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January 1-7 - Introduction to the Book of Mormon
DIR By: RickBulow
Date: January 4, 2024, 6:52 pm
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From: Come, Follow Me: For Home and Church
Before you even get to 1 Nephi chapter 1, you will notice that
the Book of Mormon is no ordinary book. Its introductory pages
describe a backstory unlike any other—including visits from
angels, an ancient record buried for centuries in a hillside,
and a young man translating the record by the power of God. The
Book of Mormon is not just a history of ancient American
civilizations. It seeks to convince all “that Jesus is the
Christ” (title page of the Book of Mormon), and God Himself
directed how it was written, preserved, and made available to
us. This year, as you read the Book of Mormon, pray about it,
and apply its teachings, you will invite the Savior’s power into
your life. And you may feel moved to say, as the Three Witnesses
did in their testimony, “It is marvelous in [my] eyes.”
Ideas for Learning at Home and at Church
Title page of the Book of Mormon
Studying the Book of Mormon can strengthen my faith in Jesus
Christ.
The title page of the Book of Mormon provides more than just a
title. Among other things, it lists several purposes of this
sacred record. Look for these purposes in the title page.
Questions like these can help you as you ponder: Why do we have
the Book of Mormon? How is the Book of Mormon different from
other books?
Now might be a good time to make a personal or family plan for
reading the Book of Mormon this year. When and where will you
read? How will you invite the Spirit into your study? Is there
anything specific you will look for as you study? For example,
you might look for passages that accomplish the purposes you
found on the title page. You might keep a list of verses that
build your faith in Jesus Christ.
See also 2 Nephi 25:26; Mosiah 3:5–8; Alma 5:48; 7:10–13;
Helaman 5:12; 3 Nephi 9:13–18; 11:6–14; Moroni 10:32–33.
A prophetic promise. President Russell M. Nelson said, “I
promise that as you ponder what you study [in the Book of
Mormon], the windows of heaven will open, and you will receive
answers to your own questions and direction for your own life”
(“The Book of Mormon: What Would Your Life Be Like without It?,”
Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2017, 62–63).
Introduction to the Book of Mormon; “The Testimony of Three
Witnesses”; “The Testimony of Eight Witnesses”
seminary iconI can be a witness of the Book of Mormon.
The Holy Ghost can testify to you that the Book of Mormon is
true, even though you haven’t seen the gold plates as the Three
Witnesses and Eight Witnesses did. As you read their words,
think about how their testimonies strengthen yours.
What inspires you about the way these witnesses shared their
testimony of the Book of Mormon? Ponder how you can share your
testimony of the Book of Mormon—especially its witness of Jesus
Christ. For example, imagine that you’re talking to a friend who
has never heard of the Book of Mormon before. What would you
tell him or her about it? How would you try to inspire your
friend to read it? Consider reviewing the Introduction to the
Book of Mormon. You might find details there that would be
useful to share with your friend. The following videos might
also give you ideas:
“Book of Mormon Introduction”
“What Is the Book of Mormon? A 60-Second Overview”
“A Book of Mormon Story”
Consider making a list of things you would share with a friend
about the Book of Mormon. Try sharing the Book of Mormon using
the Book of Mormon app.
See also Ronald A. Rasband, “This Day,” Liahona, Nov. 2022,
25–28; Gospel Topics, “Book of Mormon,” Gospel Library; “An
Angel from on High,” Hymns, no. 13.
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The Three Witnesses bore testimony of the Book of Mormon.
“The Testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith”
The coming forth of the Book of Mormon was a miracle.
If someone asked you where the Book of Mormon came from, what
would you say? How would you describe God’s involvement in
giving us the Book of Mormon? As you read Joseph Smith’s
testimony, pay attention to how he described it. Based on what
you read, how do you think God feels about the importance of the
Book of Mormon?
See also Ulisses Soares, “The Coming Forth of the Book of
Mormon,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2020, 32–35; Saints, vol. 1, The
Standard of Truth, 21–30; Gospel Topics Essays, “Book of Mormon
Translation,” Gospel Library.
