The calling of Mormon (v. 2) was as a disciple (apostle) of Jesus Christ (see 3 Nephi 5:12), a special witness, grounded in the knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ. His office not only gave him the authority, but also the responsibility to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ “according to the power of the Holy Ghost” (D&C 18:32). His message to the Nephites is as applicable to us today as it was to those who first heard it.
Mormon’s audience, the peaceable followers of Christ, had obtained a sufficient hope by which [they] could enter into the rest of the Lord (Moroni 7:3). While we don’t know exactly when Mormon delivered his sermon, we do know that it was in a period when great trials and afflictions were upon the Church. In A.D. 345, Mormon, who was then about thirty-four years old, lamented that “a continual scene of wickedness and abominations has been before mine eyes ever since I have been sufficient to behold the ways of man” (Mormon 2:18). As these conditions only worsened over the next forty years of his life, those whom Mormon addressed as the faithful members of the Church would have endured the sufferings and persecutions of this corrupt society.
Those faithful members that Mormon spoke to had been brought to their present spiritual status through the principle of hope—the hope of eternal life (see Titus 1:2; 3:7) obtained through Jesus Christ (see Jacob 2:19). Hope is a catalyst for repentance. President Spencer W. Kimball said: “Hope is indeed the great incentive for repentance, for without it no one would make the difficult, extended effort required—especially when the sin is a major one. This hope gives people the courage to follow the commandments taught them in the scriptures and by Church leaders. Therefore, it produces good works in their lives. Both ancient and modern scriptures tells us all men will be judged of their works, whether they be good or evil (2 Corinthians 5:10; Mormon 3:20). Mormon enlarges upon the connection between works and hope.