The Gift of Testimony

To some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that he was crucified for the sins of the world. To others it is given to believe on their words, that they also might have eternal life if they continue faithful. Doctrine & Covenants 46:13-14

The first of the gifts of the Spirit named in Doctrine and Covenants 46 is the gift of testimony, the gift of knowing with certainty of the truthfulness and divinity of this work (see also 1 Corinthians 52; Moroni 10). It is by the spirit of prophecy, which is the spirit of revelation, that we come to know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and that his was an infinite and eternal sacrifice. Not everyone comes to this knowledge with the same certainty or at the same pace. Many have the gift of a believing heart, the gift to believe on the testimony of those who do know. They have taken seriously the command to “search diligently, pray always, and be believing” (D&C 90:24) and to lean upon the faith of others while they are the process of gaining their own. (Robert L. Millet and Lloyd D. Newell. Draw Near Unto Me: Daily Reflections on the Doctrine and Covenants. 125)