For more ideas, see this month’s issues of the Liahona and For
the Strength of Youth magazines.
Ideas for Teaching Children
Title page of the Book of Mormon
Reading the Book of Mormon helps me have faith in Jesus Christ.
Let your children look at and hold a copy of the Book of Mormon.
Help them point to the subtitle, Another Testament of Jesus
Christ. You might also help them find, on the title page, the
phrase “Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting
himself unto all nations.” Help them understand that this means
the Book of Mormon teaches us about Jesus Christ. Briefly tell
them how the Book of Mormon has strengthened your faith in Jesus
Christ. You could also ask them about their favorite Book of
Mormon stories. Singing “Book of Mormon Stories” (Children’s
Songbook, 118–19) could remind them of some of these stories.
Introduction to the Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion.
This week’s activity page and the image below can help your
children understand these words of Joseph Smith in the
introduction to the Book of Mormon: “The Book of Mormon [is] the
keystone of our religion.” It might also be fun to build or draw
an arch with a keystone at the top. What might happen if the
keystone is removed? What would happen if we did not have the
Book of Mormon? You might read together the last paragraph of
the introduction to find out what else we learn when we accept
the truth of the Book of Mormon. How can we make the Book of
Mormon the keystone of our faith in Jesus Christ?
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The Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion.
“The Testimony of Three Witnesses”; “The Testimony of Eight
Witnesses”
I can be a witness of the Book of Mormon.
To help your children understand what it means to be a witness,
you could describe to them something you have seen that they
haven’t. Then let them do the same for you. This could lead to a
conversation about the 11 people who saw the gold plates from
which the Book of Mormon was translated. As you read the
testimonies together, you could talk about why these witnesses
wanted other people to know about their testimonies. Who do we
want to tell about the Book of Mormon?
“The Testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith”
The Book of Mormon was given to us by the power of God.
To help your children learn how God gave us the Book of Mormon,
you could read parts of “The Testimony of the Prophet Joseph
Smith” to them. You might also use “Chapter 1: How We Got the
Book of Mormon” (in Book of Mormon Stories, 2–4). Your children
might also enjoy acting out the story a few times.
For more ideas, see this month’s issue of the Friend magazine.
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Moroni Delivers the Golden Plates, by Gary L. Kapp
From: The Interpreter Foundation's Jonnn Claybaugh
We are blessed with several inspiring resources that precede the
text of the Book of Mormon. A closer look can strengthen our
knowledge and our testimonies.
The TITLE PAGE was written by Moroni. On the plates given to the
Prophet Joseph Smith, it was at the end of the Book of Moroni.
It is helpful to look for the following:
What the Book of Mormon is (an abridgement made by prophets of
the records of the people of Nephi, of the Lamanites, and of the
people of Jared).
To whom it was written (to the Lamanites and to Jew and Gentile;
in other words, to all people).
How it was written, preserved, and translated (by way of
commandment, by the spirit of prophecy and revelation, and by
the gift and power of God).
And most importantly, Why it was written. At least five purposes
are given:
To show what great things the Lord has done for the House of
Israel.
That we may know the covenants of the Lord.
To know that we are not cast off forever.
That we may be convinced that Jesus is the Christ and manifests
Himself to all nations.
That we may be found spotless at the judgment seat of Christ.
The sincere reader may note that even in this first page of our
study of the Book of Mormon, the spirit and power of the text
already bear witness that the Prophet Joseph Smith was the
translator—not the author—of the Book of Mormon, and that it is
the word of God. This testimony is shared by millions throughout
the world.
The INTRODUCTION relates more about what the Book of Mormon is
and adds a brief history of its coming forth in our day through
heavenly ministration.
The third paragraph tells us that the “crowning event” in the
book is the ministry of Jesus Christ among the Nephites (see 3
Nephi 11-28), which instructs us what we “must do to gain peace
in this life and eternal salvation in the life to come.” We may
consider times when peace has come through reading and pondering
the Book of Mormon, with a genuine anticipation of eternal
salvation; all thanks to this miraculous book.
