10:3
Moroni is alone. He’s being hunted. He’ll be put to death. He’s wandering in the wilderness carrying golden plates. He understands that, if anyone reads what he’s writing, it’ll be a miracle. He knows that it will be through the Lord’s protection that even one other person will read this. He wants the readers to take a minute and remember the mercy of the Lord in preserving the record.
Moroni also wants the readers (you and I) to consider how merciful God has been since the beginning. “Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.”
He’s also giving some direction about HOW we should read these scriptures. He’s declaring that we shouldn’t just read the Book of Mormon but RECEIVE and PONDER what we are reading.
Receiving is about accepting and trusting. We aren’t an observer or critic. We are actively accepting the principles and using them to be a better disciple. We are actively learning.
Pondering is more than reading. If I am pondering what I’m reading, I’m likely spending more time pondering than reading. I’m considering the application of what I’m reading into my own life. How do the principles apply to me? We should be considering WHY something was written as much as WHAT is written.
10:4-5
First, Moroni uses the word “things” five times in verses 3-5. It’s such a broad pronoun. It could mean anything. Verse four starts out “And when ye shall receive these things…” For someone who is attempting to determine if this book is actually true, they must receive the words, principles and feelings. They must recognize the fruits of what’s being taught. If someone reads the Book of Mormon from a sterile, scientific approach, it’s unlikely that the rest of verse four will apply. “I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.”
Moroni is pleading with us to ask God in the name of Christ if what we’re receiving is true. He promises that we will know the truth. For this to happen, there are three ingredients that must be present. We must ask with:
A sincere heart. If we are going through the motions, it’s unlikely we will have a spiritual experience confirming the truthfulness of the book. I know lots of people read it in order to find flaws in it. That isn’t a sincere heart.
Real intent. If the purpose of the Book of Mormon is to understand the will of God and know how to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, that purpose will be fulfilled. There will literally be no question whether the Book of Mormon does that. If our intent is to learn about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we will be left with little doubt that this book does that. If our intent is to find flaws and problems with the scripture, we are definitely not going to receive a spiritual witness of the book’s truthfulness. Mark Twain called the Book of Mormon “chloroform in print.” He wan’t impressed but his intentions were not to discover its truthfulness.
Faith in Christ. The Book of Mormon testifies of Jesus Christ. It is a second witness to join with the Bible. Without the perspective of the plan of salvation and Jesus Christ as our Savior, the Book of Mormon could be viewed as confusing, impotent, and lacking relevance for us. If it is read with faith in Christ, it will certainly support, strengthen and inform that faith.
Moroni promises that the truth of the Book of Mormon will be made manifest. In other words, we can receive revelation from God through the Holy Ghost that this book is true. Moroni take it one step further and testifies that we can know the truth of ALL things through the Holy Ghost. “…he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.”
Being able to be taught by the Holy Ghost is a developed skill. We get better at it. As we feel impressions from the Holy Ghost and follow those promptings, we will get better at receiving promptings. I believe these promptings can vary in strength and intensity depending on the situation. The promptings to reach out to an old friend may not be the same intensity as a witness that Christ is our Savior. I imagine that a manifestation about the Book of Mormon is a strong witness. Those who read this book with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ will receive an undeniable answer that it’s true.
I, for one, need a lot of refinement in my ability to register spiritual promptings. Often, my brain is cluttered. I stay too busy. I rely on my own wisdom a lot. I don’t give enough opportunities to learn truth directly from the Spirit. Perhaps a lot of spiritual messages that the Spirit sends go unread. My prompting inbox is likely as full as my email. I think we are meant to have a symbiotic relationship with the Spirit. We are meant to live in revelation constantly. Elder Bednar said, “We shouldn’t be trying to recognize it when it comes. We should be recognizing what happens that causes it to leave.”
10:7-8, 18
“And ye may know that he is, by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore I would exhort you that ye deny not the power of God; for he worketh by power, according to the faith of the children of men, the same today and tomorrow, and forever.” Again, we are partners with an all-powerful, omniscient being. He can be a miraculous power in our lives. The only limit on his miracles is OUR faith. He generally doesn’t work miracles in lives where faith is absent. If we aren’t experience God’s power in our lives at any level, the question isn’t whether God’s power is present and available. The factor is always our faith.
“And again, I exhort you, my brethren, that ye deny not the gifts of God, for they are many; and they come from the same God. And there are different ways that these gifts are administered; but it is the same God who worketh all in all; and they are given by the manifestations of the Spirit of God unto men, to profit them.” There are many gifts of God. They are available. How the gifts are administered may be different. Some gifts appear to be enlarged through practice. Some gifts seem to effortlessly flow from heaven.
It’s important to always act from the perspective that we are in a fallen world. We cannot lift ourselves out of this place. We cannot, like the people on the Tower of Babel, reach godliness through our effort. Gifts have to be given. We cannot lift ourselves.
Sometimes, we think we are the ones doing the lifting and have the view that we are essentially self-sufficient and whatever we gain in this life is because of our own independent effort. Having this view is the same as “denying the gifts of God.” We must acknowledge God’s grace in offering any gifts.
Why are we given gifts? This scripture is clear. The purpose is that “they are all given by the manifestations of the spirit of God unto men, TO PROFIT THEM.” We’re not talking about temporal profit. We’re not talking about getting ahead financially or in power and influence. We are talking about spiritual benefits as we strive to return to God with the character that continually has faith in and accepts help from Christ.
