Moroni 1-5

Moroni's contribution to the Book of Mormon is Mormon 8 to the end of the book. So along with that chapter, he added the 15 chapters of Ether and 10 chapters of Moroni. These chapters also include two letters and a sermon from his father. With the first 5 chapters (which have no more than four verses each), you can tell he knows he has very little space on the plates left, and so these last things that he writes are interesting because they are what he must feel are most important to include, and what he is moved by the Spirit to write.

In Chapter 1, he tells us that anyone who doesn't deny Christ is put to death by the Lamanites and then adds, "And I, Moroni, will not deny the Christ." Now it may seem easy not to deny the Christ, but how firm would I be with my testimony if under a threat of death? Then he amazingly adds that sometime in the future, what he writes will be of worth to the Lamanites, the very people who threaten his life. That is someone who has vision, who has spiritual maturity, who can look beyond the tremendous emotional conflicts of the moment, and see value in a people who are wicked, evil, and without conscience.

In Chapters 2 and 3, Moroni emphasizes Christ having given priesthood authority to the 12 disciples, especially to give the gift of the Holy Ghost. Why would he include that? I think it's because he knows that in our day, the Holy Ghost will be misunderstood. First, it won't be understood that the Holy Ghost is a separate personage. The difference between the Light of Christ and the Holy Ghost will not be known. And he knows of the prevailing belief will be that the Holy Ghost does come upon people at various times. All of this falls far short of the truth that is given in D&C 130, "... the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us. A man may receive the Holy Ghost, and it may descend upon him, and not tarry with him." The gift of the Holy Ghost which is the promise of the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, is an important distinction because while a temporary experience of the Holy Ghost can occur with anyone (how else could an investigator of the church receive a witness of Christ, or of the Book of Mormon, or any scripture?), the gift of the Holy Ghost can only be given by those who have priesthood authority that originates with Christ. This, as well as chapters 4 and 5, are also a testimony that the church must have a formal organization with divine authority to conduct all ordinances.

Chapters 4 and 5 provide us with the sacrament prayers. Among other things, this tells me two things. One, the Lord is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. The ordinances have never changed. The way they are administered has never changed, and the manner in which the Lord deals with his people through prophets, revelation, and priesthood authority has always been the same. The second thing it tells me, without taking time to go into each prayer (which I want to do in the Doctrine and Covenants), is that Christ is the center of everyone. Without him, there is no church, there is no true doctrine, and there are no saving or exalting ordinances. Without him, there is no hope for overcoming death, no resurrection (so no hope for hair), and nothing that will seal relationships beyond this life. No other representation of the gospel can offer these things.