The sixth paragraph highlights Joseph Smith’s familiar statement
about the Book of Mormon being “the most correct of any book on
earth, and the keystone of our religion.” He also asserted that
we may “get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by
any other book.” We would do well to consider how Joseph Smith’s
promise has been true—and must continue to be so—in our own
lives.
The eighth and ninth paragraphs are an invitation to all to read
and ponder the message of the Book of Mormon, and to pray to God
to know if it is true (see Moroni 10:2-5). Those who do this in
faith will gain a testimony of its truth, as well as a testimony
of Jesus Christ as our Savior, of Joseph Smith as a true
prophet, and of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
as God’s church and kingdom on earth; all in preparation for the
Second Coming of Christ. These are remarkable promises.
In THE TESTIMONY OF THREE WITNESSES and THE TESTIMONY OF EIGHT
WITNESSES, it is easy to feel the confident assurance of these
eleven men who boldly put forth their testimonies, despite the
opposition and persecution that would follow. The experiences of
the two groups of witnesses were different: The three saw the
plates, heard the voice of God declaring the truth of the
record, and saw the Angel Moroni; while the eight saw, hefted,
and handled the plates. But both groups bear witness “unto all
nations, kindreds, tongues, and people” that the plates were
real.
Consider the resoluteness of their words: we know of a surety
that the work is true … they [the plates] have been shown unto
us by the power of God … we declare with words of soberness … we
beheld and bear record that these things are true … we bear
testimony of these things … this we bear record with words of
soberness … we have seen and hefted, and know of a surety … we
give our names unto the world, to witness unto the world that
which we have seen … we lie not.
Only five of the eleven witnesses died having always been
faithful in the Church (Christian Whitmer, Peter Whitmer, Jr.,
Joseph Smith, Sr., Hyrum Smith, and Samuel H. Smith), but none
of the eleven ever denied their testimonies of the Book of
Mormon and their experience in seeing the plates.
The TESTIMONY OF THE PROPHET JOSEPH SMITH is excerpted from
Joseph’s personal history, as recorded and canonized in the
Pearl of Great Price. Joseph is eloquent and forthright in
recounting his experiences. For example, these are the words he
used to describe the light that accompanied the first
visitations of the Angel Moroni: lighter than at noonday,
whiteness beyond anything earthly, exceedingly white, brilliant,
and like lightning (see paragraphs 3-5).
In the sixth paragraph, Moroni tells Joseph that his name would
be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and
tongues. We need not look far to find fulfillment of the
prophesied evil that has been and continues to be spoken of
Joseph Smith, making it all the more important for the faithful
to diligently assist in the fulfillment of the prophesied good
that is spoken of him. Let us open our mouths!
Those who carefully and prayerfully read Joseph’s history and
testimony may ask themselves, “Do I believe this? Do I know it
to be true? Am I devoting my life to the cause which sprang from
these miraculous experiences of Joseph Smith?” The Lord Himself
bore testimony of the Book of Mormon in these words: “And he
[Joseph Smith] has translated the book, even that part which I
have commanded him, and as your Lord and your God liveth, it is
true” (D&C 17:6).
A final topic to pursue upon beginning this year’s study is the
stated intent of several of the prophets who helped write the
Book of Mormon. Their inspiring declarations clearly and
powerfully relate to us today, and they match Moroni’s Title
Page objective to convince all that Jesus is the Christ:
1 Nephi 6:3-4 (“the fulness of mine intent is that I may
persuade men to come unto the God of Abraham … and be saved”)
2 Nephi 25:23, 26 (“we labor diligently to write, to persuade
our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ”)
2 Nephi 33:4 (“the words which I have written … persuadeth them
to believe in him”)
Mormon 3:20-22 (“I write unto you … that ye may believe the
gospel of Jesus Christ”)
Mormon 8:12 (“whoso receiveth this record … shall know of
greater things than these”)
Ether 8:26 (“I, Moroni, am commanded to write these things that
evil may be done away”)
And, may we take to heart the promises pronounced by President
Ezra Taft Benson in relation to our study of the Book of Mormon.
