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Why I Love the Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is the foundation of my testimony and witness of Jesus Christ.
From an address given at the seminar for new mission leaders on June 23, 2023.
I want to say again and again, “I love the Book of Mormon.” It is the Lord’s instrument of conversion in these latter days. Its publication is the sign that the long-prophesied gathering of Israel is now underway. The Book of Mormon is the tool, the “sickle,” if you will, that we are to “thrust in” with our might in that great field that is “white already to harvest.”
Thus, the Book of Mormon becomes both the sign of and the means for gathering the Lord’s covenant people in this last dispensation. As President Nelson put it, “This is the book that will help to prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord.”
I am grateful beyond measure for the Prophet Joseph Smith and for his incomparable achievement in translating and publishing the Book of Mormon. I have a testimony that it was done by this young, faithful servant through “the gift and power of God,” just as he said.
How the Book of Mormon Helps Convert People
The power of the Book of Mormon is in the witness of the Holy Spirit that accompanies it—the witness of the Holy Spirit that the book is true and that it is compelling evidence of the latter-day Restoration, the witness of the Holy Spirit of the truth of the doctrine that it teaches, and the witness of the Holy Spirit that its testimony of Jesus Christ is true.
The Book of Mormon is a powerful tool in addressing questions of the soul, such as “Does God know me or care about me?” “What is the purpose of life?” “How can I be a better person?” “How can I feel God’s forgiveness?” “What happens after I die?”
The Book of Mormon amplifies and strengthens the teachings and witness of the Bible concerning Jesus Christ. We correctly note that it is “Another Testament of Jesus Christ,” but in many ways, the Book of Mormon is the preeminent testament of Jesus Christ.
Personally, I never fully appreciated the Bible until I became a student of the Book of Mormon.
The Book of Mormon and its unique witness of Jesus Christ and His mission make the restored gospel what it is. Joseph Smith said, “Take away the Book of Mormon and the revelations, and where is our religion? We have none.”
My Testimony of the Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon has been instrumental in my own conversion. How could it not be? It’s the “most correct … book on earth.” Jesus Christ Himself testified that the Book of Mormon was translated at His direction by His power, and He declared in His own name that “as your Lord and your God liveth it is true.”
The Book of Mormon has taught me much of what I know about Jesus Christ. It is the foundation of my testimony and witness of Him. It has drawn me close to Him. It is the principal source of my understanding of the great plan of redemption. It is the basis of my testimony of the Restoration.
Study and pray to know that the witness of the Book of Mormon concerning Jesus Christ—who He is and what He has done and continues to do—is true. I have done that, and I know that the testimony of the Book of Mormon concerning Jesus Christ—who He is, what He taught, and what He did—is true. I am converted.