Why a Trial of Your Faith Is Required
Based on Ether 12:6 — why God requires faith to precede the witness, and how Alma’s seed metaphor explains the spiritual growth process.
Ether 12:6
“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.”
Context: The Prophet Ether
Ether was a prophet who taught people to believe in God unto repentance, declaring that “by faith all things are fulfilled.” Hope in God’s promises, he taught, anchors souls in doing good works. But the people didn’t believe his prophecies because they “saw them not.” Moroni records Ether’s teaching that faith involves believing in unseen things, and that witnesses come only after faith has been tested.
The Scientific Method vs. Religious Faith
Modern science operates on the null hypothesis — the burden of proof rests on those making positive claims, requiring 95–99% confidence before accepting results. Science does not discover absolute Truth; it discovers provisional conclusions, valid only until proven false. History is filled with overturned scientific certainties: from classical mechanics to relativity, from nutritional guidelines to plate tectonics.
Religious knowledge operates differently. D&C 93:24 declares: “Truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come.” This is not provisional. It is eternal.
Why Believe First?
Alma teaches that blessed are those who “believe the word of God — without being compelled to believe” (Alma 32:16). A critical question: if God provided overwhelming empirical proof, wouldn’t refusal to believe result in greater condemnation? Those who know God’s will and refuse it face greater accountability than those who merely believe. This is why a trial of faith is not cruel — it is merciful.
Alma 32:17–18
“Yea, there are many who do say: If thou wilt show unto us a sign from heaven, then we shall know of a surety; then we shall believe. Now I ask, is this faith? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for if a man knoweth a thing he hath no cause to believe, for he already knoweth it.”
The Seed Metaphor
Alma 32:26–27
“We will compare the word unto a seed… if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts.”
You cannot know if a seed is good before planting it. Effort is required before the evidence is given. As the seed grows (Alma 32:29–30), faith strengthens through observable results: “it sprouteth and grows — will not this strengthen your faith?” Knowledge then becomes perfect regarding that specific thing.
Alma 32:34 explains that when knowledge is perfect in something, “your faith is dormant.” Yet knowledge is never complete — because the growing tree produces fruit containing new seeds, initiating the process again. D&C 93:28 teaches: “He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things.”
Nourishing Spiritual Growth
Alma 32:37–41
“And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say: Let us nourish it with great care, that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us… if ye neglect the tree, and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it withers away.”
Knowing a seed is good does not guarantee fruit. Trees require great care. Doubts do not nourish a growing testimony. What does? Scripture study, prayer, fasting, obedience, service — these nourish faith with “great diligence and patience,” allowing the tree to “spring up unto everlasting life.”
Religious faith requires a trial before evidence strengthens it. This evidence differs from empirical proof usable to convince others — that would eliminate the opportunity to live by faith, which is the very mechanism through which eternal life is obtained. The ultimate seed to plant: “that through the Son of God we may receive a remission of our sins and a glorious resurrection.”