Moroni 7:38-48

Mormon continues, reminding us we cannot be saved unless we have faith in Christ’s names. If miracles have ceased and ministering angels no longer visit the Earth, then faith has ceased. We will be in an awful state because it would be as though there had been no redemption nor atonement.

But Mormon is optimistic. He judges us as having faith in Christ. If we did not have faith in him, we will not be numbered among those in His church.

Mormon again turns to hope. Hope is an important part of the gospel. “Now faith is the substance [GR assurance, basis, foundation] of things hoped for, the evidence [GR proof] of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).

“Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God” (Ether 12:4).

You cannot obtain faith without hope.

For what shall we hope? “All these had departed the mortal life, firm in the hope of a glorious resurrection, through the grace of God the Father and his Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ” (D&C 138:14).

We are to have hope through Christ’s atonement and through the resurrection.  “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began” (Titus 1:2).

“And it came to pass that there were many who died, firmly believing that their souls were redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ; thus they went out of the world rejoicing” (Alma 46:39).

In the resurrection, we will be raised to eternal life through our faith in Christ.

If we have, we must also have hope.  “Wherefore, there must be faith; and if there must be faith there must also be hope; and if there must be hope there must also be charity” (Moroni 10:20). Without faith, there can be no hope.

The only way you can have faith and hope it to be meek and lowly of heart. Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering” (Colossians 3:12).

“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up” (James 4:10).

“Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth [GR opposes, is adverse to] the proud, and giveth grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5).

If we are not meek, our faith and hope is in vain. “And see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works” (Alma 7:24). Nothing we do is acceptable before God unless we are meek and lowly in heart. We also must confess by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ. “Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God” (Luke 12:8).

We must also have charity. If we do not, we are nothing. What is charity? “The highest, noblest, strongest kind of love, not merely affection; the pure love of Christ. It is never used to denote alms or deeds of benevolence, although it may be a prompting motive” (Bible Dictionary).

“I testify that the efforts we make to become disciples of our Savior are truly added upon until we are ‘possessed’ of His love. This love is the defining characteristic of a disciple of Christ.”[1]

“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up” (1 Corinthians 13:14). It is not provoked and things no evil. It rejoices in truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.

“But what about the "faith, hope, and charity" passage in Moroni 7:45? Its resemblance to 1 Corinthians 13 is undeniable. This particular passage, recently singled out for attack in Christianity Today, is actually one of those things that turn out to be a striking vindication of the Book of Mormon. For the whole passage, which scholars have labeled the “Hymn to Charity,” was shown early in this century by a number of first-rate investigators working independently (A. Harnack, J. Weiss, R. Reizenstein) to have originated not with Paul at all, but to go back to some older but unknown source: Paul is merely quoting from the record.”[2]

If we have no charity, we are nothing as charity never fails. Embrace to charity, which is the greatest of all.

Charity is the pure love of Christ. “[It] worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:10).

“Serving Him requires all of our heart, might, mind, and strength. Consequently, selflessly serving others counteracts the self-centered and selfish tendencies of the natural man. We grow to love those whom we serve. And because serving others is serving God, we grow to love Him and our brothers and sisters more deeply. Such love is a manifestation of the spiritual gift of charity, even the pure love of Christ.”[3]

“Behold, the Lord hath forbidden this thing; wherefore, the Lord God hath given a commandment that all men should have charity, which charity is love. And except they should have charity they were nothing. Wherefore, if they should have charity they would not suffer the laborer in Zion to perish” (2 Nephi 26:30).

It endures forever. If we have charity at the last day, “it shall be well with them” (Moroni 7:47).

We are to pray to the Father with all our energy to be filled with his love.

“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons [GR children, people] of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

“Beloved, now are we the sons [GR children, people] of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

“And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (1 John 3:1-3).

“And know ye that ye shall be judges of this people, according to the judgment which I shall give unto you, which shall be just. Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am” (3 Nephi 27:27).

This has been placed upon all true followers of Christ. When he comes, we will be like Him. We shall see Him as He is. We may have hope and be purified as He is pure.

“Father, I thank thee that thou hast purified those whom I have chosen, because of their faith, and I pray for them, and also for them who shall believe on their words, that they may be purified in me, through faith on their words, even as they are purified in me.

“Father, I pray not for the world, but for those whom thou hast given me out of the world, because of their faith, that they may be purified in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in me, that we may be one, that I may be glorified in them” (3 Nephi 19:28-29).

“Mormon’s thinking is often similar to that of Paul, as we see in Moroni 7:40–48, where Mormon explains charity. We may see parallels here too between Moroni’s thinking about the Holy Ghost and Paul’s. But there are also differences. For Paul, the power of the Holy Ghost is the divine power to transform people, as he was transformed and as happens in resurrection. But that doesn’t seem to be Moroni’s meaning. Instead, he appears to be thinking in terms like those of Nephi₁, who said that Lehi saw things in a vision and spoke by the power of the Holy Ghost, ‘which power he received by faith on the Son of God . . . [and] which is the gift of God unto all those who diligently seek him’ (1 Nephi 10:17). Moroni understands the power of the Holy Ghost as the power of divine revelation. Those who pray as they’ve been exhorted to pray will receive revelation through the Holy Ghost. Obviously, the power to be transformed is directly related to the power of revelation, but the two aren’t quite the same thing, and Moroni has the second in mind more than the first.”[4]

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[1] Becoming a Disciple of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Elder Robert D. Hales, April 2017 General Conference.

[2] Classics from the Past: Literary Style Used in Book of Mormon Insured Accurate Translation, Hugh Nibley, Maxwell Institute website.

[3] “If Ye Had Known Me.” Elder David A. Bednar, October 2016 General Conference.

[4] Sealings and Mercies: Moroni’s Final Exhortations in Moroni 10, James E. Faulconer, Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture 22/1 (2013): 12.