Faith

Following the Pattern of Faith

"For he did cry from the morning, even until the going down of the sun, exhorting the people to believe in God unto repentance lest they should be destroyed, saying unto them that by faith all things are fulfilled—
Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God," - Ether 12:3-4

Towards the end of the book of Ether, the Jaredite nation grows increasingly wicked. At this time, the prophet Ether had a mighty desire to preach the gospel unto these people. In the selected verses above, he outlines a special pattern for faith. Faith is believing in something you can't see, but know is true. It is an essential aspect of salvation. In this pattern of faith you must believe, then you must act, and finally you receive power.

Initially, Ether exhorts his people to believe in God. Faith is a principle of belief, but we must show our willingness to believe before we can have faith in something. Rely on the faith of others and the scriptures to begin to strengthen your own belief in Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the gospel. As you exercise belief, your faith will grow if what you believe in is true.

After we believe and begin to grow our faith, we must act on that to continue. It is not enough to just believe in Heavenly Father and never follow His teachings. Ether specifically exhorts the people to act in repentance. This is the next step of the gospel of Christ (after faith), and is essential to progression. We must make up for our mistakes and sins and look to Christ and His Atonement to help make us whole again. In addition to repentance, we need to act on all things that God commands to see the positive impact and blessings in our lives.

After we believe and act, we will be filled with power. Those who truly have faith and repent will be able to hope for eternal life with God, as Ether preaches to the Jaredites. God will bless us with a special witness and testimony of the things we have tested as we progress through belief and action. In this process, we can come to truly know and have faith in eternal principles.

After we accomplish this process though, we are not finished, because we truly never finish the pattern in this life. We must always continue to repeat in belief, action, and power as we continue to grow. There will always be things that come up in our lives which test and trouble us. If we stick to this pattern that Ether described, we can always stay on the right path and become closer to our Heavenly Father.