Searching for Truth

Study and ponder on all the following references throughout the

week. It will be a deeper experience if you:

start each session with prayer and

develop a daily study habit rather than trying to complete this
assignment all at once.

Divine Origins and Purposes of the Book of

Mormon
Divine Origins of the Book of Mormon
Introduction
Joseph Smith called the Book of Mormon "the keystone of our religion"
(Introduction). It is tangible evidence that Jesus is the Christ, that
Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, and that the Church of Jesus Christ
of latter-day Saints is true. President Ezra Taft Benson asked "How
important is the Book of Mormon? ...all the church stand or fall with the
truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. The enemies of the Church
understand this clearly. This is why they go to such great lengths to try
to disprove the Book of Mormon, for if it can be discredited, the Prophet
Joseph Smith goes with it" Teachings Presidents of the Church, Ezra Taft
Benson, p. 128)
In the world today many people have tried to attack or at the very
least, dismiss the Prophet Joseph Smiths claim that the Book of
Mormon has a divine origin. Some have called it a fake or a fraud.
Others have called it a genius work from the mind of Joseph himself,
rather than a divine ancient record of scripture. Each individual must
decide for themselves whether the Book of Mormon is fact or fiction,
devilish or divine.
Regarding this challenge, President Gordon B. Hinckley taught that
"Josephs story of the gold plates was fantastic. It was hard to believe

and easy to challenge. Could he have written it of his own capacity? It is

here, my brothers and sisters, for everyone to see, to handle, to read.
Every attempt to explain its origin, other than that which he gave, has
fallen of its own weight. He was largely unschooled; and yet, in a very
brief time, he brought forth the translation which in published form
comes to more than 500 pages...through all of these years critics have
tried to explain it. They have spoken against it. They have ridiculed it.
But it has outlived them all, and its influence today is greater than at
any time in its history." (President Gordon B. Hinckley, "The Stone Cut
Out of the Mountain," Ensign, Nov. 2007).
The Book of Mormon is exactly what it claims to be. It is another
testament of Jesus Christ. It is a record of inspired scripture written by
ancient prophets. Joseph Smith brought it forth "by the gift and power
of God" (Title Page). As you study the Book of Mormon, you can pray for
a witness to know if it is true, if its message that Jesus is the Christ is
true, and if its messenger, Joseph Smith was a true prophet.

Scriptural Outline

1. The Book of Mormon teaches the divine origin and inspired

purposes of the Book.
a. Moroni wrote the title page of the Book of Mormon. Joseph Smith said it
was taken from the last leaf of the plates (Title Page).
b. Introduction
2. The Book of Mormon prophesied that special witnesses in the
latter-days would see the plates and bear witness of its divine
and ancient origin.
a. Nephi comments on Isaiahs prophecy concerning the coming forth of
the Book of Mormon (2 Nephi 27:1214)
b. While condensing the Jaredite record, Moroni testifies of future
witnesses of the plates (Ether 5:16)
c. The Testimony of the Three Witnesses
d. The Testimony of Eight Witnesses
3. Joseph Smith gave an account of the coming forth of the Book of
Mormon.
a. Joseph Smith recounts seeing the Angel Moroni and learning of the place
where "a book was deposited, written upon gold plates" (The Testimony
of the Prophet Joseph Smith)
4. The Book of Mormon testifies of its divine origin.
a. Lehi teaches his youngest son Joseph about what Joseph in Egypt taught
about Joseph Smith the latter-day seer and the coming forth of the Book
of Mormon. (2 Nephi 3: 1121)

5. The Book of Mormon testifies that it was written on plates, and

that special interpreters were prepared for the plates to be
translated.
a. Nephi explains how he was commanded to record the history of his
people upon two sets of plates (1 Nephi 9:16)
b. Nephi explains that the plates were reserved for sacred things (1 Nephi
19:16)
c. Thirty years after leaving Jerusalem, Nephi is commanded to make a
second record of plates (2 Nephi 5:2834)
d. Mormon explains his abridgment and compilation of records to create
the Book of Mormon (Words of Mormon 1:111)
e. Moroni teaches that the plates can only be translated by the power of
God (Mormon 8:1416)
f. The Lord teaches the Brother of Jared that one day his record will come
forth with the aid of two stones which God had prepared to interpret
languages (Ether 3:2228)
g. Ammon teaches king Limhi of special instruments used to translate
ancient records known as interpreters (Mosiah 8:1319)

