We Believe: Doctrines of Mormonism: Testimony

List of Doctrines on "Testimony"

813. Testimonies of divine truths come through personal revelation.

814. To be capable of entering into celestial glory, each person must eventually gain an independent, personal testimony (of the truth of the gospel and its doctrines).

815. When teachers (missionaries and speakers) bear testimony of a gospel truth they have taught, the Spirit of God witnesses the truth thereof to the heart of the honest seeker.

816. We can gain testimonies of the gospel and its divine truths for ourselves through obedience to God.

817. Gospel study and prayer are necessary means for obtaining a testimony of the gospel.

818. A desire to believe starts the process for developing faith and obtaining a testimony of the gospel.

819. Only by revelation can a person know and testify that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

813. Testimonies of divine truths come through personal revelation.

Elder Joseph Fielding Smith
Elder Harold B. Lee
Elder Harold B. Lee
Elder Joseph F. Smith
Bruce R. McConkie
Elder Ezra Taft Benson
President Spencer W. Kimball
Elder Joseph Fielding Smith
Related Witnesses
Moroni, son of Mormon
Alma, the younger

Elder Joseph Fielding Smith

A testimony of the gospel is a convincing knowledge given by revelation to the individual who humbly seeks the truth. Its convincing power is so great that there can be no doubt left in the mind when the Spirit has spoken. It is the only way that a person can truly know that Jesus is the Christ and that his gospel is true. There are millions of people on the earth who believe that Jesus lived and died and that his work was for the salvation of souls; but unless they have complied with his commandments and have accepted his truth as it has been restored, they do not know and cannot know the full significance of his mission and its benefits to mankind. Only through humble repentance and submission to the plan of salvation can this be made known. The way is open to all if they will receive his truth and accept his ordinances and abide faithfully in them. (Answers to Gospel Questions, 3:31) TLDP:685

Elder Harold B. Lee

[R]evelation by the power of the Holy Ghost is required for one to receive a testimony— . . . (Stand Ye in Holy Places, pp. 194-95) TLDP:686

Elder Harold B. Lee

[T]he Lord has said it was not only important that there be revelation to his Church through his mouthpiece, the one who held the keys, but his Church must also be founded on personal revelation, that every member of the Church who has been baptized and has received the Holy Ghost must be admonished so to live that each might receive a personal testimony and a witness of the divine calling of him who was called to lead as the President of the Church, so that he will accept those words and that counsel as if from the mouth of the Lord himself. CR1953Apr:28

Elder Joseph F. Smith

We know that the One in whom we trust is God, for it has been revealed to us. We are not in the dark, neither have we obtained our knowledge from any man, synod or collection of men, but through the revelation of Jesus. If there be any who doubt us, let them repent of their sins. Is there any harm in your forsaking your follies and evils, and in bowing in humility before God for his Spirit, and in obedience to the words of the Savior, being baptized for the remission of sins, and having hands laid upon you for the gift of the Holy Ghost, that you may have a witness for yourselves of the truth of the words we speak to you? Do this humbly and honestly, and as sure as the Lord lives, I promise you that you will receive the testimony of this work for yourselves, and will know it as all the Latter-day Saints know it. This is the promise; it is sure and steadfast. It is something tangible; it is in the power of every man to prove for himself whether we speak the truth or whether we lie. We do not come as deceivers or impostors before the world; we do not come with the intention to deceive, but we come with plain simple truth, and leave it to the world to test it and get a knowledge for themselves. It is the right of every soul that lives—the high, low, rich, poor, great and small, to have this testimony for themselves inasmuch as they will obey the gospel. (In new Tabernacle, Nov. 15, 1868) (Gospel Doctrine, p. 83) TLDP:685

Bruce R. McConkie

And having thus testified again of his divine Sonship, Jesus promises that upon the rock of revealed truth, the rock of revelation, the rock of personal testimony received by the power of the Holy Ghost—upon this rock he will build this Church. And thus it has ever been. (The Mortal Messiah, 3:38) TLDP:688

Elder Ezra Taft Benson

A testimony is to have current inspiration to know the work is true, not something we receive only once. The Holy Ghost abides with those who honor, respect, and obey God's laws. And it is that Spirit which gives inspiration to the individual. CR1983Apr:72

