Moroni 8:15

For awful is the wickedness to suppose that God saveth one child because of baptism, and the other must perish because he hath no baptism.

The principle of agency is behind this doctrine that teaches against infant baptism. Those who cannot choose, either because of maturity, capacity, or duress, cannot be held accountable. The whole plan of salvation is based on agency. Where agency does not exist, accountability cannot exist, nor guilt. Therefore, little children must be innocent. How merciful is God's plan, for how many little children never get to choose and are therefore saved immediately in the Father's kingdom!

Moroni 8:3

I am mindful of you always in my prayers, continually praying unto God the Father in the name of his Holy Child, Jesus, that he, through his infinite goodness and grace, will keep you through the endurance of faith on his name to the end.

Mormon is an example of a father who prays for his children He prays always and continually for his righteous son. He prays that God will bless his son with grace (enabling power) and goodness (love and mercy) so that he can endure in faith. This father and son lived in a harsh, violent world. To stay true to Christ was not easy in their day. Our world is becoming increasingly harsh and violent, and staying true to faith in Christ is not easy for our children, either. If Mormon felt the need to pray for his son, surely we should feel the need to pray for our children.

Moroni 7:48

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.

True followers are consistent, steadfast and loyal. True, however, does not mean perfect. To follow Christ is a refining process in which we constantly strive to narrow the gap between ourselves and him, yet we are always behind him. I am a follower of Christ, of that there is no doubt, though my following is not always perfectly straight and unerring. Nevertheless, I am on the right path and headed in the right direction, and that is what counts.

Moroni 7:47

But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.

In this context, charity is not an action or an attitude, it is the pure love Christ has for each of us. His love is eternal. We must open ourselves to it and allow it to possess us and fill every fiber of our beings. When we are possessed by Christ's love, it will influence us in profound ways that will change our very natures. We won't have to worry about overcoming temptations and keeping the commandments and magnifying our callings, for those things will come naturally to us through Christ's grace. Living the gospel will not be a trial and a challenge, for it will be simply who we are. It will indeed be well with us at the last day, for we will be at peace with God and with ourselves.

Moroni 7:45

And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Charity is the description of the Savior. It is not a feeling or an action, but a way of being -- His way of being. Charity is not something we gain, but something we become.

Moroni 7:44

If so, his faith and hope is vain, for none is acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart; and if a man be meek and lowly in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he must needs have charity; for if he have not charity he is nothing; wherefore he must needs have charity.

Our conversion is not complete without charity. Faith and hope are of no value if they are not guided by charity. The natural outcome of faith and hope is charity, but charitable behavior works against our mortal nature. The natural man says he never has enough, and whatever he gives away diminishes him. Charity, however, operates on the economy of abundance. One who has charity believes he has enough and to spare, because he has faith that God is the source of all things, and he has the hope (expectation) that God will always provide from his infinite source of abundance. Thus, charity is the ultimate victory over the natural man and is the infallible consummation of our conversion.

Moroni 7:42

Wherefore, if a man have faith he must needs have hope; for without faith there cannot be any hope.

Faith leads inevitably to hope. Without faith we cannot have hope. With faith, hope is inescapable. How could we have abiding faith in Christ and not have an abiding hope in forgiveness,  redemption, resurrection, and exaltation? Such a paradox would be illogical and unsustainable.

Moroni 6:2-3

Neither did they receive any unto baptism save they came forth with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, and witnessed unto the church that they truly repented of all their sins. And none were received unto baptism save they took upon them the name of Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end.

The qualifications for baptism are a broken heart (godly sorrow), a contrite spirit (humility), repentance, taking the name of Christ (faith in Christ), and a willingness to serve (endure) to the end. These principles are the same through the ages because they are eternal. Only one way leads to salvation, and that is through Christ, his doctrine, his gospel, and his covenants, which we make through ordinances. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Moroni 3:4

And after this manner did they ordain priests and teachers, according to the gifts and callings of God unto men; and they ordained them by the power of the Holy Ghost, which was in them.

Assignments to serve in the Lord's church are called "callings" because God himself calls to us join him in his work. These calls to us from God come by way of revelation to authorized spokesmen who act under authority. They come to us as gifts from God. Commandments and opportunities to serve inspire us and lift us. They are designed not only to allow us to participate in the Lord's work and render essential service, but also to change and enrich us as we learn to serve as the Savior would serve.

Moroni 2:2

And he called them by name, saying: Ye shall call on the Father in my name, in mighty prayer; and after ye have done this ye shall have power that to him upon whom ye shall lay your hands, ye shall give the Holy Ghost; and in my name shall ye give it, for thus do mine apostles.

