Tomorrow fellowships with people who cannot attend the Conference that starts October 25th can have them vote on the new modern English version of the Book of Mormon titled Covenant of Christ. The vote should be taken on this question: Do you have faith in these things and receive the scriptures approved by the Lord as a standard to govern you in your daily walk in life, to accept the obligations established by the Covenant of Christ as a covenant, and to use the scriptures to correct yourselves and to guide your words, thoughts, and deeds?

Those who have faith and agree to receive the Covenant of Christ, should be asked to please stand and say, “Yes.” The number should be counted.
Those who reject the Covenant of Christ, should next be asked to please stand and say, “No.” The number should be counted.

At the Conference the fellowship representative should report the numbers that voted for and against the acceptance to Paul Durham. Paul will make himself conspicuous at the Conference and will tally the totals before the Conference voting on Sunday Morning. Details about the Conference are available at this website link: Obtain a New Heart

Here is the public link to the Unity in Humanity Conference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85799490482

I anticipate this will be the final time I post the “Discuss” series on the Covenant of Christ. However, if it is approved by a vote in the October Conference I plan to teach from it. It is, in my view, a far more understandable and relevant text for the challenges we are facing in this generation. More so than in any time since the Book of Mormon was first published in 1830, the text addresses our contemporary circumstances in alarming detail.

As the text draws to an end, the final author invites us to ask God about its truthfulness. In the Book of Mormon it states: “And I seal up these records after I have spoken a few words by way of exhortation unto you.
“Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts. And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true. And if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, and he will manifest the truth of it unto you by the power of the holy ghost. And by the power of the holy ghost, ye may know the truth of all things. And whatsoever thing is good is just and true. Wherefore, nothing that is good denieth the Christ, but acknowledgeth that he is; and ye may know that he is by the power of the holy ghost. Wherefore, I would exhort you that ye deny not the power of God, for he worketh by power according to the faith of the children of men, the same today, and tomorrow, and for ever.” Moroni 10:1-2.

This includes words like “exhortation” and “exhort” and “denieth” and “acknowledgeth” and “worketh” which are rarely (if ever) spoken today. There are, of course, subcultures that may use some of these, but the vast majority of people whom the book is intended to warn not only do not use these words, they likely would need to look them up to determine what is meant. Unfortunately, today a spell-checker will red line the words “denieth”, “acknowledgeth” and “worketh” as misspellings.

This is unfortunate because it is one of the more important passages in the entire book. This invitation/challenge goes to the heart of the book. It might well be regarded as a critically important two paragraphs, essential to accepting the book as a message from God.

In Covenant of Christ it is put in these words: “After I give a few words of counsel to you, I’ll seal up these records.
“I would urge you that when you read these things, if it’s wisdom in God for you to read them, to remember how merciful the Lord has been to mankind, from the creation of Adam all the way down until you consider these things and ponder them in your hearts. When you consider these things, I would urge you to ask God the Eternal Father in the name of Christ: Aren’t these things true? And if you ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, He’ll reveal the truth of it to you by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost, you can know the truth of all things. Anything that’s good is righteous and true. Therefore nothing good denies Christ; on the contrary, it acknowledges that He exists. And you can know He exists by the power of the Holy Ghost. Therefore I would urge you not to deny God’s power — indeed, He works by power according to mankind’s faith, the same today, tomorrow, and forever.”

I have developed a deep appreciation for the candor and plain language of Covenant of Christ. It seems to penetrate my heart and mind in a familiar, kindly voice I recognize as coming from the Lord.

This same writer (Moroni) in the Book of Ether told readers this: “Now I’ll say farewell to the Gentiles, and to my people as well, whom I love, until we come face to face before Christ’s judgment seat, where everyone will know my clothes aren’t stained with your blood. Then you’ll know I’ve seen Jesus and He has talked with me face to face, and He told me about these things in plain humility in my own language, just as one person tells another.” Ether 5:8. When Covenant of Christ addresses us in our own current language, just like one person talks with another, it accomplishes the same thing our Lord did when He spoke with Moroni, the same thing He accomplishes when He speaks to anyone.

I not only welcome the new version of the Book of Mormon, I appreciate it beyond words. To me, it is evidence that our Lord cares for, and is reaching out to, our generation just as He has done before. We have an opportunity, as past generations were given the opportunity, to be gathered as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. It gives me hope.

