Thomas R. Valletta - The Book of Mormon Study Guide: Start to Finish

Excerpts from addresses given by General Authorities and General Officers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are Intellectual Reserve, Inc., and used by permission.

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2015 Thomas R. Valletta. All rights reserved.Revised edition 2019 Thomas R. Valletta. All rights reserved.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Valletta, Thomas R., editor.

Title: The Book of Mormon study guide : start to finish / Thomas R. Valletta, general editor ; associate editors: Bruce L. Andreason, Richard O. Christensen, Lee L. Donaldson, Mark E. Eastmond, John L. Fowles, Ryan C. Jenkins, Robert E. Lund, George R. Sims, Bruce G. Stewart.

Description: Salt Lake City, Utah : Deseret Book, [2019] | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2019016872 | ISBN 9781629726236 (paperbound) | eISBN 978-1-62973-902-1

Subjects: LCSH: Book of MormonStudy and teaching. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsDoctrines. | Mormon ChurchDoctrines.

Classification: LCC BX8627 .B645 2019 | DDC 289.3/22076dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019016872

Printed in China

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Contents

Introduction to

the Book of Mormon Study Guide

The Prophet Joseph Smith testified that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book ( Joseph Smith [manual], 57). In addition, President Ezra Taft Benson declared that every Latter-day Saint should make the study of [the Book of Mormon] a lifetime pursuit (Book of Mormon Is the Word of God, 5).

The Book of Mormon Study Guide was developed to help Latter-day Saints fulfill this prophetic challenge to make the study of the Book of Mormon a lifetime pursuit. It is an innovative approach to empower more experienced students of the scriptures to grow in their understanding and application of the most correct book on earth. The Book of Mormon Study Guide provides students and teachers of the scriptures with thought-provoking questions and edifying insights into the Book of Mormon, as well as helpful approaches to studying, pondering, and applying doctrine and principles. Here, all in one place, students and teachers have access to prophetic statements and inspirational commentary from General Authorities, as well as insightful gospel scholarship from hundreds of sources.

What will I find in this book?

As a companion to your study of the Book of Mormon, The Book of Mormon Study Guide will provide a treasure trove of inspiring and enlightening words from prophets, apostles, other Church leaders, and numerous respected gospel scholars. In addition to providing inspiring prophetic commentary, this volume includes insights into historical and cultural background and context, discussions of the language of the scriptures, the organization and background of the text, the symbolism, and unique literary qualities of the Book of Mormon. Beyond these aids designed to help you better understand the scriptures, you will also find invitations to personally ponder and apply the truths presented. As President Dallin H. Oaks taught, In contrast to the institutions of the world, which teach us to know something, the gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to become something (Challenge to Become, 32). To assist you in more effectively focusing on the holy scriptures, the full text of the Book of Mormon is provided. Pertinent questions are placed alongside the verses that they spring from, followed by helpful commentary which responds to the questions and illuminates the scriptural passage. No other scripture commentary provides such a wide variety of help to understand and apply the scriptures in one place.

The eBook contains additional quotations from authoritative sources that will add to the richness of your study of the Book of Mormon. An icon in both the physical book and the eBook indicates where additional information may be accessed from within the eBook.

How can studying the Book of Mormon benefit me and my family?

President Ezra Taft Benson testified: The purpose of the Book of Mormon is stated on the title page. It is to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God....

The Book of Mormon brings men to Christ through two basic means. First, it tells in a plain manner of Christ and His gospel. It testifies of His divinity and of the necessity for a Redeemer and the need of our putting trust in Him....

Second, the Book of Mormon exposes the enemies of Christ. It confounds false doctrines and lays down contention (see 2 Ne. 3:12). It fortifies the humble followers of Christ against the evil designs, strategies, and doctrines of the devil in our day (Book of Mormon Is the Word of God, 3).

In another discourse, President Ezra Taft Benson warned that those who do not continually study the Book of Mormon place their soul in jeopardy. They neglect that which could give them spiritual nourishment and protection throughout their life. He also made the following impressive promises: There are three great reasons why Latter-day Saints should make the study of the Book of Mormon a lifetime pursuit.

The first is that the Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion.... A keystone is the central stone in an arch. It holds all the other stones in place, and if removed, the arch crumbles....

The second great reason why we must make the Book of Mormon a center focus of study is that it was written for our day. The Nephites never had the book; neither did the Lamanites of ancient times. It was meant for us....

The third reason why the Book of Mormon is of such value to Latter-day Saints is given in the same statement by the Prophet Joseph Smith cited previously. He said, I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book ( History of the Church , 4:461). That is the third reason for studying the book. It helps us draw nearer to God....

It is not just that the Book of Mormon teaches us truth, though it indeed does that. It is not just that the Book of Mormon bears testimony of Christ, though it indeed does that, too. But there is something more. There is a power in the book which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book. You will find greater power to resist temptation.

You will find the power to avoid deception. You will find the power to stay on the strait and narrow path. The scriptures are called the words of life (D&C 84:85), and nowhere is that more true than it is of the Book of Mormon. When you begin to hunger and thirst after those words, you will find life in greater and greater abundance (Book of MormonKeystone of Our Religion, 57).