faith. hope. charity.

This morning I read in the book of Enos (Book of Mormon) and remembered a comment that a friend made in Sunday school a few weeks back.

Enos has always been a favorite of mine, but my friend provided a different way of looking into Enos' conversion to Christ.

Enos' father was a prophet and so Enos was exposed to the teachings of Christ. However, it wasn't until later in his life that he got his own testimony of Christ. I enjoy this because it shows that he received a foundation from his father, who gave him all the necessary information to have his own testimony and then it was up to him to decide if it mattered to him. I feel like my experience was similar in that regard.

Anyway. In 1 Corinthians chapter 13, Paul says "And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity" (v13 KJV). Moroni in the Book of Mormon (Moroni 7) expands on this saying that we must first have faith, then hope and then charity. My friend pointed out why it is in this order, as illustrated by the story of Enos:

Faith
Enos goes and prays in the woods to have his sins forgiven (about 500 years before Christ). After praying all night he receives a witness from God that he is forgiven and God says he is blessed for having believed in Christ, whom he has never before seen. First came faith; a belief that he could be forgiven and would be forgiven.

Hope
Enos' faith becomes unshakable and he feels an overwhelming hope. He knows that God has forgiven him and he now has a hope in Christ. He can overcome everything because of Christ's future Atonement.

Charity
Where do Enos' thoughts turn to once he has exercised faith and received hope? First his brothers and people and then to his enemies. He wants everyone else to have the same hope and happiness that he is experiencing. He feels charity towards his fellow men and even his enemies. He prays fervently for their welfare and then receives the promise that at a later date his enemies would have access to the scriptures and a chance to believe in Christ.

First we must have faith that Christ is our Savior, then we can have the hope of returning to live with God and then we can love our brothers and sisters and help them find the same joy we have.