I love the way the following words of Jesus Christ are stated in the Covenant of Christ. This is part of His teaching redirected to the audience following things spoken exclusively to His twelve disciples:

“Or who of you, if your child asks for bread, will give them a stone? Or if your child asks for a fish, will give them a snake? If you then, with all your faults still understand how to respond to your children’s requests, how much more does your Father who is in Heaven know how to respond kindly to things asked of Him? Therefore everything you expect others to do for you, do that for them, for that will satisfy the law and the prophets.
“You should enter through the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the road is vast that leads to destruction, and many enter through those; because the gate is narrow and the pathway tight leading to life, and very few find it.
“Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inside they’re ravenous wolves. You can identify them by their results. Can you gather grapes from thorns? Or figs from thistles? Likewise you know that every good fruit tree produces good fruit, but diseased trees produce diseased fruit. A good tree doesn’t produce bad fruit, neither does a diseased tree produce good fruit. Every tree that fails to produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by the fruit produced you can identify them.” 3 Ne. 6:8-10.

The language is clear and meaning unmistakable. Even with all our faults, we still know how to respond to our children’s requests. Christ reminds us that Father in Heaven knows how to respond kindly to our requests.

This world does have a wide gate beckoning us to enter through that accommodating entrance. And thereafter we also find the opportunities to walk in harmony with the world is indeed vast. There is no end to the variety of errors we are tempted to accept: our pride, ambition, jealousies, envies, foolishness, lusts, greed, impatience and ego are always eager to lead us astray.

A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things cannot produce the faith necessary for salvation. And so we are required to sacrifice our good name and reputation, to spend money to support our uncompensated efforts, endure the false accusations and continual slander from others, and to continually remember we are nothing but poor servants, and even if we serve well we only are doing our duty.

The Lord accomplishes a great deal through weak things. If we rely on Him then even our weak abilities can nevertheless accomplish His purposes. But it is a very tight pathway. It confines us. We are left with His assurance that it will turn out well in the end, but for us now it is enduring the opposition and criticism of this world.

I think the Lord asks us to walk in that challenging path in order to understand Him. Without sacrificing we cannot understand His life. Even when we sacrifice all things as He asks, we remain unprofitable and serve Him poorly, even with our best efforts. Nevertheless, the Lord still is able to accomplish His will, vindicate His promises, and fulfill His covenants. He has and is doing a marvelous work and a wonder!

Christ provided the marvelous warning for us to beware of false prophets who come to you dressed in sheep’s clothing. So they will be intent on the pretense of harmlessness. We cannot trust appearances because inside they’re ravenous wolves. They’re in it for themselves. They are a threat, even though they attempt to put on a show to appear benign.

So the Lord gives us a key to determine how to identify the wolves: You can identify them by their results. Where does their teaching lead you? Will it cause you to also sacrifice your good name and reputation, or soothe your ego? Does it lead you to help the poor and needy with your tithes and offerings, or is someone benefitting financially who is not in need?

Can you gather grapes from thorns? Or figs from thistles? Likewise you know that every good fruit tree produces good fruit, but diseased trees produce diseased fruit. A good tree doesn’t produce bad fruit, neither does a diseased tree produce good fruit. Every tree that fails to produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by the fruit produced you can identify them.

It circles back to the earlier part of His sermon in which we are taught: “[B]lessed are those who believe in your words and come down into the depths of humility and are baptized, since they will be visited with fire and the Holy Ghost and will receive a remission of their sins. Yes, God is with the poor in spirit who come to Me, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.
And also, God is with all those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
And God remembers the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
And God accompanies all those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled with the Holy Ghost.
And God loves the merciful, for they will obtain mercy.
And God blesses the pure in heart, for they will see God.
And God is with all the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.
And God is beside all those who are persecuted for being called by My name, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. And God stands with all of you when people revile, persecute, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, because of following Me, for you should all have great joy and be very glad, because a great reward awaits you in heaven; the prophets who lived before you were persecuted in the same way.”

He is WITH us, He REMEMBERS us, He ACCOMPANIES us, He LOVES us, He BLESSES us, He is BESIDE us, and He STANDS WITH us as we go through this life’s trials and challenges. But we are not spared from passing through the depths of humility, mourning, meekness, hunger, thirst (longing) for righteousness when we see so little evidence of it, showing mercifulness to the unmerciful, making peace with the un-peaceful and bitterly angry, persecution, reviling and evil lies because we do as the Lord asks to be done.

So if you want to harvest the good fruit, it comes at the price of facing the world’s opposition. We do get Him to be with us, to remember us, to accompany us, to feel His love, receive His blessing, know He is beside us, and finally to realize He stands with us. All of these are good fruit. But they are not easily harvested. They are gathered in a tight pathway after entering a narrow gate.

