45. Faith, the First Principle of the Gospel

A talk given by seven-year-old Michael Cleverly on Sunday morning, February 1, 1981, in the Primary of the Bountiful Twentieth Ward, Bountiful Utah South Stake. The talk was printed in the March 1981 issue of the Family Journal. Michael at the time was a second grader at Bountiful Elementary.

“We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the gospel are: first, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, repentance; third, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Articles of Faith 1:4).

Today I’m going to talk about the first principle, faith. Faith means believing in Jesus Christ and believing and doing the things Jesus has told us.

I’m going to tell about David and Goliath. When David arrived at his brothers’ camp, one of his brothers showed him Goliath. David said he would fight the giant. The next morning David got five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. When Goliath was almost to David, David ran toward him and let go of his sling. One of the stones hit Goliath between the eyes.

David beat Goliath because he had faith in God. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.