The Gift of the Holy Ghost Among the Nephites

At the end of the first day among the Nephites, the Savior gave power to His twelve disciples to give the gift of the Holy Ghost. Mormon recorded, “And it came to pass that when Jesus had made an end of these sayings, he touched with his hand the disciples whom he had chosen, one by one, even until he had touched them all, and spake unto them as he touched them. And the multitude heard not the words which he spake, therefore they did not bear record; but the disciples bare record that he gave them power to give the Holy Ghost” (3 Nephi 18:36-37). Moroni later wrote down the words that Jesus spoke as He gave them the power to confer the gift of the Holy Ghost: “Ye shall call on the Father in my name, in mighty prayer; and after ye have done this ye shall have power that to him upon whom ye shall lay your hands, ye shall give the Holy Ghost; and in my name shall ye give it, for thus do mine apostles” (Moroni 2:2). Thus they had the Melchizedek Priesthood and the power to bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost. One natural question is this: did the Nephites receive the gift of the Holy Ghost before the Savior came among them?  

               Scriptures outside the Book of Mormon suggest that the gift of the Holy Ghost was indeed given to the faithful before Christ’s coming. We read in the Pearl of Great Price: “But God hath made known unto our fathers that all men must repent. And he called upon our father Adam by his own voice, saying: I am God; I made the world, and men before they were in the flesh. And he also said unto him: If thou wilt turn unto me, and hearken unto my voice, and believe, and repent of all thy transgressions, and be baptized, even in water, in the name of mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth, which is Jesus Christ, the only name which shall be given under heaven, whereby salvation shall come unto the children of men, ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, asking all things in his name, and whatsoever ye shall ask, it shall be given you.” Subsequent verses speak of repentance and baptism of water, and Adam was indeed baptized by immersion in water. After that, “The Spirit of God descended upon him, and thus he was born of the Spirit, and became quickened in the inner man. And he heard a voice out of heaven, saying: Thou art baptized with fire, and with the Holy Ghost. This is the record of the Father, and the Son, from henceforth and forever” (Moses 6:50-52, 65-66). He received, it appears, the gift of the Holy Ghost at that point, showing that this gift was given from the beginning of man. Noah also taught this: “Believe and repent of your sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, even as our fathers, and ye shall receive the Holy Ghost, that ye may have all things made manifest; and if ye do not this, the floods will come in upon you” (Moses 8:24). I believe that was indeed the gift of the Holy Ghost that Noah was referring to, though the people clearly rejected the opportunity to be baptized and receive it. Another passage from modern-day revelation also highlights that the gift of the Holy Ghost was present before Christ’s coming: “Not only those who believed after he came in the meridian of time, in the flesh, but all those from the beginning, even as many as were before he came, who believed in the words of the holy prophets, who spake as they were inspired by the gift of the Holy Ghost, who truly testified of him in all things, should have eternal life” (Doctrine and Covenants 20:26). This suggests that the prophets before the meridian of time did have the gift of the Holy Ghost.

               Given this, I believe the Nephites must have had the gift of the Holy Ghost. Though it is not referenced nearly as much as baptism by water, a few passages do suggest that the Nephites received the gift of the Holy Ghost. Nephi referred to it when he gave this warning, “Yea, wo be unto him that hearkeneth unto the precepts of men, and denieth the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost!” (2 Nephi 28:26) Jacob similarly referenced it in a warning of his own: “Behold, will ye reject these words? Will ye reject the words of the prophets; and will ye reject all the words which have been spoken concerning Christ, after so many have spoken concerning him; and deny the good word of Christ, and the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, and quench the Holy Spirit, and make a mock of the great plan of redemption, which hath been laid for you?” (Jacob 6:8). Later Alma also referred to the gift of the Holy Ghost to the people of Ammonihah, warning them about the consequences of rejecting so many blessings from the Lord: “Having been visited by the Spirit of God; having conversed with angels, and having been spoken unto by the voice of the Lord; and having the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and also many gifts, the gift of speaking with tongues, and the gift of preaching, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, and the gift of translation” (Alma 9:21). Here he listed the gift of the Holy Ghost as one of several gifts that the Lord had given them. Though we do not have an account of people among the Nephites receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands before the Savior came among them, these passages suggest that it indeed was given to the faithful then even as it is now. Perhaps this invitation from Nephi is the strongest proof of that: “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism—yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel” (2 Nephi 31:13). His words highlight that we must work to “receive” the Holy Ghost in our lives so that we can indeed speak with the tongue of angels. The Nephites had that opportunity just as we do today if we will seek it.