Book of Mormon Lesson 47: "To Keep Them in the Right Way"

Moroni 1-6
It is interesting to note there seems to be two reasons these additional chapters are added when Moroni believed he had competed the record. They are 1- they testify of the need for a formal church organization and 2- they witness of the unchanging nature of Jesus Christ- and as an extension- His church.

Moroni Chapter 1
Moroni has been wandering and hiding in an attempt to protect his life from his brethren the Lamanites. He believed after completing the abridgment of the Jaredite record (the Book of Ether), he would have been done adding to the record we now know as the Book of Mormon. “Now I, Moroni, after having made an end of abridging the account of the people of Jared, I had supposed not to have written more, but I have not as yet perished; and I make not myself known to the Lamanites lest they should destroy me.” (Moroni 1:1) Imagine yourself living as he has lived year after year. Fearing the Lamanites locate him and demand he “deny the Christ”. Moroni wrote the Lamanites “because of their hatred they put to death every Nephite that will not deny the Christ. And I, Moroni, will not deny the Christ; wherefore, I wander whithersoever I can for the safety of mine own life.” (Moroni 1:2-3)
Moroni was a man of God but a man who knew war. He stood for things which were right, as did his father, Mormon. Yet he still had charity. Concerning these additional writings he hoped “perhaps they may be of worth unto my brethren, the Lamanites, in some future day, according to the will of the Lord.” (Moroni 1:4) It is interesting how often we hear this same type request of the Lord from his servants writing the record. They had an understanding of the purpose of the record. Remember Enos? He prayed “that if it should so be, that my people, the Nephites, should fall into transgression, and by any means be destroyed, and the Lamanites should not be destroyed, that the Lord God would preserve a record of my people, the Nephites; even if it so be by the power of his holy arm, that it might be brought forth at some future day unto the Lamanites, that, perhaps, they might be brought unto salvation” (Enos 1:13) and the Lord responded. “I had faith, and I did cry unto God that he would preserve the records; and he covenanted with me that he would bring them forth unto the Lamanites in his own due time.” (Enos 1:16) Also remember the title page from the Book of Mormon, penned by the hand of Moroni. This record is “written to the Lamanites”. The Lord in latter-day revelation has repeated this as one of the purposes of the Book of Mormon record. In Doctrine and Covenants 3:19-20, we read: “And for this very purpose are these plates preserved, which contain these records—that the promises of the Lord might be fulfilled, which he made to his people; And that the Lamanites might come to the knowledge of their fathers, and that they might know the promises of the Lord, and that they may believe the gospel and rely upon the merits of Jesus Christ, and be glorified through faith in his name, and that through their repentance they might be saved.”

Moroni Chapter 2
The church set up on the American continent by the Resurrected Jesus Christ was operated under the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood. The apostles had the authority to confer the gift of the Holy Ghost. Christ gave this authority to the apostles. He ordained them in the same manner as it is done today. He “called them by name” (verse 2) and gave them the authority. He further indicated the authority of power to do this would be when they “call on the Father in my name, in mighty prayer” (verse 2). This brings up the importance of personal worthiness and priesthood power.
The power and authority to act in the name of God is not obtained solely by a desire to serve God. It is not obtained by achieving an ecclesiastical degree from a seminary or college. It is based upon personal worthiness and only when prophesy, revelation and the laying on of hands by one who has the authority has ordained the priesthood upon another male. Doctrine and Covenants 121:36 reads: “the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness.”
In verse 3, Moroni writes, concerning the apostles conferring the gift of the Holy Ghost: “on as many as they laid their hands, fell the Holy Ghost”. This testifies they had actual authority to bestow this gift and teaches of the importance of the role of the Holy Ghost as it relates to the functioning of the priesthood of God. The prophet Joseph Smith said: “We believe in the gift of the Holy Ghost being enjoyed now, as much as it was in the Apostles’ days. We believe that it [the gift of the Holy Ghost] is necessary to make and organize the Priesthood, that no man can be called to fill any office in the ministry without it; we also believe in prophecy, in tongues, in visions, and in revelations, in gifts, and in healings; and that these things cannot be enjoyed without the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Teaching of the Prophet Joseph Smith pg 243) The role of the third member of the Godhead is underestimated all too often. It is the function of the Holy Ghost to allow us to benefit from all blessings from God and most importantly the function of His priesthood and church upon the Kingdom of God on earth.

