What does the Book of Mormon mean to YOU?

We are studying the Book of Mormon in Gospel Doctrine (Sunday School) this year, and this question was posed in class today. The teacher suggested we go home and think about it, and it seemed like a perfect blog post.

I can't possibly convey all my thoughts and feelings about the Book of Mormon. I may make other similar posts throughout this year as we continue through the Sunday School course. The most important thing to me is that I know that it is true, that it is another testament of Jesus Christ, and that it brings people--that it brings me closer to Christ.

Every Book of Mormon prophet, both before and after Christ's birth, testified of Jesus Christ and of His life and ministry. They testified of the atonement and of the resurrection. They testified that salvation comes only in and through the name of Christ. And yet these were ordinary men. Like Paul in the New Testament, several prophets in the Book of Mormon also turned from persecuting the Church of Christ to accepting, believing, and preaching the words of Christ. These men stand as examples to us, now, reminding us that though we are imperfect, we can come unto Christ, repent, and seek to follow Him, and that we can one day be perfected in Him.

The crowning event of the Book of Mormon is Jesus Christ's visit to the people of what we now know as the Americas. He came to them following His resurrection. He taught them, just as He taught the people in the Holy Land. He healed their sick. He blessed their children. He taught them to pray. He organized His Church among them.

What does the Book of Mormon mean to me? It means that Heavenly Father loves all of His children. It means that just as Jesus Christ organized His Church in the Holy Land, He also organized it among the people on the American continent, and He has restored His gospel to the earth in these latter days. The gospel of Jesus Christ is available to all people, regardless of race, gender, or economic position. God is no respecter of persons, so it seems only logical that He would extend the blessings of the gospel to all people who will accept it.

The Book of Mormon means that God has provided a way for me to come unto Him. He has made it possible for me to study and learn His word. He wants me to know that He sent His Son to atone for my sins. He wants me to share this knowledge. As I read and study and ponder the Book of Mormon, I invite the Holy Ghost to be a part of my life.

The Book of Mormon means that God has begun to gather scattered Israel, to prepare the world for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. I have faith that Christ was born in Bethlehem, ministered to the Israelites of His day, atoned for my sins, gave His life on the cross, and rose again the third day. I have faith that He manifested His resurrected body to His disciples in Israel as well as in the Americas. I have faith that He will come again in glory. I find great joy in this faith and knowledge.

This is what the Book of Mormon means to me: peace through the Spirit, joy in the redemption of mankind, the love of God, and a faith in Christ and a hope for things to come.

I bear testimony that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and that it will bring us nearer to God. I know it is true. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.