Book of Mormon: My Personal Witness

by Eric Kotter, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (“Mormon”), Eric is a student at BYU-Idaho studying communications.

Book of Mormon, EricThe Book of Mormon is a volume of ancient scripture which testifies of Jesus Christ’s teachings. It is an account of Christ’s words as given to ancient prophets who lived on the American continent. The Lord spoke to these prophets just as He did to Moses, Abraham, or other Biblical prophets.

As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I first learned about the Book of Mormon when I was a child. I’ve read from it with my family and by myself. As I’ve studied its pages, I found that it helps me be more at peace with my life. Its teachings have brought me closer to Jesus Christ. I feel the Savior’s love for me when I read it; I feel a special strength and comfort that helps me face the challenges of each day.

The most important thing the Book of Mormon, this sacred volume of scripture, has done for me is bring me closer to Jesus Christ. As I seek to live the teachings within its pages, I find much peace. It has helped me have more love for those around me, especially my family members. For example, there is one passage of scripture in which Jesus Christ is preaching to an ancient people called the Nephites.  In this passage, He talks about avoiding contention with one another: Christ teaches that this is not His way. In my own family, we have arguments from time to time. These arguments destroy or injure the peace and love in our home. As I seek to love my family members, be considerate of them, and communicate with them in a calm way–applying the teachings of the Savior in this book–I have much more peace and love for them. This is a testimony to me that the Book of Mormon is true.

A prophet in the Book of Mormon named Nephi said,

And now, my beloved brethren, and also Jew, and all ye ends of the earth, hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should do good (Book of Mormon: 2 Nephi 33:10 ).

It is by the Lord’s Spirit, the Holy Ghost, that I have gained a witness that the Book of Mormon is a true. As I knelt in prayer to ask the Lord if the Book of Mormon is true, He has blessed me with the same peace I feel when I read it and when I live by its teachings. By that Spirit, I know it is true. I know that if we sincerely want to know the Book of Mormon is true, we can ask God, and he will tell us.