9 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.
10 And if it so be that they will not believe these things, then shall the greater things be withheld from them, unto their condemnation.
11 Behold, I was about to write them, all which were engraven upon the plates of Nephi, but the Lord forbade it, saying: I will try the faith of my people.
Why would God withhold knowledge from his children? In this passage, Mormon gives us several reasons:
- To try our faith – If all knowledge were available to us, we would not be able to prove to Heavenly Father that we trust Him. The lack of information creates the conditions within which our faith can be developed and tested.
- We are not ready – Isaiah taught that spiritual knowledge comes “precept upon precept; line upon line” (Isaiah 28:10, 13). Just like math, the gospel consists of principles that build upon one another. If you don’t master the first principles, you won’t be able to understand and apply the “greater things.”
- Learning requires effort – A book that you have never read is worth about as much as no book at all. Likewise, until we study and apply the scripture we have already been given, it would do no good to give us additional scripture.
Today, I will act upon the knowledge I have been given. I will trust that, over time, additional knowledge and insight will come as I seek it and as I prove that I will not take it for granted.
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