A Progression of Faith - Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

The old saying seeing is believing, is not the motto of faith. This type of thinking tends to conclude that one must actually see something before allowing oneself to believe it. The phrase should more correctly be rendered: seeing is knowledge, or seeing is proof. Since it is very possible to believe something without actually seeing it. Thus the related phrase: I won't believe it until I see it, shows a lack of faith.

Now, faith and belief, while related are not the same thing either. To paraphrase James E. Talmage: belief deals with logic, but faith deals with intuition. Or in other words, belief is reconciled in the head, while faith is reconciled in the heart.

I may believe in God, based on logical evidences from things I have read or experienced, while still having no faith. To have faith in God means that I believe in Him, and trust in him as well. While belief may cause me to think in a certain way, faith will cause me to act a certain way. Abel (mentioned in v. 4) believed in God, but it was faith that caused him to act - e.g. offer the sacrifice of his flocks. While Cain also believed in God, he did not have faith because he offered his offering grudgingly.

A man may well profess belief in God and yet do nothing about it, while a man of faith acts according to his belief. A man may believe that God has the ability to save him from the fiery furnace, while a man of faith steps into the furnace, leaving the consequences to God. Note Shadrach, Mesach and Abed-nego's response to threat of incineration was:

... our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. (Daniel 3:17,18)

Note that I highlighted the phrase "but if not". This implies that while the three youths did not know the will of God concerning their fate, they were assured and had faith that doing the right thing was more important than avoiding death. That is what real faith is about.

The prophets Alma and Ether elaborate on this principle of believing without seeing. Ether states:

...faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith. (Ether 12:6)

In other words, the man of faith will actually receive confirmation (e.g. seeing) after his faith is tried. Or put another way: faith is required before the miracle is accomplished. It is often said that the children of Israel actually walked into the water before the Red Sea parted. Whether true or not, it demonstrates this principle.

Alma in his faith as a seed allegory, tells us that the consummation of our faith is knowledge:

And now as I said concerning faith—faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true. [and after the trial and consummation of your faith] your knowledge is perfect in that thing, and your faith is dormant; and this because you know, for ye know that the word hath swelled your souls, and ye also know that it hath sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your mind doth begin to expand. (Alma 32:21,34 comment added)

In this manner, we move as it were step by step from one principle of faith to the next, a cycle of acting in faith, seeing the result, gaining knowledge and then moving on to the next principle of faith, etc.

...he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day. (Doctrine and Covenants 50:24)