Before he died, Larry Barkdull had written a substantial part of an unfinished manuscript about the extraordinary power of faith, particularly as a power that causes things to happen. This is faith on a higher level than we usually practice and understand it. With the permission of his wife, Buffie, Meridian will be running an excerpt from this new book every week. See earlier articles in this series by clicking on the author’s name.
To see the article that discusses God’s attributes, click here https://latterdaysaintmag.com/the-character-of-god/
If we find our faith faltering, we might ask ourselves, “Which of God’s perfections, attributes, characteristics or powers do I fear that he is lacking?” Joseph Smith’s observation now becomes crucial to our faith: if we cannot first comprehend the character of the Father, we can never hope to comprehend ourselves. Our place in the universe, our eternal intelligence, our identity as a child of God, the purpose of our experiences, our potential – all these things and more can only be comprehended if we have faith in God the Father. The more we come to know him and make him the object of our faith, the more we come to know ourselves. The very definition of eternal life and lives is to know God and Jesus Christ.
When we are settled on the fact that the Father does exist and when we begin to understand who he really is (a correct idea of his character, perfections and attributes), we seek to resolve who he is to us. What is it about my relationship to God that would motivate him to help me? Central to our exercising faith in God is our believing that there exists a divine relationship between him and us –who we are to the Father, who he is to us, and why that that matters.
How might we describe that relationship?
We believe that God is the literal parent of our spirit bodies and that we have enjoyed a long history together. We believe that in a manner we do not fully understand, he presented light and truth to our intelligence (the individual, eternal part of us), and by the exercise of agency in that primeval state, our intelligence responded favorably. Over time and by degrees, the Father added layers of light upon our intelligence as it continued to respond to the light. At some point, the Father presented our intelligence with enough light and truth so that it registered a conscious desire to be brought forward into the organized universe as his spirit child and take upon it the Father’s form, DNA and potential.
Significantly, throughout each of our various stages of the existence, the principles of agency, mercy and love reigned supreme. We chose to respond to the light and truth that the Father offered us; because of mercy, the Father responded to our desire to progress and receive more light and truth; then, motivated solely by love, the Father begat us through the process of procreation and purposefully brought us forth as his children, fully endowed with the ability to become like him. We were loved into existence, and by love we exist and progress.
We believe that from the moment of our genesis, the Father foresaw the entirety of our existence and provided a Savior to overcome every obstacle, weakness and sin that would stand between exaltation and us. We believe that our Father is constantly aware of us and that he is equitable in his interactions with and judgments of us. We believe that he has power to help us in any situation and that he loves us sufficiently to give us laws to progress and constant instruction; his love motivates him to nurture us, anticipate our wants and needs, and rush to our rescue when we experience trouble. Because we believe that these things define our relationship with him, we can trust him; we can summon courage to reach out to him with the confidence that he knows and cares about us enough to help. We are willing to seek him in faith because we have the conviction that he has both the power and the disposition to hurry to our aid. Furthermore, we are assured that his solutions will be perfect in their remedy and timing because he is perfect.
We make so many mistakes in our efforts to find God and center our faith in him. We often talk to him in prayer in ways that we would never talk to a loving parent, family member or friend. When we pray, we often rattle off a long list of requests, as if he is our servant, and our list seldom changes from morning until night. On the other hand, we might spend very little time acknowledging, thanking, worshipping and conversing with him. Would a loved one want to take a call from us if we treated him like an errand boy or if he always expected that we would bombard him with a long list of requests? And yet, we often do this to God and believe it to be a prayer of faith. In such prayers, we can beg, bargain, plead and pester. Would we hound a beloved friend day and night to help us, or would we sincerely and thoughtfully present our case to him then leave with confidence that we had been heard and will be answered?
Which approach qualifies as faith in God?
Sometimes we ask God for help then we go away still wringing our hands, wondering if he has heard us or if he cares about us or if he has the ability to solve our problems. We fret as if worry is a glorified form of work: “If I am worrying, at least I am giving the problem my best effort.” Really? If we treated a friend like we treat God, the friend might become exhausted or even insulted by our vote of no confidence in him.
