Faith into Knowledge - Ether 3:19-20

And because of the knowledge of this man he could not be kept from beholding within the veil; and he saw the finger of Jesus, which, when he saw, he fell with fear; for he knew that it was the finger of the Lord; and he had faith no longer, for he knew, nothing doubting. Wherefore, having this perfect knowledge of God, he could not be kept from within the veil; therefore he saw Jesus; and he did minister unto him.

Faith can be turned into knowledge. It can happen when our faith is tested. In the above passage, the brother of Jared approached the Lord in humility and asked the Lord to touch 16 stones  so that they would shine. This was an act of faith on the part of the brother of Jared. Not did he only believe that the Lord could do it, but he acted on the belief by painstakingly forging the transparent stones.

Alma teaches this same principle in his parable of the seed in which he compares faith to planting a seed:

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. 

And now, behold, because ye have tried the experiment, and planted the seed, and it swelleth and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, ye must needs know that the seed is good. And now, behold, is your knowledge perfect? Yea, 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 32:28,33-34)

So faith starts as a belief, or even a desire to believe. Once we believe and we act on that belief, regardless of how difficult, that belief becomes faith. But what is required for this faith to become knowledge? It appears that we must recognize the results of our faith. As Alma says: ...because it is light; and whatsoever is light, is good, because it is discernible, therefore ye must know that it is good...

The brother of Jared's faith became knowledge exactly at the point when he saw the finger of God. Up until that point, it was faith. Faith, when nurtured, impels us to perform actions which ultimately result in knowledge.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell stated:

Therefore, gaining knowledge and becoming more Christlike “are two aspects of a single process.” (C. Terry Warner, in Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 4:1490.) This process is part of being “valiant” in our testimony of Jesus. Thus, while we are saved no faster than we gain a certain type of knowledge, it is also the case that we will gain knowledge no faster than we are saved! (See Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 217.) So in our different understanding of knowledge and truth, behaving and knowing are inseparably linked.

So we must learn, but we must also implement the things we learn in order to gain knowledge. It is far too often that we omit the latter part of this formula. (myself included.)

Faith is the First Principle - 3 Nephi 27:19-20

And no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end. Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day.

 In this scripture we have all of the first principles and ordinances of the gospel:

We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. (4th article of faith)

Faith is the first principle, and is the thing that propels us forward. Remember that faith and belief, though related, are not the same. While belief is a function of the head, faith is a function of the heart. In other words, although I may be convinced of some principle, I may not live according to it. On the other hand, one must have belief before faith, and live the principle. A man may believe that God has the ability to help him, but may out of fear of the world, choose actions contrary to that belief. Belief knows that God can save him from the fiery furnace, faith steps inside.

But why the emphasis on faith? Why is it the first principle? This scripture and others make it very clear: no unclean thing can enter into His kingdom.

... for the day should come that they must be judged of their works, yea, even the works which were done by the temporal body in their days of probation. ... and if their works have been filthiness they must needs be filthy; and if they be filthy it must needs be that they cannot dwell in the kingdom of God; if so, the kingdom of God must be filthy also. But behold, I say unto you, the kingdom of God is not filthy, and there cannot any unclean thing enter into the kingdom of God; wherefore there must needs be a place of filthiness prepared for that which is filthy. (1 Nephi 15:32-34)

If any unclean person (or thing) were allowed to come into the Kingdom of Heaven, it would cease to be Heaven. Simple as that. But that puts us in a predicament because none of us are clean:

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23)

Furthermore, our cause is really hopeless if we if we think we can work our way to heaven or rely on our own merits:

And now, in the first place, he hath created you, and granted unto you your lives, for which ye are indebted unto him. And secondly, he doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast? And now I ask, can ye say aught of yourselves? I answer you, Nay. Ye cannot say that ye are even as much as the dust of the earth; yet ye were created of the dust of the earth; but behold, it belongeth to him who created you.(Mosiah 2:23-25)

Quite frankly, we're all going to hell. But doesn't God love us? Doesn't he want to save everybody? Why these harsh constraints about being perfectly clean? He knows we aren't capable of such a level of perfection right?