President Spencer W. Kimball

You may know. You need not be in doubt. Follow the prescribed procedures, and you may have an absolute knowledge that these things are absolute truths. The necessary procedure is: study, think, pray, and do. Revelation is the key. God will make it known to you once you have capitulated and have become humble and receptive. Having dropped all pride of your mental stature, having acknowledged before God your confusion, having subjected your egotism, and having surrendered yourself to the teaching of the Holy Spirit, you are ready to begin to learn. With preconceived religious notions stubbornly held, one is not teachable. The Lord has promised repeatedly that he will give you a knowledge of spiritual things when you have placed yourself in a proper frame of mind. He has counseled us to seek, ask, and search diligently. (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 63) TLDP:686

Elder Joseph Fielding Smith

The impressions on the soul that come from the Holy Ghost are far more significant than a vision. It is where Spirit speaks to spirit, and the imprint upon the soul is far more difficult to erase. Every member of the Church should have the impressions on his soul made by the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Son of God indelibly pictured so that they cannot be forgotten. We read that it is the Spirit that giveth life. ("The Twelve Apostles," address to the seminary and institute faculty at Brigham Young University, 1958, p. 6) TLDP:683

Related Witnesses:

Moroni, son of Mormon

And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
5. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things. (Moroni's final writings, about A.D. 421) Moroni 10:4-5

Alma, the younger,
quoted by Mormon

For I am called to speak after this manner, according to the holy order of God, which is in Christ Jesus; yea, I am commanded to stand and testify unto this people the things which have been spoken by our fathers concerning the things which are to come.
45. And this is not all. Do ye not suppose that I know of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety?
46. Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me.
47. And moreover, I say unto you that it has thus been revealed unto me, that the words which have been spoken by our fathers are true, even so according to the spirit of prophecy which is in me, which is also by the manifestation of the Spirit of God. (Alma testifies to the people of the truth of his teachings, about 83 B.C.) Alma 5:44-47

814. To be capable of entering into celestial glory, each person must eventually gain an independent, personal testimony (of the truth of the gospel and its doctrines).

President Brigham Young
Elder Harold B. Lee
Elder Harold B. Lee
President Brigham Young
Heber C. Kimball
Elder Harold B. Lee
Related Witnesses
John A. Widtsoe
Henry D. Moyle
President David O. McKay
Stephen L. Richards

President Brigham Young

Those men, or those women, who know no more about the power of God, and the influences of the Holy Spirit, than to be led entirely by another person, suspending their own understanding, and pinning their faith upon another's sleeve, will never be capable of entering into the celestial glory, to be crowned as they anticipate; they will never be capable of becoming Gods. They cannot rule themselves, to say nothing of ruling others, but they must be dictated to every trifle, like a child. . . . They never can hold scepters of glory, majesty, and power in the celestial kingdom. Who will? Those who are valiant and inspired with the true independence of heaven, who will go forth boldly to do as they please, determined to do right, though all mankind besides should take the opposite course. (In Tabernacle, Feb. 20, 1853, JD1:312) TLDP:683-84

Elder Harold B. Lee

The time is here when each of you must stand on your own feet. Be converted, because no one can endure on borrowed light. You will have to be guided by the light within yourself. If you do not have it, you will not stand. (Stand Ye in Holy Places, p. 95) TLDP:684

Elder Harold B. Lee,

quoting Heber C. Kimball
President Heber C. Kimball, shortly after the Saints had arrived here in the mountains—and some, I suppose, were somewhat gloating over the fact that they had triumphed for a temporary period over their enemies—had this to say: . . . we think we are secure here in the chambers of the everlasting hills where we can close those few doors of the canyons against mobs and persecutors, the wicked and the vile, who have always beset us with violence and robbery, but I want to say to you, my brethren, the time is coming when we will be mixed up in these now peaceful valleys to that extent that it will be difficult to tell the face of a Saint from the face of an enemy to the people of God. Then, brethren, look out for the great sieve, for there will be a great sifting time, and many will fall—for I say unto you there is a test, a TEST, a TEST coming, and who will be able to stand? . . .
You imagine, said he, that you would have stood by [the Prophet Joseph Smith] when persecution raged and he was assailed by foes within and without. You would have defended him and been true to him in the midst of every trial. You think you would have been delighted to have shown your integrity in the days of mobs and traitors.
Let me say to you, that many of you will see the time when you will have all the trouble, trial and persecution that you can stand, and plenty of opportunities to show that you are true to God and his work. This Church has before it many close places through which it will have to pass before the work of God is crowned with victory. To meet the difficulties that are coming, it will be necessary for you to have a knowledge of the truth of this work for yourselves. The difficulties will be of such a character that the man or woman who does not possess this personal knowledge or witness will fall. If you have not got the testimony, live right and call upon the Lord and cease not till you obtain it. If you do not you will not stand.
Remember these sayings, for many of you will live to see them fulfilled. The time will come when no man nor woman will be able to endure on borrowed light. Each will have to be guided by the light within himself. If you do not have it, how can you stand? (Life of Heber C. Kimball, pp. 446, 449-50) CR1965Oct:128

