First, Faith

The Fourth Article of Faith for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is, "We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; Fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost."

Before you can commit to a religion or a way of life, you have to have faith in what is taught and in the beliefs. Then you can change your life through repentance, be baptized to show your commitment, and receive the Holy Ghost which helps you to keep making good choices.

"Faith is to hope for things which are not seen, but which are true, and must be centered in Jesus Christ in order to produce salvation" (Bible Dictionary, pg. 669). We can say that we have faith that the sun will rise, but that kind of faith does not help us to follow Christ so we can live with Him again. We must have faith in Christ. We must hope that He is real even though we haven't seen Him. We must hope that following His teachings will result in salvation. We must hope that He truly did atone for our sins and was resurrected so we can repent and be resurrected too. We often discuss in our church classes if seeing Jesus would increase our faith. If having knowledge with our eyes would help us to want to follow Him even more. I can't answer that because it hasn't happened to me. I do know that during Christ's time on earth, many did see Him and still did not have faith that He was the Messiah.

Do I know that Jesus is real, that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has the fullness of the gospel, and that by following Christ I will be resurrected and return to live with Him someday? I have faith. I used to think that even if this was all a big hoax, at least the lifestyle inspired by Christ is a way I want to live. But at this point in my life, my faith in Jesus Christ is not just a belief and I know it's not just a hoax. I have a knowledge in the same way that I know I love my children even though I can't "see" love. I can see evidence of the love I have for them and their love for me. I can feel that love. In the same way, I see evidences of the reality of Christ. I see the results of living according to His example. I know the peace, comfort, and answers I receive through prayer. I know because of sacred personal experiences.

Faith is active. Because of my faith in Jesus Christ, I work to keep His commandments and to study the scriptures daily. And because of my faith in Jesus Christ, I ask Him constantly to support me and make up the difference.