The Truth of the Book of Mormon

Often, in response to questions about the truth of the Book of Mormon, people will quote from Moroni 10:4, "And when ye shall receive these things, 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 ... , he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost." Now, this simplification of what Moroni said leaves out a lot of what Moroni actually said. But, setting that aside, assume I follow this admonition and receive a witness that the Book of Mormon is true. Now what do I do? Am I done with the Book of Mormon? Is it enough to be able to say, "I know that it is true!"? Is the Book of Mormon now just a prop for me to use in inviting others to know for themselves the truth of the words it contains?

Of course it seems silly to just carry the book around, proclaiming that it is true, without doing something with it. If it is, in fact, the word of God, then it should become one of our most prized books. It should be where we turn to hear the voice of God. Its words should inform who we are, how we treat people, how we approach God, etc. We should read it regularly, looking for guidance and allowing it to help us repent and know God.

In Doctrine and Covenants, section 84, the Lord says:

  45 For the word of the Lord is truth, and whatsoever is truth is light, and whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
  46 And the Spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world; and the Spirit enlighteneth every man through the world, that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit.
  47 And every one that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit cometh unto God, even the Father.

So, if we know the truth of the Book of Mormon then we know that it contains the word of the Lord, light, and the Spirit of Jesus Christ. And, it is up to us whether that light is enlightening, or not. Notice in verse 46 it says that only those who hearken to the light (the truth, or word of the Lord) are enlightened by it. And, in verse 47, those who hearken come to God the Father.

Nephi teaches us what to do once we know that we have the truth, the word of the Lord, and are in the path. He says, in 2 Nephi 31:

  19 And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.
  20 Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.

We must press forward and live by the words of the Lord, as found in the Book of Mormon, because we have come to know the truth of these words. Knowing the truth is not enough on its own. We must live by the words that are true.

Just over two years after Joseph Smith organized a church, the Lord told the members that they were under condemnation. Notice that this is in Section 84 and follows right after the verses quoted above:

  54 And your minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received—
  55 Which vanity and unbelief have brought the whole church under condemnation.
  56 And this condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all.
  57 And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written—

How do we treat the Book of Mormon lightly? According to verse 57 we treat it lightly when we say that it is true, but fail to do according to the words of the Lord contained in the Book of Mormon. And, how do we know if we are doing the things taught in the Book of Mormon? We know because we are coming unto God, feasting on the words of Christ, and receiving the promise of eternal life (walking the path as described in an earlier post).

Here is a simple idea that can help with turning our reading of the Book of Mormon into an active process of becoming closer to God. The basis of this idea is Joseph Smith's statement in the introduction to the Book of Mormon, “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.” (A precept is defined as a principle or general rule intended to regulate behavior or thought.)

As a means of hearkening to the word, try to identify, and act upon, precepts as often as possible. To get started, as you read the Book of Mormon this week, pray for help to identify a precept that you can experiment upon to see if it will help you get nearer to God. Next, you might try to find other places in the scriptures where that same precept is taught. Making connections with other scriptures that teach the same ideas will refine your understanding. Then, identify specific things you can do to live that precept as an experiment upon the word. Keep track of the experience you have as you live (hearken to) the precept over a period of time. See if, in fact, through the power of the Holy Ghost you feel closer to God. Then, repeat ;-). (Here is more on this idea, if you are interested.)

I have tried this repeatedly and can tell you from my own experience of the truth of the words of the Book of Mormon. I know this because it has brought me closer to God than has any other book.