Joseph Fielding Smith
"Now, there are those who declare more or less than this. They will not repent of their sins. They will not accept Jesus as the Redeemer of the world. They will not believe that He spoke the truth when He declared unto the people that He was the Son of God, and that He came to fulfill the mission that was given to Him of His Father, to redeem the world from sin. They reject these things. They will not believe them; hence they remain in the bondage of sin, and cannot be redeemed, because they will not receive the principles by which salvation comes. There are many of this class that go around through the country, stirring up the hearts of the people against the truth, declaring that these things are not so, and that it is unnecessary for men to observe these principles, and ordinances that are declared in the scriptures to be essential to salvation. They are destroying the faith of the people wherever it is possible." (Conference Report, Oct. 1913, p. 72)
EDITOR'S NOTE
The Sermon on the Mount as taught in 3 Nephi differs in many instances from the same sermon as recorded in Matthew 5-7.To help the reader identify the differences, the text from the Book of Mormon version which differs from the Matthew version will be highlighted in blue text, while the text which is the same as the Matthew version will be highlighted in red text. For example, Matt 5:3, reads, "Blessed are the poor in spirit…," while the 3 Nephi version reads "Yea, blessed are the poor in spirit who come unto me…" Therefore the 3 Nephi version will be represented as follows, Yea, blessed are the poor in sprit who come unto me. If you're color-blind, I apologize.
3 Nephi 12-15 The Sermon on the Mount
This Sermon on the Mount is the greatest sermon ever given. It sets the standard for the higher law, introduces a new dispensation of truth, and teaches more about true discipleship than any other passage of scripture.
Joseph F. Smith
"Read the Sermon on the Mount, and then ask yourselves whether it is beyond and above everything ever taught by man. It confirms me in the belief that Jesus was not merely a man, but that He was God manifest in the flesh. It is the doctrine of eternal life, by which if a man shall live he shall never die; by which if he shall walk he shall walk in pleasant paths; and by which if he shall abide, he shall know the truth, and the truth will make him free." (Collected Discourses 1886-1898, ed. by Brian Stuy, vol. 5, Joseph F. Smith, Oct. 18, 1896)