The Savior says,
(Matthew 17:19-20), in explaining the reason why the disciples could
not cast out the devil, that it was because of their unbelief: "For
verily, I say unto you," said he, "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."
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, in
Ether 12:13, that it was the faith of Alma and Amulek which caused
the walls of the prison to be wrent, as recorded in Alma 14:23-29; 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, as seen in Helaman 5:37-50; and that it
was by faith that the mountain Zerin was removed, when the brother of
Jared spake in the name of the Lord. See also Ether 12:30.
In addition to this we
are told in Hebrews, 11:32-35, 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
them.
Had it not been for
the faith which was in man, they might have spoken to the sun, the
moon, the mountains, prisons, lions, 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, agreeably to the will
of God. Without it, there is no power, and without power there could
be no creation, nor existence!” (Lectures on Faith 1:17-24)
