Where we are
This chapter reveals one of the most important principles in all of scripture about how God gives revelation: he gives the lesser first, to try our faith, and reserves the greater for those who believe the lesser. Christ taught the Nephites all things — vast, world-encompassing things, from the creation to the final judgment — but Mormon is permitted to write only the lesser part, and even that is given to try the faith of those who will receive it. If they shall believe these things then shall the greater things be made manifest unto them. And if it so be that they will not believe these things, then shall the greater things be withheld from them, unto their condemnation (vv. 9–10). This is the divine pedagogy of revelation: God does not pour out everything at once. He gives a measure, watches the response, and gives more to those who believe what they have been given. Faith is the gate to greater light. The chapter is the principle of withheld revelation — and it ends with the birth of the church of Christ, a people living with all things common.
Begin with the scope of what Christ taught. He expounded all things unto them, both great and small (v. 1) — and Mormon summarizes the staggering range: he did expound all things, even from the beginning until the time that he should come in his glory — yea, even all things which should come upon the face of the earth, even until the elements should melt with fervent heat, and the earth should be wrapt together as a scroll, and the heavens and the earth should pass away; and even unto the great and last day, when all people... shall stand before God, to be judged of their works (vv. 3–4). Christ unfolded the entire span of history — from the creation to the dissolution of the cosmos to the final judgment. He showed them the end of all things: the elements melting, the earth rolled up like a scroll, the heavens passing away, and the resurrection to either everlasting life or damnation (v. 5). This is the most comprehensive revelation imaginable — the whole arc of time and eternity laid open before the Nephites by the risen Lord.
And yet, Mormon says, there cannot be written in this book even a hundredth part of the things which Jesus did truly teach (v. 6). The Book of Mormon contains only a fraction — a lesser part — of what Christ revealed. The more part is on the plates of Nephi (v. 7), and even that is not all. And here is the crucial revelation: Mormon was about to write everything engraven on the plates of Nephi — to give it all — but the Lord forbade it, saying: I will try the faith of my people (v. 11). God deliberately withheld the greater things, and the reason was to try faith. The word study below opens up this trying; but the principle is profound. God does not give the fullness all at once. He gives a portion — the lesser things — and makes them a test: those who believe the lesser receive the greater; those who reject the lesser are denied the greater, to their condemnation. This is how revelation works. The light we have is always a test of whether we are ready for more light. Believe what God has given, and he gives more; reject it, and the door to the greater closes. The Book of Mormon itself is given on exactly this principle — that it may be brought again unto this people, from the Gentiles... to try their faith, and if it shall so be that they shall believe these things then shall the greater things be made manifest (vv. 8–9). The book in the reader's hands is the lesser part, given to try whether we will believe — and our believing it is the condition of the greater things being revealed.
And the chapter ends with two glimpses of the glorious aftermath. First, the children: Christ loosed their tongues, and they did speak unto their fathers great and marvelous things, even greater than he had revealed unto the people (v. 14); the little children, after Christ's ministry, utter marvelous things, even babes opening their mouths to speak wonders forbidden that there should not any man write them (v. 16). The children, blessed and encircled with fire in chapter 17, now prophesy greater things than the adults received — a beautiful sign of the worth and capacity of children in the kingdom. Second, the church. The disciples baptize and teach all who come, and the baptized are filled with the Holy Ghost (v. 17); they minister one to another, and they had all things common among them, every man dealing justly, one with another (v. 19). And the great naming: they who were baptized in the name of Jesus were called the church of Christ (v. 21). The church of Christ is born — a people baptized in his name, filled with his Spirit, living with all things common, every man dealing justly. This is the seed of the Zion that 4 Nephi will describe in full — the society of perfect equality and justice, the fruit of the gospel Christ planted. The chapter that began with the whole sweep of history ends with the birth of the church and the first flowering of Zion: all things common, every man dealing justly, the church of Christ.
The chapter has three movements.
- All things expounded, the greater withheld (vv. 1–12). Christ expounds all things from the beginning to the great and last day; not a hundredth part can be written; the lesser part is given to try faith — believe the lesser and receive the greater, reject it and the greater is withheld; the Lord forbade Mormon to write all, I will try the faith of my people.
- The children utter marvelous things (vv. 13–16). Christ taught three days and showed himself oft; he loosed the children's tongues to speak marvelous things, even greater than he revealed to the people, forbidden to be written.
- The church of Christ (vv. 17–21). The disciples baptize and teach; the baptized are filled with the Holy Ghost; they see unspeakable things; they minister to one another and have all things common, dealing justly; the baptized are called the church of Christ.
The verses to carry are these. Verse 9 names the principle — if they shall believe these things then shall the greater things be made manifest unto them. Verse 11 names the purpose — the Lord forbade it, saying: I will try the faith of my people. And verse 19 names the church — they had all things common among them, every man dealing justly, one with another. The chapter exists to reveal the principle of withheld revelation — the lesser given first to try faith, the greater reserved for the believing — and to record the birth of the church of Christ, living with all things common.
