Faith and the First Principles

My dear brethren and sisters: I rejoice in being with you here this morning. I have been very much interested in Brother Kimball's references to the Lamanite people, and I recall a beautiful scene up on the borders of the Dominion of Canada, a winding river with a background of forest and soft, green sloping banks, where a Mohawk Indian, dressed in white, baptized his family into the Church of Jesus Christ. ¶

I sincerely pray that the Lord may direct me to say that which he would have me say. I rejoice in the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the power of God unto salvation, and what it is doing for the Lamanites, it is doing for all people who will accept it. ¶

There is a statement in the scriptures made by the Apostle Paul, at least so translated, ¶

Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection. (Hebrews 6:1.) ¶

I haven't time to deal with the various versions of this passage except to say, of course, it doesn't mean that we can discard any of the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ, we cannot, after joining the Church, leave behind and discard the principles and ordinances that we call the first principles in the articles of our faith. The rendering of this passage by the Prophet Joseph Smith in the inspired version is, "Therefore not leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on to perfection." I believe we should be more cognizant of the fact that we need the first principles of the gospel every day of our lives. It is by these principles that we live. ¶

They are: faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, and laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. By these two principles and the principles involved in these two ordinances we come into the Church, and it is my opinion that it is by the operation of these principles that we stay in the Church, and that we grow in the Church. Without them we could not remain faithful, and with them, we may advance to salvation and perfection through the power of the Lord. ¶

It is sometimes said it is humanly impossible to keep all the commandments of God. The Apostle said we should go on to perfection, and the Lord said in his Sermon on the Mount, ¶

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. (Matt. 5:48.) ¶

It is not humanly possible for us to become perfect and to keep all the commandments of God, but we are not talking about a human institution. We are talking about what the Apostle Paul said "is the power of God unto salvation" (Romans 1:16), and it is by the power of God that these things are done, as we place ourselves in a position for these principles to operate upon us. ¶

It is the purpose of the Lord to bring us all back into his presence, if we will keep his commandments and enter into covenant with him and walk uprightly before him and serve him and keep his commandments all the days of our lives. Now, I am sure everyone here every day needs some repentance, and we need to have a remission of our sins, which comes by virtue of the fact that we repent and that we have been baptized into the Church. And above all, we need the Spirit and power of God. The older I grow, the more I am convinced that the chief thing that we do need, and the highest achievement in the world to which we can attain, is to be guided by the Spirit of God. We can do that by keeping his commandments and in no other way that I know of. The Lord has outlined that most wonderfully in the ninety-third section of the Doctrine and Covenants, referring to the operation of that principle and these principles of the gospel that have been given to us. He speaks of the reference in John, to the Lord Jesus Christ as having become perfect by receiving grace upon grace and advancing from grace to grace until he had a fulness. ¶

That is set forth as the method, the progress toward salvation and exaltation in the presence of God, and it is held up as the method by which we may progress. ¶

We will obtain the advantage of these principles by having faith. In our first principle, it is not the abstract principle of faith that we hold to as the first principle of the gospel, but faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. ¶

And the only true faith in him is a faith in him as the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world, who atoned for our sins, who opened the tomb and instituted the resurrection from the dead. He is the light and the life of the world, the Lord omnipotent. When we have true faith in him, all necessary things are possible, and it is by the power of God, through this faith, that we are to be perfected and made fit to come back into the presence of our God. We need that faith every day in our personal conduct, in overcoming our shortcomings, in keeping the commandments, in being forgiven for our transgressions, in having an increase of the Holy Spirit with us to guide us and direct us. ¶

Every principle requires faith. I was very much edified by Bishop Wirthlin's reference to the law of tithing and the appeal that we should pay tithing. ¶

