Lesson 43

“How Could Ye Have Departed from the Ways of the Lord?”

“Lesson 43: ‘How Could Ye Have Departed from the Ways of the Lord?’” Book of Mormon Class Member Study Guide (1999), 26


  • When Mormon was 15 years old, he “was visited of the Lord, and tasted and knew of the goodness of Jesus” (Mormon 1:15). How can we come to know of the goodness of Jesus?

  • What conditions existed in Nephite society during Mormon’s lifetime? (See Mormon 1:19; 2:8, 10, 18.) Even though we, like Mormon, live in a time of much wickedness, what can we do to maintain our faith and personal righteousness?

  • Mormon said that when his people defeated the Lamanites in battle, “they did not realize that it was the Lord that had spared them” (Mormon 3:3). Why is it important that we recognize that the blessings we receive are from the Lord?

  • Read Mormon 5:17–18. In what ways are people who do not follow the Savior “as a vessel without sail or anchor”? How is the gospel like a sail and an anchor for you?

Suggestion for Family Discussion

Read Mormon 1:13–14 and Mormon 2:18 as a family. Then read Mormon 1:15 and Mormon 2:19. Emphasize that even when we are surrounded by wickedness, we can know of the Lord’s goodness. If we, like Mormon, strive to follow the Lord and stay true to our testimonies of the gospel, we can find hope in the knowledge that we “shall be lifted up at the last day” (Mormon 2:19).

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