...faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.
Ether 12:6
A witness comes after the trial of faith, which witness is not necessary, or not substantial, because the witness doesn’t increase faith. In other words, I don’t get a witness until I don’t need it. Once I have sufficient faith, I will get a witness, but at that point, I wouldn’t need a witness because my faith is sufficient to sustain me. I only get what I don’t need. The witness only adds beauty to the structure of faith, it is the outward appearance of faith.
Those who have sufficient faith are shown what they already know by faith, and can then say they have seen so that others may have faith in their words and come to see the same things they already know by faith.
But because of the faith of men he has shown himself unto the world, and glorified the name of the Father, and prepared a way that thereby others might be partakers of the heavenly gift, that they might hope for those things which they have not seen.
Ether 12:8
Those who believe me when I tell them I have seen, that I have no more faith, but sure knowledge, can then go through the same process of building faith so they can receive a witness. But the witness doesn’t come until after faith.
Wherefore, ye may also have hope, and be partakers of the gift, if ye will but have faith.
Ether 12:9
Faith must exist first, I must know by faith something I haven’t seen, and then the promise of seeing is fulfilled.
...they obtained not the promise until after their faith.
Ether 12:17
People who have faith see what they already know by faith. Moroni explains that many people...
...saw with their eyes the things which they had beheld with an eye of faith...
Ether 12:19
They already had seen it “with an eye of faith.” They already knew. There was no surprise, they knew, like the brother of Jared.
...so great was his faith in God, that when God put forth his finger he could not hide it from the sight of the brother of Jared, because of his word which he had spoken unto him, which word he had obtained by faith.
Ether 12:19-20
The brother of Jared was able to see the Lord because, the Lord “could not hide it...” He had such faith that he already knew. Because he knew the Lord, he was able to see Him. The Lord said to him at this point:
Because thou knowest these things ye are redeemed from the fall; therefore ye are brought back into my presence; therefore I show myself unto you.
Ether 3:13
The manifestation of something is by faith to those who already know by faith. Seeing angels and spiritual things without faith is useless, it doesn’t create faith, and can be lost. Seeing something from outside my beliefs is not evidence, so it doesn’t mean anything to me. Only when I already know by faith is the manifestation beneficial. Nephi was exasperated by his brothers who didn’t have faith. They saw angels and heard the voice of God. They were shocked into submission, they did the impossible in building a ship, but because there was no faith, it didn’t mean anything. There was nothing to hang it on, no faith on which to base the experience, so they lost it. The manifestation, or seeing, is not evidence.
...faith is... the evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1
A single experience without faith is nothing. If I just see someone, I know what they look like, but I have no basis for a relationship. However, when I have known someone for many years, and have had many experiences with that person, I have evidence of who they are, their character and attributes. My years of experience build faith, while the manifestation or appearance, their dress and words, give me no understanding of their nature and disposition. The brother of Jared knew the character of God:
Yea, Lord, I know that thou speakest the truth, for thou art a God of truth, and canst not lie.
Ether 3:12
It was after this that he was able to see the Lord.
...never have I showed myself unto man whom I have created, for never has man believed in me as thou hast.
Ether 3:15
Belief is often used as a synonym for faith because faith is the evidence of belief. Evidence is built over time. Beliefs change according to the evidence, but manifestations, miracles, or seeing does not increase evidence; it comes through long-term experience, and is built gradually. Evidence is faith, the witness is the confirmation of faith. For the brother of Jared faith was there. He had built a great deal of evidence, and because he knew the character of God, he was able to be in His presence. The witness must come after the faith sufficient to support it. Faith must precede the miracle, or there is no miracle. A miracle is a manifestation of the power of God. God can to nothing without faith first. God can show me only what I already know by faith.
For if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them;
Ether 12:12
God can do only what is already done by faith. God does the miracle, people see the manifestation of His hand, but that vision only comes by faith.
For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith.
2 Nephi 27:23
On the other hand, God does NOT do anything unless people have faith. So, without faith, nothing will happen. There will be no manifestations, no visions, no healing, no miracles. There must be faith for anything to happen from God.
The Foundation of Faith
The other aspect of faith is that it must be true. If I have a belief that is not true, and I find plenty of “substance” and “evidence” it still is not faith. The issue is that I am not looking simply for confirmation of my beliefs, but rather for the truth. Thus a dedication to truth is essential for building faith.
