Hand in Hand, Together

Dear Reader,


There is a song that I love called "Hand in Hand Together." It is a song written by Janice Kapp Perry back in 2001 about how the Book of Mormon and Bible work together to testify of the Savior and the gospel. I wanted to go into detail about something that I actually know about. Well, at least I knew a lot about it at one point in time. I have lost sight of it a little bit in recent days. That topic is the validity of the Book of Mormon.

For those of you who don't already know the story, the Book of Mormon has roots in Jerusalem, dating back to 600 b.c. It is the record kept by people who left Jerusalem and traveled to America. The Book goes through about a millennium of wars, prophecies and other events. After being buried, the record found its way into the hands of Joseph Smith, Jr, a boy living in New York during the 19th century. Most of this is explained in the introduction of the Book of Mormon. There are a couple of paragraphs that I want to focus on from this introduction, though.

"We invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then to ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ if the book is true. Those who pursue this course and ask in faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost. (See Moroni 10:3–5.)

Those who gain this divine witness from the Holy Spirit will also come to know by the same power that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, that Joseph Smith is His revelator and prophet in these last days, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord’s kingdom once again established on the earth, preparatory to the Second Coming of the Messiah." (Book of Mormon, Introduction)

In other words, everything within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints rests on the Book of Mormon. Joseph Smith, Jr. was a prophet of God or he wasn't. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the restored church of Jesus Christ or it is just another church in the world. Either Christ is the son of God or he isn't. All of it depends on the truth of the Book of Mormon. If the Book of Mormon is true, then all the above statements are true. If the Book of Mormon is not true, the rest of those statements become false and I have wasted a good portion of my life. 

But I haven't. 

It is a simple process to figure out whether the Book of Mormon is true. I have gone through the process to find out for myself. To find out that the Book of Mormon is true, read it! After reading it, ask God if the things written in the Book of Mormon are true. It is as simple as that. If you read with a real desire to know and then ask God, he will let you know by the spirit that the Book of Mormon is true, thus making the rest of what has been said here true. The spirit interacts differently with everyone, but you will know it when you feel it. Read the Book of Mormon and ask God about it. 

I will leave you with one interesting insight and my testimony. I have talked with hundreds of people about the Book of Mormon. Of all the people I know who have read it, not one can outright say that it is false. There are people who have read the Book of Mormon who don't agree with the Church of Jesus Christ, but not one of them can deny that the Book of Mormon is true. I know the Book of Mormon is true. With that knowledge comes my certainty that Jesus Christ has his Church on earth today. I know that we have prophets who speak with God today. I know that Jesus Christ lived and died with the sole purpose to help all of us prepare to live with God again. 

Is the Book of Mormon true? Go read it and find out.