Joseph Smith said that the Book of Mormon was the most correct book on the earth. This has been a major topic of conversation for many people who are not Mormon and do not understand what this statement means.

The purpose of scripture is to teach the word of God. Mormons (a nickname sometimes applied to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) use four books of scripture: The Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Pearl of Great Price, and the Doctrine and Covenants. Each came to the world in different ways. To understand the impact and meaning of Joseph Smith’s statement, we need to look at how both the Bible and the Book of Mormon came to be.

How We Got the Bible

The Bible was written in ancient times by a variety of people. In fact, we don’t always know who actually wrote each section. It was not written as a single book, but was compiled from a large number of manuscripts by committee. There has never been just one canon for the Bible and various groups include different combinations of ancient books in their own canon. These canons were all compiled long after Jesus and the apostles were gone (approximately 200 A.D)—the Bible didn’t exist during the time the Bible events were happening and so no one with authority from Christ selected the books, although Mormons believe God did help to guide those making these choices.

Over the centuries, the original texts of the Bible were copied again and again by scribes, since no printing press existed. As they were copied, mistakes were made, as is natural. But sometimes changes came about intentionally as things were added or dropped to suit political or religious desires. For this reason, scholars today debate many of the books and passages in the Bible as being later additions. We do not have the original copy of even one book of Bible scripture and must rely entirely on copies of copies. Despite these errors, man-made decisions, and complications, Mormons revere the Bible as the word of God. They teach that as it was first written, it was perfect. Any mistakes and changes are the mistakes of mortals.

How We Got the Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon came about a little differently. The first writer was a man named Lehi, who was a prophet. His son Nephi then added his own words, including copying over many of his father’s writings. Lehi’s records were lost, but we still have the ones Nephi copied. When Nephi died, the records were passed on to another person. This continued throughout the entire span of time the Book of Mormon was being written. Each new writer received the complete record that had come before.

When the records reached Mormon, for whom the book is named, God commanded him to go through the records and pull out just the most important parts to make a more manageable record. He died before this was completed, so his son Moroni finished the task, recording it on golden plates so they would last longer. Of course, this took a great deal of time and material, so he wrote them in what he referred to as reformed Egyptian, which was apparently more compact, but which was not his native language.

Both books, then, were written by mortals, and mortals are imperfect. In the Book of Mormon, Mormon himself noted:

And if there be faults they be the faults of a man. But behold, we know no fault; nevertheless God knoweth all things; therefore, he that condemneth, let him be aware lest he shall be in danger of hell fire (Mormon 8:17).

Is the Book of Mormon Perfect?

In other words, Mormon also agreed that man is imperfect. However, these imperfections in either the Bible or the Book of Mormon do not take away from the sacredness of the scriptures themselves and should not be used to judge the original intent of the books.

A recent in-depth study of the changes made to the Book of Mormon found that there were many changes, but none altered doctrine. They were largely errors in punctuation and spelling. Some were the result of the scribe mis-hearing what Joseph said. He did not do the writing himself. He translated orally and scribes wrote his words. Many of these mistakes were found by Joseph himself and corrected. Some were, however, inserted by printers. The few doctrinal types of errors, when corrected, restored the teachings the church offers today, rather than altering them. Joseph taught the doctrines correctly, even when very small word changes would seem to have altered them.

See Critical Text Project Evaluates Changes in the Book of Mormon.

Saying that it is the most correct book, then, is not saying is it a perfect book. It is not saying there are not man-made errors, inevitable in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon. What does it mean, then?

It means that the purpose of the Book has been fulfilled more completely than it has in any other book. Translation problems are minimal, since there is only one translation per language. The initial translation was carried about by a prophet and today’s translations into other languages are carefully monitored to be certain political or manipulative changes are not introduced.

The Book of Mormon was translated by a prophet. While there may be some limitations due to the imperfectness of our language, God guided the translation to make certain no important doctrine was changed in any way. The book was written and abridged by prophets. It outlines many essential saving doctrines more completely and more clearly than the Bible, with verses tending to be longer and sermons more completely recorded.

The purpose of the Book of Mormon was to bring people to Jesus Christ and its perfectness must be measured against its ability to do just that. It is the purpose that matters, not minor spelling or punctuation errors. (The original dictation did not even contain punctuation.) The book contains more references to Christ and his gospel than does even the Bible. It is estimated that this is mentioned on average in every 1.7 verses.

