This week’s “Come, Follow Me” study guide covers Enos through Words of Mormon, which includes Enos’ wrestle before God and Mormon’s explanation of his abridgment.
Following are a few quotes from past and present Church leaders and scholars about these chapters.
Enos
“My dear friends in Christ, you are doing much better than you think. Just keep working at it. Your children are watching, listening and learning. As you teach them, you will come to know their true nature as beloved sons and daughters of God. They may forget the Savior for a season, but I promise you He will never forget them! Those moments when the Holy Ghost speaks to them will persist in their hearts and minds. And one day your children will echo the testimony of Enos: I know my parents are just, ‘for [they] taught me … in the nurture and admonition of the Lord — and blessed be the name of my God for it’ (Enos 1:1).”
— Brother Jan E. Newman, second counselor in the Sunday School general presidency, October 2023 general conference, “Preserving the Voice of the Covenant People in the Rising Generation”
“Enos in the Book of Mormon is another model for my prayer of faith as I try to play my part in the continuing Restoration. Whatever your part will be, you could take him as a personal mentor.
“Like Joseph [Smith], Enos prayed in faith. He described his experience this way:
“’And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens.
“’And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed.
“’And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away.
“’And I said: Lord, how is it done?
“’And he said unto me: Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen. And many years pass away before he shall manifest himself in the flesh; wherefore, go to, thy faith hath made thee whole’ (Enos 1:4-8).
“The lesson that has blessed me is in these words: ‘Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen.’
“Joseph had faith in Christ to go into the grove and also to pray for release from the powers of Satan. He had not yet seen the Father and the Son, but he prayed in faith with all the energy of his heart.
“The experience of Enos has taught me the same precious lesson. When I pray with faith, I have the Savior as my advocate with the Father and I can feel that my prayer reaches heaven. Answers come. Blessings are received. There is peace and joy even in hard times.”
— President Henry B. Eyring, second counselor in the First Presidency, April 2020 general conference, “Prayers of Faith”
“Enos likewise shared his personal experience of the enlightenment that comes from contemplating the words of Christ. As Enos let the words that his father taught him regarding ‘eternal life, and the joy of the saints, [sink] deep into [his] heart,’ his soul ‘hungered; and [he] kneeled down before [his] Maker … in mighty prayer’ (Enos 1:3–4). In that prayer he came to know the Savior and learned that we have great worth, are loved and can be forgiven of our mistakes, and are truly children of God. …
“Just as Enos had his own time and place where the words of Christ touched his heart, the Lord will do His part to touch the hearts of those with whom we wish to share the gospel. Many of us may have felt discouraged when we tried to invite someone to hear the gospel because our desired result did not follow. Regardless of the outcome, the Lord invites us to open our mouth and share the gospel message with others.”
— Elder Takashi Wada, General Authority Seventy, April 2019 general conference, “Feasting Upon the Words of Christ”
“Did you know that Heavenly Father knows you personally — by name? The scriptures teach us that this is true. When Enos went into the woods to pray, he recorded, ‘There came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed’ (Enos 1:5). …
“You may not have heard the Lord call you by name, but He knows each one of you and He knows your name.”
— Sister Elaine S. Dalton, then the second counselor in the Young Women general presidency, April 2005 general conference, “He Knows You by Name”
Jarom
“Have you ever thought what it would be like to believe in the Savior before He came to earth? The ancient Nephites had to do just that — ‘look forward unto the Messiah, and believe in him to come as though he already was’ (Jarom 1:11).
“Nowadays, we have scriptural and historical records that testify that Jesus Christ lived, died and rose again. We believe in a Savior who already came. But we also believe in a Savior who will come again.”
— Joshua T. Dennis and Jessica Zoey Strong in the April 2024 For the Strength of Youth article “Believing in Christ Before He Comes Again”
“God not only sees me as waiting for promises now but also sees the effect of the fulfillment of those promises in eternity. While I do not have a husband or children on this earth at present, He sees me as a wife and mother. While I daily demonstrate human weakness and frailty, He sees me as a glorified, perfected being. And because He sees me in those eternal roles, I can look forward and live ‘as though’ (Jarom 1:11) those things have already come to pass.
“Living ‘as though’ requires believing that God is a promise keeper.”
— Lori Newbold in the February 2022 Liahona article “Living ‘as Though’ God’s Promises Have Been Fulfilled”
“Mormon said several times that his abridgment could not treat more than a fraction of the historical material found on the large plates of Nephi. How, then, did he make his selection of materials?
