“Mosiah 4:9–10: ‘Believe in God,’” Book of Mormon Teacher Manual (2024)
“Mosiah 4:9–10,” Book of Mormon Teacher Manual
Mosiah 4:9–10
“Believe in God”
Have you ever stopped to ponder the impact your beliefs have on your actions and on who you are becoming? While teaching what we must do to retain a remission of our sins, King Benjamin emphasized the importance of believing in God. This lesson can help you strengthen your belief in and love for God.
Teaching the scriptures and words of prophets with conviction and purpose. At every opportunity, inspire those you teach to turn to the word of God for guidance, answers to questions, and support. If students will “feast upon the words of Christ,” the truths they find will “tell [them] all things what [they] should do” (2 Nephi 32:3).
Student preparation: Invite students to come to class with a list of three to five things they believe about God.
Possible Learning Activities
The impact of our beliefs
The following are a few false ideas people once thought to be true. Ponder the impact these beliefs may have had on the lives of those individuals
Consider displaying the following statements on the board.
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The world is flat.
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Toads give you warts.
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Stars revolve around the earth.
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What problems can come from believing in false ideas?
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How have you seen your beliefs or those of others influence attitudes or actions?
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How might what we believe impact us spiritually?
Believe in God
King Benjamin taught the importance of believing in God. Before beginning your study, take a moment to reflect on what you believe about God. How do your beliefs about God influence your actions? Consider listing in your study journal some of these beliefs and pondering why you believe what you do. Throughout your study, add any thoughts or impressions you may have.
Consider also drawing the following image on the board and inviting students to assist in filling in the circles with teachings from Mosiah 4:9–10.
Copy the following image in your study journal. In the center circle, write believe in God and Mosiah 4:9–10.
Read Mosiah 4:9–10, looking for the different things King Benjamin invited his people to believe about God. Write each of these in the outside circles. If needed, you can add more circles to your image.
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In one simple sentence, how might you summarize King Benjamin’s teachings in Mosiah 4:9–10? Consider using your summary sentence as the title of the visual you created.
Give multiple students an opportunity to share their summaries of these verses with the class. Possible truths they might identify as part of this summary include the following: The Lord’s prophets invite us to believe in God. God created all things and has all power and wisdom. We can demonstrate our belief in God through our actions.
Consider dividing the class into small groups and assigning each group to focus on one or more of King Benjamin’s teachings from verses 9–10. Students could discuss the following questions about the truths they are assigned to focus on and then share their answers with the class.
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How might understanding and believing these teachings from King Benjamin impact your life?
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How do you see these teachings opposed or ignored by the world today?
President Russell M. Nelson shared the following advice for those who are not sure they believe in God:
If you are not sure you even believe in God, start there. Understand that in the absence of experiences with God, one can doubt the existence of God. So, put yourself in a position to begin having experiences with Him. … Ask Him to tell you if He is really there—if He knows you. Ask Him how He feels about you. And then listen. (Russell M. Nelson, “Come, Follow Me,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2019, 90)
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What experiences have you had that strengthened your belief in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?
If students would benefit from further discussion about choosing to believe in God, consider using the statement by Elder L. Whitney Clayton in the “Commentary and Background Information” section.
Going deeper
One way we can strengthen our belief and trust in God is by learning from the inspired teachings and experiences of others (see Bible Dictionary, “Faith”). Choose at least one of the following three activities to help you enhance your belief in God:
Display the following three options and give students sufficient time to complete one of the activities. These activities could be completed individually, or students could complete them with others who chose to focus on the same activity. Consider including different activities according to the needs and abilities of your students.
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Hymns: Search the hymnbook for words, phrases, verses, or entire hymns that teach about God’s nature and character or that can strengthen your belief in Him.
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Other scripture accounts: Find and study accounts in the scriptures where others testified of their beliefs about our Heavenly Father or His Son, Jesus Christ. Examples of passages you could study include Alma 26:16, 35–37; 34:8–10; and Doctrine and Covenants 76:22–24.
Consider providing students with current copies of the general conference edition of the Liahona if the following option is used. Students could also use the Gospel Library app.
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General conference: Using recent general conference addresses, look for words, phrases, accounts, or stories that teach about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and strengthen your belief in Them. (Consider searching general conference addresses by topics such as “Heavenly Father,” “Godhead,” or “Jesus Christ.”)
Give multiple students an opportunity to share what they learned or felt from their studies.
After inviting students to share their insights, consider providing them with small slips of paper, and invite willing students to write something they believe about God. These statements of belief could be posted in the classroom for the next week for others to see and ponder.
Your next steps
Whether you have a strong belief in God or are trying to determine what you believe, there are things each of us can do to strengthen our belief in and love for God. Take a moment to reflect on what you feel your next step is to knowing God better. Record your thoughts and impressions in your study journal.
Consider concluding the lesson by sharing your testimony of God. Encourage the students to act on the impressions they have felt today.