In 1984, Monte Nyman, who was an associate dean of religious education at Brigham Young University addressed this bold statement concerning the correctness of the Book of Mormon. He wrote:

“The most important principle, of course, is acceptance of Jesus Christ as the literal Son of God and the Savior of the world. To this principle, the Book of Mormon bears a second witness in dozens of instances. Its primary objective is to convince Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God. This correct second witness has become more and more valuable as the world has increasingly entertained various alternate opinions of Jesus. The Book of Mormon proclaims him to be more than a great teacher, or a great philosopher, or a great moral and ethical proclaimer. These opinions have replaced Isaiah’s prophetic designation of the Christ as “Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Isa. 9:6.) In making a substitution, splintered Christianity has assimilated fragments of philosophies and rituals that took the place of original Christian unity and the plan of salvation. For those with eyes to see and ears to hear, the Book of Mormon corrects the false doctrine and affirms the true….Man’s recognition of these teachings and his step-by-step growth and development are highlighted by the third part of the Prophet’s statement that “a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.” (See Monte Nyman, The Most Correct Book, Ensign, June 1984)

The best way to learn about the Book of Mormon is to read it. Although you can read many articles on it, you really need to study it for yourself, to know what it says without anyone else’s interpretation getting in the way. Many people who taught against the book changed their minds after they read it. Even if they didn’t convert, they realized much of what they’d been told about the Book of Mormon was false. You just have to read it for yourself from cover to cover.

Obtain a free Book of Mormon here or ask a friend for one. You can also read the Book of Mormon online free without registering.

You can study the Book of Mormon in much the same way you study the Bible, if you do so. The first step is to approach it with an open mind. Put aside any gossip you’ve heard and any negative feelings you have and just be prepared to make your own discoveries. Approach it as though you’d never heard of it.

Preparing to Read the Book of Mormon

The scriptures contain the words of the prophets of old, many of whom wrote about our day.

The first step is to pray. Ask God to guide your reading so you will see the important things in the book and understand them. Ask Him to help you know if it’s true.

Mormons have a phrase that helps them remember how to study the scriptures: Search, ponder, and pray.” Using this method, they will search the scriptures for specific things, think deeply and long about the issues and what they learn, and then pray to know the mind of God.

As you are reading, the stories will capture your attention. However, the stories exist to teach a spiritual lesson, as they do in the Bible. In between the stories are important sermons and lessons about Jesus Christ. These are important to pay attention to, even if they might seem difficult to understand.

Getting Help Understanding the Book of Mormon

The Church has created lesson manuals used when Mormons study the scriptures. If you’d like to discover what Mormons see when they read the Book of Mormon, you might try reading some of these manuals. They are free online and are the actual manuals used in Mormon classes. They range from lessons for young children to more scholarly studies for college students, as well as the regular Sunday School lessons for teens and adults.

Find Mormon lesson manuals here.

One way many people study is to choose a few themes that interest them. Watch for those themes and mark them with different colored pencils—for instance, scriptures about Jesus Christ might be in read, and scriptures about the atonement might be in blue. These allows you to notice all teachings on a given subject. When you have finished reading, you can quickly page through the book and read all the teachings on that subject at once, getting a more complete picture of what the Mormons teach on a given subject.

In the Book of Mormon, you will find that Christ and His mission are mentioned on average every 1.7 verses.

Reading the study aids will help you get the most from your reading. The chapter and book summaries help you to identify important themes in each section. The footnotes will help you find related scriptures from all books of Mormon scripture, including the Bible. This allows you to see the teachings in a larger context. There are maps and other study aids that will improve your ability to understand what you read.

Early in the Book of Mormon, you will find some wise advice from Nephi, the first writer in the book. He suggests we “liken the scriptures” to our own lives. This means to ask ourselves how what we are reading applies to our lives. What practical application can it have? How can it make my life better? How does it affect my understanding of God and Jesus Christ?

The Book of Mormon will contain many surprises for you, particularly if those who have not actually read it themselves have been your only source of information. To really know the book, you have to actually read it—really read it—all the way through and then ask God for His opinion of the book.

Although Mormons do not, due to legal restraints, carry out missionary work in China, many Chinese people join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while traveling, working, or going to school in other countries. In addition, many foreigners work and live in China. It can be complicated for Chinese Nationals who become Mormon and for foreigners moving to China to figure out where to attend church and to understand the complex laws regulating religious life in China. To assist with this challenge, the Mormons (a nickname for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) have created a website to help them learn how and where to practice their faith in China. The Church has blocked the website within China out of respect for laws, so it must be accessed while still out of the country.

