Nephi’s words will be made strong by the Holy Ghost as explained above. His words may have five effects upon the reader (v. 4). First, they will persuade them to do good (v. 4). Moroni concluded the Book of Mormon with a similar evaluation: “And whatsoever thing is good is just and true; wherefore, nothing that is good denieth the Christ, but acknowledgeth that he is” (Moroni 10:6). President Joseph F. Smith taught that true religion “makes good men better men, and it takes even bad men and makes good ones of them.” Secondly, Nephi’s words help his people know more about their fathers (v. 4). Earlier, Nephi said they would know “they are of the house of Israel, and that they are of the covenant people of the Lord” (1 Nephi 15:14). Thirdly, his words “speaketh of Jesus, and persuadeth them to believe in him” (v. 4). The gospel of John was written for the same reason: “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:31). Jesus said: “This is the work of God, that ye believe on him [me] whom he hath sent” (John 6:29).
The fourth effect was for Nephi’s words to become strong because they spoke “harshly against sin, according to the plainness of the truth” (v. 5). His words are consistent with New Testament teachings. After teaching the unbelieving Pharisees, Jesus warned: “If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth” (John 9:41). One of the missions of the Comforter was to “reprove [convince] the world of sin … because they believe not on me” (John 16:8–9). Paul admonished the saints to “Abstain from all appearance of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:22). To sin is to “transgress the law of God contrary to [one’s] own knowledge” (Mosiah 2:33). The fifth effect was to become angry with the words of Nephi. Those who are angry are of the spirit of the devil (v. 5). He has stirred “them up to anger against that which is good,” and they “are angry because of the truth of God” (2 Nephi 28:20, 28).