"To Be, Rather Than to Seem", the Latin translation for the title, and the lifestyle that Nephi of the Book of Mormon exemplifies. I first heard this phrase when I joined Brigham Young University Men's Chorus the beginning of this semester. I was surprised to find that every member had seriously devoted themselves to this principle, as I do now. This standard resembles that of Nephi's "I will go and do" attitude.
Along with the right attitude comes the power of faith. Without faith, Nephi would not have had the desire to obey his father, or the Lord. He would be like his brothers, thinking that the Lord would not make himself known to him (1 Nephi 15:9). Faith is brought to pass by a hope in Jesus Christ's atonement for mankind's sins. "and if there must be hope, there must be charity" which never faileth (Moroni 10:15-20).
In the book of Hebrews, Paul of the New Testament states that "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Heb 11:1). Joseph Smith commented that "Without it (faith) there is no power and without power there could be no creation nor existence!" (Lectures on Faith 1:9-10). So when we have hope that Jesus Christ's atonement can raise us to life eternal, faith is developed along with charity which is the pure love of Christ (Moroni 7:41-47).
Faith is an action, it is not something we attain and then set aside. We apply it everyday as we study the scriptures, attend church, and obey the Prophets teachings. Faith and choosing to do are intertwined because of the processes in which each comes. We go and do; be, rather than seem. "Esse Quam Videri".
I know that faith is a divine principle that gives power to all that believe on the name of Christ and follow his teachings. I know that all things are possible when the Lord is on my side. I am eternally indebted to Christ in his sacrifice for me and I hope to have the faith necessary to make it past the adversaries stumbling blocks. I believe that the Book of Mormon is a true manuscript, translated by the prophet Joseph Smith by direct revelation from the God Head. I pray that everyone can have the chance to partake of the gospel, feel of the spirit, and gain a testimony built on faith.
Works Cited:
The Book of Mormon. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1981.
Lectures on Faith. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1985.
The Scriptures: CD-ROM Edition 1.1. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2005.
http://www.lds.org
The Holy Bible: King James Version
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9 comments:
You had some great ideas in this essay! I enjoyed reading it. I wasn't sure exactly what your focus was as I started, though, so maybe you could provide an introduction that gives a better road map of the ideas you want to develop.
Congratulations on your induction into the Men's Chorus at BYU. The motto to "be rather than just seem" is very intriguing. I would like to know more about how that relates to faith.
I like how you pointed out that faith is an action because that is a point which is not often brought up but which I believe is true.
I liked the paragraph that said faith is an action. I also really enjoyed your testimony. Good job!
I like how you brought language into your blog. It is the way we communicate though words. I believe that causing you to focus in on words and phrases we can get different things out of them. It reminds me of the search ponder and pray children's song. To have faith you must surely be doing the right things not just seem to. Thanks for a insightful blog
I like your relationship between faith and action. I really like that latin phrase to.
I really like the language insight and your personal choir experience.
Wow, I love that quote "to be rather than to seem." It encourages me to become a better person and to live up to what Heavenly Father has for me.
Haha short and concise. Love the mens choir motto though, or however its tied to it. Its an important principle to internalize and be consious of.
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