Book review: "Lectures on Faith"

(From my original Blogspot)

I just finished reading Lectures on Faith a couple of weeks ago. It was great! I was surprised to learn that the Lectures were originally published at the beginning of the Doctrine and Covenants, but that they were removed from the scriptures in 1921 because they were not canonized and therefore did not belong with other canonized writings. They are inspired writings about the nature of God and the mechanism of faith by our dear prophet Joseph Smith.

I learned that faith operates on three principles: 1. One must know that God exists. 2. One must know the nature of God. 3. One must know that his or her life and works are in line with God's directives to his children. When these three elements are in place, one has faith.

I learned why each of these building blocks is important. First,knowing that God exists preempts any exercise of faith in him. I have this one covered. I know without any doubt that God exists and have felt his loving presence leading my life from my earliest consciousness. Surely, without the thought that God exists, faith would be nothing but superstition or magical thinking.

The second building block, knowing the nature of God, is very interesting to me. I think I have this one about 75% correct (I think I understand Him, but He is too big for me to say that I really understand.... but what I have experienced is consistent with how scripture describes him). God is merciful, unchangeable, truthful, no respecter of persons, the embodiment of justice and judgment, truth, and love. Joseph Smith argued that if even one of these characteristics of God were to be taken away, we could no longer have faith in him. That was probably one of my favorite parts of the book.

Joseph Smith argues that if God was not merciful, we could not have faith in him because we all make mistakes and we must rely on his mercy. We must know that he wants to extend kindness and patience to us in order to have the courage to try again.

He also argues that if God were not unchangeable we could have no faith in him. If God were to change His mind and decide not to send his Son back to the earth, or not to forgive anymore, or not to hear our prayers, we could not exercise faith in him.

If God were not truthful, we would also have no basis for our faith. All of our hopes and actions are anchored (when in faith) on the hope that what we know of God is true.

God's characteristic "no respecter of persons" is one I had not thought about much before reading this book. I particularly liked the paragraph where Joseph Smith tells why this characteristic is so important: "it is also necessary that men should have an idea that he is no respecter of persons, for with the idea of all the other excellencies in his character, and this one wanting, men could not exercise faith in him; because if he were a respecter of persons, they could not tell what their privileges were, nor how far they were authorized to exercise faith in him, or whether they were authorized to do it at all, but all must be confusion; but no sooner ware the minds of men made acquainted with the truth on this point, that he is no respecter of persons, than they see that they have authority by faith to lay hold on eternal life, the richest boon of heaven, because God is no respecter of persons, and that every man in every nation has an equal privilege."

Another favorite passage of mine that I wish to quote from is where Joseph Smith argues the necessity of the characteristic of judgment: "it is also of equal importance that men should have the idea of the existence of the attribute judgment in God, in order that they may exercise faith in him for life and salvation; for without the idea of the existence of this attribute in the Deity, it would be impossible for men to exercise faith in him for life and salvation, seeing that it is through the exercise of this attribute that the faithful in Christ Jesus are delivered out of the hands of those who seek their destruction; for if God were not to come out in swift judgment against the workers of iniquity and the powers of darkness, his saints could not be saved; for it is by judgment that the Lord delivers his saints out of the hands of all their enemies, and those who reject the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. But no sooner is the idea of the existence of this attribute planted in the minds of men, that it gives power to the mind for the exercise of faith and confidence in God, and they are enabled by faith to lay hold on the promises which are set before them, and wade through all the tribulations and afflictions to which they are subjected by reason of the persecution from those who know not God, and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, believing that in due time the Lord will come out in swift judgment against their enemies, and they shall be dut off from before him, and that in his own due time he will bear then off conquerors, and more than conquerors, in all things."

God's quality of being truth is critical because we must be able to believe every thing He says as being true in order to exercise faith. If someone consistently tells you the truth, you come to not even question what they say, and I know that God always tells the truth. (In my mind it seems he exudes truth more than tells truth).

The characteristic of God's love is necessary for our faith in Him. We must know that he loves us and has our best interests as his first priority in order to place our trust in Him.

The last element necessary for our exercise of faith in God is our own knowledge of our obedience to his will. John 14:12 states "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also." Joseph Smith asserts that if we know that the course of our life is agreeable to our maker, we can endure hardships and privations of any kind, because in the end we believe in God's mercy on us. If we are doing those things God wants us to do, those hardships are not to be despised, but merely endured with patience while awaiting greater things. That makes a lot of sense to me. If you did not know that your life was in line with God's will, and you were enduring hardships, you might think "I can't stand this... I simply cannot endure this - I must change something about my life." But if you are completely peaceful that you are doing all your Maker requires, you can think, "I'm doing the best I can. I can live with this because life is not perfect, and everyone has to endure some hardships. Let me endure this cheerfully."

To end, I will quote one last time: "We ask, then, what are we to understand by man's working by faith? We answer - we understand that when a man works by faith he works by mental exertion instead of physical force. It is by words, instead of exerting his physical powers, with which every being works when he works by faith....by words...its mightiest works have been, and will be, performed."