Developing Faith

A. Hypothesis—

1. There are unseen realities—things not seen, but true (see Alma 32:21).
2. “If ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true” (v. 21), but you do not have a perfect knowledge of them. By perfect knowledge Alma seems to mean knowledge gained through one’s own experiences (see vv. 17–18, 21, 26, 33–34). The person who operates from a basis of faith is willing to accept a different kind of evidence than that gained through the senses. Paul taught that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (JST, Hebrews 11:1). Alma promised that if a person would experiment upon the word he would have special experiences of his own and thus come to a perfect knowledge of its goodness (see Alma 32:33–34).
3. A person cannot at first be sure of the truth of unseen realities. He must begin with faith, and faith is not to have that perfect knowledge (see v. 26).
4. A particle of faith, even a desire to believe, if planted in the heart and nourished properly, can grow into knowledge of the unseen (see v. 27).

B. Experiment—

1. Compare the word of God to a seed (see v. 28).
2. Plant the seed in your heart, not just in your head (see v. 28).
3. Do not cast the seed out by unbelief or resist the Spirit of the Lord that accompanies it (see v. 28).
4. If the seed begins to swell within you and enlarges your soul and enlightens your understanding, it is good; if it does not, it is bad and should be cast away (see vv. 28–32).

C. Conclusions—

1. If the seed begins to grow, faith in its goodness becomes dormant; you know the seed is good (see vv. 33–35).
2. If the seed begins to grow, additional nourishment and care will cause the seed to become a tree that brings forth fruit (see vv. 36–37).
3. If the seed or the tree is neglected, it will wither. This does not mean that the seed was not good. It means that your spiritual ground is barren and unproductive. In other words, the experiment did not fail; you failed the experiment, and you can not enjoy the fruit (see vv. 38–40).
4. If the tree is nourished with diligence, patience, and continuing faith it will spring up “unto everlasting life” (v. 41) and enable you to “pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure” (v. 42).