Mormon's Rhetorical Questions and Real Hope
Book of Mormon Notes - Sunday, July 7, 2024, Moroni 7, Part 2
The Book of Moroni is one of my favorite books in the Book of Mormon, and Moroni 7 is one of my favorite chapters in the entire Book of Mormon. I am grateful that the Lord preserved Moroni’s life and inspired him to include his father’s teachings on faith, hope, and charity.
Moroni loved his father Mormon, and Mormon loved his son Moroni. I don’t think that it is coincidental that this great father and son duo completed the Book of Mormon that begins with the great father and son duo of Lehi and Nephi. The great father and son duos in the Book of Mormon remind us of perhaps the greatest father and son duo, Abraham and Isaac, which is a microcosm of our Heavenly Father and His beloved Son Jesus Christ.
Moroni obviously treasured his father’s teachings. From among the many things that Moroni must have taught in the synagogue, Mormon chose this particular sermon on faith, hope, and charity. I’ve already mused about some of the reasons for Moroni’s choice to include this particular sermon, but certainly the most important reason is that our Lord, for His purposes, inspired Mormon’s sermon and Moroni’s choice to include it in his book. Moroni chapter 7 boils everything down to the most essential elements of the Gospel: faith, hope, and charity, the Atonement of Jesus Christ, repentance, and fervent prayer.
Like the Book of John in the Bible and other great passages of scripture, this sermon is directed towards experienced and committed disciples of Jesus Christ. It makes sense that this great sermon is placed at the end of the Book of Mormon, where only the most committed readers and students of the Book of Mormon arrive. Throughout this sermon, Mormon seems to quote from another source, perhaps the brass plates or other plates. It almost seems as though Mormon had access to the New Testament. Consider, for example, this passage at the beginning of Mormon’s great sermon:
For I remember the word of God which saith by their works ye shall know them; for if their works be good, then they are good also. (Moroni 7:5)
Of course, Mormon might simply refer to Christ’s sermon at the Temple in Bountiful as recorded in Third Nephi. Other quotations in his sermon seem to point to a text that is not included in the rest of the Book of Mormon. Nevertheless, Christ’s ministry among the Nephites is certainly the foundation for both Mormon’s and Moroni’s final teachings in the Book of Mormon.
As with Christ’s Sermon on the Mount and His Sermon at the Temple in Bountiful, Moroni’s sermon in the synagogue reminds us how much the Lord cares about our hearts, and the condition of our hearts. This is a theme throughout the Book of Mormon, beginning with Nephi’s focus on the tender mercies of the Lord and His power to soften hearts, and Moroni returns to this theme in his book end to the Book of Mormon. Mormon reminds us that Jesus Christ is the source of all that is good:
Wherefore, all things which are good cometh of God; and that which is evil cometh of the devil; for the devil is an enemy unto God, and fighteth against him continually, and inviteth and enticeth to sin, and to do that which is evil continually.
But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God. (Moroni 7:12-13)
What invites you and entices you to do good continually? What invites you and entices you to love God and serve Him? The list could be infinitely long, but these are a few things that come immediately to my mind:
hymns and other good music
beautiful artwork, paintings, etc.
the beauties of nature
Christ-like friends
family home evening
service
thoughtful and kind actions of strangers
the sacrament
the Holy Scriptures
good books and inspiring literature
the examples of prophets and other great men and women in scripture and in the great books
the Temple
Moroni teaches us that we can know with surety that all of these things and more are inspired of God and come from Him. Everything that is good comes from God, the Source and Fountain of all Good. We know that these things are true by the Spirit of Christ that is given to every man. This is the Light of Christ that Mormon invites us to embrace in which he invites us to search:
Wherefore, I beseech of you, brethren, that ye should search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil; and if ye will lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn it not, ye certainly will be a child of Christ. (Moroni 7:19)
Mormon also teaches us how to search diligently in the light of Christ and lay hold upon all of this good that flows from Christ. By faith, hope, and charity we can lay hold upon all of these things. I love Mormon’s simple explanation of faith and the purpose of faith:
And now I come to that faith, of which I said I would speak; and I will tell you the way whereby ye may lay hold on every good thing.
