“Faith cometh not by signs, but signs follow those that believe” (Doctrine and Covenants 63:9)
Some time ago I was reading Mormon chapter 9 in the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. I was struck by how many times in that chapter we are exhorted to believe in Christ, “doubting nothing,” and then promised miracles when we do so. It became very clear to me that God places a high value on faith and belief.
This struck me so much because it is such a contrast to how we tend to think in our current society, which generally values skepticism over belief. If you’re skeptical of everything, then you’ll never be tricked into believing something that’s not true. You’ll never risk looking foolish. But, skepticism is not God’s approach. Instead, He encourages us to believe — to exercise faith and hope in the face of uncertainty. This belief makes miracles possible.
More recently I was reading in section 63 of the Doctrine and Covenants. Verses 7-12 discuss people who seek signs before they will believe:
- 7 And he that seeketh signs shall see signs, but not unto salvation.
- 8 Verily, I say unto you, there are those among you who seek signs, and there have been such even from the beginning;
- 9 But, behold, faith cometh not by signs, but signs follow those that believe.
- 10 Yea, signs come by faith, not by the will of men, nor as they please, but by the will of God.
- 11 Yea, signs come by faith, unto mighty works, for without faith no man pleaseth God; and with whom God is angry he is not well pleased; wherefore, unto such he showeth no signs, only in wrath unto their condemnation.
- 12 Wherefore, I, the Lord, am not pleased with those among you who have sought after signs and wonders for faith, and not for the good of men unto my glory.
What I found most interesting in these verses is God’s discussion of what signs are for. He seems frustrated with those who focus on themselves and their need for a sign from God before they will heed His words, rather than those who seek miracles from God to bless others.
Here are a couple stories that illustrate the concept that “faith cometh not by signs, but signs follow those that believe” (v. 9).
I met a man during my full-time missionary service in France who experienced the truth that “signs follow those that believe.” His father was gravely injured and in critical condition. This man prayed and told God that he would quit smoking and not seek revenge on those who had injured his father if God would spare his father’s life. His father lived, and this man kept the commitments he had made to God. This experience of acting in faith to secure blessings from God for another person resulted in the miracle of his father’s healing. It also increased this man’s own faith in God, eventually leading him to the waters of baptism to make further covenants with the Lord.
The story of Laman and Lemuel from the Book of Mormon, however, supports the statement that “faith cometh not by signs.” These two brothers saw many signs that God is real, even being visited by an angel at one point, but these signs did not create faith in them. They continued to doubt God and His power. Their brother, Nephi, asks them at one point, “Ye also know that an angel hath spoken unto you; wherefore can ye doubt?” (1 Nephi 4:3). And yet, despite all the signs, somehow they manage to disbelieve. Faith truly cometh not by signs.
My Story
You may wonder if I am promoting the idea of “blind faith”. Let me respond to that by first telling you part of my own story.
Far from promoting “blind faith,” all my religious leaders when I was a youth consistently emphasized the importance of receiving my own witness from God that the teachings of my church were true. The point was brought up so often that I felt a lot of pressure to find out the truth for myself . I realize now that the pressure I felt wasn’t because I needed a sign to continue to live its teachings, but because everyone else stressed that I needed a sign. So, I dutifully prayed and asked God to tell me if the church’s teachings were true. I felt a lot of anxiety over my ability to receive a sign from God that would convince all these other people that I had a real testimony of Christ’s gospel.
Not surprisingly, my people-pleasing prayers went largely unanswered. One night, after listening to a particularly poignant lesson on the topic, I prayed even more earnestly, sharing with God my anxiety on the topic. This time I received an answer. The answer I received from God through the Spirit was that it was okay for me to continue living the gospel like I was doing for now. I didn’t need a sign. I could just keep believing and following the commandments. Relief washed through me. I didn’t need to prove anything to anybody. I could just continue living the gospel like I wanted to.