It is almost as if the contradiction between grapes and figs to be gathered seem pleasant and enjoyable, on the one hand. But on the other they are harvested by obedience to His requirements to endure this world’s opposition, and sometimes fierce condemnation.

In the end, however, we must conclude that if our religion does not require the sacrifice of all things it will never have power sufficient to produce the faith necessary for life and salvation. For from the first existence of man, the faith necessary for life and salvation never could be obtained without the sacrifice of all earthly things: it was through this sacrifice, and this only, that God has ordained for us to enjoy eternal life, and it is through the medium of the sacrifice of all earthly things that men do actually know they are doing the things that are well pleasing in the sight of God. When a man has offered in sacrifice all he has for the truth’s sake, not even withholding his life, and believing before God that he has been called to make this sacrifice because he seeks to do His will, he does know most assuredly that God does and will accept his sacrifice and offering, and that he has not nor will not seek His face in vain. Under these circumstances, then, we can obtain the faith necessary to lay hold on eternal life. It is absolutely vain for us to fancy ourselves to be heirs with those, or can be heirs with them, who have offered their all in sacrifice, and who by this means obtained faith in God and favor with Him so as to obtain eternal life, unless we in like manner offer unto Him the same sacrifice, and through that offering obtain the knowledge that we are accepted of Him.

If we follow the Lord’s teaching we can actually, literally, and even physically realize His promise to be with us, and stand beside us. Then all doubts will flee from us and our faith is supplanted by knowledge.

I love the text of Covenant of Christ. It resounds with words of eternal life, because Christ’s words are truth, His words are spirit. They bring with them the power of redemption because, when we recognize them as His, we then have Him speaking directly to and with us.

Last post began comparing two versions of the same materials. Here is how the Book of Mormon originally read in that last post: “I say unto you, it is well that ye are cast out of your synagogues, that ye may be humble and that ye may learn wisdom; for it is necessary that ye should learn wisdom. For it is because that ye are cast out — that ye are despised of your brethren because of your exceeding poverty — that ye are brought to a lowliness of heart; for ye are necessarily brought to be humble.” Alma 16:24

Here is how the same thing is stated in Covenant of Christ: “I tell you: It benefits you to have been kicked out of your synagogues, to humble you so you can learn wisdom; because wisdom must be learned. It’s because you’re rejected and despised by others in your community, due to your great poverty, that you’re humble of heart. You’ve been forced to be humble.”

Compare: “I say unto you, it is well that ye are cast out of your synagogues,” with “I tell you: It benefits you to have been kicked out of your synagogues,” and ask if one is more clear than the other. Clearly “I say unto you” does not sound like we talk with one another today. “I tell you” conveys the same information in familiar language in use today. As the sentence continues, “it is well that ye are cast out of your synagogues” is an obtuse way to convey an idea for any modern average reader. How might an average reader interpret this? Is it clearly stated? Does it become any more clear when put: “It benefits you to have been kicked out of your synagogues,”

As it continues we read: “For it is because that ye are cast out — that ye are despised of your brethren because of your exceeding poverty — that ye are brought to a lowliness of heart; for ye are necessarily brought to be humble.” It is an awkward structure with an insert interrupting the sentence flow. Does its contents communicate clearly to your mind as you read it? Is it improved when restated: “It’s because you’re rejected and despised by others in your community, due to your great poverty, that you’re humble of heart. You’ve been forced to be humble.”

Both versions contain the identical content, but one is in language foreign to modern speech. It separates the reader by the language, whereas the restatement could be something you would hear said today.

Covenant of Christ speaks to a reader today in words used in everyday conversation. That is its purpose. That is what it accomplishes. Its value for the youth in particular cannot be overstated.

There is a thought that is almost lost in the Book of Mormon that leapt off the page to me as I read Covenant of Christ. That rather profound thought is that “wisdom must be learned.” It is acquired through hard experience, and therefore learned.

Here is how the Book of Mormon originally includes the principle: “I say unto you, it is well that ye are cast out of your synagogues, that ye may be humble and that ye may learn wisdom; for it is necessary that ye should learn wisdom. For it is because that ye are cast out — that ye are despised of your brethren because of your exceeding poverty — that ye are brought to a lowliness of heart; for ye are necessarily brought to be humble.” Alma 16:24

Here is how the same thing is stated in Covenant of Christ: “I tell you: It benefits you to have been kicked out of your synagogues, to humble you so you can learn wisdom; because wisdom must be learned. It’s because you’re rejected and despised by others in your community, due to your great poverty, that you’re humble of heart. You’ve been forced to be humble.”

