Moroni 7
Moroni 7:1
1 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.
Comments
This is the only verse of this chapter that Moroni wrote, rather than copied. As he indicates, he is entering into his record a talk his father gave. Why might Moroni randomly add a sermon, and particularly at this point in his record? Certainly, because he respected his father, but there is probably another reason. While Moroni has broken his book into chapters, there is a theme in chapters 2 through 7. Moroni has been laying down the way a church is to function.
In Moroni 6:9, the verse just previous to this chapter (if read consecutively), Moroni declared: “And their meetings were conducted by the church after the manner of the workings of the Spirit, and by the power of the Holy Ghost; for as the power of the Holy Ghost led them whether to preach, or to exhort, or to pray, or to supplicate, or to sing, even so it was done.”
Thus, we find that Moroni gives us a sermon, in a synagogue (or other gathering place) where the church would meet. He provides an example of the type of preaching and exhortation that he thought should be given in church meetings.
Moroni 7:2–3
2 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.
3 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.
Comments
As Mormon begins to preach, he declares the authority by which he speaks. This is not a declaration of priesthood authority, but rather of spiritual authority, the Spirit being a part of the community of those who have taken upon themselves the name of Christ. As an example of how our sermons might be, Mormon would suggest that we express our ideas as the Spirit motivates us.
There is a difference between Mormon’s authority and the authority that most of us bring to our talks. He is a leader in the church and is therefore able to address “you that are of the church,” and to be able to make statements that go far beyond most statements that we make in Sacrament meetings. Mormon, therefore, can declare that “[you] have obtained a sufficient hope by which ye can enter into the rest of the Lord.” Although we can learn something from him as a speaker, we also remember that he is an Apostle and therefore able to make such pronouncements.
Discerning Good and Evil
Moroni 7:4–7
4 And now my brethren, I judge these things of you because of your peaceable walk with the children of men.
5 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.
6 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.
7 For behold, it is not counted unto him for righteousness.
Comments
As a sample sermon, Mormon’s example shows that explaining scripture for greater understanding is a useful model. He begins with references that can be traced to Christ’s sermons in the New World (which also trace to the Sermon on the Mount in the Old World). Thus, he begins by saying that he can understand their “peaceable walk with the children of men” because of their good works (verses 4–5). In the Sermon at the Temple, the phrase was “by their fruits ye shall know them” (3 Nephi 14:20).
From the concept that we can be known by our good works, Mormon moves to the importance of the motivation behind the good works. He calls on two themes from Christ’s sermons. The first is “Or what man is there of you, who, if his son ask bread, will give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” (3 Nephi 14:9–11).
Those verses set up the relationship between the moral character and the giving of the gift, or, in the new context, the works. Nevertheless, Mormon understands that there is a possibility that one could do work without the correct motivation. To resolve that, he again refers obliquely to the Sermon’s several discussions of hypocrisy. When one does something for the praise of men, and receives the praise of men, Christ declared that “they have their reward” (3 Nephi 13:16).
It is possible that the more direct reference was “Therefore, if ye shall come unto me, or shall desire to come unto me, and rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee—Go thy way unto thy brother, and first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come unto me with full purpose of heart, and I will receive you.” (3 Nephi 12:23–24).
However, it appears to have retained more of the Old World context than appears in our translation. The corresponding verse explains why the word gift appears in the reference: “Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift” (Matthew 5:23–24).
Moroni 7:8–10
8 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.
9 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.
10 Wherefore, a man being evil cannot do that which is good; neither will he give a good gift.
Comments
As an example of a talk using scripture, Mormon refers to scripture, and then expands and clarifies meaning. In this case, the issue is the dichotomy between action and intent. Returning to the concept of the gift, if it is not given with the correct intent, then it truly is not given. There are expectations, perhaps. The gift might be given, but with the expectation of getting something back from the receiver. When the text says that “he is counted evil before God,” we must remember that the Book of Mormon speaks in terms of polar opposites. There is God, and there is the opposite of God (the adversary, or Satan). Thus, if not of God, then it is “evil,” perhaps without the moral implications of that word.
Moving from a gift to a parallel of prayer, Mormon similarly notes that the act of praying is to communicate inward desires, and if those inward desires are contrary to God’s principles, then God does not recognized that act as true prayer.
At the conclusion of the logical reasoning section (verses 8, 9), Mormon restates that “a man being evil cannot do that which is good; neither will he give a good gift.”
Moroni 7:11–13
11 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.
12 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.
13 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.
Comments
Verses 11 through 13 provide a shift from a negative perspective (an evil man cannot do good works) to the more positive expression that “that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually.”
With the Book of Mormon perspective that only discusses the widely opposed poles of good and evil, evil comes from the evil one, and “good cometh of God.”
As the next logical step, Mormon has established that we can know that something is of God because it is good. However, how do we know what is good? He turns to that question in the next verses.
Moroni 7:14–16
14 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.
15 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.
16 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.
