The Savior continued, "A good tree cannot bring for evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." (Matthew 7: 16-20)
We believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. How shall we know that he is a prophet? By his fruits. The most important fruit of Joseph Smith is the Book of Mormon. In the Book of Mormon, the prophet Mormon expounded on the principle that "by their works ye shall know them" using the contrast of good and bitter fountains. "For behold, a bitter fountain cannot bring forth good water; neither can a good fountain bring forth bitter water; wherefore, a man being a servant of the devil cannot follow Christ; and if he follow Christ he cannot be a servant of the devil."
Mormon continued, "Wherefore, all things which are good cometh of God; and that which is evil cometh of the devil; for the devil is an enemy unto God, and fighteth against him continually, and inviteth and enticeth to sin, and to do that which is evil continually. But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God." (Moroni 7: 11-13)
The first thing to consider, either as prospective missionaries first read the Book of Mormon, or as their future investigators read it, is does the Book of Mormon invite and entice its readers to do good, to love God, and to serve him?
Early in the book, we read that the "right way" is to believe in Christ. Nephi, the first man to keep the record that would become the Book of Mormon, wrote, "I say unto you that the right way is to believe in Christ, and deny him not; and Christ is the Holy One of Israel' wherefore ye must bow down before him, and worship him with all your might, mind, and strength, and your whole soul; and if ye do this ye shall in nowise be cast out." (2 Nephi 25:29)
Nephi would later write, "And now, my beloved brethren . . . 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." (2 Nephi 33:10)
The second thing to consider is the promise given by Moroni, the last record keeper of the Book of Mormon. Moroni promised that if we ask God in the name of Jesus Christ, with a sincere heart, real intent, having faith in Christ, if "these things", the Book of Mormon, are not true, that God will manifest the truth of it unto us by the power of the Holy Ghost. "And by the power of the Holy Ghost," he said, "ye may know the truth of all things."
The prophet Joseph Smith was called by God to translate the Book of Mormon by the gift and power of God. God commanded Nephi and Mormon and Moroni to keep a record and to write the words of God. It is God, then, who gave us the Book of Mormon; Joseph Smith was his instrument in bringing forth the book in our day. Because Joseph was God's instrument, the Book of Mormon is considered to be a fruit of his labor. If the Book of Mormon persuades men to do good and to believe in Christ, and if it is the word of God, then Joseph Smith is a prophet of God.
President Gordon B. Hinckley said, "If the Book of Mormon is true, the Church is true, for the same authority under which this sacred record came to light is present and manifest among us today. It is a restoration of the Church set up by the Savior in Palestine. It is a restoration of the Church set up by the Savior when he visited this continent as set forth in this sacred record."
President Hinckley went on to say that, "If the Book of Mormon is true, the Bible is true. The Bible is the Testament of the Old World. The Book of Mormon is the Testament of the New. The one is the record of Judah, the other is the record of Joseph, and they have come together in hand of of the Lord in fulfillment of the prophecy of Ezekiel. Together they declare the Kingship of the Redeemer of the word, and the reality of his kingdom."
President Ezra Taft Benson called the Book of Mormon the "keystone of our religion," the "keystone of testimony," and said "Just as the arch crumbles if the keystone is removed, so does all the Church stand or fall with the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon." President Benson also counseled us to use the Book of Mormon in handling objections to the church:
"All objections, whether they be on abortion, plural marriage, seventh-day worship, etc., basically hinge on whether Joseph Smith and his successors were and are prophets of God receiving divine revelation. Here, then, is a procedure to handle most objection through the use of the Book of Mormon.
"First, understand the objection.
"Second, give the answer from revelation.
"Third, show how the correctness of the answer really depends on whether or not we have modern revelation through modern prophets.
"Fourth, explain that whether or not we have modern prophets and revelation really depends on whether the Book of Mormon is true.
"Therefore, the only problem the objector has to resolve for himself is whether the Book of Mormon is true. For if the Book of Mormon is true, then Jesus is the Christ, Joseph Smith was his prophet, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true, and it is being led to day by a prophet receiving revelation. Our main task is to declare the gospel and do it effectively. We are not obliged to answer every objection. Every man eventually is backed up to the wall of faith, and there he must make his stand."
Finally, Elder Richard G. Scott gave counsel that prospective missionaries can follow and then share with their investigators in the mission field: "Try reading the Book of Mormon because you want to, not because you have to. Discover for yourself that it is true. As you read each page, ask 'Could any man have written this book, or did it come as Joseph Smith testified?' Apply the teachings you learn. They will fortify you against the evil of Satan.
"Follow Moroni's counsel. Sincerely ask God the Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, with real intent, if the teachings of the Book of Mormon are true. Ask with a desire to receive a confirmation that the book is true. You will then know that Jesus Christ lives, that Joseph Smith was and is a prophet, and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord's Church. You will confirm that the Savior guides His Church through a living prophet. These truths will become a foundation for your productive life."
Benson, E. T. (1988). A Witness and a Warning: A Modern-Day Prophet Testifies of the Book of Mormon. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book.
Hinckley, G. B. (1959). Conference Report, October 1959.
Scott, R. G. (2003). Conference Report, October 2003.
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