He said: “There is a power in the book which will begin to flow
into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the
book. You will find greater power to resist temptation. You will
find the power to avoid deception. You will find the power to
stay on the strait and narrow path.”
Let us claim these promised blessings this year and throughout
our lives, through our “serious study” of the Book of Mormon.
From: Line Upon Line - For Come, Follow Me (: video - )
From: Scripture Explorers (: video - )
From: The Steve Scott (24:39 video - Intro to the Book of Mormon
HTML https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNmzjVeIV-0)
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Journal Questions
1.)
Answer:
From: Brother Fullmer (: video - )
From: Talking Scripture (: video - )
From: Brother Miller (: video - )
Joseph Smith: “The title-page of the Book of Mormon is a
literal translation, taken from the very last leaf, on the left
hand side of the … book of plates, which contained the record
which has been translated, … and … said title page is not by any
means a modern composition, either of mine or of any other man
who has lived or does live in this generation” (History of the
Church, 1:71).
Ezra Taft Benson: “The major mission of the Book of Mormon, as
recorded on its title page, is ‘to the convincing of the Jew and
Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the eternal God, manifesting
himself unto all nations.’
“The honest seeker after truth can gain the testimony that Jesus
is the Christ as he prayerfully ponders the inspired words of
the Book of Mormon.”
“Over one-half of all the verses in the Book of Mormon refer to
our Lord. Some form of Christ’s name is mentioned more
frequently per verse in the Book of Mormon than even in the New
Testament.
“He is given over one hundred different names in the Book of
Mormon. Those names have a particular significance in describing
His divine nature. (“Come unto Christ,” Ensign, Nov. 1987, 83).
Average Number of References to Christ’s Name Per Verse of the
Book of Mormon
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Source:
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Joseph Smith: “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” (History of the Church, 4:461)
President Ezra Taft Benson: “There are three ways in which the
Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion. It is the
keystone in our witness of Christ. It is the keystone of our
doctrine. It is the keystone of testimony” (“The Book of
Mormon—Keystone of Our Religion,” Ensign, Nov. 1986, 5).
President Ezra Taft Benson: “If they saw our day, and chose
those things which would be of greatest worth to us, is not that
how we should study the Book of Mormon? We should constantly ask
ourselves, ‘Why did the Lord inspire Mormon (or Moroni or Alma)
to include that in his record? What lesson can I learn from that
to help me live in this day and age?’” (“The Book of
Mormon—Keystone of Our Religion,” Ensign, Nov. 1986, 6).
Joseph Smith: “Through the medium of the Urim and Thummim I
translated the record by the gift and power of God” (DHC 1:20).
Elder Russell M. Nelson: “The details of this miraculous method
of translation are still not fully known” (“By the Gift and
Power of God,” Ensign, July 1993, 61).
Emma Smith: “When my husband was translating the Book of
Mormon, I wrote part of it, as he dictated each sentence, word
for word, and when he came to proper names he could not
pronounce, or long words, he spelled them out, and while I was
writing them, if I made a mistake in spelling, he would stop me
and correct my spelling, although it was impossible for him to
see how I was writing them down at the time” (Edmund Briggs
interview, 1856).
Emma Smith: “She remarked of her husband Joseph’s limited
education while he was translating the Book of Mormon, and she
was scribe at the time, ‘He could not pronounce the word
Sariah’” (Edmund Briggs interview, 1856).
Emma Smith: “When he stopped for any purpose at any time he
would, when he commenced again, begin where he left off without
any hesitation, and one time while he was translating he stopped
suddenly, pale as a sheet, and said, ‘Emma, did Jerusalem have
walls around it?’ When I answered ‘Yes,’ he replied ‘Oh! I was
afraid I had been deceived.’ He had such a limited knowledge of
history at that time that he did not even know that Jerusalem
was surrounded by walls” (Edmund Briggs interview, 1856).
