Teachings on Love: Mormon, John, and Paul

John wrote in his first general epistle, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God…. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (1 John 3:1-3).  This language is familiar to the Book of Mormon reader, for Mormon invited us in this powerful invitation: “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love… that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure” (Moroni 7:48).  The language in these two passages is very similar, both speaking of obtaining love from the Father, becoming the sons of God, seeing the Savior as He is and being like Him when He appears, and becoming purified as the Savior is. 

In the same chapter Mormon also famously described charity using 13 attributes: “And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth” (Moroni 7:45-46).  This is nearly the same language as Paul’s exhortations on charity who gave the same 13 attributes plus two more: “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).  Mormon also taught this about love: “I fear not what man can do; for perfect love casteth out all fear” (Moroni 8:16).  This is similar to another statement of John about love: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment” (1 John 4:18).  Mormon was writing on the other side of the world and over 300 years later than Paul and John, so how did he end up writing nearly verbatim some of the words of these early apostles?

I think there are several possible reasons why their language may have been the same.  First, these teachings may have been on the plates of brass and ancient writings available to Paul and John that are not now in our Old Testament.  Or, the Holy Ghost may have simply inspired Mormon to testify of these truths just as He had testified to Paul and John with the Lord inspiring Joseph to use the same language.  Similar language is found between the Book of Mormon and the King James Bible in numerous other passages as well, and I believe that these further one of the important missions of the Book of Mormon.  Nephi was taught, “These last records (i.e. the Book of Mormon and scriptures of the Restoration), which thou hast seen among the Gentiles, shall establish the truth of the first (i.e. the Bible), which are of the twelve apostles of the Lamb” (1 Nephi 13:40).  The Book of Mormon is meant to be a second witness of the truthfulness of the Bible, and so it is not surprising that there are passages with very similar language between the two.  A final explanation of how Mormon could have used the words of Paul and John is that John, who remained on the earth, my have visited Mormon.  We know that the Three Nephites, who were in the same physical state as John, visited Mormon (Mormon 8:11).  Mormon recorded about the Three Nephites, “If they shall pray unto the Father in the name of Jesus they can show themselves unto whatsoever man it seemeth them good” (3 Nephi 28:30).  Surely the same was true for John who was permitted to tarry, and he may have seen the need to visit and tutor Mormon with some of his and other teachings of the apostles of Palestine.  Whatever the reason, the second witness by Mormon of the teachings of love by John and Paul are a witness to their importance to us today—there is no other Christlike attribute more vital for us to develop than charity.