When the people who say they have cast out devils in the name of Jesus and He says “depart ye workers of iniquity” it isn’t just that they didn’t know Him, it is that they led others astray by falsely professing to act in His name.
Is it possible to believe in Christ and dutifully fulfill our responsibilities without believing Christ? Elder Bernard says that he knows many members who believe in the principles and fulfill their callings but don’t feel that some spiritual principles apply to their particular situation.
Do I believe Christ?
We can come to know Christ and not just know about Him.
{Jesus} declared:
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“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
“And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
Our understanding of this episode is enlarged as we reflect upon an inspired revision to the text. Significantly, the Lord’s phrase reported in the King James Version of the Bible, “I never knew you,” was changed in the Joseph Smith Translation to “Ye never knew me.”
Consider also the parable of the ten virgins. Recall that the five foolish and unprepared virgins went to obtain oil for their lamps after hearing the cry to go and meet the bridegroom.
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“Afterward came also the [five foolish] virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
“But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.”
The implications of this parable for each of us are expanded by another inspired revision. Importantly, the phrase “I know you not,” as reported in the King James Version of the Bible, was clarified in the Joseph Smith Translation to “Ye know me not.”
The phrases “Ye never knew me” and “Ye know me not” should be a cause of deep spiritual introspection for each of us. Do we only know about the Savior, or are we increasingly coming to know Him?
Doing good works without coming to know Jesus is the essence of blind following. It happens when our doing is motivated by worldly considerations rather than love of our Savior and of our brothers and sisters.
A grand objective of mortality is not merely learning about the Only Begotten of the Father but also striving to know Him. Four essential steps that can help us come to know the Lord are:
- exercising faith in Him,
- following Him,
- serving Him, and
- believing Him.
The recipe is simple but allows for no shortcuts.
The exercise of faith in Jesus Christ is relying upon His merits, mercy, and grace. We begin to come to know the Savior as we arouse our spiritual faculties and experiment upon His teachings, even until we can give place in our souls for a portion of His words. As our faith in the Lord increases, we trust in Him and have confidence in His power to redeem, heal, and strengthen us.
True faith is focused in and on the Lord and always leads to righteous action.
If a belief doesn’t lead to righteous action then it only rises to the level of mental assent, not faith.
The Savior likewise instructs you and me, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” To take up one’s cross is to deny oneself of all ungodliness and every worldly lust and to keep the commandments of the Lord.
The Savior has admonished us to become as He is. Thus, following the Lord includes emulating Him. We continue to come to know the Lord as we seek through the power of His Atonement to become like Him.
In His mortal ministry, Jesus marked the path, led the way, and set the perfect example. “A correct idea of his character, perfections, and attributes” provides enduring purpose and clear direction as we follow Him on the road of devoted discipleship.
We don’t really know Him if we never walk in His footsteps.
“For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?”
We more fully come to know the Lord as we serve Him and labor in His kingdom. As we do so, He generously blesses us with heavenly help, spiritual gifts, and increased capacity. We are never left alone as we work in His vineyard.
Serving Him is closely related to emulating Him.
As we submissively acknowledge our total dependence upon Him, He enlarges our capacity to serve ever more effectively. Gradually, our desires align more completely with His desires, and His purposes become our purposes, such that we would “not ask that which is contrary to [His] will.”
The path of discipleship is transformative to those who walk it.
Is it possible to exercise faith in Him, follow Him, serve Him, but not believe Him?
I am acquainted with Church members who accept as true the doctrine and principles contained in the scriptures and proclaimed from this pulpit. And yet they have a hard time believing those gospel truths apply specifically in their lives and to their circumstances. They seem to have faith in the Savior, but they do not believe His promised blessings are available to them or can operate in their lives. I also encounter brothers and sisters who fulfill their callings dutifully but for whom the restored gospel has not yet become a living and transforming reality in their lives. We come to know the Lord as we not only believe in Him but also believe Him and His assurances.
When we encounter such people we should be patient with them and continue to encourage them on the path of discipleship.
We often testify of what we know to be true, but perhaps the more relevant question for each of us is whether we believe what we know.
We believe and come to know the Lord as the key of the knowledge of God administered through the Melchizedek Priesthood unlocks the door and makes it possible for each of us to receive the power of godliness in our lives. We believe and come to know the Savior as we follow Him by receiving and faithfully honoring holy ordinances and increasingly have His image in our countenances. We believe and come to know Christ as we experience personally the transforming, healing, strengthening, and sanctifying power of His Atonement. We believe and come to know the Master as “the power of his word [takes root] in us” and is written in our minds and hearts and as we “give away all [our] sins to know [Him].”
Believing Him is trusting that His bounteous blessings are available and applicable in our individual lives and families. Believing Him with our whole soul comes as we press forward along the covenant pathway, surrender our will to His, and submit to His priorities and timing for us. Believing Him—accepting as true His power and promises—invites perspective, peace, and joy into our lives.
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