As a teenager, I grew up in an area where there was a strong Christian community that was sometimes unfriendly toward members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I was occasionally questioned about my religious beliefs by my peers in ways I perceived to be hostile. One of the questions I was most frequently asked was why my church had “added” to the Bible when the book of Revelation specifically forbids doing so.[1] The insinuation seemed to be that Christians had the Bible and that was enough, but Latter-day Saints discounted the Bible, as though the Bible and the Book of Mormon were in competition.

My experience was not unique. In 2007 Elder M. Russell Ballard said, “Many of you have had the experience of hearing people say that ‘Mormons are not Christians because they have their own Bible, the Book of Mormon.’ To anyone harboring this misconception, we say that we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior and the author of our salvation and that we believe, revere, and love the Holy Bible. We do have additional sacred scripture, including the Book of Mormon, but it supports the Bible, never substituting for it.”[2] In fact, the Bible and Book of Mormon are not in competition; rather, they support each other.

Although there are many different aspects to the relationship between the Bible and the Book of Mormon,[3] the purpose of this chapter is to identify what the Book of Mormon itself says about Bible, surveying its teachings sequentially from Nephi to Moroni. As we shall see, the Book of Mormon is quite positive about the Bible, and at both the beginning and end of the Book of Mormon, readers are expressly told that a key purpose of the Book of Mormon is to instill belief in the Bible.

Teachings from Nephi and Lehi

The first reference to something akin to “the Bible” comes in 1 Nephi 3:3, in which Lehi tells Nephi, “Laban hath the record of the Jews and also a genealogy of my forefathers, and they are engraven upon plates of brass.” We later learn that the brass plates contained “the five books of Moses, which gave an account of the creation of the world, and also of Adam and Eve . . . ; and also a record of the Jews from the beginning, even down to the commencement of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah; and also the prophecies of the holy prophets, from the beginning, even down to the commencement of the reign of Zedekiah; and also many prophecies which have been spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah” (5:11–13). After searching the records, Nephi wrote that “they were desirable; yea, even of great worth unto us, insomuch that we could preserve the commandments of the Lord unto our children” (v. 21). Nephi later tells readers that the brass plates contained Isaiah’s words (see 19:22–23; 22:1).

Thus far, this description sounds very similar to our current Old Testament. We also learn that the brass plates contained additional writings not in our Old Testament, such as writings from Joseph of Egypt (see 2 Nephi 4:1–2), Zenos and Zenock (see 3 Nephi 10:16–17). The idea that the brass plates contained more information that our current Old Testament is made explicit in a message given to Nephi by an angel.

First Nephi 11–14 records that Nephi had a panoramic vision of the centuries to come. He saw the birth and death of Christ as well as the Savior’s ministry to Nephi’s descendants. He also saw the destruction of his people and how the descendants of Laman and Lemuel “dwindled in unbelief” (12:23). Nephi then records the following:

I looked and beheld many waters; and they divided the Gentiles from the seed of my brethren. . . . The angel said unto me: Behold the wrath of God is upon the seed of thy brethren. And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles, who was separated from the seed of my brethren by the many waters; and I beheld the Spirit of God, that it came down and wrought upon the man; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land. . . . I beheld the Spirit of God, that it wrought upon other Gentiles; and they went forth out of captivity, upon the many waters. And it came to pass that I beheld many multitudes of the Gentiles upon the land of promise. . . . I, Nephi, beheld that they [the Gentiles] did prosper in the land; and I beheld a book, and it was carried forth among them. And the angel said unto me: Knowest thou the meaning of the book? And I said unto him: I know not. And he said: Behold it proceedeth out of the mouth of a Jew. And I, Nephi, beheld it; and he said unto me: The book that thou beholdest is a record of the Jews, which contains the covenants of the Lord, which he hath made unto the house of Israel; and it also containeth many of the prophecies of the holy prophets; and it is a record like unto the engravings which are upon the plates of brass, save there are not so many; nevertheless, they contain the covenants of the Lord, which he hath made unto the house of Israel; wherefore, they are of great worth unto the Gentiles. (1 Nephi 13:10–14, 20–23)