Life has a way of increasing the frequency and intensity of challenges, but often our prayers to God do not exceed that which we learned in Primary. Would we approach a friend with a formula: address him by name, thank him for what he has done, ask for what we need, etc.? When mature faith-filled communing is what is needed, elementary prayer steps might fall short. The scriptural accounts of deliverance and grand visions never follow a formula; these reflect conversations of intimate communing between people who love and trust each other. The content of our prayers, the way we ask and the way we act after we ask are measurements of the level of faith that we have in our Heavenly Father.
As we explore our divine relationship with God, we discover that faith is generated less by knowing about the Father and more by knowing him. That knowledge increases the more we believe who he really is: his character, perfections and attributes. Since the days of Adam this truth has been so. Joseph Smith taught, “Multitudes were ‘stirred up . . . to search after a knowledge of [God’s] character, perfections and attributes, until they became extensively acquainted with him,’ so that they could ‘not only commune with him and behold his glory, but [also] be partakers of his power and stand in his presence.’”
Developing exalting faith in God the Father is not only a function of coming to know him but also the aligning of our life with the “laws, ordinances, and power whereby faith is acquired and perfected until it is possessed in the same degree and to the same extent that it exists in Deity.” These laws, ordinances and powers pertain to the Melchizedek Priesthood and are endowed upon the sons and daughters of God in his holy temples: “For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live.” Aligning our lives with the laws and ordinances of the gospel yields “the key to the knowledge of God” and “the power of godliness,” both of which constitute the very definition of eternal life and eternal lives. Elder Bruce R. McConkie connected these principles this way: “[To gain eternal life and eternal lives is] to gain the power of God, which is the power of faith, and thus be able to do what he does and to live as he lives.” “It follows,” he continued, “that to gain eternal life, men must know God.” Hence, eternal life is achieved by the power of faith—Godlike faith.
What does it mean, then, to believe that the Father actually exists? It means that we can draw from our experience memories of his interacting with us and intervening in our lives–instances when he has revealed something about himself to us and we learned something of his character, perfections, attributes and powers. To believe that God the Father actually exists is to rediscover our relationship to him—who he is to us, and who we are to him. That relationship is a key to our ability to access the power of faith to lay hold on the blessings of eternal life and lives. Is it any wonder, then, that the scriptures repeatedly command us to remember him?
Living According to God’s Will
Imagine that you depended upon someone for your life and yet you did not know how you stood with that person. How strong could be your faith in that person? What a weapon Satan wields when he manages to withhold or skew true knowledge of the Father. For example, how often does he convince people that they have sinned beyond God’s love or his ability to rescue? Succumbing to doubts and fears, murmuring or believing misinformation unplugs from the intelligent force of faith. Unless we believe that our Father loves us unconditionally, unless we believe that he knows and foreknows the details of our lives, unless we believe that he has all power to change any circumstance, unless we believe that his perfect love for us motivates him to interact with us and intervene in our lives, unless we have an actual knowledge that the course of life we are pursuing is according to the Father’s will, we cannot exercise full faith in him.
Let us emphasize that the Father is the supreme governor of his kingdom, which spans the universe and includes all beings and creations that reside within it. Although the Father has granted us children our agency, we cannot choose contrary to his will without breaking ourselves against it. No will supersedes that of the Father’s. Even Jesus, the great Jehovah, acknowledged the necessity of submitting to the Father’s will: “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.” We cannot hope to apply to faith and bring to pass something good if our will runs counter to the will of the Father. Again, Jesus said, “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just, because I do not seek mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.” And later, “The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.”
Jesus’ reference to the indwelling Father as the speaker and doer of his words and works reminds us of our dependence upon the True Vine, which provides us, the branches, with life. In Jesus’ statement, he reveals that he (the True Vine) derives his life force from another power: the Father. Think of a vine receiving the rays of the sun to give it life then channeling that energy down to its branches so that they can live. In a like manner, we can ultimately trace all life-giving energy to the Father. When we begin to appreciate this truth, we begin to understand why it is crucial that we know that our lives are aligned with God’s will.
Obedience to the Father’s Laws empowers Faith
Joseph Smith taught, “God himself, finding he was in the midst of spirits and glory, because he was more intelligent, saw proper to institute laws whereby the rest could have a privilege to advance like himself. The relationship we have with God places us in a situation to advance in knowledge. He has power to institute laws to instruct the weaker intelligences, that they may be exalted with himself, so that they might have one glory upon another, and all that knowledge, power, glory, and intelligence, which is requisite in order to save them.”