Compare “for it is necessary that ye should learn wisdom” with “because wisdom must be learned.” In the original the statement can be read as limited, by pointing only to the audience being addressed at that moment by Alma. A reader may well think that the principle does not apply to them. But in the modern English rendering, it is clear that the restatement includes the reader, and the necessity of learning wisdom is universal.

The rest of that passage is likewise stated more simply, clearly and in fewer words. As a young lawyer I was asked by the corporate president I worked for to write up a joint-venture agreement between his and his brother’s corporations. I put together what I considered an ironclad agreement, covering every contingency, resulting in a contract of some 34 pages. When I proudly presented it to the president, he didn’t even read it before telling me to redo it in two pages. I thought he was asking me to do something so ill-advised that I wrote a memo protesting, before reworking it into two pages.

What I didn’t understand as a young lawyer, that I would later learn through years of litigating contract disputes, is that the more language in a contract that can be disputed, the more disputes will result. The clearest agreements are more often short, using few words, leaving very little for clever lawyers to parse apart and quibble over meanings. I have observed that the longer the agreement, the more likely it is that an ambiguity or contradiction can be found for the parties to fight over.

Reading the same lessons stated in fewer words sharpens and improves the message in Covenant of Christ. It is more understandable. Understanding that book is critical for our salvation, because it is intended to save us from our sins by teaching us repentance and faith on Jesus Christ, baptism, and receiving the Holy Ghost.

The Covenant of Christ rendering, provided to us through the mercy and grace of Christ, clarifies what He intended as His message for us today. It is a personal message from our Lord to us today.

The vote to accept or reject the Covenant of Christ will be taken at the conference on Sunday, October 27th by those who are in attendance. But voting will not be confined to the conference attendees, as we now have instruction that allows us to have a vote taken the prior Sunday, October 20 in individual fellowships. This is the procedure to follow for that fellowship voting:

The fellowship is to vote on this question: Do you have faith in these things and receive the scriptures approved by the Lord as a standard to govern you in your daily walk in life, to accept the obligations established by the Covenant of Christ as a covenant, and to use the scriptures to correct yourselves and to guide your words, thoughts, and deeds? 

Votes should be taken in the fellowship at a meeting on October 20 by asking those in favor to stand and say “Yes” followed by asking those who are opposed to stand and say “No”. Both the votes for and against should be counted and the names of those who voted taken down in the fellowship meeting. A representative of the fellowship should attend the conference on the following Sunday, October 27 to have their numbers added to the final vote tally. That representative should bring the names of all those who voted in the fellowship meeting on October 20.

The conference vote will be taken using the same words to ask the same question, and also asking those who are in favor to stand and say “Yes” and those oppose to stand and say “No”. The Book of Mormon/Covenant of Christ in both versions explain what “the voice of the people” means. It requires a majority vote. This is different from the definition of “mutual consent” and therefore if a majority votes either in favor or against the acceptance, that will define what will be done about Covenant of Christ, and will inform the Lord of our willingness or unwillingness to accept the text as His covenant language for our use.

I would hope that no-one would vote without having read the text in its entirety to acquaint themselves with the material.

We have a sermon by Abinadi in the Book of Mosiah that presents an interesting way to understand the content of both the Book of Mormon and Covenant of Christ.

I’m going to quote a passage, first as it appears in the Book of Mormon, then as it appears in the Covenant of Christ. Before doing this, I want you to consider exactly what we are reading.

This is a sermon spoken by Abinadi, which he never wrote down. In his talk, Abinadi is quoting from an earlier prophet named Isaiah. Whether this was an actual quote or just a paraphrase of Isaiah by Abinadi is not clear from the text. But Abinadi attributes the content of this part of his sermon to Isaiah.

A listener named Alma heard it and would later record what he recalled of the talk. Whether Alma consulted with the Isaiah text as he wrote down Abinadi’s earlier sermon, or repeated from memory what he remembered of Abinadi’s words, we have no way of knowing.

Then hundreds of years later the account Alma recorded was summarized in an abridged account by Mormon. He explained that he used Alma’s record to make that abridgment.

Then the abridged account was translated “by the gift and power of God” through Joseph Smith. This, then, is how Abinadi’s reference to Isaiah was remembered by Alma, summarized by Mormon, and translated by Joseph Smith:

“Yea, even doth not Isaiah say, Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He hath no form nor comeliness, and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men — a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from him. He was despised and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. All we, like sheep, have gone astray — we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all. He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter; and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment. And who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living; for the transgressions of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death. Because he had done no evil, neither was any deceit in his mouth; yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief.
When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed; he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied; by his knowledge shall my righteous Servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong — because he hath poured out his soul unto death, and he was numbered with the transgressors, and he bare the sins of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” Mosiah 8:3-5.

