Background for the Lectures on Faith
What are the Lectures on Faith?
Why should we study them?
If the Lectures on Faith were scripture,
why were they removed from the LDS canon in 1921?
Why is it an issue that the Lectures on
Faith were removed from scripture?
What saving truths do the Lectures on
Faith teach?
Faith: The Principle
of Action
READ LoF 1:1
What other title could these lectures
have been given besides the “Lectures on Faith”?
What is the difference between revealed
religion and any other kind of religion?
Why is faith the first principle in
revealed religion?
Why do we need to have the Doctrine of
Christ unfolded to our understanding – isn’t it enough to love God and try to
be a good person?
READ LoF 1:2-5
Why does Joseph lay out the subject of faith
in this order?
READ LoF 1:6
What is Lecture One about?
READ LoF 1:7-11
What is faith?
What does “principle of action” mean?
READ: A quick summary of C.S. Lewis’
story of the Narnian dwarves from his book, The Last Battle (see Chapter
13: How the Dwarfs Refused to be Taken In): the atheist Calormene/Narnia
Alliance has taken over a stable that they pretend is the Shrine of the
Calormene God, Tash - which none of them actually believe in. In reality, they have placed a soldier inside
the stable to kill whoever enters or is thrown into the building and then say
that Tash did it. But inside the stable,
the real Tash shows up, as does Aslan’s messengers (Aslan is Christ). The Stable door is a portal into the
spiritual realm from the physical world, but the soldiers don’t know it. Anyway, a dozen dwarfs are thrown in to the
stable but they are not claimed by Tash or Aslan. Everyone else that is thrown through the door
sees the heavenly (or hellish) world beyond, but the dwarfs “refuse to be taken
in.” To them, they are all still tied up
in a dark stable in the physical world.
Aslan’s people try to talk to them; the dwarfs can hear them but can’t
see them. The people (true messengers or
angels) can’t believe that the dwarfs can’t see them. But the dwarfs can’t believe that they are not
in a dark stable. They say, “How can you
go on talking all that rot? Your
wonderful Lion (Aslan) didn’t come and help you, did he? Thought not.
And now, even now, when you’ve been beaten and shoved into this black
hole, just the same as the rest of us, you’re still at your old game. Starting a new lie! Trying to make us believe we’re none of us
shut up, and it ain’t dark, and heaven knows what.” Then Aslan himself comes through the portal to
them - and his people ask Him to do something for the poor dwarfs. He says, “Dearest, I will show you both what
I can, and what I cannot do.” He talks
to the dwarfs but all they hear is thunderous noise. He gives them a feast and all they taste is
garbage. They will not be taken in. Aslan says, “You see, they will not let us
help them. They have chosen cunning
instead of belief. Their prison is only
in their own minds, yet they are in that prison; and so afraid of being taken
in that they cannot be taken out. But come,
children, I have other work to do.”
What does this story illustrate how our
faith dictates what we see of the real world?
What insights does this story reveal
regarding how God is constrained in working with us, if we lack faith?
Faith: The Principle
of Power
READ LoF 1:13-16
What does it mean that faith is a
principle of power for God (and not just for mankind)?
What is implied by the fact that one of
God’s primary attributes is faith and that He used faith to frame the worlds?
READ LoF 1:17-21
How is faith a principle of power for
mankind, too?
READ LoF 1:22-24
What does it mean that “chaos heard”?
How can mankind gain sufficient faith to
stop the sun in its course?
What is implied by the fact that faith
is the first great governing principle which has power, dominion and authority
over all things?
What does it mean that by faith mankind
exists?
What does it mean that “by faith mankind
is upheld”?
What does it mean that by faith mankind
are changed?
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