Moroni 7

Now I, Moroni, want to write down some of the words my father spoke about faith, hope, and charity. These represent some of the things that he taught the Nephite people in our synagogue, or place of worship:

“I, Mormon, speak to you by the grace and gift of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ. I speak to those of you who are peaceful followers of Jesus Christ and who rightfully hope to enter the kingdom of heaven.

“God has said that you will know good people by the good lives they lead. He has also said that an evil man can do no good. Any good that an evil man does, or prayers that he offers to God, don’t account for anything unless he does them with righteous sincerity. When an evil man gives something, he does so begrudgingly, and his gift counts for nothing before God. It is also counted as evil when a man prays without sincerity in his heart. Such prayers count for nothing with God. Evil men can do no good, and will receive no credit with God for their attempts. Just as a bitter fountain cannot give good water, or a good fountain cannot give bad water, a man who serves the devil cannot follow Jesus Christ, and a man who follows Jesus Christ cannot be a servant of the devil.

“All good things come from God, and all evil things come from the devil, because the devil is an enemy to God. He is always fighting against God, inviting and enticing men to sin. Likewise, God is always inviting and enticing men to do good. Everything that brings men to do good, and love God, is inspired by God. So be careful in your judgment not to confuse evil things as coming from God, or good things as coming from the devil. It is up to you to know and distinguish good from evil, and the way to judge is as simple as knowing daylight from the dark of night.

“The Spirit of Jesus Christ is given to every man so that he will know the difference between good and evil, and I will show you the way to judge for yourselves. Anything that invites you to do good and persuades you to believe in Jesus Christ comes as a gift with the power of Jesus Christ. By this power you will know with perfect knowledge that it is from God.

“Anything that persuades you to do evil, disbelieve in, or deny Jesus Christ, comes from the devil. This is how the devil works. By this you will know with perfect knowledge that it is from the devil.

“Now that you know how to judge the light of Jesus Christ, see to it that you don’t make any bad judgments. Because in the end, you will be judged with the same judgment that you have used. If you work diligently under the light of Jesus Christ to distinguish good from evil, and act accordingly, you will be counted as a child of Jesus Christ.

“How do you act in accordance with the good? This is where faith comes in, and I will tell you how to embrace the good. You see, God knows everything and he has sent angels out to minister to men, and tell them about the coming of Jesus Christ through whom all good things come. God also personally spoke through prophets, telling the people that Jesus Christ would come. In many different ways he told good people that the goodness of Jesus Christ was coming, and that without him, they would remain as they had fallen. Through the ministering of angels, and through the word of God, men learned to exercise faith in Jesus Christ. Through this faith they were able to embrace the good. This is how it was until the time when Jesus Christ came.

“After Jesus Christ came, men were still saved by faith in his name. Through faith, they became sons of God. As surely as Jesus Christ lived, he spoke these words to our ancestors, ‘Anything that you ask of my Father, in my name, that is good, and with faith that you will receive it, will be given to you.’

“Do you think that miracles have ended just because Jesus Christ has ascended to heaven to sit with God the Father and claim his rights to administer mercy to men? He has addressed the law of God, and has claimed that all of those who have faith in him may embrace good things. He is the advocate for men who lives in heaven. Do you think miracles have ended because of this? No. Nor have angels stopped ministering to men. These angels are subject to him, and minister according to his command. They show themselves to those who have strong faith and strong minds for godliness.

“The purpose of the angels’ ministry is to call men to repentance, to fulfill the promises of God the Father, and to prepare the way of God among men. The angels do this by declaring the word of Jesus Christ through their chosen vessels, so that they can bear their testimony of God. In this way God prepares the way for the rest of men to have faith in Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost within their hearts. This is how God the Father fulfills his promises to men.

“Jesus Christ has said, ‘If you have faith in me you will have the power to do whatever is necessary for me. Repent everyone, everywhere, and come to me. Be baptized in my name, and have faith that you will be saved.’

“If these things that I’ve spoken are true for you, and God shows you that they are true, have miracles really ended? Have angels stopped appearing to men? Has God withheld the power of the Holy Ghost from men? Or will God do so as long as the earth lasts and there is even one man left here to be saved? No. It is by faith that these miracles are performed. It is by faith that angels appear and minister to men. If miracles end, it will only be because people have stopped believing, and any more miracles are in vain.

“According to the words of Jesus Christ no man can be saved unless they have faith in his name. If miracles have ended, then faith has also ended, and the state of man would be beyond repair. It would be as if no redemption had ever been made. But I know better because I know that some of you have faith in Jesus Christ. I can see it in your meekness. If you didn’t have faith then you wouldn’t be counted as members of his church.

“I also said that I would speak to you about hope. How can you ever attain faith unless you also have hope? And what is it you should hope for? You should have hope, through the atonement of Jesus Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised into eternal life. You can hope for this because this is his promise, if you have faith. If a man has faith he also needs to have hope, but without faith, there is no hope. You cannot have both faith and hope unless you are meek and lowly of heart. Without this, hope is in vain, because nothing else acceptable to God.

“If a man is meek, lowly of heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he also needs to have charity. Without charity, he is nothing. Charity involves patience in suffering, being kind, not envying others, or being inflated with self-importance. Charity means not being easily provoked, absence of evil thoughts, and never taking pleasure in sinful behavior. Charity rejoices in truth, believes all things, hopes for all things, and perseveres through all things.

“Without charity you are nothing. So become charity without failure. This is the greatest thing of all. Charity is the pure love of Jesus Christ. It endures forever. Whoever possesses charity on judgment day will find that all is well.

“Pray to God the Father with all the energy of your heart that you may be filled with the love that he has given to everyone who is a true follower of his Son, Jesus Christ. Pray that you may become sons of God, and that when he appears to us, we will be like him. May we see him as he is. May we have this hope, and become as purified as he is pure.”