...if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.
Alma 32:21
Faith rests on truth. There must be truth as a foundation to sustain all things. A building of “substance” and “evidence” that is not true will crumble, it is a virtual building and cannot hold any true experience. I will not receive a manifestation of God, or any miracle, if my faith is vain, such as a belief in something that isn’t true. Belief without truth is like a building without a foundation, as Lehi, in his dream, saw,
a great and spacious building; and it stood as it were in the air,
1 Nephi 8:26
Nephi was told what the building represented.
And the large and spacious building, which thy father saw, is vain imaginations and the pride of the children of men.
1 Nephi 12:18
“Imaginations” are fantasies. So many people in the world are trying to live a fantasy. They truly believe that they can be saved by money. They truly believe that more food will fill their emptiness. They truly believe that other people could make them happy. It’s all fantasies, vain imaginations, and pride. Nephi was also shown what happens to such structures.
...it fell, and the fall thereof was exceedingly great.
1 Nephi 11:36
Faith must be built on a foundation of truth. The type of person who seeks only to confirm their wrong beliefs, and gratify their pride has no foundation in truth. Only those who are willing to be humble and give up all their own beliefs and desires, who seek only truth, will be able to build faith. My primary objective is to know truth at all costs. Then, I gradually build faith as I receive truth little-by-little. And last, I wait upon the Lord to provide the witness, or the confirmation of my faith. I will see. I will see His hand. I will see miracles.
Witness is mind, Faith is heart
Faith is the first principle of the gospel; it comes from hearing the word of God.
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Romans 10:17
When people listen to the word of God, the Spirit bears witness of it, and it increases their faith in Him. It is the Spirit of God that gives faith, not our own experiences. The witness of the Spirit has more power than all the things we feel, see, and hear.
when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men.
2 Nephi 33:1
Note that the Holy Ghost carries the words “unto the hearts” but not in the hearts. It can be there, but if the heart is hard, it will not penetrate. If a heart is hard, and is not able to feel the Spirit of God, then there is no evidence, and thus no faith. Hard hearts, and blind minds prevent people from developing faith. Also, those who are unable to feel His words cannot develop faith. Nephi explains this to his brothers, who never did develop any faith, in spite of a lot of witnesses.
Ye are swift to do iniquity but slow to remember the Lord your God. Ye have seen an angel, and he spake unto you; yea, ye have heard his voice from time to time; and he hath spoken unto you in a still small voice, but ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words; wherefore, he has spoken unto you like unto the voice of thunder, which did cause the earth to shake as if it were to divide asunder. And ye also know that by the power of his almighty word he can cause the earth that it shall pass away; yea, and ye know that by his word he can cause the rough places to be made smooth, and smooth places shall be broken up. O, then, why is it, that ye can be so hard in your hearts?
1 Nephi 17:45-46
They had enough experience with God to know that He had power over all the earth, but they were hard in their hearts, or “past feeling,” so the Holy Ghost could not give them faith. Faith must come to the heart by the Holy Ghost, and I must allow it in. Agency is control over my heart, and what I will allow to enter my heart.
Those who have soft hearts, who are seeking truth, who put their own selves, their ideas and desires, below the truth have the quality of humility. Those who are humble put truth first, and since Christ is truth, they put Him first. Submission to the will of God is submission to truth. Humility must come first, or there will be no faith. I can find no evidence for truth unless I have humility. When I am sufficiently humble I can start building faith as the Holy Ghost brings the words of truth to my heart, and I let it in.
Building Faith
...faith is the substance of things...
Hebrews 11:1
Faith is the substance. It is the structure of life. It is the place upon which my visual experience can hang. Seeing is not enough. Sight is temporary. Vision is limited. Seeing something cannot give surety. Past experience doesn't predict the future. Faith predicts the future. By faith comes the production of all things. I can know by faith. I look forward with an eye of faith. The visual experience is only the capstone of faith, it finishes the faith, but the structure is faith. Faith is the bones, and walls; a witness, or seeing, is the stucco, the paint, the color, the outside, the manifestation, the siding, the image. Faith is the structure, seeing is the appearance. Seeing something is the witness of faith. A witness is just the outside, not the frame. Thus, those who have some structure can be given more because they have a place to put the experience, while those who have no walls cannot receive anything from God, and will lose what they have. Jesus drives this concept home with the “parable of the talents.”
