Moroni begins his list of spiritual gifts with two which sound similar, but which he makes clear are not the same: For behold, to one is given by the Spirit of God, that he may teach the word of wisdom;And to another, that he may teach the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;Moroni 10:9-10, italics added The apostle Paul made the... Continue Reading →
“He Hath Lied Unto Us” – Alma 10:28, Alma 12:3
The Book of Mormon teaches plainly that lying is wrong (2 Nephi 9:34, 2 Nephi 26:32, 2 Nephi 28:8, Alma 16:18, 3 Nephi 30:2, 4 Nephi 1:16, Mormon 8:31). God does not tell lies (Enos 1:6, 3 Nephi 27:18, Ether 3:12). The devil is "the father of all lies" (2 Nephi 2:18, 2 Nephi 9:9,... Continue Reading →
“I Have Spoken Unto You Plainly” – Alma 5:43
From the beginning of the Book of Mormon, Nephi set the standard: in this book, the word of God would be preached in plainness. In the opening chapter, Nephi's father, Lehi, sees a vision which "[manifests] plainly" to him "of the coming of the Messiah" (1 Nephi 1:19). Nephi later foresees a time when corrupt... Continue Reading →
“That I Might Rid My Garments of Your Blood” – Mosiah 2:27-28
Blood on our clothing is a metaphor for unresolved sins at the Final Judgment. Alma asked the people of Zarahemla, "How will any of you feel, if ye shall stand before the bar of God, having your garments stained with blood and all manner of filthiness?" (Alma 5:22). He urged them to turn to the... Continue Reading →
Active, Aware, and Joyful
What does it mean to be alive? At the end of my post two days ago, almost as an afterthought, I identified three characteristics of livingness. All three are clearly identified in Jacob's discussion of physical and spiritual death: When we are alive, we are active. We have energy. We are able to "live and move... Continue Reading →
“According to the Flesh” – 2 Nephi 10:2
On at least two occasions, Nephi's older brothers asked him if the scriptures were talking about spiritual things or about temporal things. Here's how they asked the question after he read two chapters of Isaiah to them: What meaneth these things which ye have read? Behold, are they to be understood according to things which... Continue Reading →
Death and Hell – 2 Nephi 9:6-26
Because of our fallen state, we are subject to two kinds of death. The prophet Jacob refers to them in a number of different ways: Death Hell The death of the body The death of the spirit Temporal death Spiritual death The grave The lake of fire and brimstone The first death Endless death Physical... Continue Reading →
“Do Not Spend Money for That Which Is of No Worth” – 2 Nephi 9:51
We all have limited resources, and we have countless ways to spend our time, money, and energy. Ironically, some of the most valuable things in life are relatively inexpensive, while many things which consume our resources have an extremely low ROI. That is the message of Isaiah in a passage which Jacob paraphrases in a... Continue Reading →
What Does the Book of Mormon Clarify?
This is the fifth of six posts answering a set of questions recommended by President Russell M. Nelson. So far, I have written about what the Book of Mormon is, what it affirms, what it refutes, and what it fulfills. Today, I will write about what it clarifies. As I wrote yesterday, the Book of... Continue Reading →
What Does the Book of Mormon Refute?
This is the third of six posts answering a series of questions raised by President Russell M. Nelson in the October 2017 general conference. So far, I have discussed what the Book of Mormon is and what it affirms. Today, I am listing some of the fallacies it refutes. It refutes the concept of original sin,... Continue Reading →
