A "Testimony", or Faith and Knowledge?

I think that members of the Church of Jesus Christ sometimes use the word "testimony" in a way that is less helpful than we think.  We talk about a "testimony" as if it's a thing we carry around with us.  In scripture, I don't think I've ever found that kind of usage.  Rather, what we refer to as a "testimony" is known simply as either faith or knowledge.

What is a testimony?  It is the act of testifying--of speaking or otherwise sharing what we know through personal experience.  This is the meaning both in law and in scripture.  Rather than being a thing to be possessed, it is an action.

When someone gives you a reprimand, do you "have a reprimand"?  When God gives us a testimony of some truth, what we have as a result is greater faith and knowledge.

Rather than saying, "I have a testimony of X," when we say, "I know X", the very action of saying such a thing is our testimony.  Rather than stating that someone's "testimony" isn't as strong as it used to be, is it not much more direct to say that their faith is less strong than it was?  If they're not sharing their faith and knowledge with others, at least intermittently, then by definition, it isn't a testimony.

I don't think the saints' common usage is evil, but I do think it is harder for people to understand, whether they're outside or inside the Church.  Though it may sound paradoxical to suggest, it's better for us to refer to a testimony as what is given, rather than something that is possessed.

Here's what scripture tells us: Peter encouraged us to "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."  (2 Peter 3:18)  In a revelation given through Joseph Smith, we were similarly told, "ye must grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth." (Doctrine and Covenants 50:40)  Helaman related that "the Lamanites began to grow exceedingly in the knowledge of their God".  (Helaman 6:34)  King Benjamin said that as we remember God's greatness and humble ourselves before Him, "ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true."  (Mosiah 4:12)  In Alma 32, Alma used a great parable to teach that as we nourish the word of God in ourselves, as it grows, out faith will increase and become knowledge.

According to Alma, sometimes our faith, in some respects, becomes "dormant" as we gain knowledge.  But even as our knowledge increases, we must continue to increase in faith, because faith includes action; through faith we demonstrate that knowledge of truth really means something in our lives.

I don't mean to be too condemning; the common usage of "testimony" as a noun that suggests something that can be possessed appears even in the current temple recommend interview questions.  But I do think there's a better way to express truth.

Last thoughts for now:

I hope that my testimony to others is powerful; that is to say, I hope that I am able to testify powerfully through the power of the Holy Ghost, who will testify with me as I speak truth.  I also hope that my faith and knowledge will continue to grow, year by year.  I hope that when I speak of any of that, those around me will understand with clarity.