Moroni
48 verses
Now I, Moroni, am writing some of the words of my father Mormon, which he spoke about faith, hope, and charity. He spoke to the people in this way as he taught them in the synagogue they had built as a place of worship.
And now I, Moroni, write a few of the words of my father Mormon, which he spake concerning faith, hope, and charity; for after this manner did he speak unto the people, as he taught them in the synagogue which they had built for the place of worship.
Now I, Mormon, am speaking to you, my beloved brothers. By the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, and by his holy will, because of the gift of his calling to me, I am allowed to speak to you at this time.
And now I, Mormon, speak unto you, my beloved brethren; and it is by the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, and his holy will, because of the gift of his calling unto me, that I am permitted to speak unto you at this time.
I want to speak to you who are members of the church, who are peaceful followers of Christ, and who have gained enough hope to enter into the rest of the Lord, from now on until you rest with him in heaven.
Wherefore, I would speak unto you that are of the church, that are the peaceable followers of Christ, and that have obtained a sufficient hope by which ye can enter into the rest of the Lord, from this time henceforth until ye shall rest with him in heaven.
Now, my brothers, I can tell these things about you because you live peacefully with other people.
And now my brethren, I judge these things of you because of your peaceable walk with the children of men.
I remember the word of God, which says that you will know people by their works; if their works are good, then they are good as well.
For I remember the word of God, which saith by their works ye shall know them; for if their works be good, then they are good also.
God has said that an evil person cannot do good; if he offers a gift or prays to God without real intent, it does him no good.
For behold, God hath said a man being evil cannot do that which is good; for if he offereth a gift, or prayeth unto God, except he shall do it with real intent it profiteth him nothing.
It is not considered righteousness for him.
For behold, it is not counted unto him for righteousness.
If an evil person gives a gift, he does it grudgingly; so it is considered as if he had kept the gift, and he is counted as evil before God.
For behold, if a man being evil giveth a gift, he doeth it grudgingly; wherefore it is counted unto him the same as if he had retained the gift; wherefore he is counted evil before God.
In the same way, it is considered wrong if someone prays without real intent of heart; it does him no good, because God does not accept such prayers.
And likewise also is it counted evil unto a man, if he shall pray and not with real intent of heart; yea, and it profiteth him nothing, for God receiveth none such.
So, a person who is evil cannot do what is good, and he will not give a good gift.
Wherefore, a man being evil cannot do that which is good; neither will he give a good gift.
A bitter fountain cannot produce good water, and a good fountain cannot produce bitter water. In the same way, a person who serves the devil cannot follow Christ, and if he follows Christ, he cannot be a servant of the devil.
For behold, a bitter fountain cannot bring forth good water; neither can a good fountain bring forth bitter water; wherefore, a man being a servant of the devil cannot follow Christ; and if he follow Christ he cannot be a servant of the devil.
All good things come from God, and anything evil comes from the devil. The devil is an enemy of God and constantly fights against Him, inviting and tempting people to sin and do evil.
Wherefore, all things which are good cometh of God; and that which is evil cometh of the devil; for the devil is an enemy unto God, and fighteth against him continually, and inviteth and enticeth to sin, and to do that which is evil continually.
Anything that comes from God encourages and motivates us to do good continually. So, everything that encourages and motivates us to do good, to love God, and to serve Him is inspired by God.
But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God.
So be careful, my beloved brothers, not to judge something evil as being from God, or to judge something good and from God as being from the devil.
Wherefore, take heed, my beloved brethren, that ye do not judge that which is evil to be of God, or that which is good and of God to be of the devil.
My brothers, you have been given the ability to judge so you can know good from evil; and the way to judge is clear, so you can know with complete certainty, just as you can tell daylight from the dark night.
For behold, my brethren, it is given unto you to judge, that ye may know good from evil; and the way to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night.
The Spirit of Christ is given to everyone so they can know good from evil. I am showing you how to judge; anything that invites you to do good and persuades you to believe in Christ is sent by the power and gift of Christ. Because of this, you can know with complete certainty that it is from God.
For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.