Thus, Nephi sees groups of Gentiles (apparently from Europe) coming to the Western Hemisphere. In particular, he notices that these people have a book with them. This book is of such significance that the angel specifically points it out, describing to Nephi both what it does and does not contain. This “record of the Jews” contains the covenants of the Lord and is specifically compared to the brass plates. Although this record is “like unto” the material contained on the brass plates, the book Nephi sees in his vision is missing some of the prophetic teachings contained in the brass plates. Nevertheless, this book is “of great worth” (v. 23). Context makes it clear that the book Nephi sees is in fact the Bible.[4]

Nephi next learns some of the history of this book. The angel tells Nephi that “the book proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew; and when it proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew it contained the fulness of the gospel of the Lord, of whom the twelve apostles bear record; and they bear record according to the truth which is in the Lamb of God. Wherefore, these things go forth from the Jews in purity unto the Gentiles, according to the truth which is in God” (vv. 24–25).[5]

Unfortunately, the process of transmission was not perfect. The angel told Nephi that after the twelve apostles would take the book from the Jews to the Gentiles, there would be a “formation of that great and abominable church, which is most abominable above all other churches; for behold, they have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious; and also many covenants of the Lord have they taken away” (1 Nephi 13:26). Thus, sometime between when the Savior’s apostles first took this book to the Gentiles and the time the book “[went] forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles” there were “many plain and precious things . . . taken out of the book” (v. 29).

Although we might be tempted to think that the book has little value because precious things were removed from it, this is not the case. The angel goes on to quote to Nephi the words of Jesus Christ: “I will manifest myself unto thy seed, that they shall write many things which I shall minister unto them, which shall be plain and precious; . . . these things shall be hid up, to come forth unto the Gentiles” (v. 35). Thus, in addition to the book carried with them across many waters, the Gentiles would receive a record from Nephi’s descendants (i.e., the Book of Mormon) as well as “other books” (v. 39), perhaps a reference to records such as the Doctrine and Covenants.

Note that these later books do not replace the book the Gentiles brought with them, but rather convince the Gentiles that “the records of the prophets and of the twelve apostles of the Lamb are true” (1 Nephi 13:39). These later books—including the Book of Mormon—show the truthfulness of the Bible. This is in fact what the angel tells Nephi in the very next verse:

The angel spake unto me, saying: These last records [the Book of Mormon and other latter-day scripture], which thou hast seen among the Gentiles, shall establish the truth of the first [meaning the Bible], which are of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, and shall make known the plain and precious things which have been taken away from them; and shall make known to all kindreds, tongues, and people, that the Lamb of God is the Son of the Eternal Father, and the Savior of the world; and that all men must come unto him, or they cannot be saved. (v. 40)

Thus, an express purpose of latter-day scripture is to “establish the truth” of the Bible. The angel concludes, “The words of the Lamb shall be made known in the records of thy seed, as well as in the records of the twelve apostles of the Lamb; wherefore they both shall be established in one” (v. 41). The book brought with the Gentiles (the Bible) clearly contains the words of the Lamb, and an express purpose of the Book of Mormon is to establish its truth.

Another reference to the Bible appears toward the end of Nephi’s vision. Nephi records that he saw a man dressed in a white robe and was told that this was “John, . . . one of the twelve apostles of the Lamb” (1 Nephi 14:27, 20). Nephi was told that John would “see and write the remainder of these things; yea, and also many things which have been. And he shall also write concerning the end of the world. Wherefore, the things which he shall write are just and true; and behold they are written in the book which thou beheld proceeding out of the mouth of the Jew” (vv. 21–23), apparently referring to the book of Revelation[6] appearing in a collection of scripture that would come to be known as the Bible.[7]

