Mormon concludes his father’s book with direct messages to three groups of people. To those who don’t believe in Christ, he says: you will. Choose to believe before it’s too late. To those who say there are no more revelations or miracles, he says: God has not changed. Those who believe in Him will see signs. To those who are overly harsh or critical of the Book of Mormon, he says: Despise not. overlook our imperfections and find the message.
Chapter Outline
- Message to those who don’t believe in Christ (v. 1-6)
- Message to those who don’t believe in revelation or miracles (v. 7-26)
- Message to Book of Mormon skeptics: Despise not, and be wise (v. 27-37)
My Takeaways
- We need to see past other people’s imperfections and learn to appreciate their contributions.
- God can perform miracles in your life.
- The Savior redeemed us, which means that He brings us back into the presence of God.
- Be open with God in prayer. He already knows everything about you.
Featured Blog Posts
❖ Message to unbelievers in Christ – Mormon 9:1-6
Ye Would Be More Miserable – Mormon 9:4
4 Behold, I say unto you that ye would be more miserable to dwell with a holy and just God, under a consciousness of your filthiness before him, than ye would to dwell with the damned souls in hell. (Mormon 9:4 The Book of Mormon helps us to better understand the nature of the Final…
Your Nakedness Before God – Mormon 9:5-6
5 For behold, when ye shall be brought to see your nakedness before God, and also the glory of God, and the holiness of Jesus Christ, it will kindle a flame of unquenchable fire upon you. 6 O then ye unbelieving, turn ye unto the Lord; cry mightily unto the Father in the name of…
❖ Message to unbelievers in miracles – Mormon 9:7-26
A God of Miracles
Nephi and Moroni taught that God is a God of miracles and that He is unchanging. President Nelson encouraged us to do things that require more faith, believing that God will work miracles to help us move the mountains in our lives.
The Redemption of Man – Mormon 9:12-14
12 Behold, he created Adam, and by Adam came the fall of man. And because of the fall of man came Jesus Christ, even the Father and the Son; and because of Jesus Christ came the redemption of man. 13 And because of the redemption of man, which came by Jesus Christ, they are brought…
What Do You Delight In?
Mormon said his people “delighted in everything save that which is good.” When we delight in something, we immerse ourselves in it and savor it. So what delights you, and how can you adjust your actions and attitudes to be more delighted by good things?
No Variableness
Moroni and James both taught that there is no “variableness” in God. We can trust that what He has done in the past, He will continue to do today, and what He is doing today, He will continue to do in the future.
❖ Message to Book of Mormon skeptics – Mormon 9:27-37
Perfect
Mistakes are a feature of mortal life. That may be why Jesus reserved the designation of “perfect” for Himself until after His death and resurrection. We need to be patient with ourselves when we make mistakes, learn from them, and move on.
“More Wise Than We”
When Moroni congratulates his critics on their wisdom, is he being ironic? After all, it’s easier to criticize than to create. I think he’s doing something else: modeling the humility and generosity which can help us respond productively to criticism.
Old Testament Foundations
Unshaken
Haggai prophesied that all things will shake and that only unshakable things will remain. Several Book of Mormon prophets taught us that we can develop “unshaken” faith, which will enable us to endure significant turbulence.
“Revive Thy Work”
God is unchanging. Therefore, if He performed miracles in the past, he can perform miracles today. This is a core message of the Book of Mormon. Nephi repeatedly appeals to scriptural accounts of miracles as evidence that his family can expect miracles in their lives. “The Lord is able to deliver us, even as our fathers, and…
Finding God in the Book of Esther
There is no mention of God in the book of Esther. None of His names appears in the book. The miraculous events of the book are shared with no attribution; it is up to the reader to recognize God’s hand in these events. Perhaps this is appropriate for the story of a woman who had…
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
When God appeared to Moses in the burning bush, He didn’t introduce Himself as the Creator of the Universe or as the Father of all people. He didn’t say where He lives or what He is trying to accomplish. Instead, He introduced Himself in terms of three of Moses’s ancestors: I am the God of thy father, the God…
New Testament Parallels
Righteous Still
John, Jacob, and Moroni all testified that the Final Judgment represents an acknowledgment of what we have become. Therefore, we need to ensure that the decisions we are making today are making us more righteous, more holy, and more happy.
Not to Condemn
When we see imperfections in ourselves or in others, we have two choices: We can condemn, or we can forgive. God sent Jesus Christ to save us, not to condemn us. We can follow His example by looking to the future instead of dwelling on the past.
The Great Commission
After His death and resurrection, Jesus gave His disciples an expansive assignment, often called the Great Commission. He told them to preach the gospel to everyone in the world, and He promised to bless everyone who believed in Him. Here is the commission, as recorded by Matthew and by Mark: Matthew 28:19-20 Mark 16:15-18 Go…
What Does It Mean to “Work Out Your Own Salvation?”