The scriptures contain the words of the prophets of old, many of whom wrote about our day.

The Mormons have a legal presence in China, but are not one of the five officially recognized religions. This means they must follow strict rules in order to exist. Mormons are not allowed to do any sort of missionary work in China except among their own family in certain approved situations. If a Chinese citizen is baptized outside the United States he can take his family to church with him and they can be baptized. No Chinese citizens can be baptized in China. Foreigners and citizens must meet separately. Church lesson materials have been translated into Chinese and can be used in the country during meetings, but online LDS materials may only be used outside the country.

It is important that Mormons in China not hand out religious literature or to develop religious blogs or websites, because all of those things can be seen as missionary work. They also have to be careful to attend the correct meetings—citizens in one congregation and foreigners in another. People from Taiwan or Hong Kong who live in China attend with citizens, while those who are just visiting or working in China attend with the foreigners.

To help Chinese citizens who are Mormon and the Mormons who go there on vacation or to work, the Mormons have assigned a Priesthood Administrative Leader who can help Mormons in China find the appropriate congregation and who can explain the rules to them. This person’s contact information is on the website and he can be contacted in advance of arrival in the country.

Mormon leaders also hope the website will stop rumors circulating among both Mormons and those who are not that the lowering of ages for missionaries (eighteen for men who have graduated from high school and nineteen for women) is related to China in some way. Some rumors have suggested there will be an increased effort to slip missionaries into China illegally. This is something the Mormons do not do. They believe one must obey the law and that when God commands us to take the gospel to all the world, He will also open the doors to make this possible.

The Mormons have already seen this happen in other countries. Many countries were initially closed to missionary work or church recognition but are now open. Bosnia officially recognized the Mormons in 2012. The German Democratic Republic began allowing missionaries into the country in 1988. Czechoslovakia began to recognize the Church in 1990. Mormons are patient and continue to use the power of prayer to open doors for them around the world. The new Chinese website will, in the meantime, help those Mormons already in China to enjoy the gospel in their homeland.

Learn more about the new Mormon website for Chinese Mormons.

In the April 2013 General Conference held by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are sometimes called Mormons, Elaine Dalton gave her final address as president of the Young Women’s program. This program serves teenage girls around the world and she oversaw a program that included about a million girls and their leaders worldwide.

Sister Dalton’s Theme was “We are Daughters of Our Heavenly Father.” This is a gospel truth Mormons teach their members from the very youngest age—that we are all, every single person ever born, literal children of God, not by adoption if we make good choices, but by birth. Mormons believe God created our spirits, entitling Him to be our literal father. All mortal beings have a Heavenly Father as well as a mortal one.

“In every country and on every continent, I have met confident, articulate young women, filled with light, refined by hard work and trial, possessing pure and simple faith. They are virtuous. They are covenant keepers who ‘stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places.’ They know who they are and that they have a significant role to play in building the kingdom of God,” Sister Dalton told the teenage girls listening to her sermon.

Sister Dalton noted that sometimes the traditional roles of women are exhausting, unimportant, and perhaps even demeaning, but they are not. Because we are daughters of God we matter, and therefore our responsibilities matter.

She used as an example her own mother, widowed with four children to support. She taught school during the day and piano at night, never complaining about the long hours of work required to be a widow for 45 years. Her mother was a covenant keeper. A covenant is a two-way promise and in church use refers to covenants between man and God. Mormons teach that if we do our part God is required to do His. Her mother believed that and kept her promises, then calling on God to help her with whatever was beyond her. Her role as a single parent didn’t make her famous or important in the eyes of the world, but she didn’t seek attention or fame. She sought to serve God and her family. She was successful in that and it was enough because she was focused on eternal joy, not temporal joy.

She called on parents to help girls grow up with virtue and an understanding of the sacred role of women. Mothers need to set the example and honor their husband’s priesthood so that girls will understand properly how priesthood works to bless the entire family, not just the priesthood holder. They must learn from their mother’s example to value womanhood as designed by God, who, without question, loves His daughters.

Sister Dalton is noted for her call for a return to virtue. What would the world be like if virtue—a pattern of thought and behavior based on high moral standards, including chastity8—were reinstated in our society as a most highly prized value? If immorality, pornography, and abuse decreased, would there be fewer broken marriages, broken lives, and broken hearts? Would media ennoble and enable rather than objectify and degrade God’s precious daughters? If all humanity really understood the importance of the statement ‘We are daughters of our Heavenly Father,’ how would women be regarded and treated?

