Building Faith in Christ

I read this article this morning I wanted to share it. I realize that this would be more affective in a social media outlet, but my goodreads account is as social as I get!

Anyway, in the September Ensign there is an article by Elder D. Todd Christofferson titled, 'Building Faith in Christ.' It was a talk given to new mission presidents and gives a beautiful and thorough account of faith. I refer you to the article (it is a short one) for your pleasure, but here are some key points that stuck out to me as a teacher to children just growing their faith and trying to figure out what it is. (And as a tool to teach about the 4th Article of Faith.) I couldn't use his terminology, but these are his words.

'The word that we declare, the word that generates faith in Christ, is the gospel, or good news, of Jesus Christ. Simply put, the good news is that death is not the end of existence and our separation from God is temporary. We have a Savior, Jesus Christ, the divine Son of God, who by His Atonement has overcome death and hell so that all will be resurrected and all who will repent and be baptized in His name may have place in the heavenly kingdom of God forever.'

'Repentance plays a prominent role in building faith in Christ. Receiving the word of Christ generates the faith needed for repentance, and repentance, in turn, nourishes a growing faith.'

'These phrases recognize the doctrine that the baptism of water is the final or crowning step in the process of repentance. The renunciation of sin, coupled with our covenant of obedience, completes our repentance; indeed, repentance remains unfinished without that covenant. With it we qualify for a remission of sins by the grace of Jesus Christ through the baptism of the Spirit (see 2 Nephi 31:17).'

A lesson on faith in a little nugget, love this...

'What I have said about building faith in Christ among those taught by missionaries applies to all of us. Our faith in Christ is born of the Spirit as we hear the word of God taught by those who are His commissioned servants, both living and dead. As we build upon that foundation, our faith is strengthened by prayers of faith that have become a part of our daily life—and sometimes a part of our hourly life.

Continuing to feast upon the words of Christ in the Book of Mormon and other scripture adds to and deepens the faith that had its origins in the word. Repentance rooted in faith further nourishes our faith as obedience is perfected. Repentance invigorates our own baptism of water and of the Spirit to produce a remission of sins committed not only before baptism but also after baptism. Christlike service to our neighbor is a critical part of the covenant keeping that nurtures faith in Christ. Over time we find that the blessings promised for obedience to God are in fact realized in our lives and that our faith is confirmed and strengthened.'