📜 19 Wherefore, I beseech of you, brethren,
that ye should search diligently in the
light of Christ that ye may know good
from evil; and if ye will lay hold upon
every good thing, and condemn it not,
ye certainly will be a child of Christ.
We become children of Christ by entering His light, being changed by His truth, and allowing His redemption to spiritually beget us.
Let’s walk through it slowly and reverently.
1. “Search diligently in the light of Christ” — We step into His illumination.
Moroni 7:19 begins with the command to search diligently in the light of Christ.
Your cross‑references show what that light actually is:
📜 45 For the word of the Lord is truth, and
whatsoever is truth is light, and
whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the
Spirit of Jesus Christ.
▪︎ Truth
▪︎ Spirit
📜 7 Which truth shineth. This is the
light of Christ. As also he is in the sun,
and the light of the sun, and the power
thereof by which it was made.
▪︎ The power in the sun, moon,
stars, and earth
▪︎ The force that enlightens our
eyes and quickens our understanding
This means the Light of Christ is not a metaphor.
It is the living, cosmic, moral, and intellectual power of Jesus Christ reaching every soul.
To “search diligently” in that light means:
▪︎ We let Christ’s truth expose
what is real.
▪︎ We let His Spirit soften our conscience.
▪︎ We let His illumination teach us
how to see.
This is the first movement toward becoming His child:
We allow His light to begin reshaping our inner world.
👣 Stepping Into His Illumination
To search diligently in the light of Christ is to open ourselves to the truth, Spirit, and divine power that permeate all creation. His light reveals reality, softens the heart, and awakens understanding. When we willingly receive that illumination, we begin the inward transformation that leads us toward becoming His children—souls reshaped by His truth, guided by His Spirit, and taught by His eternal light.
2. “That ye may know good from evil” — We learn to discern as He discerns.
The Light of Christ awakens discernment.
This is not merely moral awareness; it is alignment.
We begin to:
▪︎ Recognize goodness as He recognizes it
▪︎ Reject evil as He rejects it
▪︎ Desire what He desires
▪︎ Love what He loves
In the October 1975 General Conference talk "Opposing Evil" By Elder Gordon B. Hinckle Of the Council of the Twelve spoke:
"Reformation of the world begins with reformation of self. It is a fundamental article of our faith that “We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, [and] virtuous."
"We cannot hope to influence others in the direction of virtue unless we live lives of virtue. The example of our living will carry a greater influence than will all the preaching in which we might indulge. We cannot expect to lift others unless we stand on higher ground ourselves."
In the October 1990 General Conference talk "Choices" By Elder Russell M. Nelson Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke:
“Each of us must make choices. That is one of life’s great privileges.”
And in the April 2008 General Conference talk "Walk in the Light" by By President Henry B. Eyring First Counselor in the First Presidency spoke:
"You make choices every day and almost every hour that keep you walking in the light or moving away toward darkness."
Discernment is the spiritual DNA of Christ forming in us.
This is the second movement:
We begin to think and feel with His mind and heart.
📖 Learning to Discern as He Discerns
The Light of Christ shapes our ability to recognize good and reject evil, not by mere moral awareness but by aligning our desires with His. As we choose virtue, walk in light, and reform our own hearts, we gain the capacity to influence others for good. Daily choices either draw us toward Christ or away from Him, and through consistent, righteous choosing, His mind and heart begin to form within us.
3. “Lay Hold upon Every Good Thing” — We cling to what comes from Him.
To “lay hold” is covenantal language.
It means:
▪︎ Actively choosing good
▪︎ Embracing truth
▪︎ Practicing righteousness
▪︎ Welcoming spiritual gifts
▪︎ Holding fast to Christ’s influence
In the September 18th BYU speech "Lay Hold upon Every Good Thing" delivered by Merrill J. and Marilyn S. Bateman President of Brigham Young University and Wife, Merrill spoke:
"Christ depends on you. The message of the Master must be written in your hearts so that you may extend it to others. Christ’s healing power is more than physical. He has the power to make a person whole, to heal the soul as well as the body."
Moroni teaches that "all things which are good cometh of Christ" (Moroni 7:24).
So when we lay hold upon good things, we are actually laying hold upon Him.
This is the third movement:
We choose Christ again and again until His goodness becomes our nature.
🫂 Holding Fast to Every Good Thing
To lay hold upon every good thing is to seize, cherish, and live by all that comes from Christ. Each act of choosing truth, practicing righteousness, welcoming spiritual gifts, and carrying His message in our hearts binds us more deeply to Him. Because every good thing originates in Christ, clinging to goodness is ultimately clinging to Him. Through repeated, deliberate choosing, His goodness settles into our character until it becomes the pattern of who we are.