For behold, God knowing all things, being from everlasting to everlasting, behold, he sent angels to minister unto the children of men, to make manifest concerning the coming of Christ; and in Christ there should come every good thing.
And God also declared unto prophets, by his own mouth, that Christ should come.
And behold, there were divers ways that he did manifest things unto the children of men, which were good; and all things which are good cometh of Christ; otherwise men were fallen, and there could no good thing come unto them.
Wherefore, by the ministering of angels, and by every word which proceeded forth out of the mouth of God, men began to exercise faith in Christ; and thus by faith, they did lay hold upon every good thing; and thus it was until the coming of Christ.
And after that he came men also were saved by faith in his name; and by faith, they become the sons of God. And as surely as Christ liveth he spake these words unto our fathers, saying: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is good, in faith believing that ye shall receive, behold, it shall be done unto you. (Moroni 7:21-26)
Mormon strengthens our faith in Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son Jesus Christ. He inspires us to believe in miracles and the ministering of angels. Mormon and his son Moroni knew from first hand experience about the ministering of angels, and in this sermon, Mormon teaches us about those who receive the ministering of angels:
And because he hath done this, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men.
For behold, they are subject unto him, to minister according to the word of his command, showing themselves unto them of strong faith and a firm mind in every form of godliness. (Moroni 7:29-30)
Why does God send angels? Angels build faith in Christ and fulfill the covenants of the Father. Mormon explains:
And the office of their ministry is to call men unto repentance, and to fulfil and to do the work of the covenants of the Father, which he hath made unto the children of men, to prepare the way among the children of men, by declaring the word of Christ unto the chosen vessels of the Lord, that they may bear testimony of him.
And by so doing, the Lord God prepareth the way that the residue of men may have faith in Christ, that the Holy Ghost may have place in their hearts, according to the power thereof; and after this manner bringeth to pass the Father, the covenants which he hath made unto the children of men. (Moroni 7:31-32)
Mormon then cites the Lord directly, a quotation that Moroni later reiterates:
And Christ hath said: If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me. (Moroni 7:33)
And Christ truly said unto our fathers: If ye have faith ye can do all things which are expedient unto me. (Moroni 10:23)
Everything that Moroni wrote aims at strengthening our faith in Jesus Christ, which faith leads us to repent:
And he hath said: Repent all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me, and be baptized in my name, and have faith in me, that ye may be saved. (Moroni 7:34)
Mormon then teaches about miracles, which miracles are the result of faith in Christ.
I love Mormon’s rhetorical questions in this chapter, rhetorical questions that might remind us of other great chapters in the Book of Mormon, such as Alma 5:
And now, my brethren, how is it possible that ye can lay hold upon every good thing?
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased because Christ hath ascended into heaven, and hath sat down on the right hand of God, to claim of the Father his rights of mercy which he hath upon the children of men?
And because he hath done this, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased?
And now, my beloved brethren, if this be the case that these things are true which I have spoken unto you, and God will show unto you, with power and great glory at the last day, that they are true, and if they are true has the day of miracles ceased?
Or have angels ceased to appear unto the children of men?
Or has he withheld the power of the Holy Ghost from them?
Or will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man upon the face thereof to be saved? (By the way, consider how this particular question may have impacted Mormon’s son Moroni, who, like Ether, found himself alone after the destruction of his entire civilization)
How is it that ye can attain unto faith, save ye shall have hope?
And what is it that ye shall hope for?
The answer to this last rhetorical question reveals how hope and faith are inextricably intertwined:
Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise. (Moroni 7:41)
Elder Maxwell has spoken eloquently on the topic of hope (see, e.g. here, here, and here), demonstrating how real, ultimate hope - not merely proximate hope - is that hope of which Mormon spoke, hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection:
Prophets have always had and taught ultimate hope in Christ. Jacob wrote, “We knew of Christ, and we had a hope of his glory many hundred years before his coming; and … also all the holy prophets which were before us” (Jacob 4:4).
