What does it mean to have faith in Jesus Christ?
Prepare Yourself Spiritually
In order for our faith to lead to salvation, it must be centered in the Lord Jesus Christ. To have faith in Jesus Christ means to trust Him and obey His commandments. Faith is much more than passive belief. We express our faith through action—by the way we live.
Resources to Help You Prepare
These resources are to help you prepare for the “Learn together” section of the meeting.
-
Exodus 14:19–28; Matthew 8:5–13; Hebrews 11:4–9, 17–29; Ether 12:11–22; 1 Nephi 4 (Examples of people who showed faith)
-
James 1:5–6; 2:14–20 (Faith is belief and action)
-
Alma 32:21, 26–43 (Faith is hope for things that are true but not seen)
-
Moroni 7:33–41 (Miracles are wrought by faith)
-
Bible Dictionary, “Faith”
-
Quentin L. Cook, “Foundations of Faith,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 127–31
-
Bonnie H. Cordon, “Trust in the Lord and Lean Not,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 6–9
-
Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Fourth Floor, Last Door,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2016, 15–18
-
M. Russell Ballard, “Precious Gifts from God,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 9–11
-
“Faith,” True to the Faith (2004), 54–56
-
“Face to Face: How can I increase my faith?” (video)
5:4 -
“Pure and Simple Faith” (video)
5:30 -
“Courage” (video)
3:19 -
“Follow Him—An Easter Message about Jesus Christ” (video)
2:0
Questions to Ponder before You Teach
How have you exercised faith in Jesus Christ? What experiences can you share with the young men that could inspire them to act in faith?
How do the Aaronic Priesthood holders you teach exercise their faith in Jesus Christ? What are they doing to strengthen their faith?
What can the young men do to prepare to learn? For example, they could read a talk, watch a video, or study a scripture related to this doctrine.
Meeting Outline
1. Counsel Together and Share Experiences
Led by a member of the quorum presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes
Lead a discussion about items such as the following:
-
Our quorum: Who is missing today? What visits do we need to make? Who should we invite to an upcoming activity? Who needs our help and prayers?
-
Our duties: What assignments do we need to make? What assignments have we fulfilled? How have we invited others to come unto Christ, and how can we invite others now?
-
Our lives: Remind the quorum of the discussion from the last meeting. What experiences have we had with applying what we learned? What experiences have we had in the past few weeks that strengthened our testimonies of the gospel?
If possible, discuss these items beforehand in a quorum presidency meeting.
2. Learn Together
Led by a leader or teacher or a member of the quorum; approximately 25–35 minutes
After studying the above resources and following the inspiration of the Spirit, you may select one or more of the activities below to help quorum members understand the doctrine.
-
Invite the young men to read Alma 32:21 and Helaman 5:12. Ask a few of them to summarize in their own words what they learn about faith from these scriptures. Invite the young men to find examples of people who had strong foundations of faith in Elder Quentin L. Cook’s talk “Foundations of Faith.” Ask them to share what they find. What can they do to build a strong foundation of faith?
-
Invite two young men to come to the front of the class. Ask one young man to try standing in different ways (such as standing with his feet apart or leaning), and have the other young man give him a light push while he is in each different stance. What stances helped the young man remain unmoved? What stances made him lose his balance? Invite the young men to read Sister Bonnie H. Cordon’s talk “Trust in the Lord and Lean Not,” looking for her suggestions for how to develop greater trust in Jesus Christ and keep our faith centered on Him. Do the young men have any experiences they could share when they leaned on their own understanding and experienced the consequences? or when they trusted in the Savior and received the blessings?
-
Ask each young man to find a story from the scriptures in which someone acted on his or her belief in Jesus Christ (see, for example, Exodus 14:19–28; Matthew 8:5–13; Hebrews 11:4–9, 17–29; Ether 12:11–22; 1 Nephi 4). Invite the young men to also write about an experience in which they or someone they know exercised faith in Jesus Christ. Ask each young man to share the story he found in the scriptures and the experience he wrote about. They could do this in small groups or as a quorum.
-
Write the following questions on the board: What is faith? What does it mean to have faith in Jesus Christ? How do I live by faith? How do I increase my faith? What blessings do I receive from having faith? Invite some quorum members to read President Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s message “Fourth Floor, Last Door” and others to read President M. Russell Ballard’s message “Precious Gifts from God,” looking for answers to these questions. Have them write their answers on the board and share additional things they learned with the quorum. As part of this discussion, you might ask, “What does it mean to continue in faith until we reach the ‘fourth floor, last door’ like the missionaries in the story?”
-
Invite the young men to read Matthew 17:20, and ask them what they think it means to move mountains with our faith. Share the following statement from Bishop Richard C. Edgley: “I have never witnessed the removal of an actual mountain. But because of faith I have seen a mountain of doubt and despair removed and replaced with hope and optimism. Because of faith I have personally witnessed a mountain of sin replaced with repentance and forgiveness. And because of faith I have personally witnessed a mountain of pain replaced with peace, hope, and gratitude. Yes, I have seen mountains removed” (“Faith—the Choice Is Yours,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2010, 33). Show the video “Pure and Simple Faith,” and ask the young men to look for mountains that were removed through faith (or share an experience of your own).
5:30
3. Plan to Act
Led by a member of the quorum presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes
-
Ask the young men to discuss any feelings or impressions they had during the meeting. What was meaningful to them? Is there something they can do personally or as a quorum to apply what they have learned?
-
Give the young men a few minutes to record what they will do in the coming weeks to act on their impressions. Invite them to share their ideas.
-
Remind the young men that they will have the opportunity to share their experiences at the beginning of the next meeting.