President Brigham Young

I am more afraid that this people have so much confidence in their leaders that they will not inquire for themselves of God whether they are led by Him. I am fearful they settle down in a state of blind self-security, trusting their eternal destiny in the hands of their leaders with a reckless confidence that in itself would thwart the purposes of God in their salvation, and weaken that influence they could give to their leaders, did they know for themselves, by the revelations of Jesus, that they are led in the right way. Let every man and woman know, by the whispering of the Spirit of God to themselves, whether their leaders are walking in the path the Lord dictates, or not. (In Tabernacle, Jan. 12, 1862, JD9:150) TLDP:684

Heber C. Kimball,
quoted by Elder Ezra Taft Benson

Elder Heber C. Kimball stated: "The time will come when no man or woman will be able to endure on borrowed light." (Orson F. Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball, 1888 edition, p. 461) CR1963Oct:18

Elder Harold B. Lee

And now, finally, there is still one more thing that is necessary, to my thinking, before that preparation is made for the millennial reign. We must accept the divine mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith as the instrumentality through which the restoration of the gospel and the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ was accomplished. Each member of the Church, to be prepared for the millennial reign, must receive a testimony, each for himself, of the divinity of the work established by Joseph Smith. It was this that was taught plainly by the Saints after the advent of the Savior upon the earth, and one of the leaders in our day has said it again, when he declared, I suppose with reference to the parable of the five foolish and five wise virgins in the Master's parable, "The time will come when no man nor woman will be able to endure on borrowed light. Each will have to be guided by the light within himself." (Life of Heber C. Kimball, pp. 449-50) CR1956Oct:62

Related Witnesses:

John A. Widtsoe

The essential thought must ever be that a man does not, except in his spiritual infancy, accept a statement merely because the Church or someone in authority declares it correct, but because, under mature examination, it is found to be true and right and worthwhile. Conversion must come from within. (Program of the Church, p. 24) TLDP:686

Henry D. Moyle

And finally the missionaries go to bear witness to the world that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, that through the gift and power of the Holy Ghost we may all receive this same testimony for ourselves, independent of all else in the world. When received, this testimony is all consuming, all embracing. We know who we are, where we came from, and where through strict obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel we may go. Life's purpose becomes absolute and fixed. Our testimony and knowledge of God cannot be lost except through transgression. With transgression we also lose the Spirit of God and the Holy Ghost as our comforter. CR1963Apr:46

President David O. McKay

Every individual stands independent in his sphere in that testimony, just as these thousands of incandescent lamps which make Salt Lake City so brilliant at night, each one of which stands and shines in its own sphere, yet the light in it is produced by the same power, the same energy from which all the other lights receive their energy. So each individual in the Church stands independently in his sphere, independently in the knowledge that God lives, that the Savior is the Redeemer of the world, and that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored through Joseph Smith the Prophet. CR1960Oct:6

Stephen L. Richards

I repeat what I have said in this pulpit before: My grandfather was the close friend and companion of this man [Joseph Smith]. He knew him as intimately as one man may know another. He had abundant opportunity to detect any flaws in his character and discover any deceit in his work. He found none, and he has left his testimony to his family and to all the world that this man was true, that he was divinely commissioned for the work he had to do, and that he gave his life to the fulfillment of his mission. I have complete assurance that Willard Richards did not lie about his friend, and on my own account, independent of my grandfather's testimony, borne out of the spirit within me, I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of the Living God, and the work he was instrumental in setting up in the earth is the veritable kingdom of our Father in heaven. CR1951Oct:118