Although Nephi does not specifically comment on whether the words written by John would be changed, the angel tells Nephi that “at the time they proceeded out of the mouth of the Jew, or, at the time the book proceeded out of the mouth of the Jew, the things which were written were plain and pure, and most precious and easy to the understanding of all men” (1 Nephi 14:23). This appears to be a strong endorsement of the book of Revelation as having both great value and apostolic authorship—again reinforcing the importance of the Bible.[8]

The next time we see an extended reference to what we can recognize as our biblical text is in 1 Nephi 19. As part of his efforts to teach his brother, Nephi used books that are a part of our Old Testament, stating, “I did read many things unto them which were written in the books of Moses; but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah” (v. 23). The fact that Nephi used both the books of Moses (traditionally believed to be Genesis–Deuteronomy) and Isaiah when teaching his brothers suggests that he viewed these records as having important pedagogical value. Nephi then quoted two chapters from Isaiah (48–49), reinforcing the value he placed on Isaiah’s words.

In 2 Nephi 3 we again see the theme that appeared in 1 Nephi 13—that the Book of Mormon will persuade us of the truthfulness of the Bible. In this passage Lehi recounts to his son Joseph an extrabiblical prophecy originally given to Joseph of Egypt. In this prophecy, the Lord says he will bring forth his word to Joseph’s descendants, unto “the convincing them of my word, which shall have already gone forth among them [the Bible]” (2 Nephi 3:11). The Lord continues, “The fruit of thy [Joseph of Egypt’s] loins shall write; and the fruit of the loins of Judah shall write; and that which shall be written by the fruit of thy loins, and also that which shall be written by the fruit of the loins of Judah, shall grow together, unto the confounding of false doctrines and laying down of contentions, and establishing peace among the fruit of thy loins, and bringing them to the knowledge of their fathers in the latter days, and also to the knowledge of my covenants” (v. 12).

Put more plainly, the Book of Mormon (the book written by Joseph’s descendants) and the Bible (the book written by Judah’s descendants) will “grow together.” In the latter days these books will collectively work together to confound false doctrines, establish peace, and help people come to a knowledge of God’s covenants. Thus again, the Book of Mormon does not work in competition with the Bible, but rather in cooperation with it.

Consider one example of how the Book of Mormon and Bible work together to confound false doctrines. Some modern scholars deny the possibility that Jesus Christ was resurrected. John Dominic Crossan, a leading scholar in historical Jesus research, has argued that Jesus’s crucified body was most likely “left on the cross or in a shallow grave barely covered with dirt and stones” where “wild beasts” were waiting to devour it.[9] Some (but certainly not all) modern scholars similarly deny the reality of a literal resurrection. While the topic of Christ’s resurrection may be a point of scholarly debate, the Book of Mormon, in concert with the Bible, confounds this false doctrine by clearly establishing the fact that Jesus Christ was in fact resurrected (see, for example, 3 Nephi 11 and Matthew 28).[10]

In 2 Nephi 12–24, Nephi quotes thirteen chapters from Isaiah, again suggesting the value of the biblical record. Prefacing this quotation, Nephi tells us that he delights in Isaiah’s words and explains one reason why Isaiah’s words are so important: “He [Isaiah] verily saw my Redeemer, even as I have seen him” (2 Nephi 11:2). Thus Nephi indicates his positive view of Isaiah’s words first by including them in the record and second by stating that Isaiah had seen Jesus Christ.

The final time that Nephi directly refers to the Bible is in 2 Nephi 29:3–14. In this passage the Lord tells Nephi that in the latter days, some will reject the Book of Mormon because they already have “got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible” (v. 3). In this verse “a Bible” almost certainly refers to what we would conceive of today as the Bible—the book brought with the Gentiles to the Western Hemisphere. In response to this criticism of the Book of Mormon, the Lord praises both the Bible and those who worked to put it together. He speaks of “the travails, and the labors, and the pains of the Jews, and their diligence unto me, in bringing forth salvation unto the Gentiles” (v. 4). Note that the Lord attributes diligence unto him as an attribute of those who labored on the record we have today as the Bible.

