Moroni’s Message About Faith – Ether 12

Setting

After introducing the final prophet of the Jaredite nation—Ether—Moroni paused in his narrative to teach his modern readers about faith.

Purpose

Moroni’s objective in writing this chapter was to encourage us to have faith in Jesus Christ, so that we can experience miracles in our lives.

Outline

1. Lessons from Ether’s example of faith (Ether 12:1-6)
   1. Ether testified constantly and tirelessly. He taught the people that faith produces hope, which in turn leads us to do good works (Ether 12:1-4).
   2. The people didn’t believe Ether because he couldn’t prove that his words were true. But “faith is things which are hoped for and not seen.” We receive evidence only “after the trial of [our] faith” (Ether 12:5-6).
2. Examples of faith (Ether 12:7-22):
   1. The resurrected Savior showed Himself to people who had faith in Him (Ether 12:7-9).
   2. The priesthood was received by faith (Ether 12:10).
   3. The law of Moses was given and fulfilled by faith (Ether 12:11).
   4. Faith brings miracles: Alma and Amulek, Nephi and Lehi, and Ammon and his brothers all experienced miracles because of their faith (Ether 12:12-16).
   5. The three disciples received miraculous promises because of their faith (Ether 12:17-18).
   6. Many people, including the brother of Jared, saw the Savior, even before His mortal life, because of their great faith (Ether 12:19-21).
   7. My ancestors obtained a promise by faith that their descendants would receive this record (Ether 12:22).
3. A case study in faith: The Lord comforts and encourages Moroni (Ether 12:23-35).
   1. I told the Lord that the Gentiles would ridicule our words. He replied that His grace is sufficient for all who humble themselves before Him (Ether 12:23-28).
   2. I was comforted, because I know that God works miracles when we have faith (Ether 12:29-31).
   3. I also know that we must have hope and charity to inherit a place in the mansions of God (Ether 12:32-35).
   4. I pleaded with God to give the Gentiles charity. But He only reassured me that I will be saved because of my faithfulness (Ether 12:36-37).
4. A call to action (Ether 12:38-41)
   1. I will meet you before “the judgment-seat of Christ,” and you will know that what I say is true (Ether 12:38-40).
   2. “I would commend you to seek this Jesus,” so that you can receive the grace of God forever (Ether 12:41).

My Takeaways

People who exercise faith in Christ will, by the grace of God, be filled with hope and charity, which will in turn empower them to perform great works, even miracles. This pattern has held true throughout history, and it will hold true in our lives. We need to possess hope and charity in order to inherit eternal life, so it is imperative that we exercise faith in our Savior.

We all feel inadequate sometimes. That feeling can be useful, because it can lead us to humble ourselves and exercise faith in God, which will unlock the power of His grace in our lives. Moroni experienced this. The apostle Paul experienced it. (See 2 Corinthians 12:7-10.) And so can we.

I will respond to Moroni’s teachings by exercising faith in Jesus Christ. When I feel inadequate or when I encounter obstacles, I will seek His help and continue to work hard, trusting that he will help me overcome all things and receive every blessing.

