Moroni 8

(My highlights in orange, my thoughts in blue 12/2020 red type 11/20 orange 8/21Brown 22-23)

The baptism of little children is an evil abomination—Little children are alive in Christ because of the Atonement—Faith, repentance, meekness and lowliness of heart, receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end lead to salvation. About A.D. 401–21.

  1 An epistle of my ^afather Mormon, written to me, Moroni; and it was written unto me soon after my calling to the ministry. Do we know when that was? And on this wise did he write unto me, saying:
  2 My beloved son, Moroni, I rejoice exceedingly that your Lord Jesus Christ hath been mindful of you, How do I have the Lord be mindful of me? and hath called you to his ministry, and to his holy work.
  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 ^bgrace, will keep you through the endurance of faith on his name to the end. Every parent's prayer...we can be "mindful" of others through prayer. We are "kept" by Christ through our own enduring faith on the name of Christ. Is that different than faith "in" His name?
  4 And now, my son, I speak unto you concerning that which grieveth me exceedingly; for it grieveth me that there should ^adisputations rise among you. I hate contention too!
  5 For, if I have learned the truth, there have been disputations among you concerning the baptism of your little children. I love this phrase. Allow for the possibility that what you have 'heard' is not correct.
  6 And now, my son, I desire that ye should labor diligently, that this gross error should be removed from among you; for, for this intent I have written this epistle. I wish the "gross errors" among the members of the church concerning the doctrines of Christ would be put down so clearly by our leaders. Maybe I can still do that as a parent with my own children...
  7 For immediately after I had learned these things of you I inquired of the Lord concerning the matter. And the ^aword of the Lord came to me by the power of the Holy Ghost, saying: The word of the Lord comes by the power of the Holy Ghost. Do we pray to the Father, and then He says, "Hear my Son on this matter" and the words of Christ come to us through the Holy Ghost? However, he says he prayed to the Lord and the word of the Lord came to him, and the next verse says the words are the words of Christ, so it sounds like he 'inquired' of the Lord. Is that different than prayer? Is "Lord" a reference to the Father as well? The important thing here, is that as soon as he learned of the confusion, he went to the Lord for clarity and then when he had the "word of the Lord by the power of the Holy Ghost" he could confidently declare it to others. THIS is the process of personal revelation and perhaps the meaning of "when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren". Why do our leaders not as easily attribute their words to the Lord by the power of the Holy Ghost? Some say we have to exercise faith, but did Moroni need to exercise less faith than we do? 
  8 ^aListen to the words of Christ, your Redeemer, your Lord and your God. Behold, I came into the world not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance; the ^bwhole need no physician, but they that are sick; Notice that Moroni can confidently quote the Lord. Now...that is what I'd love to hear the prophet say... wherefore, little ^cchildren are ^dwhole, for they are not capable of committing ^esin; wherefore the curse of ^fAdam is taken from them in me, that it hath no power over them; and the law of ^gcircumcision is done away in me.
  9 And after this manner did the Holy Ghost manifest the word of God unto me; He doesn't say the Lord spoke to him directly, but the Lord's words were revealed to him by the power of the Holy Ghost. How did he experience that? Thoughts in his mind? How did he know they were not his own words? wherefore, my beloved son, I know that it is solemn ^amockery before God, that ye should baptize little children.
 10 Behold I say unto you that this thing shall ye teach—repentance and baptism unto those who are ^aaccountable and capable of committing sin; yea, teach parents that they must repent and be baptized, and humble themselves as their little ^bchildren, and they shall all be saved with their little children.
 11 And their little ^achildren need no repentance, neither baptism. Behold, baptism is unto repentance to the fulfilling the commandments unto the ^bremission of sins.  Sounds like we are baptized to show our repentance and then we keep the commandments until the Lord sees fit to grant us a remission of our sins.
 12 But little ^achildren are alive in Christ, even from the foundation of the world; if not so, God is a partial God, and also a changeable God, and a ^brespecter to persons; for how many little children have died without baptism!
