I Know the Church Is True!
You will often hear Latter-Day Saints proclaim — “I know it is true!” — with great zeal. You may have recoiled at the expression, thinking, you can’t know, it’s impossible!
You are correct in a sense. Most of the time we do not have a perfect knowledge. We are still operating in a scope of belief and 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.” — Alma 32:21, BOM
But belief is a principle of faith that grows with experience, and believers often testify in a knowing of things they have experienced.
“Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” — Hebrew 11:1, JST
A well developed belief and an active faith can grow into a knowledge of things as they really are and provide believers with a perfect brightness of hope of things to come.
“Ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.” — 2 Nephi 31:20
In the beginning of faith is belief.
“Ye cannot know of their surety at first, unto perfection, any more than faith is a perfect knowledge.
“But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.
“Now, 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; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.
“Now behold, would not this increase your faith? I say unto you, Yea… ye will say I know that this is a good seed; for behold it sprouteth and beginneth to grow… And now, behold, is your knowledge perfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing”
— Alma 32:26-29
This is the knowledge Latter-Day Saints proclaim. Their knowledge of the evidence of things not scene which are true; their knowledge of the fruits of acting upon that seed of faith until they develop a perfect brightness of hope, an abiding faith, and a deep and abiding assurance of the truth.
You are correct in a sense. Most of the time we do not have a perfect knowledge. We are still operating in a scope of belief and 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.” — Alma 32:21, BOM
But belief is a principle of faith that grows with experience, and believers often testify in a knowing of things they have experienced.
“Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” — Hebrew 11:1, JST
A well developed belief and an active faith can grow into a knowledge of things as they really are and provide believers with a perfect brightness of hope of things to come.
“Ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.” — 2 Nephi 31:20
In the beginning of faith is belief.
“Ye cannot know of their surety at first, unto perfection, any more than faith is a perfect knowledge.
“But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.
“Now, 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; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.
“Now behold, would not this increase your faith? I say unto you, Yea… ye will say I know that this is a good seed; for behold it sprouteth and beginneth to grow… And now, behold, is your knowledge perfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing”
— Alma 32:26-29
This is the knowledge Latter-Day Saints proclaim. Their knowledge of the evidence of things not scene which are true; their knowledge of the fruits of acting upon that seed of faith until they develop a perfect brightness of hope, an abiding faith, and a deep and abiding assurance of the truth.
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