In the 29th chapter of 2 Nephi, the Lord has a warning for people who don't accept the Book of Mormon saying, A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be anymore Bible!
How do we, as members of the Church of Jesus Christ, answer such questions? Why do we need the Book of Mormon? Joseph Smith said that the Book of Mormon contains the fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that we will get closer to God by observing its teaching than any other book. It is not the "Mormon Bible" as some people think. It is a companion scripture, written by descendants of Joseph from the House of Israel to read along side the Bible, as written by descendants of Judah. It is Another Witness of Jesus Christ. The Book of 3rd Nephi also could be called the 5th Gospel.
When people say, We have received the word of God, and we need no more of the word of God, for we have enough, (28:29) what they are in reality doing is limiting Heavenly Father's work of educating His children.
As both a parent and a professional educator, I know that when children are learning, they rarely, if ever grasp a new concept the first time they hear it. Children learning to read need to encounter a new word anywhere from 20 to 100 times depending on the child. And when it comes to learning a concept, that is impacted by many factors such as the child's age and stage of cognitive development. No effective teacher expects that a child will grasp a new idea immediately
We are no different. We are all at different levels of mental, emotional, and spiritual developmental stages. What I thought I knew and understood when I was 25 seems so limited and even naïve now that I am 3 times that age. I have studied the Book of Mormon since I was 18 and I still glean something new every time I revisit a section.
The Lord knows how we learn for He created us. He teaches to that leaning modality, which requires repetition, restatement, and clarification. We have to live with a concept and internalize it before we can claim even knowledge, much less wisdom. Nephi tells us: For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear to my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth will I give more. (2 Nephi 28:30) We need to not only hear His words, we need to do them. If we do not: if we, in our pride say, "I am smart enough to know it on my own," then we risk losing what we already have.
Why is it that some people who have had the light and have had a testimony born of the Spirit can later turn away and lose both light and testimony? That is a topic for another discussion. I mention it here just to point out that we are never to old or smart that we don't need constant refreshment from the Lord. It's as if my spiritual bucket is, in reality, more like a sieve. I fill it up on Sunday, but if I don't pray or read my scriptures or live as God has asked, everything will have leaked out and my bucket will never be filled. I also have no water to share with others who may be spiritually thirsty.
I love the Book of Mormon. It clarifies topics often obscure in the Bible. Nephi's commentaries on Isaiah are perfect examples. It describes the function of priesthood and the necessity of ordinances. It binds together the fate of the House of Israel and the importance of the gathering prior to Christ's Second Coming. It fills in the blanks between the Law of Moses and the Higher Law of Jesus Christ. It connects sacrifice to sacrament. It answers questions such as why does Paul mention baptism for the dead? Who was Melchizadek? Who was Enoch? Why did a loving God ask Abraham to sacrifice his own son? Those are just a few of the mysteries. I firmly believe that if every Bible reader would read the Book of Mormon, they would appreciate the Bible more - line upon line.
© February 2020 Dr. Kathleen Rawlings
Buntin Danielson
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