Keywords

evil, wickedness, Christ's power to save, Atonement, Book of Mormon

Document Type

Article

Abstract

The Book of Mormon has a clearly stated purpose: “to the convincing of Jew and Gentile that JESUS IS THE CHRIST.”[1] Yet among its rich, Christ-centered content in the form of sermons, stories, themes, and illustrations, the book also frequently focuses on sin and its devastating results.[2] In fact, the text of the Book of Mormon contains over a thousand statements—almost two per page—that directly link some form of wickedness to a stated consequence. The book’s abundant use of this textual patterning—linking sin to its results— provides a wealth of data to further understand the valuable message of the Book of Mormon. This paper provides textual analyses of these conditional statements, showing how their frequency and descriptive detail offer effective warnings against sin. But, more importantly, their timing and context reveal an orchestrated use of these statements to contribute to the book’s primary purpose: to witness, convincingly, of the saving power of Jesus Christ as the solution to sin.