 13 Wherefore, if little children could not be saved without baptism, these must have gone to an endless hell.
 14 Behold I say unto you, that he that supposeth that little children need baptism is in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity; for he hath neither ^afaith, hope, nor charity; wherefore, should he be cut off while in the thought, he must go down to hell. Wow...just one wrong belief and you are considered to be in the "bonds of iniquity and the gall of bitterness"?
 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.
 16 Wo be unto them that shall pervert the ways of the Lord after this manner, for they shall perish except they repent. Behold, I speak with boldness, having ^aauthority from God; and I fear not what man can do; for ^bperfect ^clove ^dcasteth out all fear. I wish our leaders were talking this way in our current conditon. Speak boldly with authority from God. Declare that authority so we know you aren't speaking as a man. And then, fear not what man can do. Know that perfect love cast our all fear! Amen!
 17 And I am filled with ^acharity, which is everlasting love; wherefore, all children are alike unto me; wherefore, I love little children with a perfect love; and they are all alike and ^bpartakers of salvation. This is all you have to say...all children are alike. Stop dividing people into color or gender or whatever. 
 18 For I know that God is not a partial God, neither a changeable being; but he is ^aunchangeable from ^ball eternity to all eternity.
 19 Little ^achildren cannot repent; wherefore, it is awful wickedness to deny the pure mercies of God unto them, for they are all alive in him because of his mercy.
 20 And he that saith that little children need baptism denieth the mercies of Christ, and setteth at naught the ^aatonement of him and the power of his redemption.
 21 Wo unto such, for they are in danger of death, ^ahell, and an endless torment. It seems like a harsh judgment for a "belief". But at it's core, he says you are denying Christ if you believe you must baptize infants. There's your big "Wo" Catholic church... but what of all the "good" people who have "inherited" this lie? Why are they condemned? Mormon says they are without charity if they believe this and without charity you are nothing, even if you have done many good things in the name of Jesus... I speak it boldly; God hath commanded me. Listen unto them and give heed, or they stand against you at the ^cjudgment-seat of Christ.
 22 For behold that all little children are ^aalive in Christ, and also all they that are without the ^blaw. For the power of ^credemption cometh on all them that have ^dno law; wherefore, he that is not condemned, or he that is under no condemnation, cannot repent; and unto such baptism availeth nothing—
 23 But it is mockery before God, denying the mercies of Christ, and the power of his Holy Spirit, and putting trust in ^adead works.
 24 Behold, my son, this thing ought not to be; for ^arepentance is unto them that are under condemnation and under the curse of a broken law.
 25 And the first fruits of ^arepentance is ^bbaptism; and baptism cometh by faith unto the fulfilling the commandments; To be baptized? and the fulfilling the commandments bringeth  after baptism ^cremission of sins;
 26 And the remission of sins bringeth ^ameekness, and lowliness of heart; So you have to receive a remission of sins (Born again) to be meek? and because of meekness and lowliness of heart cometh the visitation of the ^bHoly Ghost, which
^cComforter  or is this when you are born again...
^dfilleth with hope and perfect ^elove, 
which love endureth 
by ^fdiligence 
unto ^gprayer, 
until the end shall come, when all the ^hsaints shall dwell with God.There you have the Doctrine of Christ!
 27 Behold, my son, I will write unto you again if I go not out soon against the Lamanites. Behold, the ^apride of this nation, or the people of the Nephites, hath proven their destruction except they should repent.
 28 Pray for them, my son, that repentance may come unto them. But behold, I fear lest the Spirit hath ^aceased ^bstriving with them; and in this part of the land they are also seeking to put down all power and authority which cometh from God; and they are ^cdenying the Holy Ghost. Are we guilty of putting down all power and authority from God and denying the power of the Holy Ghost? 
 29 And after rejecting so great a knowledge, my son, they must perish soon, unto the fulfilling of the prophecies which were spoken by the prophets, as well as the words of our Savior himself. 
 30 Farewell, my son, until I shall write unto you, or shall meet you again. Amen