Gramps,
What is Ether 12:6 about? Well, I am giving a talk about it in Sacrament meeting on Sunday. Please answer it this Sunday
Marissa, from Mt. Sterling, Utah

Dear Marissa,
The verse you referred to is the beginning verse of a rather long dissertation by Moroni. In the Book of Ether, Moroni is translating a brief history of the Jaredites from the 24 gold plates found by the exploring party sent out by King Limhi to find a route back to the city of Zarahemla (see Mosiah 21). Moroni’s dissertation goes from verse 6 to verse 40, the end of chapter 12, then continues on to verse 13 in Chapter 13. In fact, 20% of the Book of Ether are the first person commentaries of Moroni.
In Ether 12:6, Moroni says—

And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that 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.

You ask, what is Moroni talking about? Well, he gives in this verse a definition of faith, saying that faith is things hoped for but not seen. That’s pretty logical, because you can’t hope for anything in the past; it has already happened. We only hope for things in the future that may come to pass. They are not seen simply because they haven’t happened yet. Then he urges us not to get into arguments about what we anticipate with faith will happen, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith. In other words, we must maintain our faith until that in which we have faith comes to pass. That is the trial of our faith, to never, never doubt the outcome, because it will surely come to pass. You may ask, is faith always vindicated? The answer is absolutely, Yes! Here is another definition of faith, found in the Book of Mormon—
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 (see Alma 32:21).
Here we learn that faith is hope for things which are true! Thus, if you hope for something that is not true, it will never come to pass, and that vain hope is not defined as faith. You see, faith is a gift of God—

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God (Eph 2:8).

God would never give a false gift, so if faith is a gift from God it must be complete confidence in something that WILL happen. So, according to Moroni, when we exercise faith, say, that a certain gospel principle is true, the truth of the principle will be demonstrated to us by confirming experience. Thus faith is converted into knowledge, because we caused it to happen by assuming that it would happen and then working to make it come about. So faith is a principle of action—

If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works (James 2:15-18).

Gramps