Collectively, the laws of God comprise the law or covenant of justice. The first and foundational law of the law of justice is described in D&C 130:20-21. “There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated. And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.” That is, the first and foundational law that God prescribed carried a mandate that all laws of God must be comprised of two parts: 1) immutable blessings for obedience and 2) immutable punishments for disobedience.
According to Joseph Smith, the Father established the law of justice to allow us the privilege to advance and become like him. These laws govern all celestial beings, including the Father, and additionally, these laws reveal the pattern of the Father’s lifestyle, the mystery of his ability to progress, and how he became and remains both perfect and perfectly just. By obeying these same laws, we likewise adopt God’s lifestyle, gain the ability to advance, and attain to his characteristics, perfections and attributes. Essential to our faith in God the Father is our confidence that he, the Eternal Judge, will deliver the blessings associated with any obeyed law. Sometime in our past, we accepted the law of justice, agreeing that (1) we would accept God as the supreme lawgiver; (2) admit that his laws are just; and (3) accept the consequences of obedience or disobedience to his laws. In exchange, and likely in a covenant setting, God gave us agency. By the power of choice we would validate our devotion to the law of justice, and we would demonstrate our willingness to obey by offering sacrifice. Therefore, it was decided that forevermore we would qualify for God’s blessings or punishments by our individual agency and faith in the supreme and Eternal Judge.
Joseph Smith centered our faith in the Father as the universal Lawgiver this way:
We admit that God is the great source and fountain from whence proceeds all good; that He is perfect intelligence, and that His wisdom is alone sufficient to govern and regulate the mighty creations and worlds which shine and blaze with such magnificence and splendor over our heads, as though touched with His finger and moved by His Almighty word. And if so, it is done and regulated by law; for without law all must certainly fall into chaos. If, then, we admit that God is the source of all wisdom and understanding, we must admit that by His direct inspiration He has taught man that law is necessary in order to govern and regulate His own immediate interest and welfare; for this reason, that law is beneficial to promote peace and happiness among men. And as before remarked, God is the source from whence proceeds all good; and if man is benefited by law, then certainly, law is good; and if law is good, then law, or the principle of it, emanated from God; for God is the source of all good; consequently, then, He was the first Author of law, or the principle of it, to mankind.
The Essential Offering of Personal Sacrifice
Ultimately, offering personal sacrifice of all earthly things is the most certain way to know that we are living according to God’s will and thereby achieve power to exercise faith in him. Joseph Smith connects faith, power and sacrifice as interdependent principles. Moreover, he taught, the sacrifice of all earthly things is the divinely prescribed law by which we receive the Father’s assurance that our lives are in harmony with his will and by which we are able to gather courage to press forward in faith and gain eternal life.
Let us here observe, that a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation; for, from the first existence of man, the faith necessary unto the enjoyment of life and salvation never could be obtained without the sacrifice of all earthly things. It was through this sacrifice, and this only, that God has ordained that men should enjoy eternal life; and it is through the medium of the sacrifice of all earthly things that men do actually know that they are doing the things that are well pleasing in the sight of God. When a man has offered in sacrifice all that he has for the truth’s sake, not even withholding his life, and believing before God that he has been called to make this sacrifice because he seeks to do his will, he does know, most assuredly, that God does and will accept his sacrifice and offering, and that he has not, nor will not seek his face in vain. Under these circumstances, then, he can obtain the faith necessary for him to lay hold on eternal life.
Understanding that the Father has decreed by law that the sacrifice of all things is the price to know our standing before him and the price of eternal life gives us insight into a reason for trials of faith and the necessity of physical death. We must willingly sacrifice everything of an earthly nature, even our lives—and we must make the sacrifice well. That which we take with us is of an eternal nature: experiences, character development, covenants, ordinances, priesthood and sealings. All else must be offered upon the altar of faith.
