All good things come from God, and all evil from the devil. We have the power to judge right from wrong. It’s how we can know a truth is from God. It’s how I learned that the Book of Mormon is true.
Why do I always photograph green things? I dunno. I like nature a lot, I guess. XD
Alrighty! So, this is the third and final post i plan to do on Moroni 7, and I’ve saved this one for last. Kinda ironic, since it’s the first subject the chapter covers, but oh well! Today I’m gonna take a look at a lesson that really changed my whole view on the gospel itself: How we can know if something – anything at all – is good and of God, or evil and of the devil.
When I was first investigating the Church, this was critical for me to know. I used to be a nondenominational Christian, and it was a huge personal risk for me to look outside of that. I wasn’t in a place emotionally where I could’ve handled another doctrine-based betrayal; I had to know this was real, and of God, or I’d be in a bad way real fast.
Reading the Book of Mormon changed everything for me. When I first started reading the Book, I was beyond dubious, and it was only the Christlike example of my fiancé, Andrew, that gave me the courage to dare and try it. Long before I reached Moroni 7, however, the Spirit had already reassured me on the matter. It just felt right… I’d been raised, however, with the general premise that “that nonsense in the Garden of Eden” has made humans inherently bad. Therefore, we can’t trust our own judgment or desires, because we’re inherently evil at the core, and “trusting your heart” will just lead you into sin.
So, even after feeling the peace of the Spirit, I was still a little paranoid. Who was I, a lowly human, to believe I could tell right from wrong. Who was I, barely sane as I was, to judge that I wasn’t somehow being deceived by the devil? Those feelings faded pretty quickly as I read, but I still needed an answer to that question.
Finally, I hit Moroni 7, one of my all-time favorite chapters of the entire Book. And finally, I got the confirmation I needed. Moroni had perfectly put into words the things I needed to know.
“For behold, a bitter fountain cannot bring forth good water; neither can a good fountain bring forth bitter water; wherefore, a man being a servant of the devil cannot follow Christ; and if he follow Christ he cannot be a servant of the devil.” (Moroni 7:11)
This resonated with me on a powerful level. I never forgot how Matthew 7:20 and 3 Nephi 14:20 said “by their fruits ye shall know them.” I’d seen many fruits by that point, beautiful blessings from reading the Book. I was happier than I’d ever been in my entire life. Things just didn’t get me down anymore. The haze of sickness around my mind was swiftly fading away. I could pray to Heavenly Father. He’d actually answer me. And, I’d seen the loving example of my husband-to-be. Then came verses 13-18, to really seal the deal…
“But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God. Wherefore, take heed, my beloved brethren, that ye do not judge that which is evil to be of God, or that which is good and of God to be of the devil.
For behold, my brethren, it is given unto you to judge, that ye may know good from evil; and the way to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night.
For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God. But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him.
And now, my brethren, seeing that ye know the light by which ye may judge, which light is the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that same judgment which ye judge ye shall also be judged.” (Moroni 7:13-18)
This is something I deeply wish everyone understood. Heavenly Father has blessed us with the Light of Christ – our conscience, as many people would call it – to help us determine right from wrong, even when we have nothing else to go on. And even though a lot of people believe it’s often wrong, I find more often that we just ignore it. Think about it. We’re better at recognizing something dubious or shady than we often realize.
Have you ever heard someone tell you something they believed was true, and you got that feeling in your gut like something was wrong with this? Or maybe it didn’t even go that far. Maybe all you felt was that it made you feel unhappy, or hurt, or betrayed. I think of an example from my own life…when my parents would tell me to do something “because they said so.”
Even if their logic was perfectly sound, even when I knew it was, I hated it. The message I took from it was, “because I’m a child, my feelings are not worth as much as an adult’s.” After a while, I accepted that as an inevitable fact of life, but it hurt. It made me angry. It twisted my gut inside, every time I thought about it. Then I joined the Church. I learned that all God’s children are equal in his eyes, and even the youngest among us can contribute as an equal member. And that felt right. It didn’t hurt me to believe it. It didn’t force me to believe that God’s children should be second-class citizens until age 18. And it let me believe that God really can give truth, and wisdom, and a viable voice, to absolutely anyone.
More often than not, our conscience is far more accurate than we realize. From this, I’ve learned that whenever a supposed “truth” makes me feel this way, it means one of two things: Either something is wrong with that truth, or something is wrong with my understanding of it. It’s always one of the two. And when in doubt, well, that’s what prayer is for.
Everything that invites us to do good, and believe in Christ, is of God. Everything that invites us to sin, and to defy Christ, is of the devil. God has given us the power to tell the difference, and it’s as easy to tell good from evil as the day from night. That’s God’s gift to us. And once we’ve been given the Gift of the Holy Ghost, the Spirit’s presence more than makes up for any human errors. He won’t lead us astray. So long as we stay close to him, we’ll always choose the right, at the end of it all.
That’s how I know the Book of Mormon is true.
Thanks for reading, y’all! If you liked this post, go ahead and hit that little star button below; it really helps me know that my writing helps someone besides myself. And if you think your friends can benefit from it, go ahead and share it with all of them! Think there’s anything you can add to the conversation? Let me know in the comments below! I’d love to hear it. And keep reading, y’all! The scriptures just keep getting better, I tell ya! Keep on searching them! And have a good day. 😉
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