Blog Posts About Moroni’s Message

• In Derision (10/26/2025)
• “Be Thou Humble” (10/9/2025)
• Convinced of Our Ungodly Deeds (9/14/2025)
• Seeing the Face of God (8/27/2025)
• Unselfish Talent Development (7/25/2025)
• That Through Him All Might Be Saved (7/11/2025)
• “They Will Not Open Their Mouths” (6/10/2025)
• A Regular History (5/17/2025)
• Faith and Witnessing (2/23/2025)
• “To Disabuse the Public Mind” (1/14/2025)
• Weak Things (1/11/2025)
• On the Day After Christmas (12/26/2024)
• Farewell…Until (12/21/2024)
• Ether’s Courage (11/29/2024)
• Gratitude and the Book of Ether (11/28/2024)
• Strengthening the Foundation of Our Faith (11/27/2024)
• Faith Comes First (11/26/2024)
• Ether and the Books of Kings (11/21/2024)
• Moroni’s Excellent Hope (11/6/2024)
• “Like the Dog to His Vomit” (9/22/2024)
• How the Savior Succors Us (6/16/2024)
• Looking Forward with An Eye of Faith (6/13/2024)
• “As Often as My People Repent” (5/31/2024)
• Developing Christlike Attributes (11/25/2023)
• Her Perfect Work (11/19/2023)
• Faith and Works (11/15/2023)
• Faith Halls of Fame (11/11/2023)
• Good Things to Come (11/10/2023)
• Grace Be to You (9/23/2023)
• Sufficient and Abounding Grace (9/21/2023)
• Charity (9/3/2023)
• The Bond of Perfectness and Peace (6/23/2023)
• Abide (6/9/2023)
• “Is It I?” (5/31/2023)
• As They Went (5/3/2023)
• Rivers of Living Water (4/28/2023)
• “Bring Them to Me” (3/31/2023)
• Baptized with Fire (1/29/2023)
• Dry Bones (10/30/2022)
• “I Will Build Thee an House” (6/22/2022)
• “Thou Mighty Man of Valour” (6/2/2022)
• “Slow of Speech” (1/19/2022)
• The Living Christ and the Book of Mormon (12/26/2021)
• “None Shall Slumber” (10/10/2021)
• Seeing as We Are Seen (7/7/2021)
• John Whitmer, Record-keeper (6/25/2021)
• Out of Weakness… (6/5/2021)
• Talent (6/3/2021)
• “Fools Mock” (5/2/2021)
• “My Grace Is Sufficient” – Ether 12:26-27 (2/19/2021)
• Three Ways the Savior Turns Our Weaknesses Into Strengths – Ether 12:27 (11/29/2020)
• “A More Excellent Way” – Ether 12:11 (11/27/2020)
• “I Will Show Unto Them Their Weakness” – Ether 12:27 (11/24/2020)
• Righteousness (11/22/2020)
• The Jaredite Generations (11/18/2020)
• “If There Was No Mistake” – 3 Nephi 8:1-2 (9/15/2020)
• “They Never Would Shed Blood More” – Alma 53:11 (8/11/2020)
• “I Am Infirm” – Alma 31:30 (7/12/2020)
• “That I Might Rid My Garments of Your Blood” – Mosiah 2:27-28 (4/17/2020)
• What Is Meekness? (12/22/2019)
• Why Do Quotes from the King James Version Appear in the Book of Mormon, Even Ones that Joseph Smith Later Altered in his Translation of the Bible ? (12/9/2019)
• What Do We Know About God’s Love for Us? (12/2/2019)
• How Can I “Always Abound in Good Works?” (11/26/2019)
• How Can I Be More Hopeful? (8/25/2019)
• Why Is It Important to Know That God’s Grace Is Sufficient? (7/24/2019)
• What Should I Do When I Feel Inadequate? (7/12/2019)
• Why Does God Command Us to Pay Tithing? (6/7/2019)
• What’s Wrong with Seeking Signs? (5/22/2019)
• How Can I Be More Humble? (5/13/2019)
• What Does It Mean to Be Steadfast? (4/23/2019)
• What Can We Learn from the Prayers Recorded in the Book of Mormon? (3/28/2019)
• What Can We Learn About Coming Unto Christ from the Brother of Jared? (2/15/2019)
• How Does the Savior Invite Us to Come Unto Him? (2/12/2019)
• What Does It Mean for Our Garments to Be “Washed White Through the Blood of the Lamb?” (2/1/2019)
• What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Grace? (1/28/2019)
• What Are Some Examples of Faith in the Book of Mormon? (1/12/2019)
• Why Are Some Blessings Conditional on Our Faith? (1/7/2019)
• Moroni’s Message About Faith – Ether 12 (9/27/2018)
• Always Abounding in Good Works – Ether 12:4 (9/26/2018)
• If There Are Faults – Title Page (9/3/2018)
• That the Grace of God…May Be and Abide in You Forever – Ether 12:41 (6/18/2017)
• Because of Our Weakness – Ether 12:23, 26, 35-37 (6/17/2017)
• Partakers of the Heavenly Gift – Ether 12:6-9 (6/16/2017)
• He Could Not Be Restrained – Ether 12:2 (6/15/2017)
• “If There Be No Faith” – Ether 12:12 (10/21/2016)
• This Love Which Thou Hast Had – Ether 12:33-34 (3/31/2016)
• He Told Me in Plain Humility – Ether 12:39 (3/26/2016)
• A More Excellent Hope – Ether 12:32 (3/12/2016)
• “An Anchor to the Souls of Men” – Ether 12:4 (3/6/2016)
• So Great Was His Faith in God – Ether 12:20-21 (3/3/2016)
• If There Be No Faith – Ether 12:12 (3/2/2016)
• After the Trial of Your Faith – Ether 12:6 (3/1/2016)
• My Grace Is Sufficient – Ether 12:27 (2/14/2016)
• Fools Mock – Ether 12:23-26 (12/16/2015)
• That They Might Have Charity – Ether 12:36-37 (12/15/2015)
• An Anchor to the Souls of Men – Ether 12:4 (12/12/2015)
• With an Eye of Faith – Ether 12:19 (12/11/2015)
• Ether 12:9 Partakers of the Gift (12/23/2014)