Furthermore, the Lord does not minimize the importance of the Bible in his response to this concern. Nor does he talk about any supposed inferiority of the Bible, stating that precious things have been taken from it. Rather, he emphasizes the importance of two witnesses: “Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also” (v. 8). Thus the Lord indicates the value of both the Bible and the Book of Mormon, particularly as the two books work together.

Teachings from Jacob–Helaman

In the books of Jacob–Helaman, relatively little is said about the Bible. Jacob quotes from the brass plates, albeit primarily from a portion not preserved in the Bible (see Jacob 5). King “Zarahemla did rejoice exceedingly, because the Lord had sent the people of Mosiah with the plates of brass which contained the record of the Jews” (Omni 1:14), indicating the value of a record comparable to the Hebrew Bible. The records on the brass plates formed a key part of what King Benjamin taught his sons (see Mosiah 1:3).

Given that both Nephi and Alma referred to “scriptures . . . engraven on the plates of brass” (2 Nephi 4:15; compare Alma 37:3), it seems likely that the brass plates were part of the scripture used by Alma in Ammonihah and Antionum (see Alma 12; 33) and by the sons of Mosiah when teaching the Lamanites (see Alma 22). While the references to the brass plates do not directly document the worth of the Bible itself, the similarity between the brass plates and the Old Testament suggests the value contained in the Old Testament and therefore the Bible.

Teachings from Jesus Christ in 3 Nephi

While ministering to the Nephites, the Savior himself indicated that he viewed the Bible as important. The Book of Mormon’s inclusion of 3 Nephi 12–14, which parallels Matthew 5–7, indicates the importance of this sermon and emphasizes the importance of Christ’s New Testament teachings. In addition, after quoting extensively from Isaiah, Jesus Christ taught, “A commandment I give unto you that ye search these things diligently; for great are the words of Isaiah. For surely he spake as touching all things concerning my people which are of the house of Israel; therefore it must needs be that he must speak also to the Gentiles. And all things that he spake have been and shall be, even according to the words which he spake” (3 Nephi 23:1–3). That Christ spoke not only of the Nephites but also of the Gentiles, and also of different time periods, indicates the ongoing importance of Isaiah’s words, which are found primarily in the Bible.[11]

The resurrected Savior also emphasized the importance of Malachi’s words by speaking the words we have recorded as Malachi 3–4. After quoting these chapters, Jesus said, “These scriptures, which ye had not with you, the Father commanded that I should give unto you; for it was wisdom in him that they should be given unto future generations” (3 Nephi 26:2). In making this statement, the Savior referred to Malachi’s words as scripture and emphasized the importance of accessing them.

Christ also indirectly endorsed the Bible by recounting a statement that is recorded in John 10:16. Speaking to the Nephites, Jesus taught, “This is the land of your inheritance; and the Father hath given it unto you. And not at any time hath the Father given me commandment that I should tell it unto your brethren at Jerusalem. . . . This much did the Father command me, that I should tell unto them: that other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd” (3 Nephi 15:13–14, 16–17; compare John 10:16). This passage indicates that some form of the words we have recorded in John 10:16 was spoken by Jesus Christ in his mortal ministry and was accurately captured in John’s Gospel. Knowing this can reassure readers who might otherwise question the veracity of what Christ taught in the New Testament.[12]

Teachings from Mormon and Moroni

Perhaps the clearest teachings on the value of the Bible come from the final words that Mormon engraved on the plates. Considering that Mormon spent decades working on the Book of Mormon, it seems likely that he paid careful attention to the last words he personally inscribed on the plates. These words appear at the end of Mormon 7, where Mormon tells us his intent in writing the Book of Mormon: “Lay hold upon the gospel of Christ, which shall be set before you, not only in this record but also in the record which shall come unto the Gentiles from the Jews, which record shall come from the Gentiles unto you” (v. 8).

Note that Mormon refers to two different records. When he says “this record,” he is referring to the record he is currently writing: the Book of Mormon. When he says “the record which shall come unto the Gentiles from the Jews,” he is referring to the Bible, as discussed above. Thus, Mormon tells latter-day readers to lay hold on the gospel of Christ, which they will receive in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon.