The law of sacrifice has always required the sacrifice of all earthly things, but the law has taken various symbolic forms. From Adam until Jesus Christ, the law of sacrifice required offering “the firstlings of their flocks… [as a] similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father” and the whole-soul offering of the heart: “The sacrifices of God are a broken heart and a contrite spirit.” For these same purposes, the Mosaic law prescribed blood sacrifices and burnt offerings of animals that acted as proxies of the sacrificers. From the days of Adam until Jesus Christ, the intention of the sacrifices was that the sacrificer would transfer his identity to the proxy, which was then slain in the sacrificer’s behalf—for his sins and salvation. The proxy symbolism of the law was fulfilled with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, leaving the requirement of the sacrifice of “a broken heart and a contrite spirit.” The power of this higher sacrifice delivers the revelation of our standing before the Father and ultimately ushers us into his presence and exalts us the Father’s kingdom. The reason should be clear: the sacrifice of fruits and animals, while instructive as symbols, could never have the power of the sacrifice of one’s whole soul to God.
Joseph Smith taught that the sacrifice of all things necessarily is connected to faith in God the Father and is essential to receiving eternal life:
Those, then, who make the sacrifice, will have the testimony that their course is pleasing in the sight of God; and those who have this testimony will have faith to lay hold on eternal life, and will be enabled, through faith, to endure unto the end, and receive the crown that is laid up for them that love the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. But those who do not make the sacrifice cannot enjoy this faith, because men are dependent upon this sacrifice in order to obtain this faith: therefore, they cannot lay hold upon eternal life, because the revelations of God do not guarantee unto them the authority so to do, and without this guarantee faith could not exist.
A wealthy young man went away sorrowing after receiving Jesus’ answer regarding the price of eternal life. Jesus turned to his disciples and said, “A rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Why is it hard for those who set their hearts on riches to enter the kingdom of heaven? For one thing, the sacrifice of all things is extraordinarily daunting for such people. Embedded in the Lord’s explanation to his disciples is an antidote for the illness of love of riches: the law of consecration, which is one of the highest manifestations of the law of sacrifice. To live this law requires great faith, but the result is liberating spiritual wellness and a safety net of divine security. Moreover, the law of consecration is a schoolmaster for preparing us to make the sacrifice of all things, so that we might gain passage into the kingdom of heaven.
The Lord had said to the rich young man, “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor.” Although the rich man was clearly a good man who had lived the commandments, he could not bring himself to accept the law of consecration and make the sacrifice of all things, which together would have cloaked him in safety, allowed him to unrestrictedly pursue perfection, and yielded unfathomable eternal blessings. Truly, it is hard for a rich man—or for that matter, a proud, selfish, power-hungry, recognition-seeking man—to sacrifice the things of this world and still achieve heaven. Such a man can never stand approved before God and thus harness the faith necessary to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation.
Alma and Amulek were viciously beaten and persecuted by demonic people. Forced to watch innocent women and children thrown into the flames at the place of martyrdom, then bound, spit upon, cast into prison, mocked, stripped and starved “for many days,” they endured in faith. We have learned that the law of opposites and opposition stipulates that the pendulum must eventually swing in the other direction. Mormon demonstrates that reality and simultaneously shows the relationship between sacrifice, faith and power.
And it came to pass that they all went forth and smote them, saying the same words, even until the last; and when the last had spoken unto them the power of God was upon Alma and Amulek, and they rose and stood upon their feet.
And Alma cried, saying: How long shall we suffer these great afflictions, O Lord? O Lord, give us strength according to our faith which is in Christ, even unto deliverance. And they broke the cords with which they were bound; and when the people saw this, they began to flee, for the fear of destruction had come upon them.
Sacrifice and faith in God had produced power. “And Alma and Amulek came forth out of the prison, and they were not hurt; for the Lord had granted unto them power, according to their faith which was in Christ. And they straightway came forth out of the prison; and they were loosed from their bands; and the prison had fallen to the earth, and every soul within the walls thereof, save it were Alma and Amulek, was slain; and they straightway came forth into the city.”
Alma and Amulek did what the rich young man failed to accomplish: they connected to and centered their faith in the Father, the Source or Object of the intelligent force, persevered to make the sacrifice of all things, and produced godlike power. They could not have done so had they not 1) believed that the Father actually exists, 2) correctly understood the Father’s character, perfections and attributes, and 3) had an actual knowledge that the course of life they were pursuing was according to God’s will. Similarly, every individual who possesses this faith can demonstrate the courage to make the sacrifice of all things and be endowed with the power of God.
