Moroni seems to have carried a particular worry.
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We encounter it in his words to us which he engraved on the title page of the 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.”
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We see it in his first writings in Mormon chapter 8 …
“And if there be faults they be the faults of a man. But behold, we know no fault; nevertheless God knoweth all things; therefore, he that condemneth, let him be aware …” Mormon 8:17
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We see it in his heartfelt plea to Christ as he
recorded in Ether …
“And I said unto him: Lord, the Gentiles will mock at these things, because of our weakness in writing …” – Ether 12:23
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And again in Mormon 8 he wrote …
“And whoso receiveth this record, and shall not condemn it because of the imperfections which are in it, the same shall know of greater things than these …” – Mormon 8:12
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Moroni’s words reveal a persistent worry that his personal weaknesses and imperfections, and of those who had written before him, would make it difficult for you and me to receive the Book of Mormon and the restored gospel. I believe he worried that we would not be able to see past the human weakness of the Lord’s servants enough to see Christ working through them.
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Is it any wonder that Moroni pled with us …
“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 …” – Moroni 10:3
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Human fault and error have always been evident in the Lord’s servants.
Every prophet has suffered the awareness of his own shortcomings.
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When we encounter human weakness in the work … Perhaps it helps to remember that the Lord’s objective is not a flawless, smooth-running church organization where every program runs efficiently and no one has cause to question.
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The Lord’s objective is that we turn to Him so that we can grow and progress toward eternal life.
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Do we have enough faith to see past the human imperfections to see Christ in the Book of Mormon?
image source: “Moroni burying the plates” by Tom Lovell
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