Mormon continues, “For behold, this [the Book of Mormon] is written for the intent that ye may believe that [the Bible]; and if ye believe that [the Bible] ye will believe this [the Book of Mormon] also” (Mormon 7:9). In his final words Mormon tells us that at least one of the key reasons why the Book of Mormon was written is so that we will believe the Bible. The Book of Mormon is not meant to replace the Bible, but to help us believe the Bible. In a talk prompted by his concern for the disregard for any sacred scripture, and commenting on this very passage, President Russell M. Nelson stated, “Each book refers to the other. Each book stands as evidence that God lives and speaks to His children by revelation to His prophets. Love for the Book of Mormon expands one’s love for the Bible and vice versa. Scriptures of the Restoration do not compete with the Bible; they complement the Bible.”[13]

While Moroni does not explicitly speak of the purpose of the Bible as his father did, he does directly encourage his latter-day readers to study a portion of it, stating, “Search the prophecies of Isaiah. Behold, I cannot write them” (Mormon 8:23). Moreover, Moroni records a revelation in which Jesus Christ promises that in a future day “shall my revelations which I have caused to be written by my servant John be unfolded in the eyes of all the people. Remember, when ye see these things, ye shall know that the time is at hand that they shall be made manifest in very deed” (Ether 4:16). This reference to John’s words (presumably the book of Revelation) again indicates the value of the Biblical writings.

Conclusion

I realize now that as a teenager I could have shared with my peers what the Book of Mormon teaches regarding the Bible. Although I rarely face the types of criticism about the Book of Mormon that I did as a teenager, I do face other attacks on my faith. As an adult professor of religion, I sometimes come across materials that demean the Bible and argue that it does not accurately contain the teachings or portray the life of Jesus Christ. My testimony of the Book of Mormon and its teachings about the Bible reinforce my faith in the Bible as God’s words, despite these attacks.

Latter-day Saints are blessed to have both the Bible and the Book of Mormon. In 2007 Elder M. Russell Ballard explained the following:

We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior and the author of our salvation and . . . we believe, revere, and love the Holy Bible. We do have additional sacred scripture, including the Book of Mormon, but it supports the Bible, never substituting for it.

. . . It is one of the pillars of our faith, a powerful witness of the Savior and of Christ’s ongoing influence in the lives of those who worship and follow Him. The more we read and study the Bible and its teachings, the more clearly we see the doctrinal underpinnings of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. We tend to love the scriptures that we spend time with. We may need to balance our study in order to love and understand all scripture.

. . . Do not discount or devalue the Holy Bible. It is the sacred, holy record of the Lord’s life. The Bible contains hundreds of pages more than all of our other scripture combined. It is the bedrock of all Christianity. We do not criticize or belittle anyone’s beliefs. Our great responsibility as Christians is to share all that God has revealed with all of His sons and daughters.

Those who join this Church do not give up their faith in the Bible—they strengthen it. The Book of Mormon does not dilute nor diminish nor de-emphasize the Bible. On the contrary, it expands, extends, and exalts it. The Book of Mormon testifies of the Bible, and both testify of Christ.[14]

The passages reviewed in this essay indicate that the Book of Mormon indeed testifies of the Bible. From the beginning to the end, Book of Mormon authors stress the importance of the Bible and teach that a key purpose of the Book of Mormon is to strengthen our belief in the Bible.

Notes

[1] For a discussion of Revelation 22:18, indicating why it is not a prohibition against additional sacred writings, see G. K. Beale and David Campbell, Revelation: A Shorter Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2015). Craig L. Blomberg, an evangelical scholar, notes, “John’s words at the end of Revelation refer to that book only.” Craig L. Blomberg and Stephen E. Robinson, How Wide the Divide? (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1997), 39.

[2] M. Russell Ballard, “The Miracle of the Holy Bible,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2007.

