The chapter Mormon 7 contains the last scriptures written by the prophet Mormon before his death. Editing the records of the Nephites to create the Book of Mormon was Mormon’s life work (you can read about it in the previous lesson about Mormon’s early life) so it is not surprising that he dedicates some of his final writings to a discussion of the purpose of the scriptures he has written. He asks his son, Moroni, to finish and preserve this book of scripture. We meet Moroni in the next chapter, Mormon 8. In these chapters, Mormon and Moroni share insights about what scripture is for and what it is not, in the hopes that modern readers like us will reap as much good as possible from the Book of Mormon in modern times.

Mormon describes the purpose of the Book of Mormon.

In the last chapter Mormon writes in the Book of Mormon, Mormon reminds us of the purpose of the Book of Mormon and how it relates to the Bible, which he refers to as “the record which shall come unto the Gentiles from the Jews.”

8 Therefore repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus, and lay hold upon the gospel of Christ, which shall be set before you, not only in this record but also in the record which shall come unto the Gentiles from the Jews, which record shall come from the Gentiles unto you.

9 For behold, this is written for the intent that ye may believe that; and if ye believe that ye will believe this also; and if ye believe this ye will know concerning your fathers, and also the marvelous works which were wrought by the power of God among them.

Mormon 7:8-9

• According to this statement of Mormon, what is the purpose of the Book of Mormon?
• How do the Bible and Book of Mormon relate to each other?
• Why do you think Mormon chose this message as one of the last things he wrote in the Book of Mormon?
• What does it mean to you to “lay hold upon the gospel of Christ”?

Mormon also goes back to the beginning of his writings and adds an introduction. Today, we call his introduction “Words of Mormon.”

1 And now I, Mormon, being about to deliver up the record which I have been making into the hands of my son Moroni, behold I have witnessed almost all the destruction of my people, the Nephites.

2 And it is many hundred years after the coming of Christ that I deliver these records into the hands of my son; and it supposeth me that he will witness the entire destruction of my people. But may God grant that he may survive them, that he may write somewhat concerning them, and somewhat concerning Christ, that perhaps some day it may profit them.

Words of Mormon 1:1-2

• According to this statement by Mormon, what were his hopes for the Book fo Mormon?
• Has the Book of Mormon benefited you? If so, how?

Moroni shares his hopes and concerns about the Book of Mormon.

In Mormon 8, we learn that Mormon has died. We meet his son Moroni, who picks up the narration where his father left off. Moroni is the last living member of his family—the rest died in war—and so he knows that he will be the last author to add to this book of scripture. (Read more about Moroni in the lesson plan about Moroni’s contributions to the Book of Mormon.)

3 And my father also was killed by them, and I even remain alone to write the sad tale of the destruction of my people. But behold, they are gone, and I fulfil the commandment of my father. And whether they will slay me, I know not.

4 Therefore I will write and hide up the records in the earth; and whither I go it mattereth not.

5 Behold, my father hath made this record, and he hath written the intent thereof. And behold, I would write it also if I had room upon the plates, but I have not; and ore I have none, for I am alone. My father hath been slain in battle, and all my kinsfolk, and I have not friends nor whither to go; and how long the Lord will suffer that I may live I know not.

Mormon 8:3-5

Here, Moroni reminds us that his father, Mormon, has already written the intent of the Book of Mormon in the passages we just read. He says he would like to write about the purpose of the book as well, but he has no writing supplies and doesn’t know if he will survive the war.

Mormon entrusted his son, Moroni, with a mission to complete the Book of Mormon and preserve it from destruction. Moroni foresees that eventually, this record will be found and read.

16 And blessed be he that shall bring this thing to light; for it shall be brought out of darkness unto light, according to the word of God; yea, it shall be brought out of the earth, and it shall shine forth out of darkness, and come unto the knowledge of the people; and it shall be done by the power of God.

Mormon 8:16

• How does the Book of Mormon “shine forth out of darkness”?

Moroni’s people are gone and so Moroni has no audience for his words but us, his future readers. He speaks to us directly as if he is having a conversation with the people of the modern world.

35 Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing.

Mormon 8:35

Notice how much information is packed into this short passage:

12 And whoso receiveth this record, and shall not condemn it because of the imperfections which are in it, the same shall know of greater things than these. Behold, I am Moroni; and were it possible, I would make all things known unto you.

Mormon 8:12

According to this passage:

• There are great things that aren’t in the Book of Mormon.
• Moroni would like to tell us more, but it’s not possible.
• The Book of Mormon has imperfections. (Moroni mentions this casually in passing, as if it is a given. Of course this book is not perfect!)

What are these great things that are not in the Book of Mormon? The footnote links to some scriptures that have a few examples. Invite the class the read them.