She pointed out that we never really know what part our roles will play in the future. Her mother didn’t know she was raising a future world-wide church leader, for instance. Sister Dalton told of a time when the Conference Center was first being built. The Conference Center is where General Conference is held. Her husband was helping with the carpet instillation and she was asked to vacuum the thick dust that settled into it as a result of the construction. She took her seemingly unimportant job very seriously and worked so hard that in three days the vacuum cleaner died—but she did not give up.

She gave her final sermon right there on that very carpet she had worked so hard to clean and protect, something she could not possibly have foreseen at the time.

She closed with the following testimony:

Today as a daughter of God, I stand as a witness that He lives. Jesus is the Christ. He is our Redeemer. It is through His infinite atoning sacrifice that I will one day return to live with Him—proven, pure, and sealed in an eternal family. I shall ever praise Him for the privilege of being a woman, a wife, and a mother. I testify that we are led by a prophet of God, President Thomas S. Monson, and I am grateful for righteous men, whose priesthood power blesses my life. And I shall ever be grateful for the strength I receive through the enabling power of the Savior’s infinite Atonement as I continue to strive to “act well [my] part.” In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Read the entire sermon on being daughters of God or watch the video below:

BYU (Brigham Young University) is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.”  BYU students take nearly a semester of spiritually uplifting, stimulating religion classes.

In this series (see below), students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the Book of Mormon in the form of letters to someone they know. We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures.

In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to speak to all of us of the relevance, power and beauty of the Book of Mormon, a second witness of Jesus Christ and complement to the Bible. The Book of Mormon includes the religious history of a group of Israelites who settled in ancient America.  (The names they use are those of prophets who taught the Book of Mormon peoples to look forward to the coming of Christ—Nephi, Lehi, Alma, Helaman, and other unfamiliar names.  We hope those names will become more familiar to you as you read their inspiring words and feel the relevance and divinity of their messages through these letters.)

Let us know if you’d like to receive your own digital copy of the Book of Mormon, and/or if these messages encourage and assist you spiritually as well.

Book of Mormon Reflections: Trials

I am a freshman at BYU studying MDT (Music Dance and Theatre) and this is to my non-member boyfriend:

We learned a lot in my religion class at BYU this week. We were studying from the Book of Mormon, which is another testament of Jesus Christ. We talked about how when you have trials you can either better yourself from it, or become bitter. An example of this in the Book of Mormon, is Alma 62:41:

“But behold, because of the exceedingly great length of the war between the Nephites and the Lamanites many had become hardened, because of the exceedingly great length of the war; and many were softened because of their afflictions, insomuch that they did humble themselves before God, even in the depth of humility.”

In this chapter it shows how the Nephites and Lamanites (two different groups of people that fight against each other in the Book of Mormon) chose different paths when it came to their trials. The Lamanites grew hard after their trials and the Nephites grew soft after their trials. The latter people became better people because they were positive in their trials. Something my teacher told us is if you look at better and bitter, the only difference is the letter “I.” When we only think of ourselves in our trials, we become bitter and cannot better ourselves. We should take the high road, be positive, and just be better people. I wanted to share this with you since this is a topic we discuss a lot; trying to not be negative when put in negative situations. Even though you are the one telling me to do this, I wanted you to hear this and read the scripture as it’s something you believe in. I wanted to show you how there are many truths in the Book of Mormon.

There was something else that we discussed that I think you might be able to learn about. My teacher discussed that sin and death are always final, when you are alone. However, when you’re with God, you can overcome these things since he died for our sins. I really like this since I think we as people fear sin and death. When we are with God, we don’t need to fear these things. I hope that these messages can help you understand what members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe in.

Additional Resources:

Jesus Christ in Mormonism

BYU (Brigham Young University) is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.”  As part of their undergraduate coursework, BYU students take multiple semesters of spiritually uplifting, stimulating religion classes.

In this series (see below), students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the Book of Mormon in the form of letters to someone they know. We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures.

In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to speak to all of us of the relevance, power and beauty of the Book of Mormon, a second witness of Jesus Christ and complement to the Bible. The Book of Mormon includes the religious history of a group of Israelites who settled in ancient America.  (The names they use are those of prophets who taught the Book of Mormon peoples to look forward to the coming of Christ—Nephi, Lehi, Alma, Helaman, and other unfamiliar names.  We hope those names will become more familiar to you as you read their inspiring words and feel the relevance and divinity of their messages through these letters.)