When Christ ordained his twelve special Nephite disciples, he gave them authority, but he added instructions that to exercise that authority with power, they had to pray.

Authority and power are  not synonymous. Authority is the right to do something; power is the ability to do it. We get our abilities from God. The enabling power of God is called grace. We must pray for grace, as we would for any worthwhile gift. God gives marvelous gifts, but only when we ask.

Neither can the asking be casual or occasional. The disciples, with all their authority and witness,  still needed to exercise "mighty prayer." Mighty prayer is the kind of prayer we offer when we know we are totally dependent on God's grace and no other help is available. In a mighty prayer we say, "Lord, it is you or nothing. I have nowhere else to go and no one else to lean on. Whatever you do is good, and so, give me whatever is good. Just don't  leave me alone."

Ether 12:41

And now, I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written, that the grace of God the Father, and also the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of them, may be and abide in you forever. Amen.

If we want to have God with us, we must seek him. He rarely sneaks up on us. We have to use our agency to search him out. The good news is that he is not hard to find. He is practically right out in the open for those who make the effort. He is a mystery only to those who do not want to know him. And when we find him, he gives us grace, which is the gift of enabling power. He enables us to stay with him so long as we keep seeking, keep trying, keeping choosing to believe.

Ether 12:34

And now I know that this love which thou hast had for the children of men is charity; wherefore, except men shall have charity they cannot inherit that place which thou hast prepared in the mansions of thy Father.

Charity is the love God has for us. Unless we have his love, we cannot be exalted with him. So, how do we accept his love? We obey him. "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." We reach the tree of life and partake of its fruit, which is his love. We reach the tree by following the strait and narrow path, with our hand firmly grasping the iron rod of revelation. When we come to him, his love takes effect in our lives. It is his love, as embodied in Christ and the atonement, that will save us and exalt us.

Ether 12:12

For if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, he showed not himself until after their faith.

The God of heaven, who has all power, who ignites stars and brings worlds into existence by speaking a word, who measures the heavens with the span of his hand and weighs the mountains in a balance, who sits on the horizon of the earth and views the children of men as grasshoppers, can do nothing if we do not let him. Our agency is sacred, and faith is a product of agency. If we do not see miracles in our lives, it is not because God lacks the power to perform them. We must looked inward, not outward, for the source of our lack.

Ether 12:11

Wherefore, by faith was the law of Moses given. But in the gift of his Son hath God prepared a more excellent way; and it is by faith that it hath been fulfilled.

The love of God is his greatest gift, and the coming of his Son is the ultimate expression of his love.

For those who think they can obey their way into heaven, the message is clear: obedience is insufficient without faith. Faith in Christ is the most excellent way to God.

Ether 12:4

Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.

Belief in God leads to faith, which leads to hope. The hope of our faith is to return to God and live with him forever. Such hope becomes an anchor that holds us fast to God. If we want to live with him in the better world to come, would we not want to do all we can in this life to draw close to him? Would we not want to be like him in every way we can, our mortal limitations notwithstanding? If so, then we would want surely to do his works, which are, of course, good works. If we are going to be comfortable in his presence, we must learn to do what he does, think what he thinks, and want what he wants. We do good things as a natural outcome of acquiring godly attributes. We do good works not so others think we are great but so they realize God is great.

Ether 11:8

And the people began to repent of their iniquity; and inasmuch as they did the Lord did have mercy on them.

Even a people doomed to destruction and in the death throes of their final struggles can repent and find mercy. Surely those of us who are at least trying to live righteously will receive mercy as well.

Ether 10:2

And it came to pass that Shez did remember the destruction of his fathers, and he did build up a righteous kingdom; for he remembered what the Lord had done in bringing Jared and his brother across the deep; and he did walk in the ways of the Lord; and he begat sons and daughters.

Once again we see that remembering is the key to righteousness. Those who remember what God has done are inclined to follow him. Those who ignore the past lapse quickly into wickedness. It is a theme repeated often in the Book of Mormon. Repetition signals importance. As often as the Book of Mormon writers admonish us to remember, they must have known how prone we are to forget, and they know first hand the results of forgetting. If we are to avoid the fate of both the Nephites and the Jaredites, we must learn the lesson of remembering

Ether 9:3

And the Lord warned Omer in a dream that he should depart out of the land; wherefore Omer departed out of the land with his family, and traveled many days, and came over and passed by the hill of Shim, and came over by the place where the Nephites were destroyed, and from thence eastward, and came to a place which was called Ablom, by the seashore, and there he pitched his tent, and also his sons and his daughters, and all his household, save it were Jared and his family.