12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

John 16:12

6 And now there cannot be written in this book even a hundredth part of the things which Jesus did truly teach unto the people;

7 But behold the plates of Nephi do contain the more part of the things which he taught the people.

8 And these things have I written, which are a lesser part of the things which he taught the people; and I have written them to the intent that they may be brought again unto this people, from the Gentiles, according to the words which Jesus hath spoken.

9 And when they shall have received this, which is expedient that they should have first, to try their faith, and if it shall so be that they shall believe these things then shall the greater things be made manifest unto them.

10 And if it so be that they will not believe these things, then shall the greater things be withheld from them, unto their condemnation.

11 Behold, I was about to write them, all which were engraven upon the plates of Nephi, but the Lord forbade it, saying: I will try the faith of my people.

3 Nephi 26:6-11

15 And all this ye shall observe to do as I have commanded concerning your teaching, until the fulness of my scriptures is given.

D&C 42:15

• According to these passages, why are some great things not recorded in the Book of Mormon?
• Can you think of other examples?

A few verses later, Moroni returns to discuss the “imperfections” of the Book of Mormon that he had casually mentioned before in Mormon 8:12. Here is what Moroni says.

17 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

Moroni tells us that the imperfections in the Book of Mormon are “faults of man.” Then he adds that “we know no fault.” This second statement might be interpreted to mean that Moroni has changed his mind and said, “Actually, we don’t think there are any faults in this book. We can’t find any.” But since Moroni has already acknowledged twice now that the Book of Mormon has “imperfections” and “faults,” I think it unlikely that he abruptly changes his mind. When Moroni says “we know no fault,” I think he is saying that Moroni and Mormon couldn’t find and fix the Book of Mormon’s faults because, although they assume the book has faults, they do not know exactly what the faults are. Ancient people were as susceptible to biases and misinformation as modern people. They were also products of their time, unaware of scientific discoveries and advancements in human civilization that were yet to come. Moroni, Mormon and the other authors of the Book of Mormon simply don’t know what they don’t know, and Moroni has the humility to acknowledge that.

Spoiler alert for the upcoming study of the Book of Moroni, Moroni does survive the war and go on to add scripture to the book, including adding a title page to the beginning of the book. Invite the class to read the last segment from Moroni’s Title Page of the Book of Mormon, in which Moroni states the purpose of the Book of Mormon in his own words, and again, acknowledges that there may be faults and mistakes in the book.

—Which is to show unto the remnant of the house of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever—And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations—And now, if there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God, that ye may be found spotless at the judgment-seat of Christ.

Title Page of the Book of Mormon

• According to Moroni, what is the purpose of the Book of Mormon?
• What parallels do you see between what Moroni said in the Title Page of the Book of Mormon and what Mormon said about the purpose of the Book of Mormon? Any notable differences?

Appreciating ancient scripture, not condemning it for its flaws

Moroni follows in his dad’s footsteps, editing a book of scripture called the Book of Ether and adding it to Mormon’s collection in the Book of Mormon. In Ether 12, he pauses from summarizing the record to write some of his own thoughts, including one of the most beautiful and oft-quoted scriptures in the Book of Mormon:

27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

Ether 12:22-27

• How does this scripture inspire you?

Because it is so beautiful, this verse is often quoted in sermons and church lessons, pulled out from its original context. I think that is fine; the concept Moroni is teaching has application well beyond the context in which he originally wrote it. Even so, it is interesting to see the verse in context, and realize that the specific weakness Moroni is talking about is Book of Mormon prophets who were poor writers, who struggled to translate God’s inspiration into written text.

22 And it is by faith that my fathers have obtained the promise that these things should come unto their brethren through the Gentiles; therefore the Lord hath commanded me, yea, even Jesus Christ.

25 Thou hast also made our words powerful and great, even that we cannot write them; wherefore, when we write we behold our weakness, and stumble because of the placing of our words; and I fear lest the Gentiles shall mock at our words.

24 And thou hast made us that we could write but little, because of the awkwardness of our hands. Behold, thou hast not made us mighty in writing like unto the brother of Jared, for thou madest him that the things which he wrote were mighty even as thou art, unto the overpowering of man to read them.

23 And I said unto him: Lord, the Gentiles will mock at these things, because of our weakness in writing; for Lord thou hast made us mighty in word by faith, but thou hast not made us mighty in writing; for thou hast made all this people that they could speak much, because of the Holy Ghost which thou hast given them;

26 And when I had said this, the Lord spake unto me, saying: Fools mock, but they shall mourn; and my grace is sufficient for the meek, that they shall take no advantage of your weakness;

27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

Ether 12:22-27

• How do “the meek” and the “fools” react differently to scripture?
• How can we improve our attitude toward scripture, even if it is flawed?

Revisit Mormon 8:12, Mormon 8:17, and the final line of the Title Page of the Book of Mormon. Note that every time Moroni mentions that the Book of Mormon includes imperfections, faults, or mistakes, he also adds a warning that we should not condemn it because of these failings.