Comments
The important part of judging is to be careful to judge correctly. Although some might misread the Matthean admonition of “Judge not, that ye be not judged” (Matthew 7:1) as a caution against judgement, Mormon clearly understands its correct meaning. Judging is inherent in agency. Where Matthew was concerned with the effect of judging on the person doing the judging, Mormon is asking a different question. Therefore, there is no hint that one might not judge, or even be hesitant to judge.
In Mormon, “it is given unto you to judge.” Why? “That ye may know good from evil.” Our agency only functions if we can tell the difference between good and evil. Without the difference, and without being able to discern the difference, we would be again in the state that existed in the Garden of Eden, a state that had to change to allow for our progression.
If it is so essential that we judge between good and evil, how can we be sure that we are judging correctly, that we are not judging “that which is evil to be of God?” Mormon’s declaration is that “the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil.” The Spirit of Christ is a universal gift, perhaps endowed at the time of the Fall. It is the assurance that it is possible for us to discern good from evil. There is in us something like a conscience, but deeper and stronger, if we learn to listen to it. For all humankind, throughout all time and in all places, the Spirit of Christ is the assured measuring stick whereby we can judge good from evil.
Moroni 7:17–18
17 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.
18 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.
Comments
Mormon continues to tie together the pieces of his argument. He gave the Spirit of Christ as the way to judge in verse 16 of this chapter, and now links any judgement call to the question of whether it might have been made in error. Since a good does not come but from the Spirit, the Spirit of Christ leads always to the good.
As Mormon concludes this section of the sermon, he has declared that good comes from God, and that we can find that good even in a confusing world by listening to the Spirit of Christ that has been given to every person. Now, at the end of this section, he realizes that our humanity at times places us in confusing circumstances. Only at this end of section do we get the restatement of the requirement “judge not, that ye be not judged.” Of course, Mormon’s reference would be to 3 Nephi 14:1, rather than to Matthew.
Faith
Moroni 7:19–21
19 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.
20 And now, my brethren, how is it possible that ye can lay hold upon every good thing?
21 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.
Comments
Verse 19 is another common transition in Mormon’s writings. He gives a statement that concludes his previous argument and uses it to launch the next topic. In this case, Mormon has taught that we should judge, and that we can judge that which is good. Now, the question becomes how we “will lay hold upon every good thing.” This is not a question of where to find the good, but rather how to incorporate the good into our lives. The “lay hold” wording becomes a statement of action, a statement of doing. It is not “Where do we learn?”, but “How do we become, how do we do good?
The answer, for Mormon, lies in the nature of faith. It will not be surprising to learn that Mormon sees “faith,” in his language, as more of an action verb, more so than does the English language. Some other languages (such as Greek of the New Testament) have a verb “to faith.” English does not. That English lacks this verb only means that we (as perhaps primarily English speakers) need to learn how to see faith in action, in spite of a limited vocabulary.
Moroni 7:22–25
22 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.
23 And God also declared unto prophets, by his own mouth, that Christ should come.
24 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.
25 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.
Comments
As the run-up to the discussion on faith, Mormon spends time on understanding the principles upon which faith is enacted. Once again, that focus is on Christ. Before Christ came to the world, prophets prophesied of his mission. The reason that Mormon focuses on the prophecies from before Christ’s time is that it was a time where there was a promise made, but as yet unfulfilled. Into that void, the expectation, without a fulfillment, entered a faith that allowed them to proceed with the correct doctrine, to learn and repent, even prior to the time when the atonement technically initiated the ability for those actions.
Thus, Mormon models faith as acting at times when the fulfillment is not known.
Moroni 7:26–29
26 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 surely 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.
27 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?
28 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.
29 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.
Comments
Having discussed faith before the fulfillment, Mormon turns to faith in times after the fulfillment. No longer a faith that looked to the coming of Christ, faith acted to allow us to ask of the Father in prayer. It was now a personal unfulfillment that faith looked to work through. It similarly acted to allow us to understand that God exists and is willing to answer our prayers.
The miracle of Christ’s atonement did not remove God from our lives and did not remove our need for God’s merciful intervention in our lives. While Christ “answered the ends of the law, and he claimeth all those who have faith in him,” we are not to suppose that our relationship with the God of the heavens is any less, nor that miracles, big and small, cannot still happen among the children of men.
Moroni 7:30–32
30 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.
31 And the office of their ministry is to call men unto repentance, and to fulfil 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.
32 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.
Comments
The first part of verse 29 was important to the conclusion of the previous verses, but the ending part of that verse is the introduction to verses 30–32. Again, Mormon pivots from one topic to the next, within the same sentence. Verse 29 spoke of the ministering of angels. Thus, it is angels who “are subject to him (Christ)”, as stated at the beginning of verse 30. There are still miracles, still angels, and the heavens still care for humankind.
This pivots to the important subject of repentance, for “the office of [the angels’] ministry is to call men unto repentance.” Note that repentance prepares humankind for faith in Christ (verse 32). The next two verses continue to explain this interface between repentance and faith.
Moroni 7:33–34
33 And Christ hath said: If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me.
34 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.
