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The Book of Mormon holds a special place in the lives and hearts of Latter-day Saints, and it serves a unique role in introducing people throughout the world to Jesus Christ. As declared on the book’s title page, three purposes of the Book of Mormon are (1) “show unto the remnant of the house of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers,” (2) teach “the covenants of the Lord,” and (3) “convinc[e] . . . the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ.”

Elder L. Tom Perry recommended that “each time we read the book we should probably ask ourselves: ‘Why did these writers choose these particular stories or events to include in the record? What value are they for us today?’”[1] While blessings can accompany the reading and study of all scripture, there are numerous specific blessings associated with reading and studying the Book of Mormon (see the appendix herein, “Promised Book of Mormon Blessings”). It is no accident that the Book of Mormon is the Church’s primary missionary tool.

We are indebted to Wilford Woodruff, who was a prolific and consistent journal keeper, for capturing many important statements and events from early Church history. On Sunday, November 18, 1841, Wilford recorded that he “spent the day at B[righam] Young in company with Joseph & the Twelve in conversing upon a variety of subjects[. I]t was an interesting day[.] Elder Joseph Fielding was present[. H]e had been in England four years[. W]e also saw a number of [E]nglish Brethren[.]” He next recorded one of the most well-known and oft-quoted promises regarding the Book of Mormon: “Joseph said the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any Book on earth & the keystone of our religion & a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts than any other Book.”[2] On another occasion, commenting on the central importance of the Book of Mormon, Joseph taught, “Take away the [B]ook of Mormon, and the revelations, and where is our religion? We have none.”[3]

The Book of Mormon is, indeed, a unique and powerful book. The missionary guide Preach My Gospel contains many statements regarding the power of the Book of Mormon, including the following:

• “The Book of Mormon contains the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ (see Doctrine and Covenants 20:8–9).”
• “[The Book of Mormon] provides powerful evidence for the divinity of Christ.”
• “[The Book of Mormon] is also proof of the Restoration through the Prophet Joseph Smith.”
• “The Book of Mormon, combined with the Spirit, is [the] most powerful resource in conversion.”
• “In the Book of Mormon we will find the fulness of [the doctrine] required for our salvation. And [it is] taught plainly and simply so that even children can learn the ways of salvation and exaltation.”
• “A central purpose of the Book of Mormon is to convince all people that Jesus is the Christ.”
• “[The Book of Mormon] testifies of Christ by affirming the reality of His life, mission, and power.”
• “[The Book of Mormon] teaches true doctrine concerning Christ’s Atonement—the foundation for the plan of salvation.”
• “Those who know little or nothing about the Savior will come to know Him by reading, pondering, and praying about the Book of Mormon.”
• “The testimony of the Book of Mormon confirms the testimony of the Bible that Jesus is the Only Begotten Son of God and the Savior of the world.”
• The Book of Mormon can be used “to clarify and explain Bible passages.”
• “As you use the Book of Mormon and the Bible as companion volumes of scripture, they will overcome contention and correct false doctrine.”
• “As we read the Book of Mormon with the guidance of the Spirit, it helps us answer personal questions. It teaches that prayer and revelation are the key to solving particular problems. It helps us have faith that God will answer our prayers.”
• “The Book of Mormon also helps us understand that God’s commandments are not a restrictive list of dos and don’ts but guideposts to a happy, abundant life.”[4]

One purpose of this volume is to help you take a fresh look at Book of Mormon teachings, stories, and people. President Ezra Taft Benson was a great champion of this word of God. The volume begins with an overview—“Ezra Taft Benson: Flooding the Earth with the Book of Mormon” (Mary Jane Woodger)—of his powerful teachings regarding the Book of Mormon.

The remaining chapters generally follow the chronology of the Book of Mormon. Four chapters explore various teachings and themes found in the book of 1 Nephi—“Staying by the Tree of Life” (Byran B. Korth), “Nephi and the Brass Plates: Acting in Faith” (Mark Mathews), “First Nephi: A Case Study for Following Prophets” (Mark D. Ogletree), and “Using Precepts to Draw Closer to Jesus Christ” (Maclane E. Heward).

Julie Frederick’s chapter, titled “When Suffering Comes from the Sins of Others,” considers lessons that can be drawn from the examples of two Book of Mormon fathers: Lehi, the first father introduced in the Book of Mormon, with his son Jacob; and Mormon, the last father mentioned, with his son Moroni. In the chapter “Enos: Developing Unshaken Faith in Christ,” Mark Mathews reflects on the influence Enos’s father Jacob had on his son and how Enos was able to develop his abiding faith in Christ.

Nicholas J. Frederick addresses the powerful impact of Abinadi’s teachings and testimony of the Savior in the essay titled “Abinadi and the Witness of Jesus Christ.” The experiences of Alma the Younger and the sons of Mosiah are filled with important life lessons and gospel principles, so it’s fitting that several authors consider various aspects of that section of the Book of Mormon. The consecutive chapters by D. Bryce Baker (“Instruments in the Hands of God”), Kevin L. Tolley (“Finding His Flock: Ammon’s Instructions on Gathering”), David B. Ridge (“Loving Our Neighbor: Ammon and the Lamanite Queen”), and Matthew L. Bowen (“Rabbanah: Ammon as a Type of Jesus Christ”) will help increase your understanding of the important examples set for us by Ammon and his brothers, Alma, and the many Lamanites who were converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ during that remarkable period of missionary outreach.

While we usually focus on the heroes of the Book of Mormon, the antiheroes can also teach us a great deal as well. In “Learning from Korihor,” Michael J. Biggerstaff provides such an opportunity for us to learn from Korihor’s duplicitous behavior and false teachings. Jan J. Martin (“Use Boldness but Not Overbearance”) and Jared M. Halverson (“Protecting Our Strengths: Alma’s Counsel to Shiblon”) invite us to consider various aspects of Alma’s counsel to his son Shiblon.

The twenty-first century is proving the accuracy of the Lord’s prophecies that the last days would be a time of “wars, and rumors of wars” (see, e.g., Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:23). In his essay “Waiting for Help from Zarahemla,” D. Bryce Baker asks us to consider what we might learn from the Nephites who lived in a similar time, as recorded in Alma 58.

The closing chapters of this book consider the important and eternal themes of covenants (“The Core Covenant: An Everlasting Decree,” by Kerry M. Hull), parenting (“Training Up a Child: Parenting in the Book of Mormon,” by Joshua M. Matson), and the atonement of Christ (“Christ and the Cup,” by Kevin L. Tolley). This volume concludes with an appendix listing some of the many blessings that have been promised to those who seriously study the teachings of the Book of Mormon.

We hope this volume will increase your love, appreciation, and understanding of the Book of Mormon!

Kenneth L. Alford

Krystal V. L. Pierce

Mary Jane Woodger

Notes

[1] L. Tom Perry, “Blessings Resulting from Reading the Book of Mormon,” Ensign or Liahona, November 2005, 8.

[2] “Remarks, 28 November 1841,” p. [112], The Joseph Smith Papers, https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/remarks-28-november-1841/1.

[3] “Minutes and Discourse, 21 April 1834,” p. 44, “Minutes and Discourse, 21 April 1834,” p. 44, The Joseph Smith Papers, https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/minutes-and-discourse-21-april-1834/2.

[4] Preach My Gospel: A Guide to Missionary Service (Salt Lake City: Intellectual Reserve, Inc., 2019), 43, 103–7.