David Whitmer: One morning when he was getting ready to
continue the translation, something went wrong about the house
and he was put out about it. Something that Emma, his wife, had
done. Oliver and I went upstairs and Joseph came up soon after
to continue the translation but he could not do anything. He
could not translate a single syllable. He went downstairs, out
into the orchard, and made supplication to the Lord; was gone
about an hour—came back to the house, and asked Emma’s
forgiveness and then came upstairs where we were and then the
translation went on all right. He could do nothing save he was
humble and faithful” (Braden-Kelley Debate, p. 186.)
Joseph Knight Sr.: “It is ten times Better than I expected,” he
remembered Joseph saying. He recalled further the Prophet’s
particular fascination with the spectacles. “He seamed to think
more of the glasses or the urim and thummem then [than] he Did
of the Plates,” wrote Knight, “for, says he, ‘I can see any
thing; they are Marvelus’” (Jessee, “Joseph Knight’s
Recollection,” 33).
Elder Neal A. Maxwell: “Oliver Cowdery is reported to have
testified in court that the Urim and Thummim enabled Joseph “to
read in English, the reformed Egyptian characters, which were
engraved on the plates” (“Mormonites,” Evangelical Magazine and
Gospel Advocate, 9 Apr. 1831). If these reports are accurate,
they suggest a process indicative of God’s having given Joseph
“sight and power to translate” (D&C 3:12).
“If by means of these divine instrumentalities the Prophet was
seeing ancient words rendered in English and then dictating, he
was not necessarily and constantly scrutinizing the characters
on the plates—the usual translation process of going back and
forth between pondering an ancient text and providing a modern
rendering.
“The revelatory process apparently did not require the Prophet
to become expert in the ancient language. The constancy of
revelation was more crucial than the constant presence of opened
plates, which, by instruction, were to be kept from the view of
unauthorized eyes anyway.
“While the use of divine instrumentalities might also account
for the rapid rate of translation, the Prophet sometimes may
have used a less mechanical procedure. We simply do not know the
details.
“We do know that this faith-filled process was not easy,
however. This fact was clearly demonstrated in Oliver Cowdery’s
own attempt at translation. Oliver failed because he “did not
continue as [he] commenced,” and because, lacking faith and
works, he “took no thought save it was to ask” (D&C 9:5, 7). He
was not properly prepared to do it. Even so, we owe so much to
Oliver Cowdery for his special service as a scribe.
“Whatever the details of the process, it required Joseph’s
intense, personal efforts along with the aid of the revelatory
instruments. The process may have varied as Joseph’s
capabilities grew, involving the Urim and Thummim but perhaps
with less reliance upon such instrumentalities in the Prophet’s
later work of translation. Elder Orson Pratt of the Quorum of
the Twelve Apostles said Joseph Smith told him that he used the
Urim and Thummim when he was inexperienced at translation but
that later he did not need it, which was the case in Joseph’s
translation of many verses of the Bible (see Latter-day Saints’
Millennial Star, 11 Aug. 1874, 498–99)”
(
HTML https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1997/01/by-the-gift-and-power-of-god?lang=eng
HTML https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1997/01/by-the-gift-and-power-of-god?lang=eng).
From: Autumn Dickson (: video - )
What is scripture?
The title page of The Book of Mormon has me pondering about a
couple of things that have actually been on my mind over the
past year as I read the New Testament – namely, what really is
scripture? Why do certain things get counted as scripture? What
does it mean to be a writer of scripture?
As you read various books in the New Testament, you find that
some of these men might not have even known they were writing
what would be classified as scripture one day. We have the four
gospels which are retellings of the life of Christ, replete with
testimonies of who He is, but then we also have letters written
by missionary-apostles. Lastly, we have a vision written by one
of the apostles. In the same breath, we find the Doctrine and
Covenants. These were a collection of blessings, visions, and
dictations of the voice of God from a prophet. Apparently, the
word “scripture” can be used to connote many different types of
writing though I would still argue that there are a couple of
criteria. The biggest criteria is that scripture is the “word of
God.” How that chooses to manifest seems to include a wide array
of options, but it all comes back to the idea that writing
scripture is writing the word of God.