Enter Jesus Christ.

God loves us so much, that he provided a way for us to be clean. But it would require the permission of utter ruthlessness and violence to be perpetrated on an innocent victim. Who would volunteer for such an assignment? The only one strong enough and manly enough to cope with all hell, torture, violence, depravity and injustice. One stronger than all, and yet meek enough to volunteer for such a job.

Accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior is an admission that you need help. It is a declaration of spiritual bankruptcy. Such a declaration requires a meek and repentant heart. It is acknowledging that you've committed grave injustices in your life, and that you have no power to set things right. While this is a very sobering admission, it is a liberating one. It is to look at our state as it really is: worthless and fallen. It is the first step to repentance and true joy.

... even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith ... (Mosiah 4:11)

... as I was thus racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world. Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death. And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more. And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain! (Alma 36:17-20)

The admonition is simple: declare bankruptcy. Shout it from the rooftops! And enter in at the straight and narrow gate, stripped of pride, gain-seeking and all other diversions. Remember that the last shall be first, and the first shall be last and deny yourself of all ungodliness:

Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God. And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot. (Moroni 10:32-33)

It turns out that the low road of discipleship, if taken seriously is not burdensome, but joyous, not because it isn't a difficult road, but because we do not travel alone:

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matt 11:28-30)

Faith Brings Knowledge - 3 Nephi 26:8-9

And these things have I written, which are a lesser part of the things which he taught the people; and I have written them to the intent that they may be brought again unto this people, from the Gentiles, according to the words which Jesus hath spoken. And when they shall have received this, which is expedient that they should have first, to try their faith, and if it shall so be that they shall believe these things then shall the greater things be made manifest unto them.

How can we expect more unless we accept what we have? It would be like giving us a larger load than we can carry. The truth is that we can carry a whole lot. But God is waiting for us to condition ourselves to carry the limited amount that we already have before he gives us more. Our problem is that we think that the lighter load is easier - and we're right, but when we think that we're missing the point. The point is to become strong, therefore if we take the easy way (the lighter load) we stunt our growth.

...and when they shall believe these things then shall the greater things be made manifest...

And what is the thing that God wants to give us but can't?

...all things, even from the beginning until the time that he should come in his glory—yea, even all things which should come upon the face of the earth, even until the elements should melt with fervent heat, and the earth should be wrapt together as a scroll, and the heavens and the earth should pass away; ... unto the great and last day, when all people, and all kindreds, and all nations and tongues shall stand before God, to be judged of their works...

— 

But the things which thou shalt see hereafter thou shalt not write; for the Lord God hath ordained the apostle of the Lamb of God that he should write them. And also others who have been, to them hath he shown all things, and they have written them; and they are sealed up to come forth in their purity, according to the truth which is in the Lamb, in the own due time of the Lord, unto the house of Israel.

—

For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed...

—

But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

—

If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things—that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal.

—

For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.

—

[They] sought for things that they could not understand. Wherefore, because of their blindness, which blindness came by looking beyond the mark, they must needs fall; for God hath taken away his plainness from them, and delivered unto them many things which they cannot understand, because they desired it. And because they desired it God hath done it, that they may stumble.

—

For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.

—

... my words shall hiss forth unto the ends of the earth, for a standard unto my people, which are of the house of Israel; ... many of the Gentiles shall say: A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible. But thus saith the Lord God: O fools, they shall have a Bible; and it shall proceed forth from the Jews, mine ancient covenant people. ... Know ye not that there are more nations than one? Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath; and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth? Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word?

—

For I command all men, both in the east and in the west, and in the north, and in the south, and in the islands of the sea, that they shall write the words which I speak unto them; for out of the books which shall be written I will judge the world, every man according to their works, according to that which is written.