Confirming the Covenant – Preface

By Dwight on September 22, 2026 in Book of Mormon, Jesus Christ, New Covenant

Part 5 of
Why the Book of Mormon
is the New Covenant

Prepared by
Elder Dwight Burford
hisworkmanship.net
September 22, 2026, Printing
[pdf copy]

Preface

The Book of Mormon was first published by E. B. Grandin of Palmyra, New York, in early 1830 and advertised for sale in his Wayne County Sentinel on March 26, 1830, at the request of Joseph Smith, Jr.[1] According to its typesetter, John Gilbert, the publishing work took seven months.[2] While Mr. Grandin and Mr. Gilbert viewed the book as a work of fiction, the accounts given by its stated authors about themselves and their language and location have been and are still being verified by scholarly research.[3]

I read the Book of Mormon for the first time during the summer of 1974.[4] As I read the many testimonies and historical accounts it contains, I found the words of the book to be plain and precious, just as its first author, Nephi, wrote they would be to us.[5] I believed the book to be genuine because of what its many authors had written about Jesus Christ and how they testified He would manifest Himself to us in these latter days by the Holy Ghost[6] (which I found to be true).

This first reading of the entire book gave me such a clear and compelling view of the redeeming work of Jesus Christ that I yearned to be one with Him in His work of reconciling the world to God. Like the people of the book who first came to the knowledge of their Redeemer at a place called Mormon, I came to this same knowledge of my Redeemer by reading the Book of Mormon—which was abridged by Mormon who was named after the land of Mormon.[7]

Mosiah 9:65-67 – And now it came to pass that all this was done in Mormon, yea, by the Waters of Mormon, in the forest that was near the Waters of Mormon, yea, the Place of Mormon, the Waters of Mormon, the Forest of Mormon, how beautiful are they to the eyes of them who there came to the knowledge of their Redeemer! Yea, and how blessed are they, for they shall sing to His praise forever!

While reading through the Book of Mormon, my thoughts kept going back to a statement Jacob (Nephi’s younger brother) had written in which he said he had obtained his errand from the Lord.[8] My response to his statement was to ask the Lord if He had an errand for me with respect to sharing what I had learned about Him in the Book of Mormon. What you will read in this study springs from the errand Jesus Christ gave me, which was to testify of Him and to teach the fullness of His gospel.[9]

After reading the Book of Mormon, I read the entire New Testament of the Bible over the Labor Day weekend of 1974 in a friend’s primitive cabin at the base of the Sangre de Cristo (the Blood of Christ) mountain range in Colorado. In reading through its many testaments and letters, I was not only amazed I had read them all in so short a time, but also that I comprehended what I read! This was because reading was something I struggled with to that point in my life. But as I read through the New Testament, I realized I no longer had this difficulty after reading the Book of Mormon. This gave me an even greater appreciation and respect for both books and their common purpose.

Soon after reading the New Testament, I read through the Doctrine & Covenants (D&C) of the church in which I was raised.[10] When I read in D&C 83:8a-c how the church had treated the Book of Mormon lightly and had thereby come under the Lord’s condemnation, I remembered Ammon and how he had made it his study to free the people of Limhi from their bondage.[11] I identified with their situation because I understood the reason D&C 83:8a-c was pronounced by the Lord was because the church restored on April 6, 1830, had come under a spiritual bondage from which they could only be freed by honoring Jesus Christ and His words.[12]

This sense of the church being in bondage has stayed with me ever since I read D&C 83:8a-c that first time. Therefore, I have labored to free the people of the church from this condemnation by urging all people, in and out of the church, to no longer treat the Book of Mormon lightly or disrespectfully (e.g., by viewing it as a work of fiction), but to embrace and promote the Lord’s purposes for bringing forth this unique book in these latter days.

What are these purposes? They are stated succinctly in the Title Page of the Book of Mormon,[13] which I urge everyone to study and take seriously. Briefly stated, they are centered in the Lord’s work of recovering the house of Israel to Himself based on the new covenant so He might heal and bless all the families of the earth according to His covenant with Abraham[14]—which covenant God made with Abraham according to the covenant He had made with Noah and Enoch before him.[15]

This book is Part 5 of a series of studies I have written on why the Book of Mormon is the new and everlasting covenant.[16] It has specifically been written to show the Book of Mormon confirms the prophecy recorded in Daniel 9:24-27 was fulfilled by Jesus Christ, and that through this plain and precious record Jesus Christ is now manifesting Himself to all nations to confirm His new covenant upon as many as will repent and come to Him by faith on His name and by faith in all His words.[17]