After teaching a group of Zoramites that Jesus Christ would atone for their sins and that they should exercise “faith unto repentance,” Amulek made the following plea: I desire that ye should remember these things, and that ye should work out your salvation with fear before God, and that ye should no more deny the…
How Do I Know If I’m Worthy to Take the Sacrament?
Immediately after introducing the sacrament during His visit to the American continent, the Savior gave a warning to the twelve disciples whom He had chosen: they should be careful not to allow people to participate in this sacred ordinance unworthily. Ye shall not suffer any one knowingly to partake of my flesh and blood unworthily,…
Church History Connections
Be Believing
After Thomas expressed skepticism about the combined testimony of his fellow apostles, the Savior appeared to him, showing him that their testimony was indeed true. He then gave Thomas the following admonition: “Be not faithless, but believing” (John 20:27). The prophet Moroni gave us the same admonition. “Despise not, and wonder not,” he said. “Doubt…
“Ask with a Firmness Unshaken, that Ye Will Yield to No Temptation” – Mormon 9:28
God will judge us in the end “according to the desire of [our] hearts” (Doctrine and Covenants 137:9). But our desires are not static and unchanging. They are affected over time by the decisions we make. As Elder Ulisses Soares recently taught, we are like a metal object, and temptation is like a magnet. The…
Doubt Not
We all have questions. That’s a feature of being human. Approaching them with faith in God is a source of power. Approaching them with doubt can cause us to miss the answers. Jesus urged Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery to “doubt not.” Amplifying our fears and our doubts may inhibit us from taking the very…
All Posts Referencing Mormon 9
- “I Have Remembered My Covenant” (3/23/2026)
- The God of Abraham (2/17/2026)
- The Fall of Adam and Eve (1/19/2026)
- The Heaven and the Earth (1/12/2026)
- The Savior’s Instructions to Missionaries, Ancient and Modern (8/1/2025)
- The Former Sins (7/23/2025)
- Creatures, Living Things, and Beasts (7/16/2025)
- Endless (3/8/2025)
- Doubt Not (2/9/2025)
- “I…Will Not Deny the Christ” (12/3/2024)
- No Variableness (11/10/2024)
- “More Wise Than We” (11/9/2024)
- Prayers and Pride (7/21/2024)
- Being Wise (4/14/2024)
- A God of Miracles (3/15/2024)
- Righteous Still (12/29/2023)
- Unshaken (11/12/2023)
- All Scripture Is Profitable (10/25/2023)
- Perfect (2/14/2023)
- Not to Condemn (2/7/2023)
- “Revive Thy Work” (12/3/2022)
- God Gave Them Knowledge (11/1/2022)
- Finding God in the Book of Esther (7/30/2022)
- “Up, Make Us Gods” (4/30/2022)
- The Passover (4/1/2022)
- Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (2/20/2022)
- Going to Egypt (2/11/2022)
- Glory (12/28/2021)
- Be Believing (8/17/2021)
- The Great Commission (6/27/2021)
- Endure in Faith (6/8/2021)
- “I Know” / “I Know Not” (5/13/2021)
- No End (3/23/2021)
- “Deny Not the Power of God” – Moroni 10:7 (12/19/2020)
- “Ask with a Firmness Unshaken, that Ye Will Yield to No Temptation” – Mormon 9:28 (11/8/2020)
- Imperfections (11/7/2020)
- “If There Was No Mistake” – 3 Nephi 8:1-2 (9/15/2020)
- “That I Might Rid My Garments of Your Blood” – Mosiah 2:27-28 (4/17/2020)
- What Does It Mean to “Dwindle in Unbelief?” (1/26/2020)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Refute? (12/29/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Affirm? (12/28/2019)
- What Is Wisdom? (12/13/2019)
- 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 Should I Be Thankful For? (11/28/2019)
- What Is Lust? (11/20/2019)
- What Does It Mean to “Cast Out Devils?” (10/24/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Add to Our Understanding of the Resurrection? (10/4/2019)
- What Does It Mean to “Work Out Your Own Salvation?” (9/11/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Abraham? (7/20/2019)
- What Should I Do When I Have Doubts? (7/13/2019)
- What Should I Do When I Feel Guilty? (6/24/2019)
- What’s Wrong with Seeking Signs? (5/22/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Happiness? (5/6/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About the Resurrection? (4/21/2019)
- How Do I Know If I’m Worthy to Take the Sacrament? (3/24/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About the Sacrament? (3/20/2019)
- What Does It Mean for Our Garments to Be “Washed White Through the Blood of the Lamb?” (2/1/2019)
- The Redemption of Man – Mormon 9:12-14 (9/20/2018)
- If There Are Faults – Title Page (9/3/2018)
- Your Nakedness Before God – Mormon 9:5-6 (5/31/2017)
- Ye Would Be More Miserable – Mormon 9:4 (2/26/2016)
- A God of Miracles – Mormon 9:19-21 (11/27/2015)