“Faith in Jesus Christ,” Doctrinal Study (2022)
“Faith in Jesus Christ,” Doctrinal Study
Faith in Jesus Christ
Trusting His power, His wisdom, and His love
The scriptures teach us that having faith means that we “hope for things which are not seen, which are true.” 1 It means believing in something even though we might not be able to see it or understand it fully. When we have faith in Jesus Christ, we rely completely on Him—trusting in His infinite power, intelligence, and love. We believe that even though we do not understand everything, He does. Because He has experienced all our pains and sorrows, He knows how to help us face our challenges. 2
If you’d like to study faith more deeply, consider the suggestions below.
Exercising our faith will help it grow
Doing things that require faith is sometimes called “exercising” faith or “acting on” faith. Just as we can gain strength and endurance by exercising our body, one way we gain faith is by exercising it. This means we do things that require faith. We can’t just read about muscles and expect to get stronger. In a similar way, for our faith to continue to grow, we need to do more than just read about it.
Faith in Jesus Christ doesn’t always come easily, and we won’t always exercise our faith perfectly. Think about the Apostle Peter, who wanted to walk on the water toward Jesus. 3 As he started walking, he saw the wind and the waves and became afraid. When he started to sink, he cried out for Jesus to help him. After they were back in the boat, Jesus asked, “O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” 4 Even though at that time Peter had “little faith,” he did have enough faith to step out of the boat, and when he began to have doubts, Jesus was there to rescue him. This caused the Apostles to say to Jesus, “Of a truth thou art the Son of God.” 5
When we exercise even a little bit of faith in Jesus Christ, He will help us, we will feel His love, and our faith in Him will grow.
Acting on Faith
Watch “Exercise Faith in Christ.” What does Elder Bednar teach about acting in faith? What can you do to exercise your faith in Jesus?
If you want to learn more
Read “Exercising Our Spiritual Muscles” or watch the video. 6
Exercising our faith takes time and effort
One way that we can exercise our faith is by hearing the words of God. 7 This includes praying and studying the scriptures and the words of the living prophets. Doing so helps us come to know Jesus and Heavenly Father. The more we come to know Them, the more faith we will have in Them. President Russell M. Nelson taught that increasing our faith takes work, but our faith doesn’t have to be perfect to be powerful. 8 Even our growing faith can help us overcome the challenges in our lives.
Think about
Search President Nelson’s talk for ideas on how you can strengthen your faith in Jesus Christ. What can you do to help your faith grow?
If you want to learn more
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Read the “Jesus Christ” study topic. Is there anything you learn about the Savior that helps you have faith in Him?
Faith brings miracles, but not always in the time or way we expect
We are taught that faith can bring miracles. That’s true, but sometimes miracles don’t come when we want them to, or they are different than what we hoped for. When we have faith, we believe that Heavenly Father and Jesus know what’s best for us, even if that’s different from what we want. We can continue to pray, keep the commandments, and hold on to our testimony of God’s eternal plan.
Counting Our Blessings
Watch “Mountains to Climb.” Then you could make a list of the ways that Jesus and Heavenly Father have blessed you, even if it’s not how you expected.
It’s normal to have questions
We all have times when we feel like our prayers aren’t being heard or our challenges are more than we can handle. A man once came to Jesus Christ with such a situation. His son needed healing, and the man asked Jesus to bless him. When Christ explained that all things were possible to those who believe, the man exclaimed, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” 9 He had enough faith to ask, but he knew his faith wasn’t perfect. When we ask in prayer for help to regain our faith, we show that we know Jesus can help us—and He will.
Every person’s experience of building faith in Jesus Christ is unique. If people you love are struggling with their faith, remember to respond with kindness and empathy. If they come to you with questions, you can lovingly and patiently listen to them and support them in their search for truth. You can also help them find reliable sources where they can look for answers. And you can tell them how much Jesus loves them.
Think about
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland taught that when we have questions or doubts, we can “hold fast to what [we] already know and stand strong until additional knowledge comes.” 10 Perhaps you could study Elder Holland’s address to find ways to strengthen your faith when you have questions or doubts.
If you want to learn more
If you or someone you love has questions about the gospel or Church teachings, see the “Answering Gospel Questions” topic for ideas on how to “seek learning, even by study and also by faith.” 11