Using the Book of Mormon as a starting point, and with the assistance of Jesus Christ who first provided the prophecy to Isaiah and also assisted Joseph Smith with his translation, the Covenant of Christ restates this same material in this way:

“Of course, doesn’t Isaiah say: Who believes what we’ve heard? Who’s heard the Lord’s revelation? For He’ll grow up with His favor like a lively vine springing from the desert ground. He has no rank or position deserving respect, and when we notice Him, there’s nothing about Him to please us. He is despised and rejected by men — a man of sorrow and familiar with disease. And we turned our faces away, ignoring Him. He was despised and thought to be of no value. Yet it was our sickness He took upon Himself, our suffering He endured.
He suffered for our sins, healed our sickness; was punished for our iniquities, bearing our guilt to completely restore us. We all strayed like sheep, wandering off — each one going their own way; and the Lord has imposed on Him the guilt belonging to us all. He was oppressed and submitted, without complaining; like a lamb brought to be slaughtered, and as a ewe is silent while they shear her, so He endured without opening his mouth. He was condemned by an unjust judgment. There were none who defended Him. For He was slain as a sacrifice for the transgressions of My people, who deserved the punishment. He died with the wicked, and was buried with the rich. Though He had done no evil, nor had He declared anything untrue; but the Lord was content with His offering; satisfied with His healing.
After He made himself a sin offering, He’ll inherit offspring, obtain eternal life, and vindicate God’s promises. He’ll see His sacrifice and will be satisfied; by the understanding He gains the righteous Servant will make many others righteous, for He’ll remove their iniquities. Therefore I intend for Him to inherit multitudes, and His triumph will endow Him eternally — because He submitted willingly to death, and He was regarded as a sinner; but instead, He took on other’s guilt while making intercession for sinners.”

It is worth reading both versions. The question is: Does the language used in Covenant of Christ help you to understand the text? For me, the answer is “yes” and I’m grateful to the Lord for it.

A website is now live for the upcoming October conference. It is linked here: Obtain a new heart

During the conference a vote will be taken about the new Covenant of Christ version of the Book of Mormon. I would hope those who elect to attend would read the entire text before the vote is taken.

The vote will follow the Lord’s instruction: “have the voice of the people determine if they will accept it as my Covenant.”

The vote will answer this question (which is the same language as when in 2017 a conference voted on accepting the Book of Mormon) with “Covenant of Christ” added in place of the “Book of Mormon”: Do you have faith in these things and receive the scriptures approved by the Lord as a standard to govern you in your daily walk in life, to accept the obligations established by the Covenant of Christ as a covenant, and to use the scriptures to correct yourselves and to guide your words, thoughts, and deeds? This is consistent with the Lord’s instruction: “Once the voice of the people has been heard, if they accept it let it be your Covenant version to guide you.”

Accepting Covenant of Christ does not remove the Book of Mormon as accepted scripture. As we were instructed by the Lord: “No one should be forbidden from using the earlier text, nor compelled to use only one of these two, but if approved by their vote it will be your Covenant text to guide you.” The “earlier text” mentioned here is the Book of Mormon. Approving it will allow us to use it as an authoritative text in the same way as other scriptures to guide our words, thoughts and deeds.

After a half-century of reading, studying and teaching the Book of Mormon I had no real appreciation for how focused its text was. Covenant of Christ has changed my view entirely. The text is not just focused, but it was tightly composed to deliver a very specific warning to the present generation.

The “war chapters” which seemed almost superfluous before, are a clearly integral part of the prophecy. All of the destruction included in the narrative are to illustrate how destruction awaits us if we fail to worship the God of this land, who is Jesus Christ.

The Lord sent Alma to Ammonihah to preach repentance. The people not only rejected his message, but they also then killed his converts and burned the believers’ scriptures. Shortly afterward, they were destroyed. “Lamanite armies entered the outskirts of the land from the wilderness side, coming right into the city of Ammonihah, where they began to kill the people and destroy the city. Before the Nephites could raise an adequate army to drive them from the land, they had killed the people in the city of Ammonihah, as well as some in the outskirts of Noah, taking others as prisoners and left into the wilderness.” Alma 11:1-2. Their destruction was surgical. The attack was focused, limited, and resulted in only the loss of Ammonihah. Other cities visited by Alma and in which there were believing converts were spared.

The account of Ammonihah is included in the text, like all the other accounts of violence, death, enslavement and deliverance, to warn us by the example of what the Lord has done before. We are foolish to ignore the plain message to us in Covenant of Christ.

