Mosiah 4
People in this chapter
When Benjamin finishes relaying the angel's message, he looks out at the crowd and sees that they had fallen to the earth, for the fear of the Lord had come upon them (v. 1). With one voice they plead for the atoning blood of Christ to be applied to them. The Spirit comes, and they are filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins (v. 3).
Tap any highlighted phrase to jump to the commentary that unpacks it.
Mosiah 4:1-3Apply the Atoning Blood of Christ
1And now, it came to pass that when king Benjamin had made an end of speaking the words which had been delivered unto him by the angel of the Lord, that he cast his eyes round about on the multitude, and behold they had fallen to the earth, for the fear of the Lord had come upon them. 2And they had viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth. And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men.
The people are overwhelmed by the angel's message. They see their own fallen state clearly and fall to the ground in reverent fear.
3And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come, according to the words which king Benjamin had spoken unto them.
The Spirit comes upon them. They are filled with joy, forgiven, and at peace, because of their great faith in Jesus Christ.
Mosiah 4:4-10Believe in God
4And king Benjamin again opened his mouth and began to speak unto them, saying: My friends and my brethren, my kindred and my people, I would again call your attention, that ye may hear and understand the remainder of my words which I shall speak unto you. 5For behold, if the knowledge of the goodness of God at this time has awakened you to a sense of your nothingness, and your worthless and fallen state— 6I say unto you, if ye have come to a knowledge of the goodness of God, and his matchless power, and his wisdom, and his patience, and his long-suffering towards the children of men; and also, the atonement which has been prepared from the foundation of the world, that thereby salvation might come to him that should put his trust in the Lord, and should be diligent in keeping his commandments, and continue in the faith even unto the end of his life, I mean the life of the mortal body— 7I say, that this is the man who receiveth salvation, through the atonement which was prepared from the foundation of the world for all mankind, which ever were since the fall of Adam, or who are, or who ever shall be, even unto the end of the world. 8And this is the means whereby salvation cometh. And there is none other salvation save this which hath been spoken of; neither are there any conditions whereby man can be saved except the conditions which I have told you.
Benjamin speaks to them as friends and brethren. Knowing God's goodness has awakened them to how much they need Him.
9Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend. 10And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you; and now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them.
Benjamin tells them what to believe about God, then tells them to repent, humble themselves and ask for forgiveness. Belief must lead to action: see that ye do them.
Mosiah 4:11-15Always Retain a Remission of Your Sins
11And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel. 12And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true.
Having been forgiven, they can keep that forgiveness by remembering God's greatness and goodness, staying humble, praying daily and holding to their faith in Christ.
13And ye will not have a mind to injure one another, but to live peaceably, and to render to every man according to that which is his due. 14And ye will not suffer your children that they go hungry, or naked; neither will ye suffer that they transgress the laws of God, and fight and quarrel one with another, and serve the devil, who is the master of sin, or who is the evil spirit which hath been spoken of by our fathers, he being an enemy to all righteousness. 15But ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another.
A changed heart shows at home. Forgiven people live peaceably, care for their children's needs, and teach them to love and serve one another.
Mosiah 4:16-25Are We Not All Beggars?
16And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish. 17Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just— 18But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.
Forgiven people help those in need. Benjamin warns against refusing the beggar because we think he brought his trouble on himself.
19For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind? 20And behold, even at this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a remission of your sins. And has he suffered that ye have begged in vain? Nay; he has poured out his Spirit upon you, and has caused that your hearts should be filled with joy, and has caused that your mouths should be stopped that ye could not find utterance, so exceedingly great was your joy. 21And now, if God, who has created you, on whom you are dependent for your lives and for all that ye have and are, doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith, believing that ye shall receive, O then, how ye ought to impart of the substance that ye have one to another.
Benjamin asks, are we not all beggars? Everything we have comes from God, and these people had just begged Him for forgiveness and received it. So they should give to others.
22And if ye judge the man who putteth up his petition to you for your substance that he perish not, and condemn him, how much more just will be your condemnation for withholding your substance, which doth not belong to you but to God, to whom also your life belongeth; and yet ye put up no petition, nor repent of the thing which thou hast done. 23I say unto you, wo be unto that man, for his substance shall perish with him; and now, I say these things unto those who are rich as pertaining to the things of this world. 24And again, I say unto the poor, ye who have not and yet have sufficient, that ye remain from day to day; I mean all you who deny the beggar, because ye have not; I would that ye say in your hearts that: I give not because I have not, but if I had I would give. 25And now, if ye say this in your hearts ye remain guiltless, otherwise ye are condemned; and your condemnation is just for ye covet that which ye have not received.
Our substance belongs to God. The rich are warned not to withhold it. The poor who cannot give should be able to say honestly in their hearts, if I had I would give.
Mosiah 4:26-30In Wisdom and Order
26And now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto you—that is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants. 27And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.
Benjamin asks each person to give to the poor according to what they have, spiritually and temporally. But everything should be done in wisdom and order. No one should run faster than they have strength.
28And I would that ye should remember, that whosoever among you borroweth of his neighbor should return the thing that he borroweth, according as he doth agree, or else thou shalt commit sin; and perhaps thou shalt cause thy neighbor to commit sin also. 29And finally, I cannot tell you all the things whereby ye may commit sin; for there are divers ways and means, even so many that I cannot number them. 30But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not.
Benjamin cannot list every possible sin. Instead he says: watch your thoughts, words and deeds, keep the commandments, and continue in faith in Christ to the end.
Research trail
Sources & further study
These references support the historical, linguistic, manuscript, and contextual notes in this chapter. Scripture remains the primary text; external sources are provided so readers can inspect the research directly.
- Remission of SinsHow forgiveness of sins comes through faith in Jesus Christ, repentance and covenants, the experience of verses 2-3.
- GraceThe help and strength given through the mercy and love of God, made possible by the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
- PoorScripture references on caring for the poor, the theme of verses 16-26.
- WelfareCaring for the spiritual and temporal needs of others, the pattern Benjamin describes in verse 26.
Where this echoes in Scripture
Apply the Atoning Blood of Christ
- Luke 18:13God be merciful to me a sinner.
- 1 John 1:7The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
- Isaiah 6:5Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips.
- Mosiah 3:13Whosoever should believe that Christ should come, the same might receive remission of their sins.
- Enos 1:5-8Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee… Because of thy faith in Christ.Another Nephite forgiven through faith in a Christ not yet born.
Believe in God
- 1 Peter 1:19-20The precious blood of Christ… who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world.
- Revelation 13:8The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
- Moses 1:10Now, for this cause I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed.
- Isaiah 55:8-9For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
- James 1:22Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only.
Always Retain a Remission of Your Sins
- Mosiah 26:30As often as my people repent will I forgive them their trespasses against me.
- Moroni 6:4To keep them in the right way, to keep them continually watchful unto prayer, relying alone upon the merits of Christ.
- D&C 68:25Teach their children to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God.
- Ephesians 6:4Bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
Are We Not All Beggars?
- Matthew 18:32-33Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
- Alma 34:28If ye turn away the needy, and the naked… your prayer is vain, and availeth you nothing.
- 1 John 3:17Whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need… how dwelleth the love of God in him?
- 2 Corinthians 8:12If there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.
- Proverbs 19:17He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord.
In Wisdom and Order
- Matthew 25:35-36I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat… I was sick, and ye visited me.
- D&C 10:4Do not run faster or labor more than you have strength.
- Psalm 37:21The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again.
- Alma 12:14Our words will condemn us, yea, all our works will condemn us… and our thoughts will also condemn us.