4. “And condemn it not” — We stop resisting His goodness.
This phrase is often overlooked, but it is crucial.
To “condemn not” means:
▪︎ Don’t reject promptings
▪︎ Don’t dismiss truth because
it is unfamiliar
▪︎ Don’t resist correction
▪︎ Don’t push away spiritual gifts
▪︎ Don’t harden the heart when
Christ invites change
📜 And now, if there are faults they are the
mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn
not the things of God, that ye may be
found spotless at the judgment-seat
of Christ.
▪︎ This is humility.
▪︎ This is surrender.
▪︎ This is spiritual teachability.
This is the fourth movement:
We stop fighting the light that is trying to save us.
⚠️ Yielding to the Things of God
To “condemn not” is to stop resisting the very goodness that seeks to heal and transform us. It means receiving promptings with softness, welcoming truth even when it stretches us, accepting correction without defensiveness, and allowing spiritual gifts to work upon the heart. When we refuse to condemn the things of God, we practice humility and surrender—becoming teachable enough for Christ’s light to do its saving work within us.
5. “Ye certainly will be a child of Christ” — The promised identity.
When the four movements take root—
light, discernment, goodness, surrender—
Christ spiritually begets us.
Your cross‑references show this clearly:
📜 10 And now I say unto you, who shall
declare his generation? Behold, I say
unto you, that when his soul has been
made an offering for sin he shall see his
seed. And now what say ye? And who
shall be his seed?
"when his soul has been made an offering for sin he shall see his seed."
▪︎ His “seed” are those who accept
His atoning offering.
▪︎ Christ sees His “seed” when His
sacrifice changes a soul.
📜 25 And the Lord said unto me:
Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men
and women, all nations, kindreds,
tongues and people, must be born again;
yea, born of God, changed from their
carnal and fallen state, to a state of
righteousness, being redeemed of God,
becoming his sons and daughters;
“Being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters.”
▪︎ Directly ties redemption and spiritual
transformation to becoming
His children.
▪︎ We must be born again.
Born of God.
Changed from a fallen state to a righteous one.
Redeemed.
Becoming His sons and daughters.
This is not symbolic only.
It is covenantal, transformational, and deeply relational.
Sons and Daughters of God
“Gave he power to become the sons of God.”
▪︎ Perfect doctrinal match: becoming
His child is a gift of power given
through belief in Christ.
“Ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons and his daughters…”
▪︎ This is the closest doctrinal parallel
to Moroni 7:19 "ye certainly will be a
child of Christ,"
▪︎ It explains how we become His
children—through covenant,
spiritual rebirth, and taking His name
upon us.
“They shall become my sons and my daughters.”
▪︎ Christ Himself declares the covenantal
identity promised to believers.
“As many as would believe might become the sons of God.”
▪︎ Echoes Moroni’s pattern: belief →
transformation → divine sonship.
“Are begotten sons and daughters unto God.”
▪︎ Speaks to spiritual begetting—exactly
. what Moroni 7:19 promises.
“Thus may all become my sons.”
▪︎ A direct doctrinal statement of
becoming God’s children through
righteousness and covenant.
To be a child of Christ means:
▪︎ His life grows in us
▪︎ His image forms in our countenance
▪︎ His mind shapes our thoughts
▪︎ His love governs our actions
▪︎ His redemption becomes our
new lineage
This is spiritual rebirth.
This is adoption through the Atonement.
This is discipleship becoming identity.
📨🆔️ Receiving the Identity of His Children
To become a child of Christ is to be spiritually reborn through His atoning power. Those who accept His sacrifice, believe in His name, and allow His redemption to change their nature become His “seed”—His sons and daughters. This identity is covenantal and transformative: His life begins to grow within us, His image shapes our countenance, and His love becomes the pattern of our living. Through belief, rebirth, and redemption, we enter a new lineage—one formed not by mortality, but by Christ Himself.
Distilled Doctrine
We become children of Christ when His light teaches us, His truth changes us, His goodness remakes us, and His redemption spiritually begets us into His family.
🚸 Becoming His Children
This study has traced Moroni’s simple but sweeping promise: if we search in Christ’s light, discern good from evil, lay hold upon every good thing, and refuse to condemn the things of God, we will become His children. Each movement is a step deeper into His influence. His light awakens our understanding, His truth reshapes our desires, His goodness becomes the pattern of, our living, and His redemption gives us a new spiritual lineage. To be a child of Christ is to let His life grow within us until His image rests upon our countenance and His love governs our path. This identity is not symbolic—it is covenantal, transformative, and offered to all. As we walk in His light with humility and faith, He makes us new, and we become His sons and daughters in very deed.
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