I believe in Christ. Many other people believe in Christ. A very common belief in the world today, but for those that struggle, which I also can be categorized as, how does one gain faith in Christ? Well first, we should look at what faith is.
In the Book of Mormon, Alma explains in chapter 32, verse 21 "And now as I said concerning faith—faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true."
And also in the New testament:
So faith can be essentially described as believing in a truth, without having proof that it exists. That's not to say you have no reason to believe in its existence however; quite the opposite in fact. Alma explains to Korihor, when he asks what evidence there is of a God, that all things bear witness of Christ, and all things can lead to a testimony of Him.
Another important thing, is what is faith not? In James 2:17-18 in the New Testament, it is explaned that faith without works is dead. So faith is not a stand alone thing. It cannot, by itself, exalt a person. It is very much necessary, but it cannot do the job by itself. Imagine a rowboat. One oar is your good works, and one is your faith-both are necessary to cross the lake, but neither will do the job by itself.
And in Alma:
So again, we hear that faith is not a perfect knowledge. In Indian Jones, there is a scene where he is required to take a leap of faith, by stepping out over empty space above a deadly fall into a canyon. He has no knowledge of what will happen, only the faith he has in his treasure map. The scriptures are like our treasure map, which lead us to Christ, and to eternal life-we need to have faith in them, even without a perfect knowledge.
Lastly, how does one obtain a faith in Christ? I have a friend, who I'll call Tom, that made an acronym, S.M.A.-Standard Mormon Answer. In the church, there are several things that answer the majority of questions (i.e. how do you obtain faith, how do you obtain blessings, how do you strengthen your testimony, etc.) and those answers are: go to church regularly, partake of the sacrament, bear your testimony frequently, read and study your scriptures, listen to the modern prophets and apostles, pay your tithing, and follow the commandments. You can see why he made an acronym for the answer.
The other possibility I would submit to you is this: we can gain a testimony from the Holy Ghost, if we earnestly desire one.
And:
So we are given the Holy Ghost for many reasons, but one that is stated plainly is that if we are lacking in wisdom or knowledge (remember what Alma said about faith and knowledge? You can only have faith if you lack knowledge) then if you ask sincerely and seek earnestly, you will be given a witness of it's truth.
I bear witness of the truth of these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
In the Book of Mormon, Alma explains in chapter 32, verse 21 "And now as I said concerning faith—faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true."
And also in the New testament:
Hebrews 11:1
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
So faith can be essentially described as believing in a truth, without having proof that it exists. That's not to say you have no reason to believe in its existence however; quite the opposite in fact. Alma explains to Korihor, when he asks what evidence there is of a God, that all things bear witness of Christ, and all things can lead to a testimony of Him.
Another important thing, is what is faith not? In James 2:17-18 in the New Testament, it is explaned that faith without works is dead. So faith is not a stand alone thing. It cannot, by itself, exalt a person. It is very much necessary, but it cannot do the job by itself. Imagine a rowboat. One oar is your good works, and one is your faith-both are necessary to cross the lake, but neither will do the job by itself.
And in Alma:
Alma 32:17-18
Yea, there are many who do say: If thou wilt show unto us a sign from heaven, then we shall know of a surety; then we shall believe. Now I ask, is this faith? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for if a man knoweth a thing he hath no cause to believe, for he knoweth it."
So again, we hear that faith is not a perfect knowledge. In Indian Jones, there is a scene where he is required to take a leap of faith, by stepping out over empty space above a deadly fall into a canyon. He has no knowledge of what will happen, only the faith he has in his treasure map. The scriptures are like our treasure map, which lead us to Christ, and to eternal life-we need to have faith in them, even without a perfect knowledge.
Lastly, how does one obtain a faith in Christ? I have a friend, who I'll call Tom, that made an acronym, S.M.A.-Standard Mormon Answer. In the church, there are several things that answer the majority of questions (i.e. how do you obtain faith, how do you obtain blessings, how do you strengthen your testimony, etc.) and those answers are: go to church regularly, partake of the sacrament, bear your testimony frequently, read and study your scriptures, listen to the modern prophets and apostles, pay your tithing, and follow the commandments. You can see why he made an acronym for the answer.
The other possibility I would submit to you is this: we can gain a testimony from the Holy Ghost, if we earnestly desire one.
James 1:5-6
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed."
And:
Moroni 10:4-5
"And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."
So we are given the Holy Ghost for many reasons, but one that is stated plainly is that if we are lacking in wisdom or knowledge (remember what Alma said about faith and knowledge? You can only have faith if you lack knowledge) then if you ask sincerely and seek earnestly, you will be given a witness of it's truth.
I bear witness of the truth of these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
