Belief

Understanding and accepting true doctrine (see 3 Nephi 7:4).¹ Belief comes after mere hope (meaning “desire”) and is based upon the conviction a proposition is true. There is a difference between belief and faith and between faith and knowledge. It is a spectrum. At one end there is desire, and it is then followed by belief. By degrees this belief grows into faith, and faith can progress by degrees into knowledge. Knowledge is at the other end of the spectrum. Belief is a step toward faith. Belief can come from study and from trusting others. Belief can be very weak, or it can be a strongly held conviction.² In the Covenant of Christ, Jacob makes a startling promise for those who live when the destruction begins preliminary to the cleansing of the world before the Lord returns. He won’t destroy anyone who believes in Him. But those who don’t believe in Him will be destroyed by fire, storm, earthquake, slaughter, disease, and famine (2 Nephi 5:5 CE). This amazing promise is predicated on “believing in Him.” This requires us to understand what the word believe means in the parlance of the Covenant of Christ and of the Book of Mormon. Those who believe in Him know and accept correct doctrine — or the truth — about Him. Those who do not know and will not accept correct doctrine or the truth have dwindled in unbelief. They do not believe in Him. They may have religion, may belong to churches, may be active in all their observances, but they are not in possession of belief in Him. Instead they accept for doctrines the commandments of men and their hearts are far from Him. They teach false and vain things. As a result, they neither enter into the kingdom nor suffer those who are entering to go in. This includes those who, though they are humble followers of Christ, are nevertheless led that in many instances they do err in doctrine (see 2 Nephi 12:2). There will be many who are destroyed who will be quite surprised by it. They will complain that they have prophesied in Christ’s name, have cast out devils in His name, and done many wonderful works, but they do not know Christ, and therefore, never did believe in Him (see Matthew 3:47–48). “If you are one of those who believe in Him, and who will not dwindle in unbelief, will not accept the commandments of men as doctrine, but will take the spirit for your guide, then Jacob promises that Christ will not destroy you. The rest He will destroy.”³ To believe in Him is to accept, study, contemplate, and ponder His teachings. It is not to just go along with the group, but to rise up from one’s position and awaken from one’s slumber. It is to grow into knowledge about Him. Belief leads to faith and faith to knowledge. But the process is initiated by one’s belief and correct understanding of His teachings (see Lectures on Faith).⁴ Belief is only possible by receiving the truth. It is important to have the truth in order to acquire belief. The Lord commanded Joseph Smith to revise the Bible in order to permit belief or “correct understanding.” One of the corrections Joseph made was to the exchange between Jesus and the lawyers; Luke has been revised to now read: Woe unto you lawyers, for you have taken away the key of knowledge, the fullness of the scriptures. You enter not in yourselves into the kingdom, and those who were entering in, you hindered (Luke 8:17). Without the “fullness of the scriptures,” it is impossible to have belief. Truth is the key of knowledge. Joseph Smith’s Bible revision was essential for people to have belief. Without it, the saints would dwindle in unbelief because they lacked the truths God intended to be known and accepted by His followers.⁵See also UNBELIEF.