All things expounded, the greater things withheld (verses 1–12)
Behold, I was about to write them, all which were engraven upon the plates of Nephi, but the Lord forbade it, saying: I will try the faith of my people. — 3 Nephi 26:11
Christ expounds all things to the multitude — and the scope Mormon summarizes is breathtaking. He did expound all things, even from the beginning until the time that he should come in his glory (v. 3) — the entire span of history and prophecy, from the creation to the second coming. And beyond even that: all things which should come upon the face of the earth, even until the elements should melt with fervent heat, and the earth should be wrapt together as a scroll, and the heavens and the earth should pass away; and even unto the great and last day, when all people... shall stand before God, to be judged of their works (vv. 3–4). Christ unveiled the end of all things — the dissolution of the physical cosmos (the elements melting, the earth rolled up like a scroll), the final judgment, the resurrection to everlasting life or damnation (v. 5). This is revelation at its most comprehensive: the whole arc of time and eternity, from the first creation to the last judgment, laid open before the Nephites.
And yet — and this is the chapter's great revelation — the reader receives only a fraction of it. There cannot be written in this book even a hundredth part of the things which Jesus did truly teach (v. 6). The Book of Mormon contains a lesser part; the more part is on the plates of Nephi (v. 7); and even the plates do not hold everything. Mormon tells us he was about to write all that was on the plates of Nephi — but the Lord forbade it, saying: I will try the faith of my people (v. 11). God deliberately held back the greater things, and the reason was to try faith. The word study below opens up this trying; but the principle is one of the most important in all of scripture about how God reveals himself. He does not pour out the fullness all at once. He gives a measure — the lesser things — and makes that measure a test: if they shall believe these things then shall the greater things be made manifest unto them. And if it so be that they will not believe these things, then shall the greater things be withheld from them, unto their condemnation (vv. 9–10). Faith in the lesser light is the gate to the greater light. Those who believe what God has given receive more; those who reject it are denied more, and their rejection becomes their condemnation.
This is the divine pedagogy of revelation, and it governs the very book the reader holds. The Book of Mormon is the lesser part, given to try their faith (v. 9) — given first, which is expedient that they should have first (v. 9), so that God can see whether his people will believe. And the believing is the condition of the greater: if it shall so be that they shall believe these things then shall the greater things be made manifest unto them (v. 9). There is profound wisdom in this. God could overwhelm us with the fullness, but he does not, because faith would have no room to grow — a person given everything at once never has to trust. So God gives a portion, and watches: do we believe it? do we live it? do we treasure it? And to those who do, he gives more, and more, line upon line. The greater things are not arbitrarily withheld; they are reserved for the faith that has proven itself on the lesser. And the sobering converse: those who reject the lesser light forfeit the greater, and the forfeiting is their own condemnation — not because God is stingy, but because a heart that will not believe what it has been given is not ready for, and cannot rightly receive, more. The Book of Mormon, then, is a test of faith — and the reader's belief or unbelief in it determines whether the greater things of God will be opened or closed.
The children utter marvelous things (verses 13–16)
And he did teach and minister unto the children of the multitude... and he did loose their tongues, and they did speak unto their fathers great and marvelous things, even greater than he had revealed unto the people. — 3 Nephi 26:14
The chapter then returns, tenderly, to the children. After teaching three days and showing himself often, breaking bread, Christ did teach and minister unto the children of the multitude — the same little ones he had blessed and encircled with fire in chapter 17 — and he did loose their tongues, and they did speak unto their fathers great and marvelous things, even greater than he had revealed unto the people; and he loosed their tongues that they could utter (v. 14). The children prophesy — and not lesser things, but greater than what Christ revealed to the adults. After his second ascension, the multitude gathered themselves together, and they both saw and heard these children; yea, even babes did open their mouths and utter marvelous things; and the things which they did utter were forbidden that there should not any man write them (v. 16). Even babes — the very youngest — open their mouths to speak marvelous things, wonders so great they are forbidden to be written.
This is one of the most beautiful and surprising passages in the Book of Mormon, and it reveals something profound about children in the kingdom of God. The children are not merely recipients of blessing — held, prayed over, encircled with fire — they are vessels of revelation, uttering greater things than the adults received. The little ones whom the world counts least, whose words are usually ignored, are made the mouthpieces of marvels too great to write. This connects to the whole Beatitude theology of the Sermon — blessed are the poor in spirit... the meek — and to Christ's repeated insistence that one must become as a little child to enter the kingdom (3 Ne. 9:22; 11:37–38). The children, who are naturally what the adults must strive to become (humble, trusting, pure), are made the bearers of the greatest revelations — a sign that the kingdom belongs to the childlike, and that the deepest things of God are spoken not by the wise and the great but by the little and the pure. And it is fitting that this comes right after the principle of withheld revelation: the greater things are withheld from the unbelieving adults, but uttered by the believing children. The faith that opens the greater things is most perfectly found in a child.