The death cult now meeting in Chicago continues their war against children, encouraging the slaughter of the unborn. To interfere with God’s plan for mankind to bear children to replenish the earth, they offer free vasectomies and abortions during their national celebration of the power to destroy life. Interestingly, their convention’s first day repeatedly celebrated and encouraged killing unborn children as part of their appeal for continuing political power. They believe the voice of the people will sustain this continuing slaughter by voting to elect their death cult into office.

Amulek was a resident of Ammonihah, and prior to Alma’s return to the city he was selected by an angel to help Alma. Amulek described his call to support Alma: “The angel told me: He is a holy man. I know he’s a holy man because God’s angel said it. I also know the things he’s testified about are true. I tell you as the Lord lives, He absolutely sent His angel to reveal this to me, and He’s blessed my house while this man named Alma has been there. Indeed, God has blessed my household: me, the women of my family, my children, my father, and my relatives.” Alma 8:3.

Amulek acknowledged the Lord’s blessing on his own father and family. But despite this, when he left Ammonihah, “Amulek left behind all his gold, silver, and valuables in Ammonihah for God’s word, and was rejected by those who were once his friends, as well as by his father and family.” Id., 10:16. Those members of his family whom the Lord blessed still rejected the invitation to repent. They would be included in those destroyed in Chapter 11.

Although the Book of Mormon has been available for nearly two centuries, converting it into modern English makes this generation directly accountable for its warning. You do not need to have any ability to parse middle English from the time of Shakespeare, nor to have any familiarity with King James era language. Its message is a warning to you, today.

The LDS version of the Book of Mormon often interferes with understanding the text. The funeral sermon given by Jacob following the death of his older brother, Nephi, is divided by the LDS Book of Mormon into chapters that disrupt the continuity of his message.

Nephi was approximately 20 years older than Jacob. Nephi married a wife before Jacob was born in the wilderness. Because he was older, Nephi was the undisputed community leader until his death.

Jacob assumed the role of the priestly/prophetic leader upon his older brother’s death. It is clear that Jacob saw their community had drifted into serious sin, and on the occasion of Nephi passing he attempted to correct those lapses.

In Covenant of Christ, the entire funeral sermon is in a single, undivided chapter. That Chapter 2 begins with: “The words Jacob, Nephi’s brother, spoke to the Nephites following Nephi’s death.” (Paragraph 1) The sermon ends with: “This concludes what I said following Nephi’s death. Now I Jacob spoke many more things to the Nephites, warning them against fornication and adultery, the inciting of lust, and every kind of sin, explaining to them their awful consequences. And not even one percent of the doings of this people, who are now becoming numerous, can be written on these plates.” (Paragraph 13)

In this sermon Jacob condemned greed, failing to care for the needy, and taking plural wives. The portion of the sermon dealing with plural wives in the Book of Mormon reads this way: “Wherefore, thus saith the Lord: I have led this people forth out of the land of Jerusalem by the power of mine arm, that I might raise up unto me a righteous branch from the fruit of the loins of Joseph. Wherefore, I, the Lord God, will not suffer that this people shall do like unto them of old. Wherefore, my brethren, hear me and hearken to the word of the Lord: For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife, and concubines he shall have none; for I, the Lord God, delighteth in the chastity of women. And whoredoms are an abomination before me; thus saith the Lord of Hosts. Wherefore, this people shall keep my commandments, saith the Lord of Hosts, or cursed be the land for their sakes. For if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me I will command my people otherwise they shall hearken unto these things. For behold, I, the Lord, have seen the sorrow and heard the mourning of the daughters of my people in the land of Jerusalem, yea, and in all the lands of my people, because of the wickedness and abominations of their husbands. And I will not suffer, saith the Lord of Hosts, that the cries of the fair daughters of this people, which I have led out of the land of Jerusalem, shall come up unto me against the men of my people, saith the Lord of Hosts. For they shall not lead away captive the daughters of my people because of their tenderness, save I shall visit them with a sore curse, even unto destruction. For they shall not commit whoredoms like unto them of old, saith the Lord of Hosts. And now behold, my brethren, ye know that these commandments were given to our father, Lehi. Wherefore, ye have known them before, and ye have come unto great condemnation, for ye have done these things which ye ought not to have done.”