I think that is a good illustration of this principle of faith. I think when people say they haven't money enough to pay tithing, they should say they haven't faith enough to pay tithing. It is my conviction that we pay tithing with faith and not with money, because when a man has so much money that he has a large tithing, he can't pay tithing. He has too much money and too little faith to pay tithing, and just feels he can't afford it. I know a man who must have earned twenty-five thousand dollars or fifty thousand dollars a year, and he sent in a little pittance of three hundred dollars so that he would be on the tithing list. That wasn't tithing. I won't say what it was. I knew another man who was in financial distress, losing his home, harassed, but his tithing always came through. He didn't have money to spare for tithing in one sense. He didn't have money enough to pay his debts, his pressing obligations, but he had faith, and by faith he paid his tithing and remained straight with the Lord. I urge with all my heart that all the members of this Church who should pay tithing, pay an honest tithing — and don't scrape the measure off too level. Put a little offering of gratitude there, to heap it up just a little. The Lord heaps things up until they are running over with the blessings we receive from him. Let's be true and faithful. It is an interesting thing in this matter of tithing, which the Lord has set it up as his means of carrying on his work. ¶

It is through his blessings that all our money comes to us, and our means. It is a gift from him. The singular thing is that he has arranged that he must give $10,000 to get $1,000 back for his work. That may seem a very odd way of doing it, but that is his generous method; and the only way the Lord can get $1,000 contributed to the carrying on of his work under the tithing system is to give $10,000. I will leave it for you to figure out to whom he is going to give $10,000, whether it will be to those who keep it all, or whether it will be to those who turn back the $1,000 that he requires for his work. If we will pay our honest tithing to God, he will bless us and prosper us and increase our faith, and I believe the Lord has a lot of things to do that he can only do through people who have faith to pay their honest tithing. ¶

I speak of that only as an illustration. ¶

I think the same principle applies in all our conduct, as far as our characters are concerned. Through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ we may correct ourselves and have our sins remitted and have an increased portion of the Spirit of the Lord. ¶

Now what is the process. The Lord outlines that most wonderfully in the ninety-third section of the Doctrine and Covenants, as I have said referring to the Savior, advancing from grace to grace, he applies the same principle to us: "For if you keep my commandments you shall receive of his fulness, and be glorified in me as I am in the Father." (D. & C. 93:20.) That is the direct, clear word of the Lord Jesus Christ to every man in this world, if he will accept the gospel, and to us who have the gospel. We are promised that we shall be glorified in him, as he is in the Father. Again, ¶

The Spirit of truth is of God. I am the Spirit of truth, and John bore record of me, saying: He received a fulness of truth, yea, even of all truth; ¶

And no man receiveth a fulness unless he keepeth his commandments. ¶

He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things. (Ibid., 93:26-28.) ¶

That is spoken to us as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints and applies to all people of the world. The process is the same with us as with the Lord. From grace to grace we advance until we are glorified in truth and know all things. The Lord in this section (verse 36) says that "the glory of God is intelligence," and that is what the Lord is speaking of in this I have just read when he said we were to receive truth and light because he defines intelligence, which is the glory of God, as light and truth. I thank the Lord for that definition of intelligence because one may become greatly confused as between intelligence and mental brilliance and other unusual qualities that men have. Satan was the Son of the Morning, evidently a powerful spirit in the councils of God, called "Lucifer, the Son of the Morning," but he was without intelligence. ¶

The Lord said "he was a murderer from the beginning," the father of lies. ¶

Those are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ who knew him, for he it was whom Satan tried to dethrone. ¶

So that is the course of advancement. ¶

It is within our reach, not by our power alone, but through the power of God. ¶

Now what is the opposite of that? ¶

It is set forth in this same section, ¶

And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth through disobedience, from the children of men. (Italics Author's.) (Ibid., 93:39.) ¶

Here is set up the controlling principle of all advancement in the kingdom, that of obedience. Anything we hope for, anything we desire, anything we should have will come to us through the principle of obedience and by the same token all may be lost by disobedience. How simple the gospel is! The requirement is an obedient heart, an obedient heart. ¶

In another place the Lord said, ¶

If you keep not my commandments, the love of the Father shall not continue with you, therefore you shall walk in darkness. (Ibid., 95:12.) ¶

May the Lord give us power, humility, and meekness, that with determination and in gratitude and thanksgiving to him, we may be intelligent enough to keep his commandments and glorify his holy name, I humbly pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