In referring to the gospel of Jesus Christ, Mormon then prophesied of the coming of the Bible through the Jews to the Gentiles, and thence to the descendants of the Nephites and Lamanites. He stated that if his audience believed his records, they “will believe that [namely, the Bible].” He knew that this would be one of the great missions of the Book of Mormon—to help establish the truth of the Bible. Doctrine and Covenants 20:11 similarly says that one of the main missions of the Book of Mormon is “proving to the world that the holy scriptures [including the Bible] are true.”
Latter-day Saints, however, often reverse this logic, using the Bible to prove that Joseph Smith was a prophet and to bolster other parts of the restored gospel, which it indeed does. But, if the Book of Mormon is intended, according to Mormon, to prove that the Bible is true, the logic should run primarily in that direction. By knowing that the Book of Mormon is good and true, one can then know even better and more surely that the Bible is true. And in a day such as ours, when many people have lost faith in the credibility of the Bible, the strength of the Book of Mormon should only be welcomed as an enhancing ally. Increasingly today, the Book of Mormon may be the first introduction that many people coming from a non-Judeo-Christian background will have to the Bible in general and the Gospel of Jesus Christ in particular.
Reciprocally, as Mormon also expects, belief in the Bible can also enhance belief in the Book of Mormon. How can we help fulfill this two-way interactivity? It takes conscious attention and effort to realize and show how extensively and how meaningfully these two “sticks” of scripture do and should, indeed, become one in our hands, as Ezekiel 37 prophesies that they are intended to become.