A Story of Faith

My wife and I were reading tonight in Ether chapter 12. It was pointed out to me once that since Moroni didn't originally think he would life long enough to write anything beyond the Book of Ether (Moroni 1:1,4), Ether 12 was originally Moroni's finishing words for the Book of Mormon. Reading it this way, I could really see the first part of this chapter as Moroni's summary of the Book of Mormon as a legacy of faith.

"For it was by faith that Christ showed himself unto our fathers, after he had risen from the dead; and he showed not himself unto them until after they had faith in him ...

"Wherefore, ye may also have hope, and be partakers of the gift, if ye will but have faith.

"Behold it was by faith that they of old were called after the holy order of God.

"Wherefore, by faith was the law of Moses given. But in the gift of his Son hath God prepared a more excellent way; and it is by faith that it hath been fulfilled. ...

"Behold, it was the faith of Alma and Amulek that caused the prison to tumble to the earth.

"Behold, it was the faith of Nephi and Lehi that wrought the change upon the Lamanites, that they were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost.

"Behold, it was the faith of Ammon and his brethren which wrought so great a miracle among the Lamanites. ...

"And it was by faith that the three disciples obtained a promise that they should not taste of death; ...

"And behold ... so great was [the brother of Jared's] faith in God, that when God put forth his finger he could not hide it from the sight of the brother of Jared, because of his word which he had spoken unto him, which word he had obtained by faith.

"And after the brother of Jared had beheld the finger of the Lord, because of the promise which the brother of Jared had obtained by faith, the Lord could not withhold anything from his sight; wherefore he showed him all things, for he could no longer be kept without the veil.

"And it is by faith that my fathers have obtained the promise that these things should come unto their brethren through the Gentiles;" (Ether 12:7-22)

And he could have gone on:

And it was by faith that Lehi was warned to take his family and flee Jerusalem.

And it was by faith that Nephi obtained the Brass Plates and found food for his family and was guided by the Liahona in the wilderness and built a ship to cross the sea and was warned to depart from his brothers.

And it was by faith that Mosiah I was warned to leave the land of Nephi and found the people of Zarahemla and translated the stone containing the "account of one Coriantumr, and the slain of his people."

And it was by faith that King Benjamin was able to give his people a "name ... that never should be blotted out, except it be through transgression", and it was by faith that his people were able to make a righteous covenant with the Lord.

And it was by faith that Abinadi prophesied to King Noah and his people. And it was by faith that Alma believed him and established a church in the land of Nephi. And it was by faith that the people of Alma were warned to flee, first out of the land of Nephi and Mormon, and later out of the land of Helem.

And it was by faith that the people of Ammon "buried the weapons of war, for peace."

And it was by faith that the young warriors, sons of the people of Ammon, were delivered.

And it was by faith that the people of the judge Lachoneus were delivered and were able to defeat the Gadianton robbers.

And it was by faith that Ammaron was able to hide up the records, and it was by faith that he was able recognize Mormon as the boy who would become the man to whom he should deliver the records.

And it was by faith that Mormon and Moroni were able to survive the destruction of the Nephites "to write the sad tale of the destruction of [their] people."

The list could be much, much longer, but these all add to Paul's great "cloud of witnesses" that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Let us always remember that "faith, hope and charity bringeth unto [the Savior]—the fountain of all righteousness." So, after we see this faith, what should we do? Moroni gives us the answer to this as well, "And now, I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written, that the grace of God the Father, and also the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of them, may be and abide in you forever. Amen." (Ether 12:41)