But anything that persuades people to do evil, not believe in Christ, deny Him, and not serve God—you can know for sure that it comes from the devil. This is how the devil works, because he never persuades anyone to do good, not a single person; neither do his angels, nor those who follow him.
But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him.
Now, my brothers, since you know the light by which you can judge, which is the light of Christ, make sure you don’t judge incorrectly; because with the same judgment you use, you will also be judged.
And now, my brethren, seeing that ye know the light by which ye may judge, which light is the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that same judgment which ye judge ye shall also be judged.
I ask you, brothers, to carefully search in the light of Christ so you can know good from evil. If you accept every good thing and do not condemn it, you will surely be a child of Christ.
Wherefore, I beseech of you, brethren, that ye should search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil; and if ye will lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn it not, ye certainly will be a child of Christ.
And now, my brothers, how is it possible for you to receive every good thing?
And now, my brethren, how is it possible that ye can lay hold upon every good thing?
Now I will talk about faith, just as I said I would, and I will explain how you can receive every good thing.
And now I come to that faith, of which I said I would speak; and I will tell you the way whereby ye may lay hold on every good thing.
God knows all things and is eternal. He sent angels to minister to the children of men and to reveal the coming of Christ. Through Christ, every good thing would come.
For behold, God knowing all things, being from everlasting to everlasting, behold, he sent angels to minister unto the children of men, to make manifest concerning the coming of Christ; and in Christ there should come every good thing.
God also told the prophets himself that Christ would come.
And God also declared unto prophets, by his own mouth, that Christ should come.
There were many ways that he showed good things to the children of men; and all good things come from Christ. Otherwise, people would have fallen, and no good thing could come to them.
And behold, there were divers ways that he did manifest things unto the children of men, which were good; and all things which are good cometh of Christ; otherwise men were fallen, and there could no good thing come unto them.
Through the ministering of angels and by every word that came from the mouth of God, people began to have faith in Christ. By faith, they were able to receive every good thing, and this continued until Christ came.
Wherefore, by the ministering of angels, and by every word which proceeded forth out of the mouth of God, men began to exercise faith in Christ; and thus by faith, they did lay hold upon every good thing; and thus it was until the coming of Christ.
After he came, people were also saved by faith in his name; and by faith, they become the children of God. As surely as Christ lives, he spoke these words to our ancestors: Whatever you ask the Father in my name, if it is good and you ask in faith, believing that you will receive it, it will be done for you.
And after that he came men also were saved by faith in his name; and by faith, they become the sons of God. And as sure as Christ liveth he spake these words unto our fathers, saying: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is good, in faith believing that ye shall receive, behold, it shall be done unto you.
My beloved brothers, have miracles stopped because Christ has ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God, to claim from the Father his rights of mercy for the children of men?
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased because Christ hath ascended into heaven, and hath sat down on the right hand of God, to claim of the Father his rights of mercy which he hath upon the children of men?
He has fulfilled the requirements of the law, and he claims all those who have faith in him. Those who have faith in him will hold on to every good thing. He advocates for the children of men, and he lives eternally in the heavens.
For he hath answered the ends of the law, and he claimeth all those who have faith in him; and they who have faith in him will cleave unto every good thing; wherefore he advocateth the cause of the children of men; and he dwelleth eternally in the heavens.
And because he has done this, my beloved brothers, have miracles stopped? I tell you, no; angels have not stopped ministering to the children of men.
And because he hath done this, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men.
They are subject to him, serving according to his command, showing themselves to those with strong faith and a firm mind in every form of godliness.
For behold, they are subject unto him, to minister according to the word of his command, showing themselves unto them of strong faith and a firm mind in every form of godliness.
Their ministry is to call people to repentance, to fulfill and carry out the work of the Father’s covenants that he has made with his children, to prepare the way among them by declaring the word of Christ to the Lord’s chosen vessels, so they can testify of him.
And the office of their ministry is to call men unto repentance, and to fulfill and to do the work of the covenants of the Father, which he hath made unto the children of men, to prepare the way among the children of men, by declaring the word of Christ unto the chosen vessels of the Lord, that they may bear testimony of him.
