God taught Oliver Cowdery four principles about personal revelation which can help us recognize messages from God: 1. Messages from God enlighten us. 2. Messages from God dispel fear and build faith. 3. God speaks to both our mind and our heart. 4. The Spirit of God confirms positive choices with positive feelings.
Repentance and Remission of Sins
Moroni tells us that priests were charged with preaching "repentance and remission of sins." Repentance is an invitation; remission of sins is an assurance. Because of Jesus, we can let our old selves go. We don't have to be burdened by our sins any more.
“Like the Dog to His Vomit”
In describing the Nephites' rapid fall from righteousness to sin, the narrator paraphrases a metaphor from the book of Proverbs about dogs and vomit. Progress isn't linear, and we all experience setbacks, but God is always willing to forgive when we repent
“They…Stopped Their Ears”
When Stephen told the Sanhedrin that he saw Jesus standing on the right hand of God, "they cried with a loud voice, and stopped their ears." It can be difficult to hear messages that require us to change, but if we refuse to listen, we fail to progress.
A House Divided
God seeks to bring people together. Satan seeks to divide us, because we are easier to conquer when we're alone. Jesus taught that a house divided cannot stand. We can follow Him by bringing people together instead of separating them.
No Contentions, No Disputations – 3 Nephi 11
Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers" (Matthew 5:9, 3 Nephi 12:9), and He demonstrated His commitment to peace: When two of His apostles requested privileged status in the next life, the other ten apostles were angry. Jesus called them all together and taught them that their bad feelings were based on inaccurate understanding of their... Continue Reading →
Sixteen Cities
After the destruction which coincided with the death of Jesus Christ, while the survivors sat in darkness and pondered what had happened, they heard the voice of the Savior. He listed sixteen cities that had been destroyed, and explained why this had happened. There is a lot of repetition in this passage, including a refrain... Continue Reading →
“If There Was No Mistake” – 3 Nephi 8:1-2
As Mormon prepares to relate the most extraordinary sequence of events in the Book of Mormon, he begins by emphasizing the reliability of his source, followed immediately by an admission that the source may have gotten some of the details wrong: And now it came to pass that according to our record, and we know... Continue Reading →
“With Power and with Great Authority” – 3 Nephi 7:17
Thirty-one years after the birth of the Savior, while Jesus was ministering to the people in the land of Israel, a prophet named Nephi was preaching the gospel on the American continent. He "began to testify, boldly, repentance and remission of sins through faith on the Lord Jesus Christ" (3 Nephi 7:16). Mormon tells us... Continue Reading →
What Is a “Remission” of Your Sins?
The word aphesis (ἄφεσις) appears 17 times in the Greek New Testament. It literally means "letting go" or "setting at liberty." When Jesus reads the prophecy from Isaiah 61 that the Messiah would "preach deliverance to the captives, and...set at liberty them that are bruised," He used the word aphesis twice. (See Luke 4:18 on biblehub.com.)... Continue Reading →