Our work should be aligned with God’s work. As our work aligns with his, any and all spiritual gifts will profit us. Moroni makes this important point. “And I would exhort you, my beloved brethren, that ye remember that every good gift cometh of Christ.” None come from Eric. None come from you. None come from a bank. None come from a university. All spiritual gifts come from Christ. Without Christ, all spiritual gifts would be unprofitable and meaningless.
10:19
Moroni really wants us to know that we have access to spiritual gifts. Every person in every age has had access to spiritual gifts from Christ through the Spirit. “And I would exhort you, my beloved brethren, that ye remember that he is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and that all these gifts of which I have spoken, which are spiritual, never will be done away, even as long as the world shall stand, only according to the unbelief of the children of men.” There will not be a day when spiritual gifts will be removed by God from the earth. The only reason spiritual gifts will cease is through our unfaithfulness.
This is true of our species but is certainly true for ourselves. If we exercise faith in Christ, we will ALWAYS have access to spiritual gifts. In other words, we all have the same access to the power of God. He is ready to bless us. We aren’t meant to do this as a solo event. Every human life can be a partnership - SHOULD be a partnership. We can each be yoked with Christ. What a partner!
If we see ourselves on a solo journey - relying on our willpower and effort - we will ultimately fail. Our failure may be obvious in this life or in the next - but we all fail if we are alone.
10:20-21
“Wherefore, there must be faith; and if there must be faith there must also be hope; and if there must be hope there must also be charity.” This is an interesting, ascending order of principles. It makes logical sense that I cannot have faith without hope. Without hope, what exactly do I have faith in. All faith is futile without hope of something better.
The point about charity connected to hope is interesting. This connection isn’t as obvious, at least to me, as the direct connection between faith and hope. Hope becomes connected to charity when we focus on the object of our hope. If we are hoping for a wealthy future, there is no connection to charity. But, when we consider the plan of salvation and Christ’s role, hope leads to charity. Again, because we hope for a day when we can be like our Heavenly Father. We hope to be more like Christ. That’s what being a disciple is.
So, we are hope that God’s plan is real. If so, we must see each other as brothers and sisters. We consider God our loving father of us all. We see Christ as his only begotten son - a perfect example of God’s love for all of us. With this in mind, of course our faith and hope leads directly to charity. Without the result being charity for all of God’s children, our faith and hope is futile. Charity is the primary fruit of faith and hope in Christ and God’s plan.
He explains this further in verse 21. “And except ye have charity ye can in nowise be saved in the kingdom of God; neither can ye be saved in the kingdom of God if ye have not faith; neither can ye if ye have no hope.” Faith and hope points us towards heaven. Charity is the fruit of that faith and hope. If we have not any of these, we are on the wrong track.
10:22
“And if ye have no hope ye must needs be in despair; and despair cometh because of iniquity.” If we have hope in our redemption through Jesus Christ, we can feel joy regardless of our circumstances. In the midst of trials and tribulations, we can look upward and look forward to a brighter future of salvation.
If we have no hope, it isn’t because of any withdrawal from God and Jesus. They don’t decide that they won’t reach for us. Their arms are always stretched wide. They won’t ever take our hope away. However, we can not have hope because of our own wickedness. To lose hope is the truest definition of despair. The only true, real, lasting despair comes from our own iniquity. We are choosing not to follow the plan of salvation. We are choosing to be unredeemed through our rebellious iniquity.
10:26
This verse can be confusing for me. “And wo unto them who shall do these things away and die, for they die in their sins, and they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God; and I speak it according to the words of Christ; and I lie not.” This could be an awful warning for those who still struggle in sin - WHICH IS EVERY ONE OF US.
So, is everyone going to NOT be saved in the kingdom of God because we die in our sins? Of course not. In 2nd Nephi 2:7, we read that Christ “offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit.” If we have a broken heart and a contrite spirit, we will have faith and hope in Christ. This faith and reliance on his merits will be sufficient for God’s grace. We will not be casts off if we die as imperfect beings.
Unrepentant is different than imperfect. Everyone dies imperfect but not everyone died unrepentant. To be unrepentant is rebellion. Again, rebellion is much different than someone who has weakness who relies on Jesus’s atonement.
10:32
“Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.”
The invitation to come unto Christ is not just about learning about Him. It is about becoming like Him. I hate to admit it but I’m better at learning about Christ than being like Christ. Studying about Christ is good but it doesn’t replace become like him. There’s probably a lot of un-Christlike Christian scholars. I don’t want to be that.
Our responsibility is to deny ourselves of all ungodliness and love god with all of our might, mind and strength. I do not believe that anyone can do this perfectly in mortality. We must remember that we can only be made perfect through Christ.
As Moroni started this chapter with asking us to “remember,” I can’t help but think about him. I am grateful for him. I don’t think the last part of his life was pleasant. The plates likely weighed 40-60 pounds. I’ve got some 50 pound dumbbells and they are hard to pick up - even harder to carry for any length of time. To think that he walked miles and miles and miles with this book so that his current enemies and us gentiles would have more knowledge of Jesus Christ makes me feel incredibly grateful.
I’m grateful for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and that they have chosen elect men and women to bless the rest of us.
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