In Covenant of Christ this portion of the sermon now reads: “The Lord says: This people are beginning to increase in iniquity; they don’t understand the scriptures, trying instead to excuse themselves in committing whoredoms because of what’s written about David and his son Solomon. Indeed, David and Solomon had many wives and concubines — something offensive to Me, says the Lord. Therefore the Lord says: I led this people from the land of Jerusalem by My power so I could make from Joseph’s offspring a righteous branch that will follow Me. Therefore I won’t let this people do like others did in the past. So, my people, listen to me and hearken to the Lord’s word: No man among you is to have more than one wife — and he is not to have any concubines. I the Lord God delight in women’s chastity and prostitution is an abomination to Me — says the Lord of Hosts. Therefore this people must keep My commandments, says the Lord of Hosts, or the land will be cursed on their account. For in My Wisdom I will have covenant people, says the Lord of Hosts, whom I’ll command and lead, and they will hearken to this commandment to have only one wife. I the Lord have seen the sorrow and heard the sobbing of the daughters of My people in the land of Jerusalem, and elsewhere in My people’s lands, because of the wickedness and abominations of their husbands. The Lord of Hosts says: I won’t let the cries of the beautiful daughters of this people, whom I’ve led out of the land of Jerusalem, come up to Me against the men of My people, says the Lord of Hosts. They’re not to mislead the daughters of My people — because of their kind, gentle nature — and use their vulnerabilities to subjugate them. If they do this I will chastise them even destroy them if needed, because I’ve commanded them not to commit whoredoms like others did in the past, says the Lord of Hosts. Now, my brothers and sisters, you know these commandments were given to our father Lehi; so you are familiar with them. And you’ve come under great condemnation, since you’ve violated what you were taught.”

In this portion of his sermon, Jacob reminds his people that their father, Lehi, was the one who gave the command to have only one wife. That command was being obeyed by the Lamanites, but not by the Nephites. At the funeral sermon Jacob acted immediately upon assuming the role of the priest/prophet to reaffirm the commandment, and to denounce the sin.

We have no real ability to reconstruct whether Nephi’s age and infirmity prevented him from addressing this problem in the final years of his life. Whatever may have provoked this lapse into disobedience, when Nephi died his brother immediately took up the subject to reform his people. That first sermon of Jacob, following the death of Nephi, is one of the most important clarifications given to us in Covenant of Christ. Whatever mistakes may have been made in the past, we now have a clear clarification to guide us away from this serious error.

The Book of Mormon explains that it is an imperfect record containing errors. That point is made at the very start of the record, and then again at the end of Mormon’s abridgment, as bookends for the book of prophecy. Here are those two acknowledgements of the record’s flaws. They are stated below, first in the language of the Book of Mormon, then secondly in the language of the Covenant of Christ:

Dedication text: Book of Mormon: “And now, if there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God, that ye may be found spotless at the judgment-seat of Christ.” [As changed by the LDS church’s version of the book, because they did not like the original way Joseph Smith translated it. What follows is the way in which Joseph Smith originally translated as the dedication.] “And now if there be fault, it be the mistake of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God, that ye may be found spotless at the judgment seat of Christ.”

Contrast that with the newly restated language in Covenant of Christ: “If there are any errors, they are human mistakes. That being the case, do not condemn the things of God, so you can be found spotless at Christ’s judgment seat.”

Then we have both an acknowledgement and a description of how some of the miscommunication happened in Mormon 4:11:

Book of Mormon: “Condemn me not because of mine imperfection, neither my father because of his imperfection, neither them who have written before him. But rather, give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been. And now behold, we have written this record according to our knowledge, in the characters which are called among us the reformed Egyptian, being handed down and altered by us according to our manner of speech. And if our plates had been sufficiently large, we should have written in the Hebrew; but the Hebrew hath been altered by us also. And if we could have written in the Hebrew, behold, ye would have had none imperfection in our record.”

Covenant of Christ: “Don’t condemn me because of my imperfection, or my father because of his imperfection, or those who have written before him, but rather give thanks to God that He has shown you our imperfections, so you can learn to be wiser than we’ve been. We’ve written this record, according to our knowledge, in characters we call reformed Egyptian, handed down and adapted by us to fit our speech. If our plates had been large enough, we would have written in Hebrew; but the Hebrew characters have been adapted by us as well. If we could have written in Hebrew, however, there wouldn’t have been any miscommunications in our record.”

These statements (and others) in the record were taken into account as the modern English restatement was accomplished. If the original authors acknowledge and explain their weakness, then it would be counter to the authenticity of the record to smooth everything into flawless language, complete sentences, and perfected punctuation. The original has very difficult grammar and sentence structures, often with interrupting clauses that make it very difficult to follow. In dealing with the text it was unnecessary to remove and correct all that. Instead there was a single focus: Make it understandable.

