LDS Freedom Forum

Now Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

What is faith? This question has been asked many times by many people. The Bible offers this explanation of faith, but it is a confusing one. How can evidence exist of something that cannot be seen? Presumably, this unseen item also cannot be felt, heard, smelt, or tasted--not by physical senses at least. So why is faith said to be evidence of it. How can you have evidence of something that can't be experienced physically?

And now as I said concerning faith--faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if you have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.

Both the Book of Mormon and the Bible tell us that faith is belief in things that do not exist in a realm that we can discern with our earthly senses. I suppose that it cannot exist there because we cannot detect the future with our physical bodies. We have to believe in something that we have no concrete way of knowing will actually come to pass.

If our faith is joined with revelation from the Lord, then we can truly have faith. A farmer can plant his crops and have them fail, and so not see the realization of the faith he exercised when planting. But those who are working towards a goal promised by God will always see the realization of their beliefs because God has the power to make the things he promises come to pass. That way, those who exercise faith will be actually basing it on something that is true.

Faith is the evidence because faith is what makes the desired object come to be so long as the faith of man is coupled with the faith of God.