For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
Matthew 25:29
“Them that has, gets,” because they have a place on which to put the experience. There must be some kind of structure on which to hang a façade, you can’t just have stucco and paint, there must be some studs and a foundation. Without the foundation and the structure of the building the outside is worthless. Thus,
Those who need the most, get the least.
Those who need the least, get the most.
Nephi explains one reason why this happens:
Wo be unto him that shall say: We have received the word of God, and we need no more of the word of God, for we have enough! For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.
2 Nephi 28:29-30
So, to have more manifestations, visions, and miracles it is necessary to have more faith. Those who build a larger structure of faith with a firm foundation and strong walls will have many more things to hang on the outside. Others may look at your lovely façade, but not know that it is all hanging on faith. Thus it seems that those who have shall be given more, and those who have not shall be taken away what they have. The last group has no structure, no place to hang their stuff. Most of the time they will not get stuff, but if they have stuff and have no place to put it, then it will be taken away because it can’t exist on nothing. Faith doesn’t come from seeing, rather it comes from a different kind of experience.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1
Substance and evidence are the hallmarks of faith. They are things I hope for, but are not seen. What I see doesn’t cause belief, it’s the other way around. I need to seek to understand things that I don’t see. If I see, I can mistake this for knowing. Knowing is in the heart, and comes by the Holy Ghost. Seeing brings no knowledge. I can know things I cannot see, better than I could know things I do see. Seeing is a deception, a fraud, it isn’t real. Thus, I need a different way to know.
Truth is the foundation.
Faith is the structure.
Miracles are the façade.
These must come in that order. I cannot build walls without a foundation. Nor can I put on the siding without the walls. Each comes in its order, and in its time.
Signs, Miracles, and Witness -- the Façade
The last part of the building is the adornment, which is actually seeing what I already know. The miracles are always manifest in those who build a building of faith.
And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
Mark 16:17-18
The signs shall follow those who have faith. It will happen. It is not a question, it is a sure thing. If there is faith, there will be miracles. God is a God of miracles. He wants to show His children His love. He desires to manifest His hand to help them learn and grow.
Yea, and even all they who wrought miracles wrought them by faith, even those who were before Christ and also those who were after... And neither at any time hath any wrought miracles until after their faith; wherefore they first believed in the Son of God.
Ether 12:16,18
On the other hand, if I am not seeing miracles, if I don’t have manifestations of the power of God, then I have not built sufficient faith. I don’t believe, I don’t trust.
And the reason why he ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not the God in whom they should trust.
Mormon 9:20
All who have faith, who do the works of righteousness must have miracles, they must be seeing the hand of God in their lives, or else they don’t believe, and cannot do good.
And wo be unto the children of men if this be the case; for there shall be none that doeth good among you, no not one. For if there be one among you that doeth good, he shall work by the power and gifts of God.
Moroni 10:25
Those who believe in Him, and build their faith on Him, on a foundation of truth, will always have manifestations of their faith. The Lord puts on the outside of our mansion by miracles. If I believe, He will confirm His words by showing His hand in my life. The confirmation of my faith is miracles, specifically those specified as the signs:
And these signs shall follow them that believe—in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover; And whosoever shall believe in my name, doubting nothing, unto him will I confirm all my words, even unto the ends of the earth.
Mormon 9:24-25
These signs are very specific, and were given to both the disciples in Israel, as well as those in the Americas. These are the ones to look for, these are the confirmation of faith:
1. Cast out devils
2. Speak in tongues
3. Cannot be poisoned
4. Heal the sick
If I don’t see these signs, then I know these are people who don’t believe. Belief brings faith. Faith must precede the miracle.
People get it backwards. They think if they saw miracles they would believe. They think that faith comes from seeing. That’s all in reverse. I cannot put on the paint until I have some siding. I cannot put up siding until I have walls, I cannot put up walls until I have a foundation. The foundation of dedication to truth is first, then I can put on the walls of faith, and then I can adorn it with the miracles of God. This is why I cannot receive a witness until after I have faith.