The text has been transferred into modern English that an average reader of the language today will understand. The objective was clarity, understandability and comprehension. NOT reforming it into exemplary prose.

If you accept the original as an authentic prophetic message from inspired writers in the past, whose record nevertheless has flaws, then the modern English restatement will mirror that same record in a way that equips you to understand its message.

The record advises us to consider its message, not its flaws. That is perhaps even more important for us who have Covenant of Christ to read: Consider carefully its message, not any real or imagined flaws that you notice.

While I worked on Covenant of Christ, there were passages that were very difficult for me to understand. So much so that I would highlight them and move on, then return later to grapple with the text.

An example of this kind of difficulty that I had to spend time studying to understand is the passage below from Helaman 4:11 “And may God grant, in his great fullness, that men might be brought unto repentance and good works, that they might be restored unto grace for grace according to their works. And I would that all men might be saved.” This was written by Nephi, son of Helaman who was the son of Helaman, Alma the Younger’s son. I’ve read that passage for half-a-century. Probably have see it over a hundred times. But it never stood out to me until Covenant of Christ.

To understand the text I had to go back to the earlier text materials he wrote just prior to this, as well as the materials that he wrote afterward. This particular passage is a critical part of his overall message. It is a wonderful insight into how God dealt with his people, and in turn how God will deal with the Gentiles who receive the warnings in this book of scripture.

The believers in Nephi’s day fell into errors, forgot God, needed to be reminded to repent, and suffered punishment to bring them back to remember God. The Lord inflicted them with punishment, violence, slavery and death from time to time in order to motivate them to remember Him.

Nephi was keenly aware of what is required to let hard-hearted people return and repent. His account portrays these difficult circumstances as part of the necessary things to save people. In this difficult to understand text he is saying that he hopes, no matter what it requires, that God will take the steps needed to get people to repent and return.

Here is how that passage now reads in Covenant of Christ: “And may God in His infinite wisdom do whatever is required for mankind to be led to repent and do good works, so they can be restored to grace for grace based on their works. I want all mankind to be saved.”

If you read Covenant of Christ and compare it with the Book of Mormon, you will find that the book now addresses our condition, need to repent and accept Christ, and the danger of rejecting faith in Christ more clearly and understandably. Young people who are less able to understand 1600s English language will be particularly benefitted from reading this new version.

Perhaps the greatest clarification in Covenant of Christ comes from the Lord reaffirming His role as the Second Comforter. In the King James Version of the New Testament, in the 14th Chapter of the Gospel of John, the Lord referred to the Holy Ghost as “the Comforter.” He promised to send the Holy Ghost to His disciples upon His departure to comfort them. But He also refers to His own continuing willingness to also visit them: “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” (KJV John 14:18.) I’ve written about the reality of this promise by the Lord in the book The Second Comforter: Conversing With the Lord Through the Veil.

The Lord’s Sermon at Bountiful is similar to the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew. In the newly restated Sermon at Bountiful, the Lord provides us the way He wants us to understand His greatest sermon. Traditionally His message has been stated as “Blessed are…” while describing the difficulties His followers are to face in this world. But in Covenant of Christ He reaffirms and reasserts His role as the Second Comforter. He wanted it stated in these newly clarified words:

“[B]lessed are those who believe in your words and come down into the depths of humility and are baptized, since they will be visited with fire and the Holy Ghost and will receive a remission of their sins. Yes, God is with the poor in spirit who come to Me, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.
And also, God is with all those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
And God remembers the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
And God accompanies all those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled with the Holy Ghost.
And God loves the merciful, for they will obtain mercy.
And God blesses the pure in heart, for they will see God.
And God is with all the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.
And God is beside all those who are persecuted for being called by My name, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. And God stands with all of you when people revile, persecute, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, because of following Me, for you should all have great joy and be very glad, because a great reward awaits you in heaven; the prophets who lived before you were persecuted in the same way.” 3 Ne. 5:11-19.

Here the Lord is telling us of His immediate and accessible presence: He is WITH us, He REMEMBERS us, He ACCOMPANIES us, He LOVES us, He BLESSES us, He is BESIDE us, and He STANDS WITH us as we go through this life’s trials and challenges.

It took three days for the Lord to teach me about this specific sermon before I was able to render His message in this newly clarified manner. The Sermon is His. And may His name be praised for what He has done to clarify and explain His meaning to us. More than any previous generation we have the ability to see how the Lord wants to not only connect with us, but how He asks us to accept and recognize His presence as we pass through the ordeals of life.

Of all the great clarifications given by the Lord in Covenant of Christ, His restatement of His meaning for us in this greatest of sermons is perhaps the gift I prize most.