Faith and Humility

3 Nephi 1: 25

Faith and Humility

What

 25 But it came to pass that they soon became converted, and were convinced of the error which they were in, for it was made known unto them that the law was not yet afulfilled, and that it must be fulfilled in every whit; yea, the word came unto them that it must be fulfilled; yea, that one jot or tittle should not pass away till it should all be fulfilled; therefore in this same year were they brought to a knowledge of their error and did bconfess their faults.

Why

The people misunderstood that the Law of Moses had not been fulfilled yet but when they realized that they were wrong and that in a short time it would be fulfilled then they confessed their faults.

They were humble enough to accept the correction in their thinking. They were renewed in their faith that the prophecy’s would be fulfilled. They had both faith and humility

Pattern

Matt. 5:18

18  For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

2 Ne. 25:24

24  And, notwithstanding we believe in Christ, we keep the law of Moses, and look forward with steadfastness unto Christ, until the law shall be fulfilled.

Num. 5:7 (6–10)

6  Speak unto the children of Israel, When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to do a trespass against the Lord, and that person be guilty;
7  Then they shall confess their sin which they have done: and he shall recompense his trespass with the principal thereof, and add unto it the fifth part thereof, and give it unto him against whom he hath trespassed.
8  But if the man have no kinsman to recompense the trespass unto, let the trespass be recompensed unto the Lord, even to the priest; beside the ram of the atonement, whereby an atonement shall be made for him.
9  And every offering of all the holy things of the children of Israel, which they bring unto the priest, shall be his.
10  And every man’s hallowed things shall be his: whatsoever any man giveth the priest, it shall be his.

Mosiah 26:29 (29, 35)

29  Therefore I say unto you, Go; and whosoever transgresseth against me, him shall ye judgeaccording to the sins which he has committed; and if he confess his sins before thee and me, and repenteth in the sincerity of his heart, him shall ye forgive, and I will forgive him also.

35  And whosoever repented of their sins and did confess them, them he did number among the people of the church;

Alma 17:4

4  And they had been teaching the word of God for the space of fourteen years among the Lamanites, having had much success in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth; yea, by the power of their words many were brought before the altar of God, to call on his name and confess their sins before him.

Doctrine and Covenants 112:10

10 Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers.

Doctrine and Covenants 19:41

41 Or canst thou be humble and meek, and conduct thyself wisely before me? Yea, come unto me thy Savior. Amen.

Matthew 18:4

4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Christ

The law that is spoken of is the law of sacrifice, or the Savior giving His life as a sacrifice that we may be forgiven of our sins.

Conference

OCTOBER 2003 | The Empowerment of Humility

Richard C. Edgley First Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric

A story is told of an encounter between the Prophet Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. In the presence of a rather large group of brethren, the Prophet severely chastised Brother Brigham for some failing in his duty. Everyone, I suppose somewhat stunned, waited to see what Brigham’s response would be. After all, Brigham, who later became known as the Lion of the Lord, was no shrinking violet by any means. Brigham slowly rose to his feet, and in words that truly reflected his character and his humility, he simply bowed his head and said, “Joseph, what do you want me to do?” The story goes that sobbing, Joseph ran from the podium, threw his arms around Brigham, and said in effect, “You passed, Brother Brigham, you passed” (see Truman G. Madsen, “Hugh B. Brown—Youthful Veteran,” New Era, Apr. 1976, 16).

Many of us live or work in an environment where humility is often misunderstood and considered a weakness. Not many corporations or institutions include humility as a value statement or a desired characteristic of their management. Yet as we learn about the workings of God, the power of a humble and submissive spirit becomes apparent. In the kingdom of God, greatness begins with humility and submissiveness. These companion virtues are the first critical steps to opening the doors to the blessings of God and the power of the priesthood. It matters not who we are or how lofty our credentials appear. Humility and submissiveness to the Lord, coupled with a grateful heart, are our strength and our hope.

In giving the requirements for membership in His Church, the Lord stated, “All those who humble themselves before God … and come forth with broken hearts and contrite spirits, … [these are the ones who] shall be received by baptism into his church” (D&C 20:37).

Humbly submitting our will to the Father brings us the empowerment of God—the power of humility. It is the power to meet life’s adversities, the power of peace, the power of hope, the power of a heart throbbing with a love for and testimony of the Savior Jesus Christ, even the power of redemption. To this end, the Savior is our supreme example of the power of humility and submissiveness. After all, His submitting His will to the Father brought about the greatest, and even the most powerful, event in all of history. Perhaps some of the most sacred words in all the scriptures are simply, “Not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42).

Apply

Humility and “teachableness” is the opposite of pride. The ability to recognize our own faults and allow ourselves to be taught. Christ said “whosoever humbleth himself as a little child,

Luke 14:11

11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

If we can be childlike in our faith and humility, then we can be exalted.

Hymns

130 Be thou Humble

Children

80- Had I Been A Child