“Thy Faith Hath Made Thee Whole.”

Denver C. Snuffer, Jr.

There are so many truths found here we need to look at them all.

"Because of thy faith in Christ" is the first, necessary principle. Faith as used here is not mere belief. It is faith in the sense of a principle of action discussed in the Sixth Lecture on Faith. Enos has faith comparable to that of Abraham, as is apparent later. Such faith comes from following Christ; not only to say but to do.

We know Enos is saved. We know he does experience the miraculous and has an audience with the Lord. He got an answer to his petition. He has the promise of eternal life. And he assures us these things result from faith in Christ.

A necessary part of this faith must be centered in Christ. All miracles draw upon the power in Christ. When gifted or spiritually sensitive people ignore the connection between Christ and their gifts, they lack the faith that redeems. They may enjoy some manifestations of spiritual power as a native endowment, but unless they connect that to Christ they cannot be saved. All gifts come from Him. It is He who has "created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another." (Mosiah 2: 21.) Whenever someone ignores Christ's role in creating and sustaining their life, they miss salvation itself. Miracles alone do not redeem or convert. Signs are not an adequate basis for salvation. Without faith centered in Christ, there is no redemption.

Enos goes on to explain his faith in Christ is in a being "whom thou hast never before heard nor seen." Before this moment Enos had not yet heard Christ. He had not previously seen Christ. Implicit in this statement is that Enos was now hearing and seeing Christ. His faith in Christ preceded this audience. But he now has replaced faith with knowledge of his Redeemer and Savior. He now hears His voice and knows Him. Enos is now one of the Lord's witnesses. He can testify of Him because of his knowledge of Him.

Enos will refer to seeing Christ twice in his record. This reference to faith in Christ, whom he had not previously seen, is followed later by a reference to "testifying of the things which I had heard and seen." (Verse 18, emphasis added.) Enos is discrete, but plain. If we are willing to see what he includes in his record, we see the encounters of Enos with God include seeing and hearing His Son.

Beloved Enos

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