Mormon reminds Moroni repentance is for those who have
broken the law and under the Lord’s condemnation.
The first fruits of repentance are baptism. “For by the
water ye keep the commandment; by the Spirit ye are justified, and by the blood
ye are sanctified” (Moses 6:60). Baptism comes through faith and obeying the
commandments. Obeying the commandments brings a remission of our sins. “That by
keeping the commandments they might be washed and cleansed from all their sins,
and receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of the hands of him who is
ordained and sealed unto this power” (D&C 76:52).
Forgiveness for our sin bring meekness and lowliness of
heart. Through this, the Holy Ghost fills us with hope and love.
“And I answered him, saying: Yea, it is the love of God,
which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore,
it is the most desirable above all things.
“And he spake unto me, saying: Yea, and the most joyous to
the soul.
“And after he had said these words, he said unto me: Look!
And I looked, and I beheld the Son of God going forth among the children of
men; and I saw many fall down at his feet and worship him.
“And it came to pass that I beheld that the rod of iron,
which my father had seen, was the word of God, which led to the fountain of
living waters, or to the tree of life; which waters are a representation of the
love of God; and I also beheld that the tree of life was a representation of
the love of God” (1 Nephi 11:22-25)
This love endures through diligent prayer. “Seeing ye have
purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love
of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently” (1
Peter 1:22).
In the end, the saints will dwell with God.
“As Mormon and Moroni both make clear, laying hold of
Christ’s gift through faith opens a focused, continuous sequence in which we
are to take his name and divine attributes upon ourselves. Our initial faith in
Christ leads us to hope for redemption. Hope fills us with ‘great views of that
which is to come’ (Mosiah 5:3; see Ether 12:4). Hearts softened by hope in
Christ are perceptive and desirous of his gifts. Hope in Christ then leads us
to charity. Hope’s vistas and joys lift burdens and bondage, liberating us to
focus on loving others (see Moroni 8:26). Hope opens our eyes to better know
the worth of souls and to receive Christ’s love for them. In its fullness,
charity is to provide strength to bear up the full measure of Christ’s gifts
and to abstain from all unclean gifts (see 7:45).”[1]
Mormon writes if he doesn’t have to face the Lamanites soon,
he will write to him once again. The pride of the Nephite nation has led to
their destruction. “And if ye seek the riches which it is the will of the
Father to give unto you, ye shall be the richest of all people, for ye shall
have the riches of eternity; and it must needs be that the riches of the earth
are mine to give; but beware of pride, lest ye become as the Nephites of old” (D&C
38:39).
The only way to avoid this is if they repent.
“[T]he last generations of the Nephite nation are a
cautionary tale regarding the destructive effects of the ‘pride of the world,’
which inevitably causes people to fall (1 Nephi 11:36; Mormon 8:7; Moroni
8:27), and regarding falling ‘away into forbidden paths’ until one is ‘lost’ (1
Nephi 8:28; Mormon 6:17–20). Those later generations were cut ‘off from the
presence of the Lord’ or ‘cast out’ (Helaman 12:25) and subject to the awful violence that
necessarily pervades when the Lord’s
Spirit has ‘ceased to strive’ with a people (see Mormon 5:16; Moroni 8:28; 9:4;
compare Genesis 6:3, 11; Ether 15:19).”[2]
He asks Moroni to pray the people will repent. He fears the
Spirit had stopped striving with them.
“For behold, the Spirit of the Lord hath already ceased to
strive with their fathers; and they are without Christ and God in the world;
and they are driven about as chaff before the wind” (Moroni 5:16).
“For behold, the Spirit of the Lord hath already ceased to
strive with their fathers; and they are without Christ and God in the world;
and they are driven about as chaff before the wind” (Moroni 9:4).
Where Mormon is, the people are putting down all power and
authority which come from God. They are denying the Holy Ghost. “For behold, if
ye deny the Holy Ghost when it once has had place in you, and ye know that ye
deny it, behold, this is a sin which is unpardonable; yea, and whosoever
murdereth against the light and knowledge of God, it is not easy for him to
obtain forgiveness; yea, I say unto you, my son, that it is not easy for him to
obtain a forgiveness” (Alma 39:6).
“[T]he Book of Mormon contains numerous accounts of
individuals who have denied or are in danger of denying (2 Nephi 28:4, 6; Jacob
6:8; Alma 39:5–6—the most abominable sin; Helaman 4:12, 23; 3 Nephi 29:6; and
Moroni 8:28), quenching (Jacob 6:8), hardening their hearts against (2 Nephi
33:2), rejecting (Alma 13:4), putting off (Alma 30:42), resisting (Alma 30:46;
32:28), or contending against (Alma 34:38) the 230 Holy Ghost. Such activities
would seem sufficient cause for the Spirit to no longer strive with humanity.”[3]
As they have rejected this great knowledge, they will soon
perish, fulfilling the words of the prophets and the Savior himself.
“Farewell, my son, until I shall write unto you, or shall
meet you again. Amen” (Moroni 8:30).
[1] Mormon’s
Question, Candice Wendt, Journal of
Book of Mormon Studies 24 (2015): 252.
[2] “They
Came Forth and Fell Down and Partook of the Fruit of the Tree”: Proskynesis in
3 Nephi 11:12–19 and 17:9–10 and Its Significance, Matthew L. Bowen,
Maxwell Institute.
[3] Book
of Mormon Pneumatology, John Christopher Thomas, Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, Volume 24, 2015:229-230.
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