12 And whoso receiveth this record, and shall not condemn it because of the imperfections which are in it, the same shall know of greater things than these. Behold, I am Moroni; and were it possible, I would make all things known unto you.

Mormon 8:12

17 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

And now, if there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God, that ye may be found spotless at the judgment-seat of Christ.

The Title Page of the Book of Mormon

• What are the consequences of condemning scripture for its flaws?
• How are those who accept scripture blessed?

The Book of Mormon prophets do not shield readers from their own vulnerability. They often introduce themselves, giving their name and family background, before sharing their story. Many of them apologize in advance for their own mistakes in their accounts. The writers frequently do not skirt around times they sinned, failed, or doubted. This is a particularly human and personal book of scripture. One of the greatest gifts the Book of Mormon can give us is the understanding that even prophets are fallible humans; a journey with God does not require flawlessness to be beautiful and valuable. This liberates us to know that we can repeatedly fail and still be called to God’s work.

Fatimah Salleh and Margaret Olsen Hemming ¹ The Book of Mormon for the Least of These, Volume 1

• Which scripture heroes inspire you, despite their flaws?

Scripture is not intended to replace or compete with secular texts.

When we studied the Old Testament, Come Follow Me manual writers pointed out that ancient cultures did not have the same ideas about accurately reporting history as we do in our modern world, and that was not the real intent of their writing. Since the Book of Mormon is authored by a branch of people from the same ancient culture as the Old Testament, this observation would apply to the Book of Mormon authors as well.

Don’t expect the Old Testament to present a thorough and precise history of humankind. That’s not what the original authors and compilers were trying to create. Their larger concern was to teach something about God—about His plan for His children, about what it means to be His covenant people, and about how to find redemption when we don’t live up to our covenants. 

—Come Follow Me for Individuals and Families: Old Testament 2022: Reading the Old Testament

• How does ancient scripture differ from other kinds of writings, like modern history books? 
• How should our approach be different when we study scripture stories versus other kinds of texts?

Dr. Carol L. Meyers discusses storytelling in ancient scripture in more detail.

The way people in biblical antiquity accounted for their past is not the same as it is in the modern world. Nowadays we expect “history” to provide an accurate narrative of real events, though we still realize that any two eyewitness observers of an event will recall it in different ways, depending on their individual interests and prior beliefs. But this is a relatively new approach, one that was not present when biblical narratives took shape.

Like other ancient storytellers, the shapers of biblical narratives were not concerned with getting it factually right; rather, their aim was to make an important point. Their narratives could serve many different purposes, all relevant to their own time periods and the audiences they were addressing. They might take a popular legend and embellish it further—the better the story, the more likely that people would listen and learn. They used a variety of sources plus their own creative imaginations to shape their stories.

…Perhaps the best way to approach the Bible in relation to history is to stop asking whether or not it is true and rather to consider what truths its stories tell.

—Dr. Carol L. Meyers, Professor Emerita of Religious Studies, Duke University

• How does it change our perspective if we focus on the gospel truths scriptures teach us?

Likewise, apostle James E. Talmage, who was the author of Jesus the Christ and a chemist and geologist by trade, and his daughter, Elsie Talmage Brandley, who was a Young Ladies’ Mutual Improvement Association General Board Member and editor of church magazines, warned against misusing scripture by using it to draw conclusions about science.

We must not, now and in the latter days and especially in the church of Jesus Christ, make the word of God grounds for unnecessary misunderstanding. Quoting from the statement of a late member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles [her father, James E. Talmage “The Earth and Man” August 1931]:

“Let us not try to wrest the scriptures in an attempt to explain away what we cannot explain. The opening chapters of Genesis and scriptures related thereto were never intended as a textbook of geology, archeology, earth-science, or man-science; Holy Scripture will endure, while the conceptions of men change with new discoveries. We do not show reverence for the scriptures when we misapply them through faulty interpretation.”³¹

According to my belief, to know the fundamental truths of the gospel is to leave one free to go far and wide, anchored by that knowledge, in search of all else that earth and sea and skies have to teach.

Elsie Talmage Brandley, Young Ladies’ Mutual Improvement Association General Board Member and Associate Editor of the Improvement Era, “The Religious Crisis of Today” June 1934

• How can we avoid causing “unnecessary misunderstanding” about scientific subjects through misapplying scripture?
• How can we “go far and wide” in secular learning while anchored in gospel truths?

Scripture study experience

As a class or within small groups, invite the class to re-read some of their favorite Book of Mormon scriptures in a new way. These posts from our archive suggest scripture study activities you may try.

Or, as an alternative to using class time, you may teach the class one of these methods and invite them to try it during their personal scripture study throughout the week.

Recommended for further study

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