Title Page of the Book of Mormon, Paragraph 1
The holy scriptures are the word of God given to us for our salvation. The scriptures are essential in receiving a testimony of Jesus Christ and His gospel...Will you open with me the cover of the Book of Mormon? We read that it...has “come forth by the gift and power of God,” and its interpretation is “by the gift of God”—by the Holy Ghost...take hold of the scriptures! Cling to them, walk by them, live by them, rejoice in them, feast on them. Don’t nibble. They are “the power of God unto salvation” that lead us back to our Savior Jesus Christ.
- Robert D. Hales, Holy Scriptures: The Power of God unto Our Salvation
Title Page of the Book of Mormon, Paragraph 2
[The prophet] spoke of the power of the Book of Mormon. He urged us to study, ponder, and apply its teachings. He promised that if we dedicated time each day to studying and pondering and kept the commandments the Book of Mormon contains, we would have a vital testimony of its truth, and the resultant testimony of the living Christ would see us through to safety in times of trouble…Faithful Latter-day Saints have increased their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, in the Book of Mormon as the word of God, and in the restoration of priesthood keys in His true Church.
- President Henry B. Eyring, Fear Not to Do Good
Introduction, Paragraphs 1, 3 and 5
The central purpose of the Book of Mormon is its testament of Jesus Christ. Of more than 6,000 verses in the Book of Mormon, far more than half refer directly to Him. So, “we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins”...The Book of Mormon confirms the teachings of the Old Testament. It confirms the teachings of the New Testament. It restores “many plain and precious things” lost or taken from them. It is in truth another testament of Jesus Christ.
- M. Russell Ballard, The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ—Plain and Precious Things
The Book of Mormon is a keystone because it establishes and ties together eternal principles and precepts, rounding out basic doctrines of salvation. It is the crowning gem in the diadem of our holy scriptures. It is a keystone for other reasons also. In the promise of Moroni previously referred to—namely, that God will manifest the truth of the Book of Mormon to every sincere inquirer having faith in Christ—we have a key link in a self-locking chain…In addition, the Book of Mormon is a necessary keystone of our own individual faith.
- James E. Faust, The Keystone of Our Religion
Those who have a testimony of the restored gospel also have a duty to share it. The Book of Mormon teaches that we should “stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that [we] may be in”.…Those who have the gift to know have an obvious duty to bear their witness so that those who have the gift to believe on their words might also have eternal life…There has never been a greater need for us to profess our faith, privately and publicly...We must be valiant in our testimony of Jesus.
- President Dallin H. Oaks, Testimony
Testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Paragraphs 6-7
Testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Paragraph 23
[F]ollowing the First Vision, the miraculous coming forth of the Book of Mormon is the second fundamental milestone of the unfolding Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in this dispensation…As we study the coming forth of this holy book of scripture in these latter days, we come to realize that the entire undertaking was miraculous—from the Prophet Joseph receiving the gold plates from a holy angel to its translation “by the gift and power of God,” its preservation, and its publication by the hand of the Lord.
- Ulisses Soares, The Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon
A testimony is a most precious possession because it is not acquired by logic or reason alone, it cannot be purchased with earthly possessions, and it cannot be given as a present or inherited from our ancestors. We cannot depend on the testimonies of other people. We need to know for ourselves…We need to come to Christ and follow His teachings…Nephi’s testimony gave him the courage to stand up and be counted as one who obeys the Lord.
- Dieter F. Uchtdorf, The Power of a Personal Testimony
As His faithful disciple, you can receive personal inspiration and revelation, consistent with His commandments, that is tailored to you. You have unique missions and roles to perform in life and will be given unique guidance to fulfill them...The Lord is mindful of those who obey and, in the words of Nephi, will “prepare a way for [us to] accomplish the thing which he commandeth.” Note that Nephi says, “a way”—not “the way.”...Trust God to lead you, even if that way looks different than you expected or is different from others.
- Michelle D. Craig, Spiritual Capacity
If we pay close attention to the uses of the word remember in the holy scriptures, we will recognize that remembering in the way God intends is a fundamental and saving principle of the gospel. This is so because prophetic admonitions to remember are frequently calls to action: to listen, to see, to do, to obey, to repent. When we remember in God’s way, we overcome our human tendency simply to gird for the battle of life and actually engage in the battle itself, doing all in our power to resist temptation and avoid sinning.
- Marlin K. Jensen, Remember and Perish Not
I have been encouraged…by the account of Nephi being asked to go back to Jerusalem for the plates of Laban…Nephi’s experience with the Holy Ghost on that errand has given me courage many times when I have embarked on tasks I knew were assignments from the Lord but which seemed far beyond... my capacity...Nephi was guided by the Spirit minute by minute through the night on the Lord’s errand. We need, and you will need, the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost…[It] will guide in the way best suited to your faith and capacity to receive revelation for you and for those you love and serve.
- President Henry B. Eyring, Our Constant Companion
Nephi['s] first act when he heard his father teach about the destruction of Jerusalem was to cry unto the Lord till his heart was soft and he believed all the words spoken by his father. The Lord spoke directly to Nephi, saying, “Blessed art thou, Nephi, because of thy faith, for thou hast sought me diligently, with lowliness of heart”. Nephi teaches the importance of desire and diligence in keeping commandments and calling upon God in order to have the ability to say with ease, “I will go and do”.
