Editor’s note: To support personal and family gospel learning, the Church News is publishing articles on messages from April 2025 general conference. It is recommended to listen to or read the full address in addition to reviewing these resources.
About this talk
- “Faith: A Bond of Trust and Loyalty”
- Elder Sandino Roman | General Authority Seventy
- Saturday afternoon session of April 2025 general conference.
- Theme: Faith in Jesus Christ is a bond of trust forged in loyalty and love.
Read the full message here.
Read a summary of Elder Roman’s message here.
Outline
- Elder Roman and his friend nearly drowned while his friend was learning to swim. After praying for a miracle, Elder Roman felt a hand propelling him toward the shallow end of the pool, bringing them to safety.
- Faith in Jesus Christ is an essential principle of the gospel.
Faith in Christ means trusting Him
- Jesus Christ offers constant love and help. Those who have faith in Him recognize the blessings He gives and develop a relationship of trust with Him.
- An exercise to increase faith in Jesus Christ: Meditate about Him, His Atonement, His gospel and the happiness they bring. Think of and record spiritually defining experiences where God has been there. Pray as if it were the first time, and express love and gratitude for His blessings. When done, one will hear His answer and begin a relationship with God and Jesus Christ.
Faith flourishes with loyalty
- Make and honor covenants to build hope and faith in Jesus Christ.
- When Elder Roman was 9 years old, he found his mother in distress. Promising her that he would always strive to be the best son and make her proud has had a profound impact on him. This bond and relationship with his mom anchored him throughout his life.
- Faith is a principle of action. It is a bond of trust forged in loyalty and love, showing gratitude for God’s merciful love by loyally keeping His commandments.
Faith in the face of adversity
- When encountering dark and perilous situations, “turn on your lamp filled with the oil of faith in Christ” that will shed light and hope on uncertain paths. Remembering past experiences increases hope that one will be sustained by the Lord. Expect miracles and let God prevail.
God’s promises to His faithful people
- Believe and trust in Jesus Christ to be enabled to become His disciple. Nurture the relationship with and never forsake Him.
- Loyalty, love and trust in Christ will shape one’s character and identity after His, as well as build confidence and strength to overcome Satan’s attacks. Hope for the future will be bright, and believers will be trusted with heavenly power to accomplish everything He expects, “even the power to return to His presence.”
Reflection questions
What does it mean to have faith in Jesus Christ?
How do faith and trust correlate? How do you trust Jesus Christ?
What past experiences “increase your hope that the Lord will sustain you on your journey”?
How can you nurture your relationship with Jesus Christ?
When have you seen the Lord “trust you with His power” to accomplish something?
Speaker quotes
- “Notice that faith sprouts as we trust in Jesus Christ and blooms as we are faithful and loyal to Him.”
- “Faith in Jesus Christ is a bond of trust forged in loyalty and love.”
- “I testify to you of the joy that comes from singing ‘the song of redeeming love’ (Alma 5:26) and being ‘encircled about eternally in the arms of his love’ (2 Nephi 1:15).”
Reference scriptures
- “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
- “I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it; ... I knew that by so doing I would offend God.”
- “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. ... If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”
Invitations and promises
- “Try this exercise. Start by meditating about Christ and the happiness His Atonement and gospel bring to your life. Also, make a record of the ‘spiritually defining memories’ where God has been there for you, for your loved ones, and for the people in the scriptures. Now, these testimonies will not bring power to your life until the Spirit etches them in the ‘fleshy tables’ of your heart (2 Corinthians 3:3). So ponder and record all God set in motion for these miracles to come at just the right time.”
- “I invite you to begin today to nurture your relationship with Jesus Christ. Make a commitment to never forsake Him.”
- “Your loyalty, love and trust in Christ will shape your character and identity after His. You will gain confidence and strength to overcome Satan’s attacks. And when you make mistakes, you will yearn for His forgiveness. Finally, your hope for the future will be bright. He will trust you with His power to accomplish anything He expects of you, even the power to return to His presence.”
Stories
- When Elder Roman was 17, he agreed to teach his friend how to swim. One morning at practice, Elder Roman found his friend drowning at the deep end of the pool. He jumped in and quickly swam to his friend to pull him up. Now desperate, his friend put him in a choke hold and tried climbing onto his back. Both drowning now, Elder Roman prayed for a miracle. He slowly and steadily felt a hand propelling him and his friend to safety.
- As a 9-year-old, Elder Roman found his mother crying alone one day. He asked her what was wrong, and she responded, “I need you to be a good boy.” Although Elder Roman knew he was not the cause of her distress, he solemnly promised her that he would strive to be the best son and make her proud. This promise has had a profound impact on him throughout his life.
From the footnotes
- 2. The word “faith” comes from the Latin “fides,” which means “to trust” (see Michiel de Vaan, “Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the Other Italic Languages” [2008], “fido”). The Greek cognate, πίστις, translates as “trusting” (see Robert Beekes, “Etymological Dictionary of Greek” [2010], 1:1161-62).
- 18. President Gordon B. Hinckley taught, “Pray to your Heavenly Father in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and always, under all circumstances, by the very nature of your lives show your loyalty and your love” (“Loyalty,” April 2003 general conference).
- 20. “The Hebrew word for faith is אמונה (emunah) and is an action oriented word meaning ‘support.’ ... [It] places the action on the one who ‘supports God.’ It is not a knowing that God will act, but rather I will do what I can to support God. This idea of support for the word “emunah” can be seen in Exodus 17:12. ... It is the support/emunah of Aaron and Hur that held [up] Moses’ arms, not the support/emunah of Moses. When we say, ‘I have faith in God,’ we should be thinking, ‘I will do what I can to support God’” (“Faith,” by Jeff A. Benner, Ancient Hebrew Research Center, ancient-hebrew.org).
Additional resources
- Related image: “Going Home” by YongSung Kim
- Related video: “Overcoming Life’s Storms With Faith in Christ”
- Related hymn: No. 1029, “I Can’t Count Them All”
Recent conference talks on faith
- President Camille N. Johnson: “Spiritually Whole in Him” (April 2025)
- Sister Amy A. Wright: “Thou Art the Christ” (April 2025)
- President Russell M. Nelson: “Christ Is Risen; Faith in Him Will Move Mountains” (April 2021)
Who is Elder Roman?
- Elder Sandino Roman, born in Iguala, Guerrero, Mexico, was sustained as a General Authority Seventy on April 6, 2024. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in computer systems from Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education in 2000 and a Master of Business Administration from Brigham Young University in 2006.
