. . . .

Part Five—Speculation as to ‘why’ New Testament material appears in the Book of Mormon but is not explained

Paul taught that it is impossible to please God without faith. Christ taught the necessity of the ordinance of baptism and other prophets have added the importance of enduring to the end on the covenant path. Faith is laced through all of that. When parents teach children the value of delaying gratification, they are also teaching faith. Joseph Smith thus taught that faith is the great moving cause of all action. If we could not envisage an outcome, none of us would undertake any project for there would be no point.

If we were shown all of God’s ways, means and purposes, the opportunity to have us develop faith here is our mortal probationary experience would be diluted. We have been assured that He is involved in the detail of the lives of those who choose to rely on Him in faith in many ways. When Alma2 taught his son Corianton during a period of faith crisis, that God does not measure time, he was explaining how God could attend to the needs of each of us when we ask for help. Paul expressed his understanding of the same principles when he wrote to the Romans that ‘all things work together for good to them that love God’. And God’s involvement is clear in the Doctrine and Covenants when Joseph Smith explained that we offend God when we do not acknowledge His hand in all things. That same involvement is again clear from Alma 2 when explaining to his oldest son Helaman, that God uses small and simple, under the radar means to bring to pass His eternal purposes.

These principles are well known to members of the Church, and they explain why we are not given all the answers. I have previously suggested that intertextuality in the Book of Mormon can be explained in additional ways including that

there may have been other Israelite emigrations to the New world which did bring records,

undocumented Old World prophets could have given other Old World scriptural material to New World prophets, material that is not recorded in the existing Nephite abridgement,

since God’s fixed ordinances, covenants, and commandments are intended for all of his children, it ought not surprise us if we find other separated groups who had those same ordinances, covenants, and commandments revealed through their own prophets, and

the Brass Plates may contain some material related to early sources of the Pentateuch, and other writings, perhaps with particular influence from Northern Kingdom traditions.

These suggestions also preserve the need for faith, but all accord with the Saviour’s teaching that it is not unworthy and it is likely even praiseworthy that we should seek answers to the inspired questions that come to us as we read the scriptures.

. . .