Let’s also look at this concept of “scripture” in the context of
the title page of The Book of Mormon. There are a couple of
phrases found on the title page that originally caught my
attention. Mormon is teaching us that The Book of Mormon is a
record “Written by way of commandment, and also by the spirit of
prophecy and of revelation.” I do not believe this to be an
exhaustive list of criteria required for canonized scripture,
but I do believe it can give us a glimpse of what the Lord views
as scripture as well as giving us ideas of personal application.
Revelation
Though it is listed last, I want to start with it first so that
I can describe why you can find personal relevance in this
message. Scripture is written by way of revelation. This is
obvious and makes sense. If the Lord had left us alone here on
earth, revealing nothing, we could have likely found a wide
range of things to worship. We could have pondered and thought
and believed and worked and formed theories and acted, but none
of them would have likely been accurate. Writings about the true
nature of God and His plan for His children had to be revealed
to us, and we see that in any of the canonized books of
scripture we read. He has to speak to us, and it gets written
down. Scripture is the revealed word of God. All of the men who
wrote the books of scripture had the Savior revealed to them by
some measure of His power.
But as I ponder this idea of revelation as well as the general
concept of “word of God,” I also realize that we, as
individuals, have the gift of revelation that enables us to
receive the word of God directly. The Lord can reveal the
mysteries of His kingdom to us, just as He did with other
servants. That being said, that doesn’t make generalized
scripture a free-for-all. Though we can all receive revelation,
we also have limited jurisdiction with our revelation. I can
receive revelation for my family and me and the actions we need
to take in our own lives. I can receive revelation for myself
about the mysteries of the kingdom, but I cannot receive an
answer about where my friend should move or whether my brother
should take a specific job he’s been offered. If I have a dear
friend who is struggling with a question in the gospel, I may
feel inspired to say something, but it has to be revealed to
them in some manner by the Spirit. In the end, the true
revelation will go to the person who has the right jurisdiction
to receive such revelation.
I believe it is the same with scripture. There have been
countless times where I have felt the Lord speaking to me (cough
cough word of God) as I’ve written in my journal. He has
revealed new perspectives, specific life directions, and even
knowledge I had never noticed. Does that mean my journal is
scripture? Maybe for me. It’s the word of God directly to me.
Like scripture, I can go back and read through old entries and
feel the spirit anew. I make new connections about things I have
written in the past while I was feeling inspired.
On that same note, I feel as though I’ve caught a glimpse of
what some of these scripture writers might have felt. The men
who were commissioned to write scripture did have jurisdiction
to write revelation for the entire church. They were apostles
and prophets. The Lord had given them the authority to lead the
church, and therefore, the word of God that they were receiving
could come to us with authority. And even though some of these
men were likely far more righteous than I am, they were still
imperfect. There have also been times that I have gone back in
my journal entries and found imperfect understandings,
incomplete thoughts, or just the smallest fledglings of new
knowledge. I think of Paul. If you read his epistles in
chronological order, you see him grow in his own understanding
of the Savior! His sermons describing grace become more eloquent
and complete.
Much of the world believes scripture to be final, infallible;
there is nothing left to say. This is extremely limiting to a
God who has never ceased wanting to speak to us. This is
extremely limiting to a God who is trying to teach us more about
who He is and His plan for us, but we’re not ready to receive
everything immediately. That doesn’t even begin to touch the
idea that our language isn’t even perfect enough to describe
what heaven can reveal; don’t we want to get better and better
at expressing it? What if Paul stopped progressing after writing
his final letter before his death? That was it. There was
nothing else to learn or be said. What if we had only been given
the first letter written by Paul? Having an understanding that
scripture is the inspired writings of holy (imperfect) men means
that the Lord can continue to reveal His will to us!
