From Faith to Faith

Just in case anyone didn't hear about it, yesterday's BYU football game was an abysmal disaster of Biblical proportions.  But gratefully the world did not end.  Now on to something happier to write about.

Today in Sunday School, we talked about Paul's Epistle to the Romans.  Romans is a critical book for all of our Evangelical brothers and sisters, but it is sadly a book that Latter-day Saints at times forget about.  It is filled with beautiful doctrines that are vital to the faith of every true Saint, and it is a beautiful testimony of the absolute importance of the atonement in each of our lives.  As we studied it, I realized that I need to go back and reread this beautiful testimony.

Two verses in particular stood out to me today.  The instructor had us read Paul's famous declaration "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek" (Rom 1:16).  But then she also had us read the following verse: "For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith" (Rom 1:17).  The Prophet's translation renders this verse, "For therein is the righteousness of God revealed through faith on his name; as it is written, The just shall live by faith" (JST Rom 1:17).  This is a case where I love both renderings of the verse.  The Prophet's rendering clarifies the meaning of Paul's words and explains that we come to understand God's character and goodness through faith on the name of Jesus Christ.  That small change is invaluable to our scriptural canon.

But it is the standard King James text that impressed me today, and particularly the phrase, "from faith to faith."  We come to know God's goodness and love and mercy "from faith to faith."  I may be misinterpreting the apostle's words, but as I contemplated those words, I began to think about the experiences we go through in our lives.  So many of those experiences require the utmost of our faith, almost to the point of exhausting that faith.  But in spite of the difficulty, we believe and exercise our faith to the utmost of our abilities, and find that it is sufficient for the trials we must faith.  And then we come to the next trial that again requires a significant outlay of faith.  And we again wonder how we can possibly make it through, only to find that the faith we thought we had exhausted in the previous trial had returned and had been enlarged, allowing us to endure this new challenge.  And so on and so on.

To give a couple of concrete examples, let's look at Abraham and Joseph Smith.  Abraham grew up in a challenged home; his father attempted to offer him to a false god; he left home after home after home; while being promised seed as the sands of the seashore, he and Sarah endured decades of childlessness; and when he finally had a son, God asked him to offer that son in righteousness.  This litany of trials included several that would have been enough alone to destroy lesser men.  And yet Abraham endured.

Joseph Smith underwent a similar trajectory of trials.  He was born into crippling poverty as a child; he underwent an excruciating surgery at age five; his family was nearly torn apart by disagreements over faith; he lost numerous children to death; he was persecuted, imprisoned, and ultimately killed for his beliefs; and on and on and on.  And yet, Abraham-like, these trials that would have destroyed lesser men, did not destroy him or his faith in God.

What we learn from these examples is that for the righteous and striving, trials do not destroy faith, they facilitate it.  Abraham and Joseph Smith and a host of other worthy men and women have grown from faith to faith.  Each trial has only strengthened their understanding of the Savior and their love of His gospel.  And so, rather than the aggregate weight of their trials weighing them down, their trials actually buoyed up their faith and strengthened and enlarged it, preparing them for the next trial to come.

May we all grow from faith to faith.

Brett

Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ

I spent the last few minutes wracking my brain to come up with some sort of nice introduction, but couldn't think of anything, so this meaningless-placeholding sentence is what you get.  I'm sure that anyone who reads this is tired of me talking about BYU football, but it is my hobby outside of work, so that is what you get.  The team ran out of last-minute miracles last night and lost by 1 point to #10 UCLA at the Rose Bowl.  And that was actually what I wanted to write about today.

I had a strange experience at the end of the game last night that anyone who knows me well will find similarly surprising.  With 50 seconds left and BYU down by 1, Tanner Magnum (BYU's QB) threw an interception, meaning that the game was effectively over.  Normally such plays would send me into either some sort of rant or some sort of depressed melancholy.  But in that moment, I found myself clapping for the guys, the effort they had given, and how well they had played against a very good team.  Rather than being unable to go to sleep for a few hours because I kept going over the loss in my mind, I quickly fell asleep--which was good because it was midnight and I had a 7 am meeting.  I simply wasn't bothered by the interception or the loss.

Now this may sound ridiculous to non-sports fans--and it probably is--but any true sports fan will tell you that the post-loss funk is a real thing.  So I was surprised at how well I took things.  When I woke up this morning I kept thinking about the experience and what had happened.  As I thought about it, I had an impression--again something that is so simple that it is foolish to think that I needed an impression to understand it.  The impression was simply: "BYU football is not the gospel of Jesus Christ."  Because that statement is so obviously true that to think contrary is absurd, I'll explain what I mean.