Author's Note: In regard to obtaining one's own testimony, Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote, "In speaking of these wondrous things I shall use my own words, though you may think they are the words of scripture, words spoken by other apostles and prophets.
True it is they were first proclaimed by others, but they are now mine, for the Holy Spirit of God has borne witness to me that they are true, and it is now as though the Lord had revealed them to me in the first instance. I have thereby heard his voice and know his word." [italics added] (New Witness for the Articles of Faith, p. xii)
Albert Schweitzer expressed similar thoughts in a non-religious context, "Living truth is that alone which has it origin in thinking. Just as a tree bears year after year the same fruit and yet fruit which is each year new, so must all permanently valuable ideas be continually born again in thought. . . . It is only by confidence in our ability to reach truth by our own individual thinking, that we are capable of accepting truth from outside" (Out of My Life and Thought, p. 173).
If we paraphrase Albert Schweitzer, we may say this about a personally obtained testimony: A testimony that Jesus is the Christ, that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God, or that the gospel is true—or that a particular gospel doctrine is true and is part of the divine plan of salvation revealed from God to man, must come from within us. It cannot successfully be forced upon us from without, no matter how willing a subject we may be. Just as a tree bears year after year the same fruit and yet fruit which is each year new, so for all gospel truths, to have real force and effect in us, to become part of us—to become our own truths—they must be born again quietly in the heart of each of us. Each of us must gain for ourselves, from the inside, our own assurance that the doctrine is true. The gospel truth, then, is not a truth for all of us, but rather a truth for each of us. It is only by confidence in our ability to obtain such a testimony by our own individual effort that we are capable of accepting truth from the outside—from the scriptures or from the pulpit.

815. When teachers (missionaries and speakers) bear testimony of a gospel truth they have taught, the Spirit of God witnesses the truth thereof to the heart of the honest seeker.

Bruce R. McConkie
Nephi, son of Lehi
President Joseph F. Smith
Related Witnesses
Elder Joseph Fielding Smith
Joseph Smith
President Brigham Young
Alma, the younger
Paul
John
Amulek
Nephi, son of Helaman
Nephi, son of Helaman

Bruce R. McConkie

We do two things; we teach and we testify. We have to teach first so that we will have a basis for a testimony. We don't just bear testimony promiscuously; we bear testimony to back up teaching. Missionaries teach and testify. ACR(Sydney)1976:19

Nephi, son of Lehi

[F]or when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men. (Nephi's writings, between 559-545 B.C.) 2 Nephi 33:1

President Joseph F. Smith

The individual testimony is a personal possession. One cannot give his testimony to another, yet he is able to aid his earnest brother in gaining a true testimony for himself. The over-zealous missionary may be influenced by the misleading thought that the bearing of his testimony to those who have not before heard the Gospel message, is to convince or condemn, as the hearers accept or reject. The elder is sent into the field to preach the Gospel—the good news of its restoration to earth, showing by scriptural evidence the harmony of the new message with the predictions of earlier times; expounding the truths embodied in the first principles of the Gospel; then if he bear his testimony under divine inspiration, such a testimony is as a seal attesting the genuineness of the truths he has declared, and so appealing to the receptive soul whose ears have been saluted by the heaven-sent message. . . .
But the voicing of one's testimony, however eloquently phrased or beautifully expressed, is no fit or acceptable substitute for the needed discourse of instruction and counsel expected in a general gathering of the people. ("Testimony Bearing," Juvenile Instructor, Aug. 1, 1906, p. 465) TLDP:688

Related Witnesses:

Elder Joseph Fielding Smith

People are converted by their hearts being penetrated by the Spirit of the Lord when they humbly hearken to the testimonies of the Lord's servants. CHMR1:39-40; DCSM:13

Joseph Smith

Therefore, why is it that ye cannot understand and know, that he that receiveth the word by the Spirit of truth receiveth it as it is preached by the Spirit of truth?
22. Wherefore, he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another, and both are edified and rejoice together. D&C 50:21-22

President Brigham Young,
quoted by John A. Widtsoe

The preacher needs the power of the Holy Ghost to deal out to each heart a word in due season, and the hearers need the Holy Ghost to bring forth the fruits of the preached word of God to his glory. (In Bowery, Sept. 16, 1860, JD8:167) DBY:333