About fifteen years after this experience, I came to a point in my life where I needed to know for myself that God was there and that I could rely on Him. I needed Him to show me the path to the peace, joy, and fulfillment He promises the faithful in the scriptures, because my own methods for obtaining those things were failing me. This time when I went to Him in prayer, I was not seeking knowledge from Him that other people said I needed; I was seeking answers to my own questions and concerns. And when I went to Him with these questions and concerns, God answered me with a steady stream of personal revelation, teaching me truth, after truth, after truth. The scriptures became a feast for me, and I learned for myself that I could rely on the Lord to fill me and help me find joy, even in the midst of tribulation. I had my own personal evidence that when I exercised my faith, the signs followed.
Looking back over my life, do I feel like it was foolish to spend all those years believing in God and living the gospel without really knowing it was 100% true? A waste? Not at all. I’m actually super grateful that before I had gained enough knowledge and experience to know for myself what types of choices would benefit me, I was taught to live by many values and form many healthy habits that have blessed my life immeasurably. I see those many years of what some might call “blind faith” more a period of maturation of my faith, of laying a foundational knowledge of God, His words, and His ways that I could draw on when it came time for me to finally put my faith to the test.
Examples of Building Faith
There are many stories in the scriptures that follow a similar pattern. As a child, Nephi was taught about God by his parents. When his father Lehi had a dream in which God told him to take his family into the wilderness because Jerusalem was going to be destroyed, it was a crisis moment for Nephi. Suddenly Nephi had to know for himself if these things his father had taught him about God were true, because the answer was going to have a significant impact on his life. He prayed, and the Lord visited him, softened his heart, and confirmed the truth of all the things his father had taught him (1 Nephi 2:16).
Enos had a similar experience. When he was out hunting, he pondered on all the teachings of his father. This led him to have a strong desire to know that Christ’s Atonement was real and that he could be forgiven of his sins. He prayed earnestly “all the day long,” until he finally heard a voice saying, “Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed,” and so his “guilt was swept away” (Enos 1:3-6). He continued to pray on behalf of his people, the Nephites, and then on behalf of his people’s enemies, the Lamanites. As he prayed, he continued to receive further knowledge from the Lord. Like Nephi, Enos gained his own testimony of the truth of Christ’s gospel, separate from his parents’.
There is another point of insight that we can glean from Enos’s story. In verse 1 Enos says, “I, Enos, knowing my father that he was a just man….” We talk about “blind faith,” but is faith that is based on the beliefs of one’s parents or on the words of prophets actually “blind”? Enos took the words of his father seriously because he knew his father to be “a just man.” Nephi also talks about how he was born “of goodly parents” (1 Nephi 1:1). Both these sons could see the goodness of the people who raised them and the strength and integrity that came into their lives through their beliefs.
Even Alma the Younger, who chose to rebel against his father and Christ’s gospel, remembered his father’s testimony in his hour of need and put it to the test when he finally realized the harm of his choices. He experienced, like Enos, the miracle of forgiveness, and came to know His Savior personally through that experience (Alma 36:8-20).
Fostering Our Faith
Usually our own faith begins with the sincere testimony of other good people who have exercised faith and received their own personal evidence of God’s existence, power, and mercy. This is why God went to such great lengths to have His prophets write down their revelations and experiences, to preserve those writings, and to inspire people to translate those ancient writings into modern languages. The scriptures provide us the knowledge and evidence we need to kindle our own small flame of faith, which can then grow larger as we exercise it and have our own personal experiences with God. To see His hand in our personal lives, though, we first must be willing to believe.
I can personally testify that “signs follow those that believe.” I have experienced God’s hand in my own life on countless occasions. I know He lives and that He knows and loves each of us personally. I invite each of you to exercise enough faith to seek Him and find out for yourselves. He promises throughout the scriptures, “seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7, Luke 11:9, D&C 88:63). I know God’s promises are true, and that when you sincerely seek Him, you will find Him, for “he hath all power unto the fulfilling of all his words” (1 Nephi 9:6) and “proveth all his words” (2 Nephi 11:3).
Invitation: Read Alma 32. Ponder what action you can take to plant a seed of faith in your heart and test its goodness. After planting the seed, ask yourself Alma’s questions: Does it enlarge my soul? Does it enlighten my understanding? Does it begin to be delicious to me? (Alma 32:28) If so, you can know that it is a good seed and worth nurturing, and your faith will continue to grow.
Check out another article on faith here or here!
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