Part 1 in this series of studies presents a testimony of why this study series was initiated.[18] Part 2 is on covenants in general and how the Book of Mormon is a new covenant record.[19] Part 3 is titled “Is Not This Joseph’s Son?” and focuses on the inspired nature of the Book of Mormon.[20] Part 4, titled The Melchizedek Priesthood, reviews how the Book of Mormon was written by priests of the order of the Melchizedek priesthood (not Levite priests) as a new covenant book.[21]

The ultimate focus of this series is on Jesus Christ and how He has confirmed and is yet confirming the new covenant established in His atonement for the redemption, restoration, and reconciliation of all mankind to God. Each study in this series shows the Book of Mormon is a new covenant book, like the New Testament of the Bible, and is therefore meant to draw all people to Jesus Christ according to the covenant He mediates for all eternity.[22]

It is not the intention of this study series or any of my other studies to exalt the name of any man over the name of Jesus Christ. Rather, each has been written to exalt the name of Jesus Christ above all other names and to highlight His latter-day work, which I believe to be of great worth to all people.[23] For He is the Lamb of God who was slain, resurrected, and ascended to our heavenly Father for the sake of all people to the glory of God and thus He is truly worthy of all our praise and respect.[24]

Many scriptures are cited throughout this series of studies in support of statements made. Each scripture is linked to the website scripturetoolbox.com so it may be readily viewed and studied in context. As noted in a prior study,[25] by referencing combinations of scriptures, I am inviting readers into further study of the depth and riches of the words and works of Jesus Christ from which they may prove the efficacy of His words in their own lives for themselves.

Bolding, italics, and underlining have been added for emphasis in various scripture passages to highlight portions of the quoted passages that correlate with key points made within the text. Bible references are cited mainly from The Holy Scriptures, an “Inspired Revision (IR)” of the King James Version of the Bible, which is also known as the New Translation and the Joseph Smith Translation. References from the Book of Mormon are typically from the Restored Covenant Edition.[26] Doctrine and Covenants references are from revelations originally published by the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS) as found on scripturetoolbox.com.

As you read through this study, please keep in mind the following words penned by Moroni as recorded in the Title Page of the Book of Mormon: “And now if there be fault, it be the mistake of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God, that ye may be found spotless at the judgment seat of Christ.” Moroni had been shown the people to whom this book would come in these latter days and he feared they would reject the sacred records of his people because of their weakness in writing.[27] So he also wrote:

Mormon 4:97 – Condemn me not because of mine imperfection, neither my father because of his imperfection, neither them which have written before him; but rather give thanks unto God that He hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than that which we have been.

Given the condemnation declared in D&C 83:8a-c, we would be wise to no longer treat the Book of Mormon lightly or go so far as to condemn its authors and their sacred records.[28] For if we continue to do so, I fear we will remain as salt that has lost its savor, and is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men.[29]

Any good this study contains or which may result from it comes of Jesus Christ.[30] For He is building His church and will complete the work He started in those who loves His appearing in light and truth,[31] but only if they remain faithful to Him and His words to the end.[32]

Dwight A. Burford
dab@hisworkmanship.net

[1] e.g. RLDS Church History, Vol. 4, Chapter 26, Page 458 (http://www.restoredgospel.com/Scriptures1/
Shell_Context_History.php?ID=2704&R1=V1) with https://bookofmormon.online/history/1830 (see the March 26, 1830, edition) & https://www.newyorkexplained.com/history/on-this-day/03-26/; See also https://johnpratt.com/items/docs/lds/meridian/2005/printing.html

[2] https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets/162efea4-cb3f-459f-937f-949b3995e572/0/4

[3] e.g. https://bomf.org/2026/06/16/issue-194-2026/, https://bookofmormoninfo.com/geography/geography-home.html, https://restorationbookstore.org/products/caractors-unlocked, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3SH_-E-x2E, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUPDhW3CN3g, etc.

[4] https://www.hisworkmanship.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/HWA-WorshipCenterBM.pdf

[5] I Nephi 3:183-189 & I Nephi 5:223-235 with II Nephi 11:1-160

[6] II Nephi 11:1-160 with Title Page 1:7, I Nephi 4:13-33, Ether 1:35, Mormon 4:88, Moroni 10:3-7; cf. John 16:12-15 with John 14:15-17,26

[7] III Nephi 2:96-109 & Mormon 1:1-6 with Words of Mormon 1:13 & Mormon 4:17-21; cf. Mosiah 9:65-67 with John 4:15,16

[8] Jacob 1:17 with II Nephi 5:1-12

[9] https://hisworkmanship.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/TheFullnessOfMyIntentRFJuly07.pdf

[10] On online version may be found at this link: https://scripturetoolbox.com/html/d_c/Section/index.html

[11] Mosiah 12:181