Alma, the younger,
quoted by Mormon

And this is not all. Do ye not suppose that I know of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety? 46. Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me.
47. And moreover, I say unto you that it has thus been revealed unto me, that the words which have been spoken by our fathers are true, even so according to the spirit of prophecy which is in me, which is also by the manifestation of the Spirit of God.
48. I say unto you, that I know of myself that whatsoever I shall say unto you, concerning that which is to come, is true. . . . (Alma testifies to the people of the truth of his teachings, about 83 B.C.) Alma 5:45-48

Paul

Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.
29. And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds. (Paul has asked King Agrippa "Believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest") Acts 26:28-29

John

It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true.
18. I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me. (The Pharisees accuse Jesus of bearing record of himself without witnesses; Jesus responds) John 8:17-18

Amulek,
quoted by Mormon

And now, behold, I will testify unto you of myself that these things are true. Behold, I say unto you, that I do know that Christ shall come among the children of men, to take upon him the transgressions of his people, and that he shall atone for the sins of the world; for the Lord God hath spoken it. (Amulek teaches the people about the atonement of Christ, 74 B.C.) Alma 34:8

Nephi, son of Helaman,
quoted by Mormon

And now behold, Moses did not only testify of these things, but also all the holy prophets, from his days even to the days of Abraham. (Nephi speaks to the wicked Nephites, about 23-20 B.C.) Helaman 8:16

Nephi, son of Helaman,
quoted by Mormon

Behold now, I do not say that these things shall be, of myself, because it is not of myself that I know these things; but behold, I know that these things are true because the Lord God has made them known unto me, therefore I testify that they shall be. (Nephi speaks to the wicked Nephites, about 23-20 B.C.) Helaman 7:29
Author's Note: For a marvelous scriptural example of the workings of the Spirit as a result of teaching and testifying, read Alma 22:3-18. Aaron's teachings to Lamoni's father result in the king's conversion, and in the king saying, "What shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which thou hast spoken? Yea, what shall I do that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day? Behold, said he, I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy." Then in a prayer to God the king declares further that not only would he give up all his possessions to receive eternal life but he would, in his own words, "give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day." [Italics added.]

816. We can gain testimonies of the gospel and its divine truths for ourselves through obedience to God.

Jesus
John A. Widtsoe
President Ezra Taft Benson
Elder Joseph F. Smith
Elder Spencer W. Kimball
Elder Joseph Fielding Smith
Related Witnesses
President Spencer W. Kimball
John A. Widtsoe

Jesus,
quoted by John

If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. (Jesus teaches in the temple) John 7:17

John A. Widtsoe

I was brought up in scientific laboratories, where I was taught to test things, never to be satisfied unless a thing was tested. We have the right to test the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. By testing it I mean living it, trying it out. Do you question the Word of Wisdom? Try it. Do you question the law of tithing? Practice it. Do you doubt the virtue of attending meetings? Attend them. Only then shall we be able to speak of these things intelligently and in such a way as to be respected by those who listen to us. Those who live the Gospel of Jesus Christ gain this higher knowledge, this greater testimony, this ultimate assurance that this is the truth. It is the way to truth. All the while . . . we must seek help from the great unseen world about us, from God and his messengers. We call that prayer. A man never finds perfect peace, never reaches afar unless he penetrates to some degree the unseen world, and reaches out to touch the hands, as it were, of those who live in that unseen world, the world out of which we came, the world into which we shall go. CR1938Oct:129

President Ezra Taft Benson

I do not believe that a member of the Church can have an active, vibrant testimony of the gospel without keeping the commandments. A testimony is to have current inspiration to know the work is true, not something we receive only once. The Holy Ghost abides with those who honor, respect, and obey God's laws. And it is that Spirit which gives inspiration to the individual. CR1983Apr:72

Elder Joseph F. Smith

If there be any who doubt us, let them repent of their sins. Is there any harm in your forsaking your follies and evils, and in bowing in humility before God for his Spirit, and in obedience to the words of the Savior, being baptized for the remission of sins, and having hands laid upon you for the gift of the Holy Ghost, that you may have a witness for yourselves of the truth of the words we speak to you? Do this humbly and honestly, and as sure as the Lord lives, I promise you that you will receive the testimony of this work for yourselves, and will know it as all the Latter-day Saints know it. This is the promise; it is sure and steadfast. It is something tangible; it is in the power of every man to prove for himself whether we speak the truth or whether we lie. We do not come as deceivers or impostors before the world; we do not come with the intention to deceive, but we come with plain simple truth, and leave it to the world to test it and get a knowledge for themselves. It is the right of every soul that lives—the high, low, rich, poor, great and small, to have this testimony for themselves inasmuch as they will obey the gospel. (In new Tabernacle, Nov. 15, 1868) (Gospel Doctrine, p. 83) TLDP:685

