Lessons for Our Day From the Book of Mormon Another Testament of Jesus Christ - 2024
Lesson No. Fourteen 

Born Again as the Children of Christ, His Sons and His Daughters - Mosiah 5:7

The Christian world often speaks about being “born again” – King Benjamin’s people diligently kept the commandments of the Lord. Therefore, he desired to give them a name whereby they would be distinguished from all other people (Mosiah 1:11). – Mosiah 2 – 4 teaches what we must do to be spiritually born again thereby becoming the children of Christ, his sons and his daughters:

- We must give service – By serving others we serve God. (Mosiah 2:16-17)
- We must be obedient – If we keep the commandments the Lord will “immediately” bless us (Mosiah 2:24), and our enemies will have no power over us. (Mosiah 2:31)
- We must “become as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love” (Mosiah 3:19) – We can never earn salvation by our own efforts. We are unprofitable servants because the cost the Lord paid for our redemption is more than we can ever repay. (Mosiah 2:20-21)
- We must live peaceably with no desire to injure other people in any way. (Mosiah 4:13)
- We must provide for our children, teach them the commandments of God, and to love and serve each another. (Mosiah 4:14-15)
- We must return anything and repay any money that we borrow. (Mosiah 4:28)
- We must watch our thoughts, and our words, and our deeds, and endure to the end. (Mosiah 4:29-30)

Mosiah 5 teaches us what it really means to be born again –

- The Spirit of the Lord will change our hearts, and we will not have a desire to do evil, but to do good continually. (Vs 2)
- Because of God’s goodness and the manifestations of His Spirit we will “have great views of that which is to come” (Vs 3). For king Benjamin’s people the mortal ministry and atoning sacrifice of the Lord was in the future, and for us it is in the past. Either way we can have “great views” and see with the eye of faith the Lord’s mortal ministry and His atoning sacrifice.
- Seeing the atonement of Jesus Christ with the eye of faith will result in “great knowledge” and “exceedingly great joy” (Vs 4).
- We will “enter into a covenant with our God to do his will, and to be obedient to his commandments in all things that he shall command us, all the remainder of our days…” (Vs 5).
- Because of this covenant we will be “called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, tis 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” (Vs 7).
- Because of the atonement of Christ we “are made free [from the bondage of sin]” and “there is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ…and “be called by the name of Christ” (Vs 8-9).
- We must “remember to retain the name written always in your hearts”. The way we remember Him is to serve Him and keep Him close in our thoughts and the intents of our heart. (Vs 12-13)
- If we are “steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, [then] Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, [will] seal [us] his, [and we will] be brought to heaven, [and we will] have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom and power and justice and mercy or him who created all things, in heaven and in earth, who is [Jesus Christ]. Amen” (Vs 15).

Conclusion – King Benjamin’s sermon has been preserved, for over 2,000 years, to teach us how to be spiritually born again and become “the children of Christ, his sons and his daughters. It also teaches us what this means to be born again and the eternal blessings that flow from it.

Testimony – I testify in the words of Elder David A. Bednar that “Every time we faithfully receive, review, remember, and renew sacred covenants, our spiritual anchors are secured ever more firmly and steadfastly to the ‘rock’ of Jesus Christ” (David A. Bednar, April 2024 General Conference).

By personal experience I know that the temple and the temple garment is a powerful and personal way to express our sincere desire to be spiritually born again as a child of Christ, His son or His daughter.

Released on May 19th. 2024.