Faith is the Father’s Gift to Us
Faith is a spiritual gift given to us by the Father and delivered by the Holy Ghost. “And all these gifts come from God, for the benefit of the children of God.” We receive the gift of faith by endowment and by asking. Some people seem to be born with the gift of faith, while others have to work for it. Think of the child prodigy who is born knowing how to play the piano with very little effort. Now think of the child who asks for lessons, struggles to learn to play, but eventually excels.
The Father endows all his children with spiritual gifts as a common interaction. The scripture says, “…to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God. To some is given one, and to some is given another.” But if we are not endowed with and yet desire a gift, the Father gives us a way to obtain it: “Seek ye earnestly the best gifts…. And it shall come to pass that he that asketh in Spirit shall receive in Spirit.” Thus we see that there is no disparity in the Father’s dealings with us. By endowment or for the asking, he gives gifts freely, and expects us to do the same. Every gift of God is given to us so “that all may be profited thereby.”
Each of us appreciates and applies the Father’s gift of faith differently. Think of the vast population of electricity users who appreciate that energy force but have little knowledge of its origin, workings or possibilities. Nevertheless, for everyday uses, electricity works for them. Now think of the individual, who by innate ability or by personal education, studies the science of electricity, sees its possibilities and sets out to harness its power in multiple remarkable ways. So it is with those who possess or obtain the gift of faith: some use it for its immediate applications, never attempting to understand the science or possibilities, while others drill deeply into the doctrines of faith, draw close to the Father, and gain power to move mountains. And apparently, a little effort when combined with grace goes a long way. “For verily I say unto you, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place, and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”
The scriptures are a textbook of stories of people, who received the Father’s gift of faith, mined the gift’s potential and gained power to accomplish godlike works. Joseph Smith listed a few examples:
Moroni, while abridging and compiling the record of his fathers, has given us the following account of faith as the principle of power. He says…that it was the faith of Alma and Amulek which caused the walls of the prison to be rent…; it was the faith of Nephi and Lehi which caused a change to be wrought upon the hearts of the Lamanites, when they were immersed with the Holy Spirit and with fire…; and that it was by faith the mountain Zerin was removed when the brother of Jared spake in the name of the Lord….
In addition to this we are told in Hebrews 11:32, 33, 34, 35, that Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, through faith subdued Kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword; out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens, and that women received their dead raised to life again, etc.
Also Joshua, in the sight of all Israel, bade the sun and moon to stand still, and it was done (Joshua 10:12).
We here understand, that the sacred writers say that all these things were done by faith. It was by faith that the worlds were framed. God spake, chaos heard, and worlds came into order by reason of the faith there was in Him. So with man also; he spake by faith in the name of God, and the sun stood still, the moon obeyed, mountains removed, prisons fell, lions’ mouths were closed, the human heart lost its enmity, fire its violence, armies their power, the sword its terror, and death its dominion; and all this by reason of the faith which was in him.
Had it not been for the faith which was in men, they might have spoken to the sun, the moon, the mountains, prisons, the human heart, fire, armies, the sword, or to death in vain!
Faith, then, is the first great governing principle which has power, dominion, and authority over all things; by it they exist, by it they are upheld, by it they are changed, or by it they remain, agreeable to the will of God. Without it there is no power, and without power there could be no creation nor existence!
Just how important is the gift of faith? “Take this principle or attribute — for it is an attribute — from the Deity, and he would cease to exist.” If God’s existence is dependent upon faith, our existence is no less dependent upon the intelligent force. Remove the human body’s ability to create electrical current and it dies. Moreover, it loses power. And power, said Joseph Smith—, is the foundational issue of faith—faith is power! This truth is a fundamental lesson taught by all the prophets. “Who cannot see, that if God framed the worlds by faith, that it is by faith that he exercises power over them, and that faith is the principle of power? And if the principle of power, it must be so in man as well as in the Deity? This is the testimony of all the sacred writers, and the lesson which they have been endeavoring to teach to man.”
If our very existence and power to think and act are not reasons enough to pursue the Father’s gift of faith, we should consider that faith alone provides us the power to return to the Father’s presence and become like him. “Let us here observe, that after any portion of the human family are made acquainted with the important fact that there is a God, who has created and does uphold all things, the extent of their knowledge respecting his character and glory will depend upon their diligence and faithfulness in seeking after him, until, like Enoch, the brother of Jared, and Moses, they shall obtain faith in God, and power to behold him face to face.”