Elder Spencer W. Kimball

Elder Joseph Fielding Smith

Related Witnesses:

President Spencer W. Kimball

Every time you bear your testimony it becomes strengthened. ("President Kimball Speaks Out on Testimony," NE1981Aug:7) TLDP:689

John A. Widtsoe

First, to keep our testimony we must feed it, regularly and plentifully. The steps that lead to a testimony: desire, prayer, study, and practice, must be trodden continuously. . . .
. . . . To keep his testimony, a person must increase in the use of gospel principles. There must be stricter conformity with the higher as well as the lesser laws of life—more activity in Church service; increasing charity and kindness; greater sacrifice for the common good; more readiness to help advance the plan of salvation; more truth in all we do. And as our knowledge of gospel law increases, our activity under gospel law must increase. . . .
. . . . The dying testimony is easily recognized. The organizations and practices of the Church are ignored; the radio takes the place of the sacrament meeting; golf or motion pictures, the Sunday worship; the cup of coffee, instead of the Word of Wisdom; the cold, selfish hand instead of helpfulness, charity for the poor and the payment of tithing.
Soon, the testimony is gone, and the former possessor walks about, somewhat sour and discontented, and always in his heart, unhappy. He has lost his most precious possession, and has found nothing to replace it. He has lost inward freedom, the gift of obedience to law. (Gospel Interpretations, pp. 37-39) TLDP:687

Author's Note: When we perform acts in obedience to the will of God, without yet full knowledge that it is of God, the act of doing seems to leave traces on the mind and on the physical system. Hence, "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God. . . ." (John 7:17)

817. Gospel study and prayer are necessary means for obtaining a testimony of the gospel.

President Spencer W. Kimball
Joseph Smith
John A. Widtsoe
Elder Joseph F. Smith
John A. Widtsoe
Robert D. Hales
Robert D. Hales
Related Witnesses
George Q. Cannon
Alma, the younger
Reed Smoot

President Spencer W. Kimball

Joseph Smith,
receiving the Word of the Lord

Behold, you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me.
8. But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right. 9. But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong; . . . (Revelation for Oliver Cowdery, April 1829; the Book of Mormon is translated by study and by spiritual confirmation) D&C 9:7-9

John A. Widtsoe

The steps that lead to a testimony: desire, prayer, study, and practice, must be trodden continuously. The desire for truth should stamp our every act; help from God in all things must be invoked; the study of the gospel, which has not been plumbed to its depth by any man, should be continued; and the practice of gospel principles, in all our labors, must never be forgotten.
. . . . By a little such study every day, light will follow light, and understanding will increase. This is doubly important since we live in a changing world, which requires continuous applications of gospel truth to new conditions. (Gospel Interpretations, pp. 37-39) TLDP:687

Elder Joseph F. Smith

If I have learned something through prayer, supplication, and perseverance in seeking to know the truth, and I tell it to you, it will not be knowledge unto you. I can tell you how you can obtain it, but I cannot give it to you. If we receive this knowledge, it must come from the Lord. He can touch your understandings and your spirits, so that you shall comprehend perfectly and not be mistaken. But I cannot do that. You can obtain this knowledge through repentance, humility, and seeking the Lord with full purpose of heart until you find Him. He is not afar off. It is not difficult to approach Him, if we will only do it with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, as did Nephi of old. [2 Nephi 4:32] This was the way in which Joseph Smith, in his boyhood, approached Him. He went into the woods, knelt down, and in humility he sought earnestly to know which church was acceptable to God. He received an answer to his prayer, which he offered down in the depths of his heart, and he received it in a way that he did not expect. CR1899Oct:71