Let us know if you’d like to receive your own digital copy of the Book of Mormon, and/or if these messages encourage and assist you spiritually as well.

Christ’s Church (“Mormons”): True Members

This semester at BYU I am taking a Book of Mormon class. Right now we are studying 3 Nephi. As we study it in detail, I just can’t help thinking that these chapters are the gem of the Book of Mormon. I love reading about Jesus Christ’s visit to the people in the Americas after His resurrection.

In chapter 27 verse 10 it says: “And if it so be that the church is built upon my gospel then will the father show forth his own works in it.”

I have often been confused about the difference between the words “church” and “gospel.” I always thought that they were the same things, but here we learn that they are two different things. In class we were asked to make metaphors for the two words. My favorite one was “the church is like a lantern and the gospel is the light.” This is so true! The church is just an organization to spread the gospel and a way to help people live and understand it.

When we think about it separately it is easy to see how some people can be living in the church but not be converted to the gospel. One of my favorite quotes reminds me of this, “going to church doesn’t make you anymore of a Christian than standing in a garage makes you a car.” Although it is extremely important to go to church and to fulfill callings and be a part of bringing others to church, it is more important to actually live and understand the gospel. Participating in church is the first step, but being fully converted in the gospel should be the goal.

Sometimes I think members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints get so caught up in the motions that they forget why or what they are even doing. We are given the church to help us live the gospel, and it is important to remember the goal of the church: to bring souls to Christ.

If you ever feel like you are just going through motions it is time to reevaluate why you are doing what you are doing. This chapter was such a good reminder for me to really think about what it is I am doing.

Also in chapter 27 is one of my favorite verses: “Therefore, ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; for he that asketh, receiveth; and unto him that knocketh, it shall be opened.” Christ is waiting for us to ask Him for help and guidance. I know that I sometimes try to figure everything out for myself and stress about little things that I think I need to fix. In reality Christ has a plan for us and has all the answers to our questions and problems. He really is just waiting for us to come to Him and ask Him for help. This week I challenge you to try asking Heavenly Father to help you with your problems. I hope you have a wonderful week and maybe read the book of 3 Nephi!

Additional Resources:

Jesus Christ in Mormonism

Brigham Young University (BYU) is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.” As part of their undergraduate coursework, BYU students take multiple semesters of spiritually uplifting, stimulating religion classes.

Here, in this column, students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the New Testament and gospel of Jesus Christ in the form of letters to someone they know.  In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to witness to all of us of the relevance, power, and beauty of the New Testament, and God’s plan of happiness for each of us.  We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures. Let us know how these may help you in your own life. Share them with a friend.

Christ’s Church (“Mormons”): A Great Ship
Thought for my brother

It amazing the stories we hear about, growing up in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often misnamed the “Mormon Church”). Young children would be, and are, captivated by the story of how Paul shipwrecked when he was on his way to Rome in Acts 27. Not only is it a fascinating story full of adventure, it also has a great spiritual significance.

Ships are not an uncommon analogy in the church. It was Brigham Young (the second president and prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) who said that the church was like the good ship Zion. Once we board the ship, it is either staying on, or drowning while trying to get off.

When Jesus was on a ship in troubled waters, He was able to miraculously calm the troubled seas. For me, each of these analogies brings great comfort because in each case, there is a work to do. And yet, safety can be found on the ship; we need not look elsewhere.

Paul was there for the people on his ship when he not only warned them beforehand that a catastrophe would happen if they boarded the ship, but he also provided assistance to those who had not heeded his counsel.

In President Young’s analogy, the protection comes from not straying from what we already know to be true: the Gospel. And with the ship on Galilee, they had the greatest protection of all—the Lord of all, the Creator of the ship and stormy sea, Jesus Christ. With prophets, revelation, personal testimony, and most importantly the Savior, I know that I can weather any storm that comes my way if I heed their words.

Additional Resources:

Jesus Christ in Mormonism

Brigham Young University (BYU) is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.” As part of their undergraduate coursework, BYU students take multiple semesters of spiritually uplifting, stimulating religion classes.

Here, in this column, students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the New Testament and gospel of Jesus Christ in the form of letters to someone they know.  In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to witness to all of us of the relevance, power, and beauty of the New Testament, and God’s plan of happiness for each of us.  We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures. Let us know how these may help you in your own life. Share them with a friend.

Thomas S. Monson, Mormon prophet

Christ’s Church (“Mormons”): What Matters Most

The scriptures and modern-day prophets are constantly helping us refocus on what really matters and teaching us how to get through the troubling times in our lives. The story in Acts 27, of Paul being taken to Rome by way of ship teaches many valuable lessons.