Moroni Chapter 3
The teachers and priests ordained in the church were done so in the same manner as today. Interesting to note is the admonition and priesthood responsibility “to preach repentace and remossion of sins through Jesus Christ, by the endurance of faith on his name to the end” (verse 3).

Moroni Chapters 4 and 5The Savior instituted the sacrament among the church here in America after his glorious resurrection. Moroni’s father, Mormon, had already addressed the symbolism of the sacrament emblems. Moroni and the Lord felt it important for there to be a record of the exact ordinance of the sacrament. He testifies this was the way the ordinance was performed when he starts both chapters with “The manner…” This was the manner the sacrament was both instituted by Jesus Christ and performed by the church. It is the same today. We received latter-day revelation which is consistent with “this manner” (see Doctrine and Covenants 20:76-79).
I was impacted by the sacrament prayers that we “witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father”. When we witness we “covenant”. It also came out in Gospel Doctrine class that the ordinance prayers refer to the “souls of all those who partake”. This connotes the eternal nature of the sacrament ordinance.
The sacred ordinance and covenant is that if we take upon us the name of Jesus Christ, always remember Him and keep the commandments, we will have His spirit, the Holy Ghost, to be with us always. See above comments from chapter 2 concerning the importance of the Holy Ghost.

Moroni Chapter 6
In this chapter Moroni begins by discussing baptism and the qualifications for entering the waters of baptism. Candidates were to bring “forth fruit” (verse 1) which were a “broken heart and a contrite spirit” and “witness unto the church that they truly repented of all their sins” (verse 2).
He then discusses the importance and purpose of record keeping. When a person was baptized “they were numbered among the people of the church of Christ”. This was so they can be “remembered and nourished by the good word of God”. This is to “keep them in the right way”, “continually watchful unto prayer” and “relying alone upon the merits of Christ” (verse 4).
This is considerably important in light of the direction given to us by President Gordon B. Hinckley in the April 1997 general conference: “With the ever-increasing number of converts, we must make an increasingly substantial effort to assist them as they find their way. Every one of them needs three things: a friend, a responsibility, and nurturing with “the good word of God” (Moroni 6:4). It is our duty and opportunity to provide these things.”
Moroni provides direction as to why we have our church meetings. The church met “together oft to fast and to pray, and to speak one with another concerning the welfare of their souls” and “to partake of bread and wine”. (verses 5-6) There was additional instruction and guidance given concerning church meetings in verse 9. The meetings of the church were “after the manner of the workings of the Spirit”. This directs us that all instruction, the topics of sacrament talks, the hymns we sing, the choice of who speaks, all should be the result of inspiration and direction from the Holy Ghost.
Moroni discussed the need of the church as a whole to “observe that there should be no iniquity among” the members. There are conditions set forth for the church to ensure the church as an institution. Rooting out evil has always been one of the responsibilities of the elders of the church in each dispensation. Those who misunderstand the role of discipline in the church fulfilling its three fold mission (perfecting the saints, proclaiming the gospel and redeeming the dead) may view excommunication, disfellowshipment, or other formal disciplinary efforts as unfair or punitive. Elder Theodore M. Burton noted that “the most loving action the Church can take at times is to disfellowship or excommunicate a person” (To Forgive Is Divine, Ensign May 1983, page 70). When deemed necessary through inspiration and direction from the Lord, these repentance processes can help the sinner fully realize the gravity of their sin. Imagine if there were no consequences for the sin? Could the sinner feel the repentance process and by extension the Atonement of Christ has been cheapened? This process also lifts the weight and responsibility of covenants they have made with God which they are having difficulty keeping. When they have partaken of the fruits of the Atonement, and tasted the sweet forgiveness available, they are changed- through the assistance of their priesthood leader, they can find their way back to the covenants they made.