The Book of Mormon Bears Witness of the

Truthfulness of the Bible
Introduction
In the title page of the Book of Mormon, Moroni declares that one of
the main purposes of the book is to "the convincing of the Jew and
Gentile that JESUS is the CHRIST, the ETERNAL GOD" (Title Page).
The Book of Mormon and the Bible both testify that Jesus Christ is
the Son of God and Savior of the world. The Holy Bible contains the
word of the Lord as given to the ancient Jews and Christians. Both the
Bible and the Book of Mormon testify of Jesus Christs ministry as the
Jehovah of the Old Testament and the Savior of the New Testament. As
we learn to love, appreciate, and use both of these inspired records,
their divine missions will be fulfilled.
We are living in a world that increasingly denies the truthfulness of
the witness of the Holy Bible. The Book of Mormon stands as a witness
that the Bible is "of great worth unto the gentiles" (1 Ne. 13:23).
How important are the words of the Lord? Lehi and his family could
not begin their journey before returning to Jerusalem and retrieving the
brass plates from Laban. These brass plates constituted much of what
we now call the Old Testament, as well as additional prophecies that
were not included in the Holy bible. These teachings were of such great

worth that Nephi was commanded to kill Laban in order to get the
plates.
Do we appreciate that Nephi and Jacobs use of Isaiah confirms that
he was a true biblical prophet? Do we realize that when we are reading
the account of the Jaredites, that it begins with the confounding of the
languages at the tower of Babel, an event which the world declares to
be unhistorical and mythical? These and many other witnesses from
the Book of Mormon consistently testify that the biblical witness of Jesus
Christ and His work among his ancient covenant people is true.

Scriptural Outline
1. The Book of Mormon bears witness of the great worth of the
Biblical record as they had it on the brass plates.
a. Lehi examines the recently acquired brass plates and finds them to be
desirable; yea, even of great worth unto us (1 Nephi 5:1022)
b. King Benjamin recounts to his sons the worth of the brass plates in the
work of the Lord among the Nephites (Mosiah 1:17)
c. Alma recounts to his son Helaman how important the brass plates have
been for the Nephites and for the conversion of the Lamanites (Alma
37:114)
2. The Book of Mormon bears witness of the truthfulness of the
bible as it was handed down by the original writers.
a. Nephi sees in vision the Bible brought to this land by the early European
settlers and its worth to them. (1 Nephi 13:1225) Nephi then sees
that corruptions from the great and abominable Church enter into the
gospel and the book. The Latter-day restoration of the gospel and the
translation of the Book of Mormon will help to remedy this so that we
can know the correct gospel and read the bible correctly (1 Nephi
13:2638). The Book of Mormon also witnesses that other Latter-day
records "shall establish the truth of the first (the bible)" (1 Nephi 13:39
42)
3. The Book of Mormon establishes the truthfulness of the gospel of
Jesus Christ as taught in the Bible.
a. Lehi recounts to his son the prophecy of Joseph of Egypt concerning the
records of Judahs descendants (the Holy Bible) and the records of
Josephs descendants (the Book of Mormon) which together would
confound false doctrine and establish the truth (2 Nephi 3: 712)
b. Mormon invites those in the Latter-days to lay hold upon the gospel of
Christ in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon and affirms that the
Book of Mormon was written to establish faith in the biblical record.
(Mormon 7:89)
c. Nephi sees in vision the birth, life, and ministry of Jesus Christ as it was
later recorded in the New Testament) (1 Nephi 11:13, 1819, 2533).

4. Book of Mormon prophets and missionaries used the brass plates

to effectively teach the gospel.
a. Aaron teaches King Lamonis father the gospel from the Holy Scriptures.
(Alma 22:1213)
b. Nephi tries to strengthen his brothers faith by recounting the biblical
account of the children of Israel crossing the red sea (1 Nephi 4:13)
c. Nephi and Alma teach the simpleness of living the gospel by recounting
the story of Moses and the serpent of brass upon the pole from Numbers
21:49. (1 Nephi 17:41; Alma 33:1822)
5. The Book of Mormon bears witness of Biblical events and people
that are being denied or mythologized by the world.
a. The Tower of Babel and the confounding of languages as found in
Genesis 11:19 is attested to by the account of the beginnings of the
Jaredite civilization. (Ether 1:3337)
b. An angel reveals to Nephi that the remainder of his vision would be
recorded by the Apostle John, which became the book of revelation (1
Nephi 14:1827)
c. The Book of Mormon affirms that Jesus Christ has a glorified resurrected
body as recorded in the bible. (3 Nephi 11:815)
d. Lehi beheld that the brass plates contained the five books of Moses
proving that they were written well before the Babylonian captivity. (1
Nephi 5:1011)
e. Jacob teaches his people that both David and Solomon were actual
Kings of Israel and were not made up in the Babylonian Captivity.
(Jacob 2:2324)
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