Of course I know and have always known that that is true.  But in tough moments during the past, I have subconsciously looked to BYU football to make everything that was wrong in my life right.  If things were going wrong, I looked to the team to get wins where I felt like everything else in my life was turning up as losses.  And I learned by hard experiences that BYU football was a very poor gospel to have faith in during troubled times.  Last year, Taysom Hill went down and BYU lost four straight games at the most inopportune of times, leaving me even more angry and frustrated than I had been before.  As dumb as it was, I connected the outcomes of that game to the rest of my life because I was looking to BYU football to make things right when I should have been looking to the Savior.

We all do this.  For some it is a football or basketball game.  For others, it is a career or a school achievement.  For others, it is a new car.  Perplexed and troubled by other struggles, we look to other sources to give us validation, to say that everything isn't wrong, to give us hope.  We turn to these other things only to find out that teams can lose games, careers can suffer setbacks, someone else may beat us out for this achievement or that scholarship, new cars may get dinged at the grocery store.  Even placing our validation in relationships and families is unwise, as good relationships can fall apart and even the best of family members can let us down.  This is not meant to be pessimistic.  I love and will continue to cheer on my teams.  We all enjoy and should seek for career and school advancements.  Everyone loves riding in a new car.  And certainly relationships and families are among the best investments of time and effort we ever make.  I am not suggesting that we should disregard any of these important things.

What I am suggesting is that we must learn that there is only one safe harbor in which we can anchor our faith:  The Lord Jesus Christ and His Everlasting Gospel.  Everything else, no matter how well made, how well intentioned, or how well prepared for, will ultimately let us down at some point or another.  In those moments, if we have lost the proper perspective and have placed our faith in anything other than the Savior, we will find ourselves tossed mercilessly upon the seas of doubt.  I never intentionally placed my faith in BYU football.  But by looking to it as a kind of savior in difficult times, I took my eyes, ever-so-slightly off of the Son of God.

Last night I felt like a bit of proper perspective had begun to return.  It didn't diminish from my enjoyment of the game or of BYU football.  In fact, it actually made the game more enjoyable because I didn't have to worry about every missed throw or every sack or penalty or whatever.  I could enjoy the game for what it was without needing it to be something that it was utterly incapable of being.

Brett

When? and What?

Honestly this picture doesn't have anything to do with this post, but there is not any good art for the verses I wanted to write about, so I thought I'd include a beautiful picture of the moment just before Mitchell Jurgens caught the game winning touchdown last night with 45 seconds left against Boise State.  It's not often that you win two games in a row with rather dramatic and desperate throws towards the end zone on 4th down from a true freshman quarterback.  And yes, I managed to lose my voice again last night.  I should probably stop doing that, as I'm fairly certain that it isn't good for my vocal cords.  But in the moment it seems entirely worth it.  And, to be honest, my voice was gone by the end of the first quarter last night anyway.  Anyhow...

Recently I've become more and more impressed by the questions that people ask in the scriptures.  Asking questions is one of the vital habits of growth in time and in eternity.  But asking questions is also a skill that must be mastered.  Although we frequently say that there is "no such thing as a bad question," anyone who has ever taught in any capacity knows that this well-meaning saying couldn't be further from the truth.  There are good questions and there are bad questions in the classrooms of schools and universities.  These questions distract from, rather than contribute to, the atmosphere of learning and generally serve little purpose.  More importantly there are good questions and there are bad questions in the classroom of mortality.  And the questions that we ask determine our capacity to learn and grow in our understanding of the gospel.

While teaching his son Corianton, Alma began teaching his wandering son about the Resurrection, having perceived that Corianton's "mind [was] worried concerning the resurrection of the dead" (Alma 40:1).  Justifying these questions and sympathizing with Corianton's worries about the issue, Alma explained that he had also wondered about that important doctrine and had "inquired diligently of God that [he] might know--that is concerning the resurrection" (Alma 40:3).  From Alma's words to his son, we find that Alma had asked at least two questions about the resurrection.

Alma's first question revolved around the timing of the resurrection.  He knew there was "a time appointed that all shall come forth from the dead," but it seems to have been made clear to him that "when this time cometh no one knows."  He went on to explain that "whether there shall be one time, or a second time, or a third time, that men shall come forth from the dead; it mattereth not."  In other words, the Lord declined to give his prophet an answer in regards to the question, "When?"  But Alma then twice reassured his son that "God knoweth the time which is appointed" and "God knoweth all these things; and it sufficeth me to know that this is the case--that there is a time appointed that all shall rise from the dead" (Alma 40:4-5).

Alma's second question revolved around "what becometh of the souls of men from this time of death to the time appointed for the resurrection" (Alma 40:7). This question of "what?" that consumed Alma's thoughts  far more deeply than the question of "when?"  In response to this question, the Lord was far more forthcoming, revealing that "the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.  And then it shall come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care and sorrow" (Alma 40:11-12).

