Exploring the Lectures on Faith – Lecture Second

I’m exploring the Lectures on Faith by Joseph Smith. One thing I noticed between the first and second lectures that I hadn’t noticed before was that Joseph Smith titled the lectures; Lectures First, Lecture Second, and so forth. That threw me off because it does not feel like a natural English structure for organizing sections. Honestly, it reminds me of speaking Spanish. I had the opportunity to learn Spanish (by myself) while on my mission. It was a hard language for me to learn because so many thoughts and ideas had to be structured backward from what I was used to. Not that I’m proficient in English; I have obvious deficiencies there as well.

Anyhow, as I started Lecture Second, it flew right over my head. I’ve had to sit down and read it again.

Currently, I’ve paused at about the halfway point. Lecture Second is supposed to be about the “object” of faith and honestly, I feel as though I’m still learning about faith being defined, not the object of that faith. So, I will proceed a bit slower, paying closer attention.

One question that was lingering in my mind was intelligence. Where did the intelligence of man come from? And throughout Lectures First and Second, I think it clearly articulates that when man and women were cast out of the garden, knowledge came with them. They didn’t need to create a language, one came with them. The words and definitions came with them. It is possible that it was only a spoken language, I don’t recall anything that says it was also a written language. The greater point with that is that the knowledge of God and redemption came with them. The ability to form words and a communication structure because of language came with them. Therefore they were able to speak with God and teach their children the same understanding.

Section 30-33

Mankind was made aware that there is a God [by God communicating with man]
God continued to communicate with man [after man was kicked out of the garden]
- They could not see his face
- They could hear his voice
Adam taught his children about God
- Their first knowledge [was communicated by Adam]
- Laid a foundation to exercise faith
- They could obtain a knowledge of God’s character and glory

This idea that Adam’s children were taught about God and had a relationship with God is supported by the explanation of Cain and Able written by Moses. Because of this, Cain and all his posterity had knowledge of God because Cain took this knowledge with him. The same thing would happen again with Noah and his sons. All the families of the earth started with a knowledge of God.

THE OBJECT OF FAITH IS THE EXISTENCE OF GOD – The EVIDENCE of the existence of God was the testimony of their fathers.

Section 34

Mankind was made aware that there is a God [by God communicating with man]
God continued to communicate with man [after man was kicked out of the garden]
- They could not see his face
- They could hear his voice
Adam taught his children about God
- Their first knowledge [was communicated by Adam]
- Laid a foundation to exercise faith
- They could obtain a knowledge of his character and glory
After the fall men were taught by their fathers
- To have Faith in God
- The Object of that faith was God [an actual being]
Men sought to know God
- Character
- Perfections
- Attributes
Men came to know God
- “Extensively acquainted with Him”
- “Commune with Him”
- “Behold His Glory”
- “Partakers of His power”
- “Stand in His presence”

OK, this is making a bit more sense to me. I was about halfway through Lecture Second and felt as thought I had Lecture First taught to me all over again. Now I see that God is the object of our faith. You know, this is interesting because in greater Christianity God is a spirit, not a physical being. All of these last points of coming to know God or having faith sufficient to know God seem to contradict what greater Christianity believes God is and what they believe man can do with God.

I now start to see why Joseph Smith was teaching the early members of the church about faith. In the ancient days, man walked with God and spoke to god, communed with God, stood in His presence, and beheld His glory. Today men do not possess that level of faith. It has not been taught to them. They have not been taught that they can see him and talk with him face to face.

I know see. The Lectures on Faith teach what the possibilities are.

The testimony of the fathers is important for first establishing faith and knowledge of the existence of God. Many of the great patriarchs had multiple progenitors who lived and bore testimony. For example, Enoch, Noah, and Abraham each had multiple progenitors who lived hundreds of years and were able to continually testify of the existence of God. Those fathers were acquainted with God, communed with God, beheld His glory, partook of His power, and stood in His presence.

Section 53

53 We have now traced the chronology of the world, agreeably to the account given in our present bible, from Adam to Abraham, and have clearly determined, beyond the power of controversy, that there was no difficulty in preserving the knowledge of God in the world, from the creation of Adam, and the manifestation made to his immediate descendants, as set forth in the former part of this lecture, so that the students, in this class need not have any dubiety resting on their minds, on this subject; for they can easily see, that it is impossible for it to be otherwise; but that the knowledge of the existence of a God, must have continued from father to son, as a matter of tradition, at least. For we cannot suppose, that a knowledge of this important fact, could have existed in the mind of any of the before mentioned individuals, without their having made it known to their posterity.
Lectures on Faith

Section 55

I think most of this is summed up by this statement: “the extent of their [our] knowledge, respecting his character and glory, will depend upon their [our] diligence and faithfulness in seeking after him” but that knowledge can increase until we “behold him face to face.”