If There Be One Among You That Doeth Good
Book of Mormon Notes - Saturday, March 16, 2024, 3 Nephi 29-30
What did Mormon see about us from his inspired prophetic perspective? What do Mormon’s warnings teach us about the time and place in which we now live? What did Mormon urgently hope for his latter-day audience to understand? A few things stand out to me as certain:
The coming forth of the Book of Mormon is a sign that the Lord has commenced to gather Israel and to fulfill His covenants
The prophesies of all the holy prophets will be fulfilled
The Lord will fulfill His covenants with the House of Israel
The Lord works by spiritual gifts, such as revelations, prophecy, the gift of tongues, healings, and by the power of the Holy Ghost (see also here)
In the last days there will be those who spurn or reject the doings of the Lord by claiming that He delays His coming, that the words of the prophets are in vain, that deny Christ and His works, that deny the revelations of the Lord, that claim that the Lord no longer works by spiritual gifts, and that claim, in order to get gain, that the Lord no longer does miracles, and that mock the Jews and the House of Israel
As I consider what Mormon saw that we don’t see, a salient theme in his commentary is that the latter-day Gentiles (us) will be very prideful, selfish, and obsessed with our own supposed learning and power. Mormon foresaw a time, our time, when faith in Jesus Christ would diminish to such an extent that people would essentially become atheists, agnostics, and secularists. He foresaw a time, our time, when religious voices, or the voices of those who defend faith and traditional beliefs concerning God and the family, would be excluded from the public square and persecuted. He foresaw rampant materialism and greed, and that the lust for riches would impel people to deny the miracles of God and the operations of the gifts of the Spirit. In short, Mormon saw what Nephi saw:
And they shall contend one with another; and their priests shall contend one with another, and they shall teach with their learning, and deny the Holy Ghost, which giveth utterance.
And they deny the power of God, the Holy One of Israel; and they say unto the people: Hearken unto us, and hear ye our precept; for behold there is no God today, for the Lord and the Redeemer hath done his work, and he hath given his power unto men;
Behold, hearken ye unto my precept; if they shall say there is a miracle wrought by the hand of the Lord, believe it not; for this day he is not a God of miracles; he hath done his work. (2 Nephi 28:4-6)
Mormon’s son Moroni saw the same thing:
And now I speak unto all the ends of the earth—that if the day cometh that the power and gifts of God shall be done away among you, it shall be abecause of bunbelief.
And wo be unto the children of men if this be the case; for there shall be anone that doeth good among you, no not one. For if there be one among you that doeth good, he shall work by the power and gifts of God. (Moroni 10:24-25)
This is a bold doctrine. Nephi, Mormon, and Moroni, the three main authors, abridgers, and narrators of the Book of Mormon, foresaw a time in which faith in Jesus Christ would diminish, and pervasive unbelief would lead to abolition of the power and gifts of God. But the boldest part of this doctrine is that anyone who does good can only do good by the power and gifts of God. If any person does good it won’t be by his or her own wisdom, talents, strength, wealth, or personal efforts.
Jesus Christ and His works, therefore, will prevail, not by any supposed power or might of men, but in His way, by His Spirit, and by the gifts of the Holy Ghost. Mormon was adamant about this. Nephi was adamant about this. Moroni also adamantly exhorted his readers not to deny the power and the gifts God. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians specifically about the gifts of the Spirit, and the greatest gift of charity. In the most recent general conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elder Stevenson spoke on the same topic.
What are spiritual gifts?
Special spiritual blessings given by the Lord to worthy individuals for their own benefit and for them to use in blessing others. For a description of the gifts of the Spirit, study Doctrine and Covenants 46:11–33; 1 Corinthians 12:1–12; Moroni 10:8–18.
To whom are spiritual gifts given, and why? The Lord taught the Prophet Joseph Smith:
But ye are commanded in all things to aask of God, who giveth liberally; and that which the Spirit testifies unto you even so I would that ye should do in all bholiness of heart, walking uprightly before me, cconsidering the end of your salvation, doing all things with prayer and dthanksgiving, that ye may not be eseduced by evil fspirits, or doctrines of devils, or the gcommandments of men; for some are of men, and others of devils.
Wherefore, beware lest ye are deceived; and that ye may not be deceived aseek ye earnestly the best gifts, always remembering for what they are given;
For verily I say unto you, they are given for the benefit of those who love me and keep all my commandments, and him that seeketh so to do; that all may be benefited that seek or that ask of me, that ask and not for a asign that they may bconsume it upon their lusts. (D&C 46:7-9)
Mormon foresaw that spiritual gifts would be in short supply among the Gentiles because of a lack of faith in Jesus Christ, but He also foresaw that God would accomplish His work and fulfill His covenants to the House of Israel through the operation of spiritual gifts among those who believe in and love Jesus Christ and each other. Thus faith in Christ, worthiness, and earnest seeking for the best gifts, and for the right reasons (charity), are prerequisites to working by spiritual gifts, and working by spiritual gifts is the only way to truly do good:
…For there shall be anone that doeth good among you, no not one. For if there be one among you that doeth good, he shall work by the power and gifts of God. (Moroni 10:24-25)
It is imperative, therefore, that those of us who love God and want to do good understand what the gifts of the Spirit are and how to obtain them and exercise them. While secularists, atheists, and agnostics scorn and mock, we who love God and desire to assist in His work and build up His kingdom must seek for and exercise spiritual gifts.
