This week’s “Come, Follow Me” study guide covers Mosiah 4-6, which concludes King Benjamin’s teachings to his people.
Following are a few quotes from past and present Church leaders and scholars about these chapters.
Mosiah 4
“King Benjamin taught his people this important truth: ‘And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order’ (Mosiah 4:27).
“May we live our lives with order and seek to follow the sequence the Lord has outlined for us. We will be blessed as we look for and follow the patterns and the sequence in which the Lord teaches what’s most important to Him.”
— Elder Vaiangina Sikahema, October 2021 general conference, “A House of Sequential Order”
“Positive criticism is feedback given with the purpose of helping another person to grow and to develop. This is both helpful and needful and is generally accepted and appreciated.
“Negative criticism is intended to hurt and often to defame and to destroy. This caustic communication is cruel, and it tends to crush the character of all of those about whom it is directed. King Benjamin urged his people to ‘not have a mind to injure one another, but to live peaceably’ (Mosiah 4:13). We should surely follow this counsel and defend those who are defamed by these denouncements.”
— Elder L. Lionel Kendrick, October 1988 general conference, “Christlike Communications”
“Joy is knowing that through the atoning sacrifice of Christ we can receive a remission of our sins, even as King Benjamin taught. His people prayed in great humility, having asked for forgiveness of their sins. ‘The Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ’” (Mosiah 4:3).
— Sister Barbara W. Winder, then the Relief Society general president, October 1987 general conference, “Finding Joy in Life”
“Brothers and sisters, our challenge is the same as it always is when we have been taught correct principles. The challenge has been put well by an ancient prophet who said, ‘Now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them’ (Mosiah 4:10). We must not let the inner resolves we have made during this conference be forgotten as we return to the trials and tribulations and responsibilities of a workaday world, a world of turmoil and strife.”
— President Spencer W. Kimball, October 1980 general conference, “’Do Not Weary by the Way’”
“’And now,’ King Benjamin continued, ‘for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto you — that is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God — I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants’ (Mosiah 4:26).
“Is there any question, brothers and sisters, about our obligation in this program? Is there any doubt that retaining a remission of sins depends on our caring for one another? If we believe these teachings, if we profess to follow the Savior and His prophets, if we want to be true to our covenants and have the Spirit of the Lord in our lives, then we must do the things that the Savior said and did.”
— President Marion G. Romney, October 1980 general conference, “Welfare Services: The Savior’s Program”
Mosiah 5
“How can we determine what will be the normal things in our life and in our family? In the scriptures we find a great model; in Mosiah 5:15 it says, ‘I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works.’
“I love these words because we know that the things that become normal in our lives are those that we repeat again and again. If we are steadfast and immovable in doing good, our customs will be in accordance with the principles of the gospel and they will help us to stay on the covenant path.”
— Elder Rafael E. Pino, October 2022 general conference, “Let Doing Good Be Our Normal”
“King Benjamin taught that because of the covenants we make, we become sons and daughters of Christ, who has spiritually begotten us, and under His head are we made free, for ‘there is no other name given whereby salvation cometh’ (see Mosiah 5:7–8). …
“The doctrine of Christ helps us find and stay on the covenant path, and the gospel is so arranged that the Lord’s promised blessings are received through sacred ordinances and covenants.”
— Elder Adeyinka A. Ojediran, April 2022 general conference, “The Covenant Path: The Way to Eternal Life”
“Christ cannot help us if we do not trust Him; He cannot teach us if we do not serve Him. He will not force us to do what’s right, but He will show us the way only when we decide to serve Him. Certainly, for us to serve in His kingdom, Christ requires that we experience a change of thought and attitude.
“‘For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?’” (Mosiah 5:13).
— Elder Carlos H. Amado, April 2008 general conference, “Service, a Divine Quality”
“It is a privilege to stand before you and bear testimony of the Savior and His matchless life. He came to the earth to show us how to live the plan that was authored in heaven — a plan that, if lived, will make us happy. His example showed us the way to return home to our Heavenly Father. No other who has ever lived has been so ‘steadfast and immovable’ (Mosiah 5:15). He was never distracted. He was focused on carrying out the will of the Father, and He remained true to His divine mission.”
— Sister Elaine S. Dalton, April 2008 general conference, “At All Times, in All Things, and in All Places”
“The gospel of Jesus Christ encompasses much more than avoiding, overcoming and being cleansed from sin and the bad influences in our lives; it also essentially entails doing good, being good and becoming better. Repenting of our sins and seeking forgiveness are spiritually necessary, and we must always do so. But remission of sin is not the only or even the ultimate purpose of the gospel. To have our hearts changed by the Holy Spirit such that ‘we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually’ (Mosiah 5:2), as did King Benjamin’s people, is the covenant responsibility we have accepted. This mighty change is not simply the result of working harder or developing greater individual discipline. Rather, it is the consequence of a fundamental change in our desires, our motives and our natures made possible through the Atonement of Christ the Lord. Our spiritual purpose is to overcome both sin and the desire to sin, both the taint and the tyranny of sin.”
— Elder David A. Bednar, October 2007 general conference, “Clean Hands and a Pure Heart”
“I am profoundly grateful to know that regardless of any challenges that yet await us, there is hope and confidence in knowing that by keeping the covenants of the gospel, all of the momentary trials of life can be transcended. The scriptures teach us that all will eventually be well as we are faithful to our covenants. King Benjamin taught:
“’Because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ. …
“‘Therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives.
“’And it shall come to pass that whosoever doeth this shall be found at the right hand of God’ (Mosiah 5:7–9).”
— Elder Paul E. Koelliker, October 2005 general conference, “Gospel Covenants Bring Promised Blessings”
“In the midst of a troubling world, the foundations I rely on come by my covenants with the Lord. ... They are the restored principles and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ which are available to righteous women and men alike through the power of the holy priesthood of God. They include baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, the sacrament and temple covenants. These are the ways given to us and freely chosen by us to vouchsafe our eternal lives.
“’And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters’ (Mosiah 5:7).
“We are, then, because of his great love and because of our desire to be guided by his light, part of the family of Christ. Because of our covenants, we have protection from loneliness and alienation. Because of our relationship with Him, we can reflect light and tenderness to one another and we can possess our own souls eternally.”
— Sister Aileen H. Clyde, then the second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, April 1995 general conference, “Covenant of Love”
“King Benjamin said: ‘And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters’ (Mosiah 5:7).
“If, then, we understand that we are born again, having taken upon us the name of Christ, the big question is: Do we act like it?
“A saint is one who follows Christ in holiness and devotion. This is the commitment of a Latter-day Saint.”
— Elder Wm. Grant Bangerter, April 1987 general conference, “What It Means to Be a Saint”
Mosiah 6
“To ensure that the people understood his words and kept their covenants with God to keep His commandments, King Benjamin ‘appointed priests to teach the people, that thereby they might hear and know the commandments of God, and to stir them up in remembrance of the oath which they had made’ (Mosiah 6:3). In many ways, King Benjamin used all the technologies available to him in his day to gather his people, spread the good word of God and to reinforce the word. …
“Technology has blessed us with many new innovations to spread the message of the gospel through satellite systems, our own network website, television, radio, as well as the written text in our magazines and newspaper. All of these add to our delivery systems, which greatly increase our ability to receive the messages that are delivered.”
— Elder L. Tom Perry, April 2000 general conference, “‘Thou Shalt Give Heed unto All His Words’”