John A. Widtsoe

[E]vidences are not enough to gain a testimony of the truth. . . . I was brought up in scientific laboratories, where I was taught to test things, never to be satisfied unless a thing was tested. We have the right to test the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. By testing it I mean living it, trying it out. Do you question the Word of Wisdom? Try it. Do you question the law of tithing? Practice it. Do you doubt the virtue of attending meetings? Attend them. Only then shall we be able to speak of these things intelligently and in such a way as to be respected by those who listen to us. Those who live the Gospel of Jesus Christ gain this higher knowledge, this greater testimony, this ultimate assurance that this is the truth. It is the way to truth. All the while, brethren and sisters, we must seek help from the great unseen world about us, from God and his messengers. We call that prayer. A man never finds perfect peace, never reaches afar unless he penetrates to some degree the unseen world, and reaches out to touch the hands, as it were, of those who live in that unseen world, the world out of which we came, the world into which we shall go. CR1938Oct:129

Robert D. Hales

Gaining a testimony and becoming converted begins with study and prayer, then living the gospel with patience and persistence and inviting and waiting upon the Spirit. ¶ Once we receive a witness of the Spirit, our testimony is strengthened through study, prayer, and living the gospel. Our growing testimony brings us increased faith in Jesus Christ and His plan of happiness. (CR 2003Oct; Receiving a Testimony of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, Ensign, November 2003, p.28)

Robert D. Hales

A powerful testimony distills from quiet moments of prayer and pondering as you recognize the impressions that will accompany such effort. Humble, trusting prayer brings consolation, solace, comfort, direction, and peace the unworthy can never know. (CR 2001Oct; The Power of a Strong Testimony, Ensign, November 2001, p.87)

Related Witnesses:

George Q. Cannon

Prayer is to the soul like the irrigating stream to our dry and parched fields and orchards. Prayer nourishes, strengthens and imparts vitality to the seed. The seed grows under the influence of prayer. But where prayer is neglected, the results are just as we see them when we neglect to irrigate our fields and orchards. That which is planted there begins to wither and dry up.
So it is with the word of God in the human soul; it must be watered by the Spirit of God. Prayer must be exercised in order to invoke the power and blessing of God to rest upon it. Then the seed grows; the tree grows and flourishes; its branches spread abroad and fill the whole man, and he knows that it is the word of God that he has received. He has a living and abiding testimony in his heart concerning it, and doubt has no room within him. But let him neglect his prayers, let him neglect to cultivate the seed and to watch over it, then it begins to wither, and he begins to doubt and to ask himself whether this is indeed the work of God. (Gospel Truth, 1:345) TLDP:684-85

Alma, the younger,
quoted by Mormon

Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me. (Alma testifies to the people of the truth of his teachings, about 83 B.C.) Alma 5:46

Reed Smoot

I thought this morning that I would refer to the question of prayer, for it is so vital to a man and woman, no matter what position they hold, in order that they may maintain a testimony, if they have one, of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; and if they haven't yet that testimony, I know of no better way in all the world to receive it than to plead with our Heavenly Father that it may be granted unto them. I know whereof I speak, because it was only through the humiliation of my soul and the prayers ascending to my God, at the request of the mother who gave me birth, that I received a testimony that this is God's work; and every prediction made by the servants of God in any age since it was established upon this earth, shall be fulfilled. CR1932Oct:85

818. A desire to believe starts the process for developing faith and obtaining a testimony of the gospel.

Alma, the younger
Elder Harold B. Lee
John A. Widtsoe
Related Witnesses
Moroni, son of Mormon

Alma, the younger,
quoted by Mormon

But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.
28. Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me. (Alma teaches the poor and compares the word of God to a seed, about 74 B.C.) Alma 32:27-28

Elder Harold B. Lee

With these truths made clear, then—first, that a testimony follows the exercise of faith, and second, that revelation by the power of the Holy Ghost is required for one to receive a testimony—the next question of our truth-seeking friend would naturally be, "Just how does one prepare himself to receive that divine witness called testimony?"
As one reads this whole text [Alma 32], he finds clearly prescribed the way by which all may receive a testimony or "knowledge by revelation" as defined above: first, desire; second, belief; third, faith; fourth, knowledge or testimony. . . .
But now we must understand one thing more: Faith necessary to knowledge comes by "hearing the word of God," as Paul said. (Stand Ye in Holy Places, pp. 194-95) TLDP:686

John A. Widtsoe

The steps that lead to a testimony: desire, prayer, study, and practice, must be trodden continuously. The desire for truth should stamp our every act. . . . (Gospel Interpretations, p. 37) TLDP:687

Related Witnesses:

Moroni, son of Mormon

819. Only by revelation can a person know and testify that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

President Lorenzo Snow
Joseph Smith
Elder Joseph Fielding Smith
Elder Joseph Fielding Smith
Bruce R. McConkie
Bruce R. McConkie
Bruce R. McConkie
Related Witnesses
President Brigham Young

President Lorenzo Snow

But no person can know that Jesus is the Son of God, except by revelation. CR1900Apr:3

Joseph Smith,
quoted by Elder Joseph Fielding Smith

Salvation cannot come without revelation; it is in vain for anyone to minister without it. No man is a minister of Jesus Christ without being a Prophet. No man can be a minister of Jesus Christ except he has the testimony of Jesus; and this is the spirit of prophecy. Whenever salvation has been administered, it has been by testimony. Men of the present time testify of heaven and hell, and have never seen either; and I will say that no man knows these things without this. (Explaining the priesthood, July 1839) HC3:389-90; TPJS:160; MGSP:8 (in part)

Elder Joseph Fielding Smith

Bruce R. McConkie

"Come unto me" and receive my Spirit, and then shall ye have power to learn of me. This is the great and grand secret. This is the course that is provided for us and for all men, and it is provided in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. This is the sole and only way to learn of Christ within the full sense and meaning of his tender and solicitous invitation. "No man can know that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost." Little slivers of truth come to all who seek to know; occasional flashes of lightning give glimpses of the eternal realities that are hidden by the gloom and darkness of unbelief. But to learn and know those truths which reveal the Son of Man in his majesty and beauty and that prepare the truth seeker to be one with his Lord, such rays of the noonday sun shine forth only upon those who gain the enlightening companionship of the Holy Spirit. (The Mortal Messiah, 1:17) TLDP:283

Bruce R. McConkie

A true prophet is one who has the testimony of Jesus; one who knows by personal revelation that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God, and that he was to be—or has been—crucified for the sins of the world; one to whom God speaks and who recognized the still small voice of the Spirit. (See The Millennial Messiah, pp. 168-70) TLDP:538

Bruce R. McConkie

We have the testimony of the Lord Jesus. We are a testimony-bearing people. When we say we have a testimony of this work, we mean three things in particular: we mean, number one; that we know by the revelations of the Holy Spirit to our souls that Jesus is the Lord, that he was born into the world as the literal Son of God, that he came with the power of immortality because God was his father and he was thereby able to work out the infinite and eternal atoning sacrifice. The atonement of the Lord Jesus is the most important single thing in all revealed religion. The second point in our testimony is that God has in these last days, through the instrumentality primarily of Joseph Smith, restored anew the knowledge of Christ and the knowledge of salvation and given again every key and power and right and prerogative that enables us men to do the things that will save and exalt us in the highest heaven of the celestial world. And the third great truth in a testimony is to know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as now constituted with President Spencer W. Kimball as its presiding officer is, in the most literal and real and full sense of the word, the kingdom of God on earth, the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth, and the one place where salvation is found.
Now when we say that we have a testimony of the divinity of the work, we mean those three things. We mean that the Holy Spirit of God has spoken to the spirit within us so that we know by revelation—not simply by mental analysis or by reason but by personal revelation born of the Holy Spirit—that those three great verities are precisely that. ACR(Sydney)1976:17

Related Witnesses:

President Brigham Young,
quoted by John A. Widtsoe

If you will follow the doctrines, and be guided by the precepts of that book [the Bible] it will direct you where you may see as you are seen, where you may converse with Jesus Christ, have the visitation of angels, have dreams, visions, and revelations, and understand and know God for yourselves. (In Tabernacle, July 1853, JD1:243) DBY:126; DGSM:5

We Believe: Doctrines and Principles

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Testimony

813. Testimonies of divine truths come through personal revelation.

Related Witnesses:

814. To be capable of entering into celestial glory, each person must eventually gain an independent, personal testimony (of the truth of the gospel and its doctrines).

815. When teachers (missionaries and speakers) bear testimony of a gospel truth they have taught, the Spirit of God witnesses the truth thereof to the heart of the honest seeker.

Related Witnesses:

816. We can gain testimonies of the gospel and its divine truths for ourselves through obedience to God.

817. Gospel study and prayer are necessary means for obtaining a testimony of the gospel.

Related Witnesses:

818. A desire to believe starts the process for developing faith and obtaining a testimony of the gospel.

Related Witnesses:

819. Only by revelation can a person know and testify that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

Related Witnesses: