Lecture 4
Overview
Lecture 4 of the Lectures on Faith builds upon the premise established in Lecture 3: that humanity cannot exercise faith unto salvation without a correct understanding of God's character. This lecture specifically enumerates six divine attributes—Knowledge, Faith (which the text explicitly equates with Power), Justice, Judgment, Mercy, and Truth. The author argues systematically that without a firm mental grasp of each of these attributes, the human mind would be plagued by doubt and fear, rendering the exercise of saving faith impossible. A unique theological assertion in this text is the categorization of 'Faith' as an attribute of God Himself, equating it with His creative power. The lecture concludes by affirming that because God's attributes are unchangeable, 'Latter Day Saints' possess the exact same foundation and authority to exercise faith as the 'Former Day Saints.' The text ends with a formal catechism (Q&A) designed for students to memorize the doctrinal points and their supporting scriptural proofs.
Key Figures
- God the Father / Deity (The divine being whose six specific attributes must be perfectly understood to unlock human faith)
- Latter Day Saints (Modern adherents who are granted the same privilege and power of faith as ancient believers due to God's immutability)
- Former Day Saints (Ancient believers who serve as the historical baseline for the exercise of faith)
Doctrines Analyzed
Key theological claims identified in this text:
Intellectual Prerequisite for Saving Faith
Assertion
A correct mental conception of God's specific attributes is absolutely necessary before a person can exercise faith unto salvation.
Evidence from Text
For without the idea of the existence of the attributes which belong to God, the minds of men could not have power to exercise faith on him so as to lay hold upon eternal life.
Evangelical Comparison
In this text, faith is treated almost mechanically: it is a 'power' that can only be activated in the human mind once the correct 'ideas' of God's attributes are firmly planted. This borders on intellectualism or a form of theological Gnosticism, where correct knowledge (notitia) is the primary engine of salvation. Evangelical Christianity, drawing from Ephesians 2:8-9 and Romans 10, agrees that faith comes by hearing the Word of God, and that one must know who God is to trust Him. However, Evangelicalism distinguishes between intellectual assent (assensus) and saving trust (fiducia). A child can exercise saving faith without a comprehensive understanding of God's omniscience or immutability (Matthew 18:3). The Evangelical baseline insists that faith is a gift of grace resting on the objective work of Christ, not a psychological power generated by the perfection of one's theological constructs.
Faith as an Attribute of God
Assertion
God Himself possesses the attribute of 'Faith', which the text explicitly equates with His divine power to create and control.
Evidence from Text
Secondly, Faith, or power. Heb. 11:3. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God.
Evangelical Comparison
This is a profound divergence in Theology Proper. The text lists 'Faith' as the second attribute of Deity, equating it with 'power.' It misapplies Hebrews 11:3, suggesting that God used faith to frame the worlds, whereas the biblical text actually means that *we* (humans) understand through *our* faith that God framed the worlds. In Evangelical theology, God cannot have faith. Faith is defined as 'the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen' (Hebrews 11:1). Because God is omniscient, He sees all things perfectly; because He is omnipotent and sovereign, He does not 'hope' for outcomes. God is the *object* of faith, not a *practitioner* of it. Ascribing faith to God reduces His transcendence and implies He operates by utilizing external universal laws, a concept prevalent in later Mormon theology but entirely foreign to biblical Christianity.
Dispensational Equality of Saints
Assertion
Because God's attributes are unchangeable, modern believers (Latter Day Saints) have the exact same authority and power to exercise faith as ancient believers (Former Day Saints).
Evidence from Text
...which gives to the minds of the Latter Day Saints the same power and authority to exercise faith in God, which the Former Day Saints had: so that all the saints, in this respect have been, are and will be alike...
Evangelical Comparison
The text uses the orthodox doctrine of God's immutability (He is the same yesterday, today, and forever) to validate the specific religious identity of the 'Latter Day Saints.' It argues that because God doesn't change, the modern LDS movement has the same 'power and authority' as the early Christian church. Evangelicalism affirms God's unchangeable nature (Malachi 3:6, James 1:17) and agrees that all believers throughout history are saved by faith. However, Evangelicalism rejects the underlying premise of this terminology—namely, the 'Great Apostasy' which necessitates a 'Latter Day' restoration of authority. In the Evangelical view, the Church has existed continuously since Pentecost (Matthew 16:18), making the distinction between 'Former' and 'Latter' day saints an artificial construct designed to legitimize a new movement's authority claims.
Comparative Analysis
Theological Gap (Summary)
While the text affirms orthodox attributes of God (omniscience, justice, mercy), it fundamentally diverges by claiming God Himself possesses and exercises 'faith.' Furthermore, it turns the intellectual mastery of these attributes into a strict prerequisite for salvation, shifting the basis of faith from simple trust in Christ to the perfection of human theological understanding.