- Michael T. Ringwood, An Easiness and Willingness to Believe
[T]he rich treasures of truth in the scriptures...teach with “plainness, even as plain as word can be”…The scriptures are so important that Nephi risked his life to obtain a copy of them. He wanted to “see, and hear, and know”. He “searched [the scriptures] and found that they were desirable [and] of great worth”. In the scriptures he learned about “the doings of the Lord in other lands, among people of old”. He started a study of the scriptures and learned about Heavenly Father, His Son Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost.
- Julie B. Beck, My Soul Delighteth in the Scriptures
The prophet Nephi wrote, “My soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them, and writeth them for the learning and the profit of my children”. Written scripture, especially the Book of Mormon, brings us to believe in God and “be reconciled unto him through the atonement of Christ, his Only Begotten Son”…[T]he Book of Mormon is a book with a purpose... “written by way of commandment” and “by the spirit of prophecy and of revelation” to “come forth by the gift and power of God” to the convincing of each of us “that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God.”
- Craig C. Christensen, A Book with a Promise
[A]s sons and daughters of God, we follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. We are to be forgiving even when it seems others may not warrant our forgiveness…We can all receive unspeakable peace and partnering with our Savior as we learn to freely forgive those who have trespassed against us...The teachings of our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, are clear; the sinner must be willing to forgive others if he or she hopes to obtain forgiveness...I invite all of us to forgive completely and let healing occur from within.
- Larry J. Echo Hawk, Even as Christ Forgives You, So Also Do Ye
Let’s stay at the tree, partake of the love of God, and share it. By lifting the people around us, we ascend together. Unfortunately, the memory of eating the fruit is not enough; we need to partake again and again… We can do this! We can hold on and hope on! We can stay at the tree and partake of the fruit with a smile on our face, letting the Light of Christ in our eyes become something others can count on in their darkest hours. As they see light manifest in our countenances, they will be drawn to it.
- Tamara W. Runia, Seeing God’s Family through the Overview Lens
Our covenant connection with God and Jesus Christ is the channel through which we can receive the capacity and strength to “heed not.” And this bond is strengthened as we continually hold fast to the rod of iron...Please note that the ability to resist the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary is promised to those individuals who “hold fast to” rather than merely “cling to” the word of God. Interestingly, the Apostle John described Jesus Christ as the Word.
- David A. Bednar, But We Heeded Them Not
In our day, or the latter days, God has continued His pattern for revealing truth...The Book of Mormon prophets...knew about the plan of salvation and the sacred mission of Jesus Christ. The appearance of the resurrected Christ to the ancient people of the Americas is recorded in this sacred book. He taught them His gospel and established His Church among them. I know that the Book of Mormon is another testament of the divinity of Jesus Christ…[and] is a record of holy prophets…
- Gary J. Coleman, “Are You Still Here?”
God reveals eternal truth to us through a network of revelatory relationships involving Himself, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, prophets, and us…God is the source of eternal truth…the Holy Ghost testifies of all truth. He reveals truths to us directly and witnesses of truth taught by others. Impressions from the Spirit typically come as thoughts to our minds and feelings to our hearts...Once the Holy Ghost confirms a specific truth to us, our understanding deepens as we put that principle into practice.
- John C. Pingree, Jr., Eternal Truth
Through his compliance with the severe requirements of the Atonement, the Savior offered the ultimate expression of love. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” And by permitting his Son to make such a selfless and suffering sacrifice, the Father provided us with an ultimate expression of his love as his gift to the rest of his children...This gift of charity is to be received.
- C. Max Caldwell, Love of Christ
The evil one has attempted on many occasions in all dispensations to put out of existence, if you will, many of God’s children. Sometimes he, himself, has assumed the deluder’s role. Other times he has worked through those who have stepped to his side of the line…There are those who would draw you off course and cause you to waste time and energies…I assure you that opposition to our cause testifies of its divinity. Would satanic powers combine against us if we were not posing a threat to such powers?
- Carlos E. Asay, Opposition to the Work of God
Some of the early Apostles knew that an apostasy would occur before the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ...With this falling away, priesthood keys were lost, and some precious doctrines of the Church organized by the Savior were changed…The Apostle John saw in vision the time when an angel would come to the earth as part of the Restoration of the gospel...the Book of Mormon is another testament of Christ. It restored precious truths concerning the Fall, the Atonement, the Resurrection, and life after death.
- James E. Faust, The Restoration of All Things
The phrase “armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory” is not simply a nice idea or an example of beautiful scriptural language. Rather, these blessings are readily evident in the lives of countless latter-day disciples of the Lord...I testify that the covenant people of the Lord today indeed are armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory. I have witnessed faith, courage, perspective, persistence, and joy that extend far beyond mortal capacity—and that only God could provide.
- David A. Bednar, With the Power of God in Great Glory
Mortal life is not easy for any of us...Consider some of the reactions of Laman and Lemuel...They came to Nephi and said they could not “understand the words which [their] father [had] spoken.”...Nephi’s reply to his brothers is a key for us to receive continual answers to prayer...Be obedient, remember the times when you have felt the Spirit in the past, and ask in faith. Your answer will come, and you will feel the love and peace of the Savior. It may not come as quickly or in the format you desire, but the answer will come.
- James B. Martino, Turn to Him and Answers Will Come
[S]tudy the word of God in the scriptures and the words of the living prophets. We talk to God through prayer. He most often communicates back to us through His written word...Don’t yield to Satan’s lie that you don’t have time to study the scriptures. Choose to take time to study them...Through daily, consistent scripture study, you will find peace in the turmoil around you and strength to resist temptations…The more we develop these habits, the more anxious is Satan to harm us but the less is his ability to do so.
- Richard G. Scott, Make the Exercise of Faith Your First Priority