As I pondered these familiar verses, I was intrigued by the two questions and the two responses.  The question of "What?" had yielded a powerful revelation, pregnant with doctrinal insight and spiritual comfort.  The question of "When?" had resulted in a relatively brief answer and an invitation for Alma to continue to exercise faith in God's knowledge and God's timing.

In our lives, all of us has occasion to ask "what?" and "when?" questions, and in many regards I believe that the Lord's answers to those questions will almost always follow the pattern that we see in Alma 40.  "When?" is not necessarily a bad question.  As we can see through Alma, the question of "when?" yielded a significant opportunity for this prophet to develop faith and trust in God.  But in our moments of spiritual impatience, it is easy for us to disregard the Lord's answer to our questions of "when?"  When that occurs, this formerly good question can become unproductive and perhaps even destructive.  If the Lord has answered your question of "when?" with an invitation to trust Him and His plan, then it is time to let that question alone for a season.  On the other hand, the Lord seems to be almost eternally willing to answer our questions of "what?," particularly when phrased "What am I to learn from this experience?"  Alma's "what?" question became a means of providing comfort to those who were mourning and understanding to those who were struggling.  As we covenant to consecrate God's answers about what we are to learn in a way that builds and blesses those around us, we will find that the windows of revelation will open to us and our minds will be enlightened with an understanding of our own challenges and trials.  Then, in the reaching out towards and blessing of others, we will discover the true purpose of the tempests of life.  In the end, "what?" will simply matter more than "when?"

Brett

We Have to Grow into the Stature of Perfect Men and Women in Christ Jesus

Willard Richards

Hello all who read this!  I hope that you've had a great week!  I capped the week by experimenting again with making BBQ ribs.  Actually my mom did the hard work, as all I did was prepare them in the marinade yesterday and get a dry rub put together for them.  She did the hard work of getting them out of the marinade, putting the rub on, and then doing the cooking until I could get home to put them on the grill for the finishing touches with BBQ sauce.  They turned out well and it was fun to enjoy them with the whole family.  Anyhow, enough about meat.

This week I came across a letter written by Willard Richards in May 1839.  At the time he wrote the letter, Willard was presiding over the Church in England, where he had been laboring as a missionary since 1837.  At the time he had embarked on that mission, he had been a member of the Church for less than a year, having learned the gospel from and been baptized by his cousin, Brigham Young.  The following is a portion of what Willard wrote home to his family:

". . . Before we entered into the New Covenant you doubtless remember that there was some uncertainty or doubt upon our minds.  We felt that it was possible we might be deceived; that we might be wrong while we were re-thinking ourselves right; and we were looking forward with anxiety to the day of our departure and to the Judgment seat; thinking that every day was bringing us nearer and nearer to our destination doubting what it might be.  But is it so now?  I can truly say that I rejoice every day that passes that another day is gone into Eternity, and that I am one day nearer that rest that remaineth for the people of God.  If by the grace of God I shall remain faithful unto the end; (for he only that endureth to the End shall be saved) for I know in whom I have believed and I know that there is no other way given under heaven whereby men can be saved in the presence of God, but through obedience to the Gospel and the whole of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as made known in former and latter days by the revelations of the Most High God.  And I know assuredly that I am contending for the same faith which was once delivered to the Saints, but however feebly I may do it; for we are not yet perfect but we have to GROW into the stature of perfect men and women in Christ Jesus" (Willard Richards to Rhoda, Nancy, and Phinehas Richards, 10 May 1839, Richards Family Papers, MS 1558, box 1, folder 1, CHL).

The thing that stood out to me was the progression that had happened in Willard's life, in the space of just a few years.  I love the fact that Willard had been trepidatious when he was first hearing the gospel.  He was concerned about being deceived; concerned about following the wrong path.  It made me think about how, as a missionary, I used to get frustrated by people who didn't move fast enough or progress fast enough in the Kingdom.  But reading Willard's words, it helped me to see things from the perspective of the investigator or new convert.  As a missionary I didn't realize just how much I was asking them to change--although these changes are vital and important.  The truth is, spiritual progression is a process that requires great faith and often takes some time.  Willard's initial hesitancy did not preclude him from becoming a powerful force in the kingdom.  Within a matter of a few years, he had arrived at a place where his doubts had fled, being replaced by a desire to continue to grow and to remain faithful.

All of us have areas where perhaps we are fearful, and where we wonder how we can possibly exercise the faith needed to grow.  But if there are doubts and questions today, be assured that growth can happen and certainty can come.  That growth and that assurance will come as we exercise greater and greater amounts of faith in our Savior who loves us.  May we all continue our efforts to "grow into the stature of perfect men and women in Christ Jesus."

Brett