Endure in Faith

Persevering through hardship is an essential component of discipleship.

Fifteen times in the Book of Mormon, we are promised that those who endure to the end will be saved and will receive eternal life (1 Nephi 13:37, 1 Nephi 22:31, 2 Nephi 9:24, 2 Nephi 31:15, 16, 20, 2 Nephi 33:4, Omni 1:26, Alma 32:13, 15, Alma 38:2, 3 Nephi 15:9, 3 Nephi 27:6, 16, Mormon 9:29.

The Savior made the same promise during His mortal ministry. (See Matthew 10:22, Matthew 24:13, Mark 13:13.) In those passages, the Greek word translated “endure” is hupomeno (ὑπομένω), which means literally “to remain under.” The concept is that we continue to carry our burden, that we do not set it down until we arrive at the finish line.

The Lord reiterated this promise in modern revelation. (See Doctrine and Covenants 10:69, 14:7, 18:22, 53:7.) In one revelation, He added an important qualifier. He said that “as many as…endure in faith to the end, should be saved” Later in the same revelation, He reemphasized this point: “We know that all men must…endure in faith on his name to the end, or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God” (Doctrine and Covenants 20:25, 29, italics added).

In a later revelation, the Lord again emphasized the role of faith in endurance:

He that endureth in faith and doeth my will, the same shall overcome, and shall receive an inheritance upon the earth when the day of transfiguration shall come.

Doctrine and Covenants 63:20

Elder Neal A. Maxwell emphasized the active nature of endurance as a gospel principle:

Endurance is more than pacing up and down within the cell of our circumstance; it is not only acceptance of the things allotted to us, it is to “act for ourselves” by magnifying what is allotted to us….

True enduring represents not merely the passage of time, but the passage of the soul.

“Endure It Well,” General Conference, April 1990

Today, I will strive to endure in faith. I will recognize that the challenges I face represent opportunities for growth.