Mormon issued a very clear warning and exhortation to us, the latter-day Gentiles, to show us the prerequisites for doing good in the last days:
Hearken, O ye Gentiles, and hear the words of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, which he hath acommanded me that I should speak concerning you, for, behold he commandeth me that I should write, saying:
Turn, all ye aGentiles, from your wicked ways; and brepent of your evil doings, of your clyings and deceivings, and of your whoredoms, and of your secret abominations, and your idolatries, and of your dmurders, and your epriestcrafts, and your fenvyings, and your strifes, and from all your wickedness and abominations, and come unto me, and be baptized in my name, that ye may receive a remission of your sins, and be filled with the Holy Ghost, that ye may be gnumbered with my people who are of the house of Israel. (3 Nephi 30:1-2)
Even the great Prophet Joseph Smith, however great he was, could not do good on his own, without the gift and constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, as this episode from Church history clearly demonstrates:
Joseph learned that he could not translate without the help of the Holy Ghost. One morning he was upset with Emma over something she had done. When he tried to translate, he found that he could not translate at all. Joseph went out into the orchard to pray and ask the Lord why he could not translate. He soon realized that he needed to make peace with Emma before he could have the help of the Holy Ghost. He came back into the house and asked Emma’s forgiveness. He was then able to continue with the translation.
If Joseph Smith could not translate the Book of Mormon without the gift of the Holy Ghost after a small disagreement with his wife Emma, it is probably safe to say that those of us who are engaged in lying, deceiving, whoredoms, secret abominations, idolatries, murders, priestcraft, envying, strife, and wickedness will have a very hard time doing anything good by the gifts and power of the Spirit of God unless we speedily repent. Even those of us who are sincerely striving to do good need to repent, and part of that repentance includes diligently seeking the gifts of the Spirit.
The Apostle Paul did not want us to be ignorant concerning spiritual gifts:
Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can asay that Jesus is the bLord, but by the cHoly Ghost.
Now there are diversities of agifts, but the same Spirit.
And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
But the manifestation of the aSpirit is given to every man to profit withal.
For to one is agiven by the bSpirit the cword of dwisdom; to another the word of eknowledge by the same Spirit;
To another afaith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of bhealing by the same Spirit;
To another the working of amiracles; to another bprophecy; to another cdiscerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of dtongues:
But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. (1 Corinthians 12:3-11)
The Lord also gave direction to the Prophet Joseph Smith relative to seeking and discerning the gifts of the Spirit:
And again, verily I say unto you, I would that ye should always remember, and always retain in your aminds what those bgifts are, that are given unto the church.
For all have not every agift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God.
To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby.
To some it is given by the aHoly Ghost to know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that he was crucified for the sins of the world.
To others it is given to abelieve on their words, that they also might have eternal life if they continue faithful.
And again, to some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know the adifferences of administration, as it will be pleasing unto the same Lord, according as the Lord will, suiting his bmercies according to the conditions of the children of men.
And again, it is given by the Holy Ghost to some to know the diversities of operations, whether they be of God, that the manifestations of the aSpirit may be given to every man to profit withal.
And again, verily I say unto you, to some is given, by the Spirit of God, the word of awisdom.
To another is given the word of aknowledge, that all may be taught to be wise and to have knowledge.
And again, to some it is given to have afaith to be healed;
And to others it is given to have faith to aheal.
And again, to some is given the working of amiracles;
And to others it is given to aprophesy;
And to others the adiscerning of spirits.
And again, it is given to some to speak with atongues;
And to another is given the interpretation of tongues.
And all these agifts come from God, for the benefit of the bchildren of God. (D&C 46:10-26)
These gifts are for the benefit of the children of God, as the Apostle Paul so clearly taught when he showed the Corinthians, and us, a more cexcellent way. Moroni taught the same thing. The Lord also instructed the Prophet Joseph Smith on the proper way to seek and exercise these gifts:
He that aasketh in the bSpirit asketh according to the cwill of God; wherefore it is done even as he asketh.
And again, I say unto you, all things must be done in the name of Christ, whatsoever you do in the Spirit;
And ye must give athanks unto God in the Spirit for whatsoever blessing ye are blessed with.
And ye must practice avirtue and holiness before me continually. Even so. Amen. (D&C 46:30-33)
As much as they were concerned about the lack of faith and the operation of spiritual gifts among the Gentiles, Nephi, Mormon, and Moroni - along with all of the other Book of Mormon prophets - were even more concerned about the lack of charity. It is no wonder than that the Apostle Paul, as well as Nephi (see here, and here), Mormon (see here), and Moroni (see here), extolled the greatness of the gift of charity.