Comments
It is no mistake that Mormon’s discussion of faith should lead to Christ’s statement that “ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me.” Even though the context has been about miracles, these miracles are those that come when we exercise faith. Again, English doesn’t have a verb form for faith, but it would really be helpful here. However, it is implied that faith and power are made equivalent. Faith is power, not in knowledge but in doing—in acting upon our agency.
With that beginning in verse 33, Mormon immediately moves to what is required to have a faith that is powerful: “Repent all ye ends of the earth.” Faith is to be exercised in principles of Godliness, and those principles require that we come to Christ having repented of the sins, or any habit, or believes, or intentions, or social stigmas, that might have kept us from those divine principles. We repent, signaling a willingness to change. Just as faith is a principle of action, repentance is also a principle of action, one that is a prerequisite to exercising that faith.
Moroni 7:35–38
35 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?
36 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?
37 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.
38 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.
Comments
Mormon’s conclusion to this section pulls together the threads of the argument. How may Mormon’s audience know that what he has said is true? “God will show unto you . . . that they are true.”
Then, Mormon returns to the important arguments. The God of their past is the God of their present, the God of their future. The faith that supported the ministration of angels and of miracles might be dormant, but it is not removed. With true faith, all of those hallmarks of the great faith of the past may return to our present.
Finally, the greatest miracle is to be saved, and that requires that “they shall have faith in his name.” Faith in Christ is required. Faith in Christ is possible.
This ends Mormon’s section explaining faith. He moves to the principle of hope in the next verses.
Moroni 7:39–40
39 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.
40 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?
Comments
In verse 4 of this chapter, Mormon had said: “And now my brethren, I judge these things of you because of your peaceable walk with the children of men.” Now he returns to that Apostolic declaration to place even more emphasis on it: “I judge better things of you.” What does he mean by that?
In this case, the judgement continues to be more of an Apostolic blessing. He has judged his people and found them good. The “better things” are that they are able to move to the next important phase of Christian life beyond repentance and faith. Therefore, Mormon turns to the concept of hope. He begins with the rhetorical question, “How is it that ye can attain unto faith, save ye shall have hope?” The obvious desired answer is that it could not be done, but now he needs to explain why that might be true. What is this hope? The next verses begin to answer the question.
Hope
Moroni 7:41–42
41 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.
42 Wherefore, if a man have faith he must needs have hope; for without faith there cannot be any hope.
Comments
Mormon’s answer to “What is hope?” is simple. Perhaps too simple. His definition of hope is connected to “the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him.” It seems almost circular, since this was also part of the ideas around faith.
The problem is again one of language. If we remember that the New Testament uses faith as a verb (our English translations must use “believe” for that meaning), then we can see the difference in that hope is a noun. The difference is not only related to the part of speech, contrasting a verb and a noun. Seeing the difference allows us to fine-tune our understanding of hope.
Faith is a principle of action, but it needs something to act upon, and particularly, something to act for. Hope is the definition of the goal. Hope is understanding the ultimate reason for our actions. Hope is the direction to which we act, with faith. Thus, hope holds out the prize, and faith moves us to capture it.
Charity
Moroni 7:43–44
43 And again, behold I say unto you that he cannot have faith and hope, save he shall be meek, and lowly of heart.
44 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.
Comments
Mormon pivots to the final aspect of the trilogy of faith, hope, and charity. Having defined faith as the active agent and hope as the understanding of the goal, charity becomes the qualification for one of the main objects we are to learn in our journey to God. Mormon declares that unless we are “meek, and lowly of heart, . . . [our] hope is vain, for none is acceptable before God, save the meek and the lowly in heart.” That sets up a definition of the type of person that we are to become.
How do we learn those attributes? Through charity. Without charity we are nothing; but, of course, now we need to understand why that might be true.
The specific phrase “if he have not charity he is nothing” echoes 1 Corinthians 13:2. It also appears in the Book of Mormon, in 2 Nephi 26:30. Rather than suppose that Mormon learned the phrase from Nephi1 (though he certainly could have), it is probable that 1 Corinthians influenced the vocabulary in both cases (here, in verse 44, and in 2 Nephi).
Moroni 7:45–47
45 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.
46 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—
47 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.
Comments
Having posited charity as an essential quality of our change from the natural human to the godly human, Mormon needs to describe those qualities so that we understand what we are to develop. Therefore, verse 45 gives the definition of those qualities that we are to develop if we are to embody the principle of charity. Lest we think that those form a finite list, Mormon declares that “charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever.” Since our hope is in the kingdom of God, Mormon notes that “whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.”
This definition is essentially the same as the one Paul gave in 1 Corinthians 13:4–7. Although the language comes from Paul, the meaning and principle are eternal and describe the qualities we should be developing to become more Christ-like.
Moroni 7:48
48 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.
Comments
As Mormon ends his sermon, he commends his congregation to action. This was not simply a sermon for information, but of motivation to action. That is what he encourages at the end. As he ties up the conclusion, he again uses a phrase that should be familiar as coming from scripture (even though he does not designate it as scripture): “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.” The language of that phrase is from 1 John 3:2. Perhaps there was a similar scripture in the Nephite canon that evoked that image. For the modern reader, the connection to 1 John 3:2 is easier. Our verse 48 is the result of translation.
