The Virtue of the Word of God

One of the major themes of the Book of Mormon is the power of the word of God. Not only does the book begin with the story of Nephi and his brothers risking their lives in order to physically obtain the word of God, but the memorable visions Lehi and Nephi had shortly thereafter emphatically declare that we must hold fast to the word of God. As Nephi summarized the meaning of the iron rod to which the righteous did cling in the vision of the tree of life, “It was the word of God; and whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction” (1 Nephi 15:24). Mormon summed up the power of the word this way as he described Alma’s endeavors to preach to the people: “And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God” (Alma 31:5). Samuel the Lamanite gave evidence of this fact as he summarized the power the word had on those Lamanites who were converted: “And behold, ye do know of yourselves, for ye have witnessed it, that as many of them as are brought to the knowledge of the truth, and to know of the wicked and abominable traditions of their fathers, and are led to believe the holy scriptures, yea, the prophecies of the holy prophets, which are written, which leadeth them to faith on the Lord, and unto repentance, which faith and repentance bringeth a change of heart unto them” (Helaman 15:7). It wasn’t the sword of the Nephites that changed the Lamanites—it was the word of God that softened their hearts so that they would no longer even lift the sword.

                The contrast between the effect of the sword and the effect of the word of God is perhaps most markedly seen in the experience of the king of the Lamanites, the father of Lamoni. When he first met Ammon, the young Nephite defended himself with the sword and convinced the king through physical power to let them go and allow Lamoni keep his kingdom. The king pled in fear, “The king, fearing he should lose his life, said: If thou wilt spare me I will grant unto thee whatsoever thou wilt ask, even to half of the kingdom” (Alma 20:23). Out of the fear of the sword he submitted to Ammon, but there was no real change of heart. Later, as the effect of Ammon’s love towards Lamoni settled on him, the king started to turn to the Lord. And it was the word of God taught through Aaron that brought the king to his knees before the Lord. Mormon recorded, “And it came to pass that when Aaron saw that the king would believe his words, he began from the creation of Adam, reading the scriptures unto the king—how God created man after his own image, and that God gave him commandments, and that because of transgression, man had fallen. And Aaron did expound unto him the scriptures from the creation of Adam, laying the fall of man before him, and their carnal state and also the plan of redemption, which was prepared from the foundation of the world, through Christ, for all whosoever would believe on his name. And since man had fallen he could not merit anything of himself; but the sufferings and death of Christ atone for their sins, through faith and repentance, and so forth; and that he breaketh the bands of death, that the grave shall have no victory, and that the sting of death should be swallowed up in the hopes of glory; and Aaron did expound all these things unto the king.” Aaron not only read the scriptures to the king, but he also expounded them and taught the plan of redemption: the fall of man, the atonement of Christ, and the resurrection. He helped the king see and feel that he could “not merit anything of himself” and that only through Christ with faith and repentance could he be saved. As the word of God sank into his heart, the king cried out: “What shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which thou hast spoken? Yea, what shall I do that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day? Behold, said he, I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy” (Alma 22:12-15). With the power of the word of God in his soul, he was willing to give up all his earthly kingdom to be filled with the joy of salvation through Jesus Christ.

                Many other passages in the Book of Mormon highlight the power of the word of God to protect and bless our lives and lead us to salvation. In one of my favorites Mormon declared, perhaps in allusion to the vision of the tree of life, “Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked—And land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the right hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out” (Helaman 3:29-30). It is only in holding fast to the word of God that we can navigate the temptations and difficulties of this life and find our way back to our Father in Heaven. Whatever difficult battles we face in life, we must always turn first to the virtue of the word of God to see us through, to change our hearts and that of others, and to lead us to the love of God that is “desirable above all” (1 Nephi 8:12).