The first important message is that we always should listen to the prophets words and grow accustomed to obeying them, even though they sometimes do not make immediate sense. On three separate occasions, Paul prophesied concerning their voyage and the tribulations they would face.

After his first revelation, the men voted on it and because there was no apparent danger they could sense, they decided to begin the voyage, but were later caught in a horrific storm. Once they had been in the storm for a number of days, Paul once again prophesied, this time many listened, including the Roman centurion. Just as they initially questioned Paul, many people question the prophet’s revelation because we can not see the dangers he does.

Another lesson from Paul’s journey is that when we have storms in our lives we need to get rid of everything in our lives that may be weighing us down and focus on what is most important. Elder Uchtdorf, a living apostle of Jesus Christ, also has recently talked about this by saying when a pilot passes through turbulence, the immediate response is to speed up, but what they should do is slow down.

Additional Resources:

Jesus Christ in Mormonism

Brigham Young University (BYU) is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.” As part of their undergraduate coursework, BYU students take multiple semesters of spiritually uplifting, stimulating religion classes.

Here, in this column, students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the New Testament and gospel of Jesus Christ in the form of letters to someone they know.  In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to witness to all of us of the relevance, power, and beauty of the New Testament, and God’s plan of happiness for each of us.  We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures. Let us know how these may help you in your own life. Share them with a friend.

Christ’s Church (“Mormons”): The Atonement
Email to her dad

Hey Dad! So, last week in New Testament, I discovered a beautiful book in the New Testament. It’s the book of Philemon. Now, I’ve read it before and it didn’t really make that much of an impact but Brother Griffin pointed out some things that really made it stick out to me. So, it’s an allegory, much like the book of Hosea (that’s another great one by the way).

I’m sure you remember from last year, Philemon is a slave owner and one of his slaves, Onesimus, ran away. After this escape, he ran into Paul and was baptized. So Paul writes an epistle. Now, if you think about this in terms of the Atonement, this epistle becomes beautiful. Paul talks about how he will pay the debts of Onesimus so that Philemon can take him back, but not as a slave as before, but as a brother. Brother Griffin says that mercy is receiving more than you deserve. This is a beautiful example of that.

A verse I really love is verse 11 when he says that Onesimus was never a disadvantage but now he can become a great advantage. So I love the speech by Brad Wilcox entitled “His Grace is Sufficient.” He mentions that the Atonement is like piano lessons. Christ paid for our lessons and now we have to learn heaven. It’s much more complex than that but that’s the basics. So, as I’m attempting to “learn heaven,” I become available for Heavenly Father to use and hopefully I can be an advantage for him- I can help him further his work. I have discovered in the last week that is my goal- to be such a person that when the Lord needs me, I can do what he needs me to. Anyway. I just thought that was cool. I hope you are having a great day! Love ya

Additional Resources:

Mormon Beliefs

Brigham Young University (BYU) is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.” As part of their undergraduate coursework, BYU students take multiple semesters of spiritually uplifting, stimulating religion classes.

Here, in this column, students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the New Testament and gospel of Jesus Christ in the form of letters to someone they know.  In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to witness to all of us of the relevance, power, and beauty of the New Testament, and God’s plan of happiness for each of us.  We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures. Let us know how these may help you in your own life. Share them with a friend.

Christ’s Church (“Mormons”): Blessings
Letter to Roommate

As you know we both know you have been studying like crazy this semester to get good grades to be able to get into the accounting program. Also we have been striving to not do homework on Sunday with the promise that our grades will be better and our lives will be more blessed.

I found this scripture during our New Testament class about King Agrippa and how Paul almost persuaded him to be a Christian. The king was not willing to give up all the things of the world that he possessed in exchange for the blessings of the gospel.

I don’t think that we are really giving up that much of the world by avoiding doing homework on Sundays but we are definitely trading worldly things for things of our Heavenly Father. Sometimes these types of sacrifices are harder; I think this could be the case for someone we both know. She sometimes focuses on the things that she will have to give up or things that she won’t be able to do because of her baptism. I always try to get her to focus on the benefits and blessings of joining the church and not think about future trials. I know it is much easier said than actually done though.

I am grateful for our friendship and the help you have given throughout this school year. I hope that we can continue living the commandments of God to receive all the blessings he has planned for us, especially marriage. The sooner the better, right?

Additional Resources:

Mormon Beliefs