By doing this, the Lord God prepares the way so that the rest of humanity can have faith in Christ, allowing the Holy Ghost to have a place in their hearts according to its power; and in this way, the Father fulfills the covenants he has made with the children of men.
And by so doing, the Lord God prepareth the way that the residue of men may have faith in Christ, that the Holy Ghost may have place in their hearts, according to the power thereof; and after this manner bringeth to pass the Father, the covenants which he hath made unto the children of men.
And Christ has said: If you have faith in me, you will have power to do whatever is right in me.
And Christ hath said: If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me.
He has said: Repent, all you ends of the earth, and come to me, and be baptized in my name, and have faith in me, so that you may be saved.
And he hath said: Repent all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me, and be baptized in my name, and have faith in me, that ye may be saved.
Now, my beloved brothers, if what I have told you is true, and God will show you with power and great glory on the last day that it is true, then if it is true, has the day of miracles ended?
And now, my beloved brethren, if this be the case that these things are true which I have spoken unto you, and God will show unto you, with power and great glory at the last day, that they are true, and if they are true has the day of miracles ceased?
Have angels stopped appearing to the children of men? Has he taken away the power of the Holy Ghost from them? Will he do so as long as time continues, or the earth remains, or there is even one person on it to be saved?
Or have angels ceased to appear unto the children of men? Or has he withheld the power of the Holy Ghost from them? Or will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man upon the face thereof to be saved?
No; miracles happen because of faith, and angels appear and serve people because of faith. If these things have stopped, it is a tragedy for the children of men, because it is due to unbelief, and everything is pointless.
Behold I say unto you, Nay; for it is by faith that miracles are wrought; and it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men; wherefore, if these things have ceased wo be unto the children of men, for it is because of unbelief, and all is vain.
No one can be saved, according to the words of Christ, unless they have faith in his name. If these things have stopped, then faith has also stopped, and the state of man is terrible, because they are as if no redemption had been made.
For no man can be saved, according to the words of Christ, save they shall have faith in his name; wherefore, if these things have ceased, then has faith ceased also; and awful is the state of man, for they are as though there had been no redemption made.
My beloved brothers, I believe better things about you, because I believe you have faith in Christ due to your humility. If you do not have faith in him, then you are not worthy to be counted among the people of his church.
But behold, my beloved brethren, I judge better things of you, for I judge that ye have faith in Christ because of your meekness; for if ye have not faith in him then ye are not fit to be numbered among the people of his church.
My beloved brothers and sisters, I want to talk to you about hope. How can you have faith unless you first have hope?
And again, my beloved brethren, I would speak unto you concerning hope. How is it that ye can attain unto faith, save ye shall have hope?
So what should you hope for? I tell you, you can have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised to eternal life, and this happens because of your faith in him according to the promise.
And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise.
If a person has faith, they must also have hope, because without faith there can be no hope.
Wherefore, if a man have faith he must needs have hope; for without faith there cannot be any hope.
I also tell you that a person cannot have faith and hope unless they are meek and humble in heart.
And again, behold I say unto you that he cannot have faith and hope, save he shall be meek, and lowly of heart.
If that's the case, his faith and hope are useless, because no one is acceptable to God except those who are meek and humble in heart. If someone is meek and humble in heart and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he must have charity. If he doesn't have charity, he is nothing, so he must have charity.
If so, his faith and hope is vain, for none is acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart; and if a man be meek and lowly in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he must needs have charity; for if he have not charity he is nothing; wherefore he must needs have charity.
Charity is patient and kind. It does not envy, and it is not proud. It does not seek its own interests, is not easily angered, and thinks no evil. It does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.
And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
My beloved brothers, if you do not have charity, you are nothing, because charity never fails. Hold on to charity, which is the greatest of all, because everything else will fail—
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—
Charity is the pure love of Christ, and it lasts forever. Whoever is found to have it on the last day will be blessed.
But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.
So, my beloved brothers and sisters, pray to the Father with all the energy of your hearts, that you may be filled with this love, which he has given to all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that you may become children of God; that when he appears we will be like him, because we will see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified just as he is pure. Amen.
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.