- 1 Nephi 1:1… ‘A great knowledge of the goodness…of God.’ “May I submit to you that people who don’t know that fact are terribly deprived doctrinally. They call into question the purposes and trials of life. When we know that God is perfect in His goodness, it will sustain us through the vicissitudes of life. Without this vital knowledge about God’s character and purposes, skepticism swells!” (Neal A. Maxwell,Ensign, Apr. 2003, 33-34)