Faith, Paul tells us is the substance of things hoped for but not seen. Joseph Smith changes the word substance to assurance. I like that and think that is a significant change. After all if we have substance, we know it for a certainty. We can see it or we can touch it. However, if we only have the assurance of something, we don't necessarily see it or touch it, rather we are promised by those we love and trust that it is true. This is more akin to what faith is because if we have faith we do not have a perfect knowledge. This is one of the ways that the subject is sometimes thought of as being handled better by Alma because Alma takes us through all the stages of faith and how we get there.
This chapter is very fun to read however because it is neat to see Paul recount all the ancient prophets and great ones that we all know and have heard their stories dozens of times and to know that they were only able to become great because of their faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God we are told. Without faith it would be impossible to do what they did. Without faith it is impossible for us to be the kind of members that we need to be. It is impossible to enter into the Celestial Kingdom without faith. Without faith it is impossible to know what we want. We have to believe there are options before we can chart a proper course.
As we cultivate faith we will find it easier to cultivate. The more faith we have the easier it is to believe and gain more. It is always interesting to me to note that the ones we think of as great and stand in awe of, such as Noah, probably did not think of themselves as great and did not realize their faith was something special. Rather they were commanded of the Lord to do something and because they had faith, they were able to accomplish it. If you want to do what the Lord asks of you, the best way to ensure that you can, is to have faith. With faith all things are possible. Until tomorrow.
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