A central point of Alma 32 is that of having faith in the word of God. Alma observed that when the word of God is planted in the fertile soil of the heart, it will begin to swell and grow. Through experimenting upon the word, or nurturing it through obedience, the word of God will bring forth fruit that is most precious, sweet above all that is sweet, white above all that is white, and pure above all that is pure. Neglecting the word of God will result in no such fruit.
How do we nurture our faith in the word so that we may feast upon this fruit? President Joseph Fielding Smith (1876–1972) taught, “If we want to have a living, abiding faith, we must be active in the performance of every duty as members of this Church” (Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols. [1954–56], 2:311).
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin (1917–2008) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles similarly taught: “Faith exists when absolute confidence in that which we cannot see combines with action that is in absolute conformity to the will of our Heavenly Father. Without all three—first, absolute confidence; second, action; and third, absolute conformity—without these three, all we have is a counterfeit, a weak and watered-down faith” (in Conference Report, Oct. 2002, 89; or Ensign, Nov. 2002, 83).