How Do You Know the Book of Mormon Is Accurate? Marshall Almarode wrestled with this question early in his ministry to Mormons: How do we evaluate the accuracy of the Book of Mormon, especially when it has undergone so many revisions?
The very first page of the Book of Mormon claims that the text was given “by the gift and power of God.” It also claims to stand alongside the Bible as holy scripture. But if this is true, a serious problem arises. The copy Marshall held was already on its seventh major revision — significant changes had been made over the years. If a book is truly translated “by the gift and power of God,” why would it need ongoing corrections? Does God make mistakes? The Bible says clearly, “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent” (Numbers 23:19). God’s Word is perfect and unchanging, not subject to continual revisions.
Mormon leaders often compare these revisions to the many English translations of the Bible, but there is a vast difference. Bible translations are based on thousands of ancient manuscripts, carefully preserved and studied for centuries, and despite language updates, the message has remained consistent. Jesus Himself affirmed the reliability of Scripture, saying, “The scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35). In contrast, the Book of Mormon was supposedly dictated directly by revelation from golden plates, meaning its original text should have been flawless and beyond correction.
Furthermore, the opening page of the Book of Mormon asserts that it is comparable to the Bible. Yet the Bible itself warns against adding new revelation to God’s Word: “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar” (Proverbs 30:5–6). Revelation 22:18 also issues a sober warning: “If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book.”
Marshall concluded that if the Bible is truly God’s complete Word, then the Book of Mormon is unnecessary. And if the Book of Mormon were somehow complete and sufficient, then the Bible would be unnecessary. But Christians know that the Bible alone is the inspired, inerrant, and sufficient Word of God: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).
The reality is that the Bible stands as the once-for-all revelation of God’s truth, pointing to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever” (Isaiah 40:8). The Book of Mormon, with its contradictions and changes, cannot claim the same divine authority.