Scripture is the revealed word of God given to men, and it has
not ceased.
By way of commandment
According to the title page of The Book of Mormon, this record
was also written by way of commandment. The men who kept the
records of the Nephites (as well as the men who abridged those
records) were doing so because they were commanded.
To be totally honest, I don’t have a ton of commentary on this
particular principle other than this: we have been commanded to
keep a journal (even though we don’t always like to think about
it), and I don’t think it’s because the Lord wants our posterity
to hear all about our crush in the seventh grade. I think the
Lord knows the power that can come from writing while being
guided by the Spirit, and He wants us to find that power.
Perhaps you have a hard time writing; try recording your
thoughts. Most of us have phones with voice memo capabilities. I
don’t believe it’s the writing so much as the expansion of
inspired promptings. If you come across a thought in scripture
or a feeling about a question you’ve been asking for a while,
pause long enough to speak or write about it for a little bit. I
can promise you from personal experience that the Lord has more
to tell you if you’ll pause to hear it. The word of God
continues on, and the commandment to write it down (or record it
some manner) only furthers that process.
Spirit of prophecy
This section is like the commandment section; I don’t
necessarily have a ton of commentary, but I still think it’s
worth being brought to attention specifically. The spirit of
prophecy is the testimony of Jesus Christ; the testimony of
Christ enables the writing of scripture.
Once again, we do not have authority to write scripture for the
entire church, but we do have a testimony of Christ, and it can
lead us to write the word of God for our own lives as well as
our circles of revelatory jurisdiction. I should also mention
that my most powerful moments of writing what the Lord is trying
to tell me often comes when I write about Christ. It’s not easy
to just sit down and start writing about Christ spontaneously,
at least not for me. Rather, I usually write about what’s going
on in my life, I get it all out there on paper, and then I start
to write it again with the perspective of the gospel of Jesus
Christ. I reconsider what’s going on in my life through the lens
of His promises, love, and power. These are definitely the times
when I feel like He is revealing the most to me.
Interpretation by the gift of God
The Book of Mormon was written in reformed Egyptian, and it came
to us by “the gift and power of God unto the interpretation
thereof.” This is honestly a pretty significant claim that we
lean on in the church. We testify that Joseph Smith, a simple
farm boy, was able to translate this book in record timing
through the power of God.
Perhaps we do not need to “translate” the word of God into our
language, but there is personal and general relevance in this
message. Whenever we seek to read the word of God, it needs to
be interpreted by His power to the best of our ability. This has
two implications. It means having a healthy understanding of our
own imperfection and a willingness to be corrected as we mature
in the gospel, but it also means pushing a significant portion
of our energy towards having a communion experience with God as
we read His word. If we want to get the most out of it and truly
hear His word for us, it will require hearing from Him again. It
is not enough to simply just read what’s already been written.
God has not stopped giving His word, and this extends to the
circumstances of reading what’s been written. When we read, He
has more to say about His own mysteries as well as direct
relevance to our own lives. Seeking that interpretation brings
more of His word directly to you; it brings more “scripture.”
I testify of a Savior who is not finished speaking with His
people and leading them. I testify that He continues to reveal
His word, both on a church wide scale and an individual level. I
testify that we can receive and write the word of God for our
own lives and our own posterity. I testify of that because I
feel and experience it all the time. It is through this process
of recording (not just writing) His word that I have been able
to experience the gospel in a way that has brought so many of
the promises that have been made by the Savior.
And if there are faults, they are the mistakes of men. They are
the frailties and mortal limitations of men who are trying to
receive something heavenly into broken vessels. I testify that
even some of these mistakes can be turned for our benefit
because they push us to seek His word for ourselves. If we knew
the word was completely written and perfect, we would not have
to struggle to receive it for ourselves and develop the
relationship with the Savior that He desires. I am so grateful
for a Savior who continues to reveal His word because there is
no way we can catch it all the first time.
From: Come Follow Up (: video - )
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3.) Footnotes
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