“His primary criterion comes through repeatedly in his book. The aim was to ensure that his readers, especially the future inhabitants of the American promised land and particularly Lehi’s descendants, grasp the significance for them of the promise and prophecy given to father Lehi: ‘Inasmuch as ye will keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land’ (Jarom 1:9).”
— John L. Sorenson, emeritus professor of anthropology at Brigham Young University, in the February 2016 Ensign article “Mormon’s Miraculous Book”
Omni
“The scriptures also enlarge our memory by helping us not forget what we and earlier generations have learned. Those who either don’t have or ignore the recorded word of God eventually cease to believe in Him and forget the purpose of their existence. You will remember how important it was for Lehi’s people to take the brass plates with them when they left Jerusalem. These scriptures were key to their knowledge of God and the coming Redemption of Christ. The other group that ‘came out from Jerusalem’ shortly after Lehi had no scriptures, and when Lehi’s descendants encountered them some 300 or 400 years later, it is recorded that ‘their language had become corrupted; … and they denied the being of their Creator’ (Omni 1:15, 17). …
“Today the Bible and other scripture are readily at hand, yet there is a growing scriptural illiteracy because people will not open the books. Consequently, they have forgotten things their grandparents knew.”
— Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2010 general conference, “The Blessing of Scripture”
“Sporadic and shallow dipping in the doctrine of Christ and partial participation in His restored Church cannot produce the spiritual transformation that enables us to walk in a newness of life. Rather, fidelity to covenants, constancy of commitment and offering our whole soul unto God are required if we are to receive the blessings of eternity.
“’I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved’ (Omni 1:26).
“Total immersion in and saturation with the Savior’s gospel are essential steps in the process of being born again.”
— Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2007 general conference, “Ye Must Be Born Again”
“Brothers and sisters, our Heavenly Father has reached out to us through the Atonement of our Savior. He invites all to ‘come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption’ (Omni 1:26). He has taught us that it is through our faithful adherence to gospel principles, through receiving the saving ordinances that have been restored, through continual service and by enduring to the end that we can return to His sacred presence. What possible thing in the whole world is remotely as important as to know this?”
— Then-Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2004 general conference, “The Atonement and the Value of One Soul”
“Amaleki spoke of offering ‘your whole souls’ to Jesus Christ (Omni 1:26). Brothers and sisters, the time is past when we can merely believe in this gospel; we must be passionate in our belief and in our commitment to Jesus Christ and His plan. We must know, unequivocally, that He is with us, that He will guide and direct us. In His name we shape our offering.”
— Sister Elaine L. Jack, then the recently released Relief Society general president, April 1997 general conference, “‘A Small Stone’”
Words of Mormon
“Drawing on the varied materials available to him, Mormon composed his history ‘according to the knowledge and the understanding which God’ had given him (Words of Mormon 1:9). Divine assistance was sometimes direct and specific, as when the Lord instructed him not to include a lengthier treatment of Jesus’ teachings to the Nephites (see 3 Nephi 26:6–12), but no indication is given that additional historical information was revealed to him.”
— John L. Sorenson, emeritus professor of anthropology at Brigham Young University, in the February 2016 Ensign article “Mormon’s Miraculous Book”
“Like Nephi and Mormon of old, ‘I do not know the meaning of all things’ (1 Nephi 11:17; Words of Mormon 1:7), but let me tell you what I do know.
“I know God our Heavenly Father lives and loves us. I know His uniquely special Son, Jesus Christ, is our Savior and Redeemer and the head of the Church, which bears His name. I know Joseph Smith experienced all that he has reported and taught with respect to the Restoration of the gospel in our day. I know we are led by apostles and prophets today. … I know we are all entitled to this knowledge, and if you are struggling, you can rely on the truthfulness of the testimonies you hear from this pulpit at this conference.”
— Elder Cecil O. Samuelson Jr., then a General Authority Seventy, April 2011 general conference, “Testimony”
“Many times I have experienced that ‘still small voice, which whispereth through and pierceth all things’ (Doctrine and Covenants 85:6). Following promptings has helped me to avoid disaster and temptation, guided me in directions and paths that I should go, and on many occasions, provided me with words and thoughts.
“Mormon said, ‘And I do this for a wise purpose; for thus it whispereth me, according to the workings of the Spirit of the Lord which is in me. And now, I do not know all things; but the Lord knoweth all things which are to come; wherefore, he worketh in me to do according to his will’ (Words of Mormon 1:7).”
— Elder Ronald T. Halverson, then a General Authority Seventy, in the August 2007 Ensign article “Obeying the Whisperings of the Holy Ghost”