[3] For an overview and discussion on several of these key points, see the following sources (among others): Philip L. Barlow, Mormons and the Bible: The Place of the Latter-day Saints in American Religion (New York: Oxford, 2013); Daniel L. Belnap, “The Bible, the Book of Mormon, and the Concept of Scripture,” in No Weapon Shall Prosper: New Light on Sensitive Issues, ed. Robert L. Millet (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2011): 141–70; and Michael Austin, “How the Book of Mormon Reads the Bible: A Theory of Types,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 26 (2017): 48–81.

[4] Robert J. Matthews writes, “In the Book of Mormon we have an account of a vision and guided tour given to Nephi, during which he is accompanied by an angel and shown in advance much about the textual history of the Bible. The angel identified the book as ‘a record of the Jews’ that ‘containeth many of the prophecies of the holy prophets’ and the testimony of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb (see 1 Nephi 13:23–24). This is without question the Old and New Testaments.” A Bible! A Bible! How Latter-day Revelation Helps Us Understand the Scriptures and the Savior (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1990), 74.

[5] For an in-depth discussion of this and the surrounding passages, see Nicholas J. Frederick and Joseph M. Spencer, “Remnant or Replacement? Outlining a Possible Apostasy Narrative,” BYU Studies Quarterly 60, no. 1 (2021): 105–27.

[6] Nicholas J. Frederick writes, “In 1 Nephi 14, Nephi sees a man ‘dressed in a white robe’ who is the one charged with writing the remainder of Nephi’s vision, and it seems pretty certain that the figure is John the Revelator, with the book of Revelation corresponding to the ‘remainder of these things’ (1 Nephi 14:19; 21).” “‘The Intent for Which It Was Given’: How the Book of Mormon Teaches the Value of Scripture and Revelation,” Religious Educator 18, no. 1 (2017): 75.

[7] The “Jew” mentioned in 1 Nephi 14:23 may not be only one person; “the Jew” may be representative of many people who contributed to Jewish writings.

[8] Further commenting on this passage, Frederick points out that because the book of Revelation is not “plain” to modern Latter-day Saints, there is a tendency to suggest that the text of Revelation was altered. Frederick points out that, based on extant manuscripts of Revelation, any such tampering would have to have been done shortly after it was written. An alternative possibility to direct and extensive tampering is that “the book of Revelation is no longer plain, precious, or easy to understand because we as readers have lost the lens through which to interpret the text.” Frederick, “How the Book of Mormon Teaches the Value of Scripture,” 76.

[9] John Dominic Crossan, Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1994), 154.

[10] Grant Hardy writes that from the perspective of believers in the Book of Mormon, the connections between the Bible and the Book of Mormon fill “a divinely appointed role: God brought the book into existence at just the right time as a corrective to a modern Christianity that had gotten offtrack.” “The Book of Mormon and the Bible,” in Americanist Approaches to The Book of Mormon, ed. Elizabeth Fenton and Jared Hickman (New York: Oxford University Press, 2019), 129.

[11] In addition to Christ’s emphasis on Isaiah, his references to other Old Testament prophets or their writings indicate the value of the Old Testament record (see, e.g., 3 Nephi 20:15–23, with its textual connections to Micah and Moses).

[12] Regarding this passage, Nicholas J. Frederick writes, “The Book of Mormon even seems aware of its role as interpreter of the Bible. In 3 Nephi 16:4, the resurrected Jesus tells the Nephites that the Jews in Jerusalem misunderstood his words in John 10:16. . . . Evidently, Jesus intends for the Book of Mormon to correct the misunderstandings held by the Jews.” “The Book of Mormon and Its Redaction of the King James New Testament: A Further Evaluation of the Interaction between the New Testament and the Book of Mormon,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 27 (2018): 55n11. This article is also a good resource for a broader discussion of King James language in the Book of Mormon.

[13] Russell M. Nelson, “Scriptural Witnesses,” Ensign or Liahona, November 2007, 43.

[14] Ballard, “Miracle of the Holy Bible.”