The church of Christ, with all things common (verses 17–21)
And they taught, and did minister one to another; and they had all things common among them, every man dealing justly, one with another. And it came to pass that they did do all things even as Jesus had commanded them. And they who were baptized in the name of Jesus were called the church of Christ. — 3 Nephi 26:19–21
The chapter ends with the birth of the church of Christ and the first flowering of Zion. The disciples began from that time forth to baptize and to teach as many as did come unto them; and as many as were baptized in the name of Jesus were filled with the Holy Ghost (v. 17). The pattern Christ established — baptism in his name, the gift of the Holy Ghost — is now carried out, and the church begins to grow. Many of them saw and heard unspeakable things, which are not lawful to be written (v. 18) — the believers receive the greater things, the unspeakable revelations reserved for faith, exactly as the principle of verse 9 promised. And then the description of their common life, which is the seed of the whole Zion vision: they taught, and did minister one to another; and they had all things common among them, every man dealing justly, one with another (v. 19).
They had all things common. This is the great social fruit of the gospel of Christ — the same equality that the Sermon at the Temple aimed at, the opposite of the ranks and inequality that destroyed the Nephites in chapter 6. A people whose hearts are undivided (3 Ne. 13), who treasure heaven rather than Mammon, who are one with God and one another (3 Ne. 19), naturally hold their goods in common and deal justly with one another. The economy of Zion flows directly from the transformed heart: when the love of Mammon is gone and the love of God and neighbor reigns, the ranks dissolve, the goods are shared, and every man deals justly. This is the firstfruits of the society that 4 Nephi will describe in its fullness — there were no rich and poor... but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift (4 Ne. 1:3) — the nearest thing to Zion the Book of Mormon records. And it is born here, in the church Christ founded, among the people he taught and transfigured and filled with his Spirit. They did do all things even as Jesus had commanded them (v. 20) — the obedience that builds Zion — and they who were baptized in the name of Jesus were called the church of Christ (v. 21). The church receives its name: the church of Christ, for it is his — baptized in his name, filled with his Spirit, living his gospel, holding all things common. The chapter that began with the whole sweep of history from creation to judgment ends with the small, radiant beginning of Christ's church on the earth — a people made one, dealing justly, all things common, called by his name. The greater things were withheld to try faith; and to the faith that believed, the greatest thing of all was given: the church of Christ, and the dawn of Zion.
How the chapter is built
3 Nephi 26 is built around the principle of withheld revelation, and Mormon structures the chapter so that the holding-back of the greater things stands at its center, framed by the vastness of what Christ taught and the glory of what the believing receive. The chapter opens with the immensity of Christ's teaching — all things from the creation to the final judgment (vv. 1–5) — establishing how much there was to give. Then comes the central revelation: only a hundredth part can be written, the lesser given to try faith, the greater withheld until the lesser is believed (vv. 6–12). And the chapter closes with the fruit of believing faith — the children uttering marvelous things, the believers receiving unspeakable things, the church of Christ born with all things common (vv. 13–21). The architecture moves from the whole (all things expounded) to the part (the lesser written to try faith) to the more (the greater given to the believing) — enacting the very principle it teaches. Mormon builds the chapter so that the reader feels both the vastness of what God has to give and the wisdom of his giving it by measure: the fullness exists, but it is reserved, opened only to the faith that believes the portion already given. The structure is itself a baḥan — the chapter tells the reader that the book they hold is the lesser part, a test of faith, and that their believing is the gate to the greater.
And the chapter is built as the hinge between the teaching of Christ and the church he leaves behind — structured so that the great revelations give way to the great society. The first half is revelation (what Christ taught and what is withheld); the second half is community (the children prophesying, the church baptizing, all things common). And the connection is the principle of faith: the believing who receive the greater things are the same believing who form the church and hold all things common. Mormon places the birth of the church — they had all things common... and they who were baptized in the name of Jesus were called the church of Christ (vv. 19, 21) — at the very end, as the culmination of the whole Christophany. Everything Christ did over the days of his ministry — the descent, the sermon, the sacrament, the healing, the prayer, the teaching — flowers here, in a people made one, living with all things common, dealing justly, called by his name. This is the firstfruits of Zion, the society the whole gospel aims at, and Mormon builds the chapter so that it stands as the result and the proof of all that came before: the transformed hearts (the sermon), the undivided devotion (the treasure in heaven), the unity (the prayer), the purification (the whiteness) — all of it producing, at last, the church of Christ with all things common. The chapter that began with the dissolution of the heavens and the earth ends with the building of the one society that will outlast them — the church of Christ, the seed of the Zion where, at last, the ranks are gone, the goods are shared, every man deals justly, and the people are one, even as he and the Father are one.