Latter-day Saints are often gate-kept from orthodox Christian circles on the premise of having irreconcilable doctrinal disputes; these issues can range anywhere from the nature of God to the purpose of our mortality here on Earth. One theological aspect that Latter-day Saints and orthodox Christians do NOT differ on is the belief of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ; in that, Jesus Christ took upon himself the sins of the people of the world, and that only by relying upon his suffering, death, burial, and resurrection (what the LDS would refer to as "The Atonement") can mankind receive salvation.
Yet, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is perceived as a "works-based religion", alienated completely from the orthodox "grace-based" system of salvation. This is likely due to both the church's belief that participation in certain works (what we as LDS would call "ordinances") are necessary to actually live in the presence of God the Father in our post-mortality, as well as certain verses from The Book of Mormon (scripture that is rejected by orthodox Christianity) that seem to contradict what is taught in the New Testament of the Bible. Of the objections raised against Mormonism, Moroni 10:32 is one of the most common.
Moroni 10 is the final chapter of the Book of Mormon, and verse 32 is the third-to-the-last verse of the entire book. After witnessing the destruction of his people (the Nephites) at the hands of their brethren (the Lamanites), Moroni is writing his final words to future readers. The latter half of this chapter sees Moroni exhorting the reader to come unto Christ, professing that it is only through him that salvation may be attained. Moroni Chapter 10 is one of (if not the) most common chapters missionaries invite investigators of the church to read; likely because Moroni spends the first half of the chapter asking readers to "pray and ask God if these words [The Book of Mormon's] are not true, and that the Holy Ghost will "manifest the truth of it unto you" (verse 4). Upon reading verse 32, many orthodox Christians run into a stumbling block of sorts. Let's take a look:
32) Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.
Did you spot what part of this verse trips up readers? Most Christians read the phrases "deny yourselves of all ungodliness" and "love God with all your might, mind and strength" and impose a "perfectionism" meaning onto the text; they perform eisegesis of this passage by assuming that Moroni is stating that we as LDS must be perfect on our own through good works, and that then and only then will Christ's grace be sufficient for us.
They will in turn ask Latter-day Saints if they have "denied themselves of all ungodliness" and if they are capable of "loving God with all of their might, mind, and strength." Most LDS (due to not understanding the text) crumble in the face of this question; it would be arrogant to say yes, and problematic to say no. Christians will often cite a myriad of verses in response (e.g. Isaiah 64:6 and Ephesians 2:8-9); that there is no work we can perform that would satisfy God, and that it is by grace through faith alone by which we are saved. The conversation usually ends there.
However, by exegeting Moroni 10:32, we learn that this verse is neither illustrating a need for perfection first before receiving grace, nor is it a declaration of a works-based system. First, we need to define what it means to "deny yourself of all ungodliness"; more specifically, we need to demonstrate what Moroni would have meant by "ungodliness." Upon reading The Book of Mormon the word "ungodliness" only appears twice in the entire book, and both appearances are in verse 32. Additionally, "godly" and "ungodly" are nowhere to be found. However, upon my reading, I found that the word "godliness" appeared once, and it's located in Moroni chapter 7 verse 30.
We can exegete Moroni 10:32 by examining the latter half of Moroni 7. In this chapter, Moroni is writing the words of his father Mormon; Mormon urges the saints to enter into the fold of God, and to allow the [Holy] Spirit to dictate their conscience, for the Spirit will help them discern good from evil. The final leg of this chapter (verse 25 and onward) talks about the ministry of angels unto the children of men, and it is here that we can define what godliness, and by extension ungodliness, means within the context of The Book of Mormon:
25) Wherefore, by the ministering of angels, and by every word which proceeded forth out of the mouth of God, men began to exercise faith in Christ; and thus by faith, they did lay hold upon every good thing; and thus it was until coming of Christ.
26) And after that he came men also were saved by faith in his name; and by faith, they become the sons of God. And as surely as Christ liveth he spake these words unto our fathers, saying: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is good, in faith believing that ye shall receive, behold, it shall be done unto you.
27) Wherefore, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased because Christ hath ascended into heaven, and hath sat down on the right hand of God, to claim of the Father his rights of mercy which he hath upon the Children of men?
28) For he hath answered the ends of the law, and he claimeth all those who have faith in him; and they who have faith in him will cleave unto every good thing; wherefore he advocateth the cause of the children of men; and he dwelleth eternally in the heavens.
29) And because he hath done this, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men.
30) For behold, they are subject unto him, to minister according to the word of his command, showing themselves unto them of strong faith and a firm mind in every form of godliness.
31) And the office of their ministry is to call men unto repentance, and to fulfil and to do the work of the covenants of the Father, which he hath made unto the children of men, to prepare the way among the children of men, by declaring the word of Christ unto the chosen vessels of the Lord, that they may bear testimony of him.
To summarize: God will send angels to minister unto the children of men; specifically, they will show themselves unto them of "strong faith" and a "firm mind in every form of godliness." The critical verse here is verse 31.
What exactly are the ministering angels beckoning those who show "every form of godliness" to do? The answer: REPENT AND COVENANT WITH THE FATHER. In this context, since these godly men were being called to repentance, they could not have been perfect on their own!
If we take this meaning and apply it back to Moroni 10:32, those who "deny themselves of all ungodliness" are in need of repentance! Meaning this concept of a need for perfectionism before receiving God's grace that Christian critics will impose onto the text simply cannot hold any water. Following this logic, "loving God with all your might, mind and strength" simply means to allow ourselves to be open to God; we must CHOOSE to follow God and open our minds to the possibility that He will enrich and bless our lives, but that this only comes through following Him.
This definition is corroborated by verse 33 of Moroni 10, which states:
33) And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.
To break the steps down between verses 32 and 33, they go as follows:
1) Come unto Christ and deny not his power (choose to follow him, open your heart to him)
2) Belief will lead to faith (belief+action); this leads to repentance, and eventually to the construction of covenants between yourself and God
3) We are then sanctified BY THE GRACE OF GOD, THROUGH THE SHEDDING OF CHRIST's BLOOD
4) We become holy without spot
You may say: "But Thomas, I know Latter-day Saints who don't interpret these verses like this" or "This wasn't what I was taught when I grew up in the church." To that I say: REGARDLESS of how anyone (be it Latter-day Saints, exmormons, or otherwise) has used and interpreted these verses, The Book of Mormon is consistent with the meaning demonstrated above. Moroni 10:32 clearly demonstrates that it is by grace through faith that we are saved, and that only through relying upon Christ's Atonement may we be sanctified.
Any misuse or misunderstanding of the text is on the fault of the reader, and not of the text itself.
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