“And I know that the record which I make is true; and I make it with mine own hand; and I make it according to my knowledge.” (1 Nephi 1:3)
This is from 1 Nephi, so I’ve read this verse many many times, but it was just a few nights ago that I started to wonder why is was important for Nephi to point out that the record he made was “true.” Especially since he acknowledges in the same verse that it’s “according to my knowledge.” It’s from his point of view. It’s bias, even. But still, he calls it true.
I have always viewed the Book of Mormon as a historical record. It was only recently that I heard someone talking about how it might just all be one big metaphor. It’s not a historical account so much as a collection of stories meant to teach lessons about God.
I don’t agree with that supposition. I still believe that it is a historical account, though only a portion of what was written. Mormon combed through all of the records and picked out the events that would be most applicable in their lessons to our day. So while it is not the whole history, it is historical.
Which brings me back to Nephi’s true record. If the Lord knew that the legitimacy of the Book of Mormon as a historical record would be questioned, then it would make sense for Him to have Nephi make that claim at the very beginning.
It’s like Nephi is putting a disclaimer at the beginning: Look. This is a record. It’s true. I wrote it with my own hands. I wrote it to the best of my knowledge. Yes, it might be flawed, but these things happened.
Why is it important that we know that these things happened? Well, what kind of events do we read about in the Book of Mormon? We read about visions, angels and visits from Christ. We read about the Lord’s voice sounding from the heavens after Christ’s crucifixion. We read about missionaries who had the power of God protect them as those they had striven to teach tried to burn them alive. We read about people who heard a prophet speak, believed their words and then sought to know the truth and in doing so, came to know the Lord themselves.
Why do we need to know that these things happened? Because if they truly happened to others, then they can happen to us.
We can see visions.
We can hear the Lord’s voice.
We can receive revelation.
We can be brought to the throne of God.
There is a path that leads to a reunion with our Lord in this life. And we can walk it.
“Behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and there will be no more doctrine given until after he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh. And when he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh, the things which he shall say unto you shall ye observe to do.” (2 Nephi 32:6)