students mention prayer, they could refer to 2 Nephi 32:8–9 or James 1:5–6. If they mention scripture study, they could refer to 2 Nephi 32:3 or 2 Timothy 3:15–17.

Find natural opportunities to remind students of the importance of doing these actions with a focus on Jesus Christ. You might invite students to consider how the actions they identify could be examples of looking unto Jesus Christ.

Examples of acting in faith

Share the conclusion to the scenario about Madison. Invite students to identify how Madison chose to act in faith as she dealt with her questions. You could show the video “Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge: Madison’s Story” from time code 1:44 to 8:35; if the video is not available, read the following paragraph.

After class, Madison approached her teacher and asked why Joseph Smith practiced plural marriage. Her teacher encouraged her to continue living the gospel and offering sincere prayer as she searched for answers. As Madison prayed and searched her scriptures, she received a prompting that she would receive an answer in time. Madison continued to act in faith and rely on the testimony she had of Heavenly Father and His plan, and she gradually began to find answers that helped her feel at peace. Throughout the process, Madison felt her relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ grow. She came to know that as we act in faith, God will provide the answers or peace we are seeking.

As part of the discussion of the following question, ask students to point out which of Madison’s actions relate to what they studied in the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document.

• How did Madison’s actions demonstrate her faith in Jesus Christ?

• What can we learn about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ from Madison’s experience?

Consider inviting students to think about and share times they have been blessed for acting in faith when facing difficult questions. Then invite the students to think about what they learned and felt today that could help with their personal circumstances and questions. Consider giving them time to record their thoughts and impressions in their study journals.

Conclude with your testimony of the importance of acting in faith with a focus on Jesus Christ as we seek answers to our questions.

Additional Resources

How can I increase my faith in Jesus Christ?

President Russell M. Nelson taught:

Act in faith. What would you do if you had more faith? Think about it. Write about it. Then receive more faith by doing something that requires more faith. (Russell M. Nelson, “Christ Is Risen; Faith in Him Will Move Mountains,” Liahona, May 2021, 103)

Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

The only way faith grows is for an individual to act in faith. These actions are often prompted by invitations extended by others, but we cannot “grow” someone else’s faith or rely solely on others to bolster our own. For our faith to grow, we must choose faith-building actions, such as praying, studying the scriptures, partaking of the sacrament, keeping the commandments, and serving others. (Dale G. Renlund, “Unwavering Commitment to Jesus Christ,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2019, 23)

What if I have a question that seems unanswerable?

President M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared the following:

If you live as long as I have, you will come to know that things have a way of resolving themselves. An inspired insight or revelation may shed new light on an issue. Remember, the Restoration is not an event, but it continues to unfold.

Never abandon the great truths revealed through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Never stop reading, pondering, and applying the doctrine of Christ contained in the Book of Mormon.

Never fail to give equal time to the Lord through honest attempts to understand what the Lord has revealed. As my dear friend and former colleague Elder Neal A. Maxwell once said, “We should not assume … that just because something is unexplainable by us it is unexplainable” [Not My Will, but Thine (1988), 124].

So before you make that spiritually perilous choice to leave, I encourage you to stop and think carefully before giving up whatever it was that brought you to your testimony of the restored Church of Jesus Christ in the first place. Stop and think about what you have felt here and why you felt it. Think about the times when the Holy Ghost has borne witness to you of eternal truth. (M. Russell Ballard, “To Whom Shall We Go?,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2016, 91)

Supplemental Learning Activities

Alternative scenarios

As an alternative to the scenario in the lesson, you might use one of the following:

1. Scriptures: Invite students to study an example from the scriptures of people acting in faith when they had questions or were in difficult situations. Examples might include Joseph Smith (see Joseph Smith—History 1:8–18), Nephi (see 1 Nephi 3:31, 4:7), Lehi and Sariah (see 1 Nephi 5:1–8), or Peter and the Apostles (see John 6:59–69).

2. Church history: Use an example from Church history that illustrates the principles of acting in faith. One such account could be the response of Brigham Young and his brother Joseph as they struggled to understand Joseph Smith’s revelation of the three degrees of glory, now found in Doctrine and Covenants 76. (See “The Vision,” Revelations in Context, found at ChurchofJesusChrist.org.)

3. The stonemason: Watch the video “Act in Faith: The Stonemason” (4:57). Help students see how they can hold on to the truths they know as they seek to understand gospel questions they have.

4. Liahona: If students have digital devices, invite them to select a recent issue of the Liahona magazine and find the “Portraits of Faith” article. Instruct them to select “The rest of the story” (digital only) at the end of the page and read the story. When students finish, they could share the story they found with a neighbor or the class and identify the challenge the individual faced and how they applied the principles of acting in faith.