Faith is to hope for things which are not seen, but which are true (see Heb. 11:1, Alma 32:21), and, in order to produce salvation, must be centered in Jesus Christ.
"Faith in [Jesus Christ] is more than mere acknowledgment that He lives," President Ezra Taft Benson said. "It is more than professing belief. Faith in Jesus Christ consists of complete reliance on Him. As God, He has infinite power, intelligence and love. There is no human problem beyond His capacity to solve.". . . Only Jesus is uniquely qualified to provide hope, confidence and strength to overcome the world and rise above our human failings." (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 66.)
According to the Bible Dictionary in the LDS edition of the Bible, "Miracles do not produce faith, but strong faith is developed by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ; in other words, faith comes by righteousness, although miracles often confirm one's faith."
Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ must be sought after and cultivated until it grows from a tiny seed to a mighty tree. The 32nd chapter of Alma teaches us a great lesson about the nurturing of faith.
The scriptures contain many examples of strong and abiding faith. One example is found in the New Testament.
While heading into Capernaum, Jesus is confronted by a Roman centurion who asks the Savior to take pity on his\ the centurion'sT servant and heal him. When the Savior offers to go to the centurion's quarters, he replies:
"Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go and he goeth; and to another, Come and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this and he doeth it."
"When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you I have not found so great faith, no not in Israel. . . . And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour." (Matt. 8:8-13)
This same account in Luke varies slightly from Matthew's. For instance, the centurion, rather than speaking directly to Jesus, sends several messengers, but the results are the same - the Savior, acting on a request on behalf of the centurion, a non-believer, if you will, heals one of Christ's followers - the servant.
At some time, the centurion's servant must have had contact with the teachings of Jesus, and while continuing to work for the centurion, so impressed his Roman master that when the servant became ill, the centurion sought to do something to alleviate his servant's sufferings. He sought out Jesus.
This brief account shows two ways faith is demonstrated. First was the faith of the servant to be healed, and second, the faith of the centurion in Jesus to actually grant the request. Whether the centurion ultimately becomes a follower of Jesus is not known, but the miracle of the servant's healing did not go unnoticed in either the centurion's household or among the disciples of Jesus.
How worthy are we to receive blessings from the Savior? Do we shy away because our faith in Him has been shaken by events or individuals that we feel are inappropriate to our gospel understanding? Has our perception of the gospel or its message been altered by the actions - intentional or not - of other believers? Is our faith rooted firmly on gospel sod or left to crumble with the passing of time or unable to weather the storms that buffet our consciousness?
Faith requires more than just passivity and reaction. Faith in Jesus Christ requires our devotion and our action. We need to know to whom we turn in both good and bad times. He will not desert us. He will help us strengthen ourselves if we will but let Him.
Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the first principle of the gospel, and by its power we can accomplish all that we must do here on this earth to be able to return to His presence and live with Him someday.
In his closing remarks at general conference in April, President Gordon B. Hinckley counseled Latter-day Saints "to awake and arouse our faculties to an awareness of the great everlasting truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Each of us can do a little better than we have been doing. . . . We can put behind us our weaknesses of the past and go forth with new energy and increased resolution to improve the world about us. . . . Let us roll up our sleeves and get at it with a new commitment, putting our trust in the Lord. We can do it if we will be prayerful and faithful. We can do better than we have ever done before."