Belief, Faith, and Knowledge

In testimony meeting this past Sunday, a good man (and one of the most Christ-like men I know) stated that he did not have true knowledge of the truthfulness of the gospel. He said that he hoped someday that he would, but all he could say today was that he believed the gospel was true.

His thoughts struck me and I thought that perhaps, like many members of the Church, he properly used the words belief and faith as synonyms. Although we differentiate between belief and faith, the Savior did not. In the New Testament, the words are indeed synonymous. He never required more than belief (or faith) when he healed or raised the dead. He only ascertained that there was belief on the part of the individuals he healed, and if their faith was sufficient he granted their request. He never asked if they had the perfect knowledge of which Alma speaks (Alma 32) but, only if they believed he could do what they asked.
Elder James E. Talmage pointed out that since we have no English verb for faith, we use the term "believe," and noted that in the Bible, with few exceptions, "belief" refers to the fullest assurance of faith to mean "to live accordingly" (Articles of Faith, 479).

The Savior himself used the terms faith and belief interchangeably. When a man came to the disciples asking them to cast out a spirit from his son, they could not do so. The man came in desperation to the Savior. This is one of my favorite stories in the New Testament and is found in Mark 9:17-25:

And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.

He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.

And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.

And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.

Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.

“Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” Or to paraphrase: Lord, I do have faith. Please strengthen my faith. I often feel the same way. I pray for faith often, I pray for stronger belief often. There are a few things in the gospel that I can say that I know: I know that without the support of the Savior and the Holy Spirit, I would be eternally lost. I know the word of wisdom is true. I know that prayers are answered; I know that the priesthood has healing power; I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I know these things through personal experience. Many other things I accept on faith. I believe – have faith that – we existed before our mortality; that we will continue to exist after this life; I believe that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are glorified beings. I believe that many aspects of the gospel must be accepted on faith. President Joseph F. Smith said:

I was acquainted with the Prophet Joseph in my youth. I was familiar in his home, with his boys and with his family. I have sat on his knee, I have heard him preach, distinctly remembering being present in the council with my father and the Prophet Joseph Smith and others. From my childhood to youth I believed him to be a Prophet of God. From my youth until the present I have not believed that he was a Prophet, for I have known that he was. In other words, my knowledge has superceded my belief.

Most of us do not have the privilege of such a perfect knowledge. We have not met the prophet Joseph Smith personally, nor heard him preach, nor felt of his spirit. President Smith is blessed with a sure knowledge because of his personal contact with Joseph. We, on the other hand, must rely on the scriptures, church history, the writings of Joseph Smith, and the testimonies of others to form our belief and faith in him.

The Savior said: All things are possible to him that believeth. He didn’t make perfect knowledge a requirement. D&C 46:12-14 tells us very plainly that faith is all that is required for eternal life.

To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby.

To some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that he was crucified for the sins of the world.

To others it is given to believe on their words, that they also might have eternal life if they continue faithful. [italics added]

So for some, a perfect knowledge of some of the principles of the gospel may come in this life. For others, it may come in the next life. In Ether 12:9 we read:

Wherefore, ye may also have hope, and be partakers of the gift, if ye will but have faith.

When the Lord returned to Nazareth (Luke 4:18-30), on the Sabbath, He entered the synagogue and asked for the book, that he might read. After he had read, they were surprised and angry that He used scripture to testify of his divinity.  They had heard of the miracles He had performed in Capernaum, but they were angry that he declared His divinity to them because He was the son of a local carpenter. They wanted Him to perform miracles, but they were lacking faith. He refused. He said in verses 23-24:

…Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country. And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.

He refused because He knew that they were seeking a sign, and had no belief (or faith) in Him. But always, all who asked in faith were accommodated.

Faith may be difficult to define. The scriptures encourage us to live by faith but define it in only two or three places. In Hebrews 11:1 we read:

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

And in Alma 32:21 we read:

And now as I said concerning faith—faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true

There is a considerable difference, however, between the perfect knowledge of which Alma speaks and the basic knowledge we all need to form faith. Elder John A. Widtsoe said:

…in the words of the Prophet Joseph Smith, "whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection." There can be nothing more important than knowledge.

However, only true knowledge leads to faith. Tested knowledge, tested again and again in terms of truth, is the substance of the high belief called faith. Certainty can be derived only from truth. Faith may again be defined as the knowledge of truth. … The process of building faith is largely the testing of knowledge for its truth. (The Certain Steps of Progress by Dr. John A. Widtsoe, Improvement Era, November, 1935)

There is another relationship between faith and knowledge. As faith increases, so does the thirst for knowledge increase. As knowledge increases, so does faith increase. This is an eternal round, and will certainly be as true in the next life as it is in mortality. We may or may not obtain the perfect knowledge Alma describes in this life, but eternal progress ensures that we will, if we are faithful, have a perfect knowledge of all things in the future just as our Father-in-Heaven does.

The Lord said to the brother of Jared: "Because of thy faith thou hast seen…” (Ether 3:9) (italics added). Seeking perfect knowledge in this life is a worthy goal, but faith is the key to admission to the presence of our Father-in-Heaven – the key to eternal life. Let us first find faith. Then as we live the gospel, and seek the Lord in all things, perfect knowledge will come in due time (or eternity).