Theological Gap (Explained)
The theological gap between Lecture 4 and Evangelical Christianity centers on Theology Proper and the nature of saving faith. First, the text explicitly lists 'Faith' as an attribute of Deity, equating it with His power. By citing Hebrews 11:3 to suggest God used faith to frame the worlds, the author fundamentally misunderstands the biblical definition of faith. In Evangelical theology, faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). God, being omniscient and sovereign, has no unseen realities or unrealized hopes; therefore, God cannot exercise faith. Ascribing faith to God implies He is subject to higher universal laws that He must tap into via belief, a concept that severely diminishes His aseity and transcendence. Secondly, the text violates the spirit of Sola Gratia (Grace Alone) and Sola Fide (Faith Alone) by heavily intellectualizing the prerequisite for salvation. It asserts that without a correct mental conception of God's attributes, a person 'could not have power to exercise faith on him so as to lay hold upon eternal life.' This places a massive burden on human cognition. Evangelicalism teaches that while faith requires an object (Christ) and basic knowledge of that object, saving faith is fundamentally a relational trust granted by the Holy Spirit, not a psychological mechanism that is only unlocked by mastering systematic theology. The thief on the cross (Luke 23:42-43) exercised saving faith without a comprehensive understanding of God's immutability or omniscience.
For All Ages
Imagine you are falling out of a tree and your dad is standing at the bottom to catch you. In biblical Christianity, saving faith is just trusting your dad enough to let go and fall into his arms, even if you don't know exactly how strong his muscles are or how his brain works. You are saved because your dad is strong, not because you are smart. But this text teaches that before you can let go, you must perfectly understand exactly how much your dad knows, how his muscles work, and how fair he is. If you don't understand those things perfectly, you won't have the 'power' to let go. It also teaches something strange: that God Himself uses 'faith' to do things, like He has to trust in something else to make the world. Christians believe God doesn't need faith, because He already knows and controls everything perfectly.
Friction Points
Sola Fide
Makes the exercise of saving faith entirely dependent on the believer's ability to perfectly comprehend and internalize a specific list of divine attributes, turning faith into an intellectual work.
Sola Gratia
Implies that faith is a psychological power generated by human reflection and memorization of facts, rather than a gift of grace bestowed by God (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Theology Proper (Doctrine of God)
Ascribes 'faith' to God, contradicting His omniscience, omnipotence, and aseity. God does not hope or trust; He knows and decrees.
Semantic Warnings
Terms that have different meanings between traditions:
"Faith (as an attribute)"
In This Text
A divine attribute possessed by God, equated with His power to create and control the universe.
In Evangelicalism
A human response to God's revelation; the assurance of things hoped for and conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). God does not have faith.
Soteriology (Salvation)
Salvation Defined: Obtaining eternal life, eternal glory, and deliverance from enemies through the judgment and mercy of God.
How Attained: By exercising faith in God, which is only made possible by first acquiring and planting correct ideas of God's six attributes into one's mind.
Basis of Assurance: Assurance is derived from the intellectual certainty that God is just, merciful, and true, which eliminates doubt and fear from the believer's mind.
Comparison to Sola Fide: While the text frequently uses the phrase 'exercise faith in him unto eternal life,' it redefines the mechanics of faith. In Sola Fide, faith is the empty hand receiving Christ's righteousness. In this text, faith is a 'power' that the mind can only generate once it has been properly loaded with correct theological data. This shifts the focus from the sufficiency of Christ to the sufficiency of the believer's theological comprehension.
Mandates & Requirements
Explicit Commands
- Reflect sincerely and candidly upon the ideas of the existence of the before mentioned attributes in the Deity.
- Turn and commit those paragraphs [the catechism] to memory.
Implicit Obligations
- Adherents must perfectly align their theological understanding of God with the six listed attributes in order to successfully exercise faith.
- Adherents must endure tribulations, afflictions, and persecutions for righteousness' sake, trusting in God's judgment and mercy.
Evangelism Toolkit
Practical tools for engagement and dialogue:
Discovery Questions
Open-ended questions to promote reflection:
- If having a perfectly correct idea of God's attributes is required to have saving faith, how much understanding is enough? Can a child or someone with severe cognitive limits be saved?
- Hebrews 11:1 says faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. Since God knows everything and sees everything perfectly, why would He need to exercise faith?
- If the Lectures on Faith teach that we must have correct ideas of God to be saved, why were these lectures removed from the Doctrine and Covenants in 1921?
Redemptive Analogies
Bridges from this text to the Gospel:
The desire for a solid foundation to eliminate fear and doubt.
We agree that knowing God's character brings peace. However, our ultimate peace doesn't come from our perfect understanding of His attributes, but from His perfect love demonstrated on the cross. Perfect love casts out fear, not perfect theology.
Spiritual Weight
Burdens this text places on adherents:
The text places a heavy burden on the believer's intellect. If saving faith is impossible without 'correct ideas' of God's attributes, the believer is forced into a state of constant anxiety over whether their theology is accurate enough to validate their faith. Any doubt or misunderstanding threatens their eternal life.
The text demands that believers 'wade through all the tribulations and afflictions' with 'unshaken confidence.' If a believer experiences natural human doubt or fear during a crisis, this text implies their foundational knowledge of God is flawed, adding guilt and shame to their suffering.