Sometimes we stand and fight, and sometimes we run. The Lord will give us the right strategy. He told Lehi to flee, Captain Moroni to fight, and Lachoneus to hunker down. For now we are to stay in our homes, resist evil, and do our best to recognize and expose secret combinations. The day may come for us, however, when, like Omer, we will need to flee to escape the secret combinations that have gotten above us. Time will tell. The important thing is to watch the prophet.

Ether 8:16

And they were kept up by the power of the devil to administer these oaths unto the people, to keep them in darkness, to help such as sought power to gain power, and to murder, and to plunder, and to lie, and to commit all manner of wickedness and whoredoms.

In Satan's unending ploy to usurp God's power, he offers his followers his own brand of power. We access God's power through righteous covenants. Satan offers his followers power through unhallowed oaths. God's power enables us to serve him by serving his children. Satan's power enables his minions to serve him by enslaving and destroying God's children. The fruits of God's power are love, peace, and joy. The fruits of Satan's power are momentary pleasure followed by misery and destruction. The differences between the true power of God and the imitation power of Satan are obvious in the bright light of day.  But Satan does not work in the light. And to the impatient and prideful natural man in each of us, Satan's brand of power can be appealing. May we hold to the light and seek that power that lifts and ennobles and fits us for service in God's kingdom.

Ether 6:7

And it came to pass that when they were buried in the deep there was no water that could hurt them, their vessels being tight like unto a dish, and also they were tight like unto the ark of Noah; therefore when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters.

The Jaredites we're impervious to the waves and winds in their dish-like barges because they were prepared. When things got serious, they called on the Lord, who always brought them out of the emergency and the danger. Without the winds and waves, they wouldn't have progressed to the promised land. They would have been becalmed in the midst of the ocean. The ride might have been smoother, but they would have starved before they reached their destination. Being prepared and relying on God, we can weather the storms of life that make progress to the end of our mortal voyage.

Ether 6:3

And thus the Lord caused stones to shine in darkness, to give light unto men, women, and children, that they might not cross the great waters in darkness.

Christ is the rock of redemption and the chief cornerstone, which shines in the darkness of a fallen world so we do not have to navigate mortal life in the dark.

Ether 4:19

And blessed is he that is found faithful unto my name at the last day, for he shall be lifted up to dwell in the kingdom prepared for him from the foundation of the world. And behold it is I that hath spoken it. Amen.

The message of conditional salvation is repeated over and over. Salvation is a gift. We are lifted into heaven; we don't climb in on our own power. But the gift is given to those who are faithful. We don't have to be perfect, just true, constant, trustworthy keepers of covenants.

Ether 4:13

Come unto me, O ye Gentiles, and I will show unto you the greater things, the knowledge which is hid up because of unbelief.

What is not known generally or taught openly can be known privately when we get direct, personal revelation. The Lord does not keep secrets. He is willing to teach anyone who will come to him and ask. But we must be willing to believe what he reveals. To ask, receive, and then turn away brings condemnation.

Ether 4:12

And whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do good is of me; for good cometh of none save it be of me. I am the same that leadeth men to all good; he that will not believe my words will not believe me—that I am; and he that will not believe me will not believe the Father who sent me. For behold, I am the Father, I am the light, and the life, and the truth of the world.

The test of whether something is of God is whether it leads people to do good. The question we must answer is, what is good? It is good to have faith in the Father and the Son. It is good to love God with all our heart, might, mind and strength. It is good to love and serve others. It is good to keep the commandments. It is good to humbly accept the ordinances of salvation. Anything that leads us to do these good things and not resist the truth when we hear it is of God.

Ether 4:8

And he that will contend against the word of the Lord, let him be accursed; and he that shall deny these things, let him be accursed; for unto them will I show no greater things, saith Jesus Christ; for I am he who speaketh.

We argue against the word of the Lord when we reject the revelations of the prophets and refuse the prompting of the Holy Spirit. In such an attitude we are cursed by the natural vicissitudes of mortality without the help and strength of grace. God does not punish us, he simply withholds his help, and without it, life is much harder than it has to be.

Ether 3:19

And because of the knowledge of this man he could not be kept from beholding within the veil; and he saw the finger of Jesus, which, when he saw, he fell with fear; for he knew that it was the finger of the Lord; and he had faith no longer, for he knew, nothing doubting.

The definition of faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. Once we have seen, we no longer have faith, for we have prefect knowledge. Knowledge is wonderful, but it is also dangerous. Knowledge leaves no excuse. God could give everyone instant knowledge, but for those who are not ready for knowledge, it would bring instant condemnation. And so through faith we grow in knowledge until someday, when we are ready, knowledge becomes perfect.