You and I can be repeatedly reassured concerning this grand hope by the Comforter, who teaches us the truth about “things as they really are, and … really will be” (Jacob 4:13; see also Moro. 8:26). Such hope constitutes the “anchor of the soul” (Heb. 6:19). Such hope is retained through faith in Christ (see Alma 25:16; Ether 12:9). In contrast, a resurrection-less view of life produces only proximate hope (see 1 Cor. 15:19).
Having ultimate hope does not mean we will always be rescued from proximate problems, but we will be rescued from everlasting death! Meanwhile, ultimate hope makes it possible to say the same three words used centuries ago by three valiant men. They knew God could rescue them from the fiery furnace, if He chose. “But if not,” they said, nevertheless, they would still serve Him! (Dan. 3:18.)
Like Mormon, Elder Maxwell expounds upon some of the ways in which faith, hope, and charity intertwine and are interdependent:
Unsurprisingly the triad of faith, hope, and charity, which brings us to Christ, has strong and converging linkage: faith is in the Lord Jesus Christ, hope is in His atonement, and charity is the “pure love of Christ”! (See Ether 12:28; Moro. 7:47.) Each of these attributes qualifies us for the celestial kingdom (see Moro. 10:20–21; Ether 12:34). Each, first of all, requires us to be meek and lowly (see Moro. 7:39, 43).
Faith and hope are constantly interactive, and may not always be precisely distinguished or sequenced. Though not perfect knowledge either, hope’s enlivened expectations are “with surety” true (Ether 12:4; see also Rom. 8:24; Heb. 11:1; Alma 32:21). In the geometry of restored theology, hope has a greater circumference than faith. If faith increases, the perimeter of hope stretches correspondingly.
Elder Maxwell further distinguishes between ultimate hope and proximate or tactical hope:
Significantly, those who look forward to a next and better world are usually “anxiously engaged” in improving this one, for they “always abound in good works” (D&C 58:27; Alma 7:24). Thus, real hope is much more than wishful musing. It stiffens, not slackens, the spiritual spine. It is composed, not giddy, eager without being naive, and pleasantly steady without being smug. Hope is realistic anticipation taking the form of determination—a determination not merely to survive but to “endure … well” to the end (D&C 121:8).
While weak hope leaves us at the mercy of our moods and events, “brightness of hope” produces illuminated individuals. Their luminosity is seen, and things are also seen by it! Such hope permits us to “press forward” even when dark clouds oppress (see 2 Ne. 31:16, 20; Heb. 6:19; Ether 12:4; Col. 1:23). Sometimes in the deepest darkness there is no external light—only an inner light to guide and to reassure.
Though “anchored” in grand and ultimate hope, some of our tactical hopes are another matter. We may hope for a pay raise, a special date, an electoral victory, or for a bigger house—things which may or may not be realized. Faith in Father’s plan gives us endurance even amid the wreckage of such proximate hopes. Hope keeps us “anxiously engaged” in good causes even when these appear to be losing causes (see D&C 58:27).
As many of my own proximate and tactical hopes have been dashed time and time again (e.g. Biden, Cox, and other corrupt politicians were somehow elected), Mormon reminds me that ultimate hope comes through the atonement of Christ and the power of His resurrection.
Mormon further demonstrates how faith, hope, and charity intertwine and arise from meekness and lowliness of heart. In the next chapter, in his letter to his son Moroni, Mormon shows us where meekness and lowliness of heart come from:
And the first fruits of repentance is baptism; and baptism cometh by faith unto the fulfilling the commandments; and the fulfilling the commandments bringeth remission of sins;
And the remission of sins bringeth meekness, and lowliness of heart; and because of meekness and lowliness of heart cometh the visitation of the Holy Ghost, which Comforter filleth with hope and perfect love, which love endureth by diligence unto prayer, until the end shall come, when all the saints shall dwell with God. (Moroni 8:25-26)
It is a simple and eternally efficacious formula:
Faith in Christ → Repentance → Fulfilling the Commandments (including Baptism) → Remission of Sins → Meekness and Lowliness of Heart → Visitation of the Holy Ghost → Faith, Hope, and Charity (enduring by diligence unto prayer) → Enduring to the End → Eternal Life