The Faithful

Yesterday I wrote about some of the scriptures that promise salvation based upon our belief in the Savior and our obedience to the commandments.  There is one other word that is likewise found in many of the scriptures that talk about salvation: faithful.  For example, the Lord promised in our dispensation: “And if thou art faithful unto the end thou shalt have a crown of immortality, and eternal life in the mansions which I have prepared in the house of my Father” (D&C 81:6).  In another scripture He promised again that the faithful would have eternal life, “And thus, if ye are faithful ye shall be laden with many sheaves, and crowned with honor, and glory, and immortality, and eternal life” (D&C 75:5).  In another passage we read, “And whoso is found a faithful, a just, and a wise steward shall enter into the joy of his Lord, and shall inherit eternal life” (D&C 51:19).  The Lord commended the faithful in yet another revelation in these words, “But blessed are they who are faithful and endure, whether in life or in death, for they shall inherit eternal life” (D&C 50:5).  David Whitmer was told, “if ye… are faithful, ye shall be blessed both spiritually and temporally, and great shall be your reward” (D&C 14:11).  In the revelation commanding the Saints to build the Nauvoo temple, the Lord told the Saints that if they did this and proved that they were “faithful in all things” that He commanded, then He would “crown [them] with honor, immortality, and eternal life” (D&C 124:55).  All of these passages suggest that receiving the gift of eternal life is dependent upon our faithfulness.              


                I love the word faithful because I think it encapsulates so much of what is required of us by the Lord.  On the one hand we can see it as meaning that we are “full of faith,” thus tying with the scriptures that promise salvation to the believers.  If we are faithful then we look to the future with faith and trust in the Lord.  But the word faithful also means “strict or thorough in the performance of duty” and connotes that we continue keeping the commandments and doing what the Lord requires of us all of our lives.  Faithful seems to have been the word of choice for President Joseph F. Smith as he described those who he saw in his vision of the spirit world in D&C 138.  For example, he wrote that he saw many “of the spirits of the just, who had been faithful in the testimony of Jesus while they lived in mortality” (D&C 138:12).  He referred to the “faithful daughters” of Eve who throughout the ages were true to the Lord and his commandments.  I think that phrase sums up perhaps better than any other what is required to gain eternal life—we must be “faithful in the testimony of Jesus.”  This implies both a belief and trust in the Savior as well as a commitment to continue throughout our lives to do that which He has commanded us to do.  To be faithful means that we trust fully in the Savior and strive to follow the commandments he has given.  To be counted faithful by the Lord is surely the great commendation that we seek from Him.  I love the word faithful because I think it encapsulates so much of what is required of us by the Lord.  On the one hand we can see it as meaning that we are “full of faith,” thus tying with the other scriptures that promise salvation based on belief.  If we are faithful then we look to the future with faith and trust in the Lord.  But the word faithful also means “strict or thorough in the performance of duty” and connotes that we continue keeping the commandments and doing what the Lord requires of us all of our lives.  Faithful seems to have been the word of choice for President Joseph F. Smith as he described those who he saw in his vision of the spirit world in D&C 138.  For example, he wrote that he saw many “of the spirits of the just, who had been faithful in the testimony of Jesus while they lived in mortality” (v12).  He told of how the Savior declared “liberty to the captives who had been faithful” (v18).  We read of how the “faithful spirits of the prophets” who had testified of Jesus before His life and also the “faithful elders of this dispensation” were to be missionaries in the spirit world (v36, 57).  President Smith referred to the “faithful daughters” of Eve who throughout the ages were true to the Lord and his commandments (v39).  I think that phrase sums up perhaps better than any other what is required to gain eternal life—we must be “faithful in the testimony of Jesus.”  This implies both a belief and trust in the Savior as well as a commitment to continue throughout our lives to do that which He has commanded us to do.  To be faithful means that we trust fully in the Savior and strive to follow the commandments he has given.  To be counted faithful by the Lord is surely the great commendation that we seek from Him.