The Book of Mormon: Integrity and Internal Consistency
by Donald W. Parry,
Assistant Professor of Hebrew, Brigham Young University. 
Published in Expressions of Faith: Testimonies of Latter-day Saint Scholars, 209-222., Chapter 21.

Unity of Focus on Christ

Years ago, Susan Easton Black tabulated all of the occurrences of the names
and titles of Jesus in the Book of Mormon.  Though Black's goals were
different from those of this article, the results of her findings are quite
instructive. According to Black, 101 names or titles of Christ are presented
in the Book of Mormon. These include the names/titles Lord God Omnipotent,
Redeemer of Israel, Shepherd, and Son of the Living God, each of which is
found once in the work. The names/titles Stone, True Messiah, Mighty One of
Jacob, and Great Creator are each found twice; the names/titles Holy One of
Israel, Lamb of God, Lord Jesus Christ, Redeemer, and Messiah each appear 10 or more times; and the names/titles Christ, God, Jesus, Lord, and Lord God
are each found at least 100 times in the book. In all, the 101 names/titles
of Christ are collectively presented 3,925 times in 6,607 Book of Mormon
verses. 21 Black's tabulation of the names and titles shows that on average,
one name or title of Christ appears once every 1.7 verses.

The names and titles are used by the various Book of Mormon prophets to
teach of Jesus' prebirth affiliations with the world, his earthly ministry,
his atoning sacrifice (including his sufferings in Gethsemane, his death on
the cross, and his resurrection from the garden tomb), his workings among
American civilizations, his ministry to other peoples, his future mission
with the latter-day church, his judgments upon the world, and his Second
Coming to the inhabitants of the earth. By way of example, a number of
names/titles of Jesus deal especially with the Atonement. These include
Christ, Christ Jesus, Christ the Son, Creator, Eternal Father, Everlasting
Father, Father of Heaven, Holy Messiah, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Lamb, Lamb of
God, Lord Jesus Christ, Mediator, Messiah, Only Begotten of the Father, Only
Begotten Son, Redeemer, Redeemer of Israel, Savior, Savior of the World,
Shepherd, and True Redeemer. Note also that Jesus serves in the capacity of
an advocate, a fact that is explicitly mentioned in the Doctrine and
Covenants (D&C 29:5; 32:3; 45:3; 62:1). Several statements imply this idea:
the Holy Messiah "shall make intercession for all . . . men" (2 Nephi 2:9),
"the Lord and thy God pleadeth the cause of his people" (2 Nephi 8:22), "the
Lord standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people" (2 Nephi
13:13), God "will plead your cause" (Jacob 3:1), and Christ "advocateth the
cause of the children of men" (Moroni 7:28).

The Book of Mormon contains not only a great variety of names and titles for
Jesus, but also many thousands of personal pronouns that refer to him. Book
of Mormon pronouns that have reference to Christ include I, me, you, he,
him; the possessive (adjective) pronouns my, your, and his; and the relative
pronoun who. Note the three appearances of the third-person pronoun in
Mosiah 15:12, all of which refer to Jesus. I have italicized the pronouns
for emphasis: "For these are they whose sins he has borne; these are they
for whom he has died, to redeem them from their transgressions. And now, are
they not his seed?" Note also the first-person pronouns found in 3 Nephi
11:11, again italicized: "And behold, I am the light and the life of the
world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given
me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world,
in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the
beginning." The pronouns that have reference to God are interspersed
throughout the Book of Mormon text, mingled with his 101 names and titles.

Beyond the use of deific names, titles, and pronouns in the Nephite record,
witnesses of Jesus appear in the form of symbols, presented through such
figures of speech as metaphor, simile, synecdoche, metonymy, implication,
and personification. Metaphors of Christ, for example, are common in the
book and include Moses' brazen serpent (1 Nephi 17:41; Helaman 8:14-15),
"keeper of the gate" (2 Nephi 9:41), "Lamb of God" (1 Nephi 10:10), "the
light and the life of the world" (3 Nephi 9:18), "Son of Righteousness" (3
Nephi 25:2), foundation stone (Jacob 4:15-16), "the truth of the world"
(Ether 4:12), and "rock" and "true vine" (1 Nephi 15:15).

First and foremost, the goal of the Book of Mormon is religious, with an
emphasis and encouragement for individuals to come unto Christ (Jacob 1:7;
Omni 1:26; Moroni 10:30, 32). Black's study on the frequent occurrence of
the names of Christ in the work reveals that the book has a definite focus
on Christ. Obviously, if one of his names or titles appears on average once
every 1.7 verses (and such a tabulation does not include pronominal
references to Christ), then the entire Book of Mormon is built around him,
including its sociological, political, economical, theological, and
historical parts. Yet if serious readers study the book contextually, they
will discover that each occurrence of a deific name or title, personal
pronoun, or symbolic reference shows an evenness, integrity, and lack of
contradiction with all other parts of the book.

Not once does the book confuse a work or teaching of Jesus that belongs to
another personality; never in all the references to Jesus, both explicit and
implicit, does the work attach to a human either a power or a quality that
belongs to God alone, nor does it attach a worldly, profane, or humanistic
quality to the resurrected Jesus. Prophetic descriptions of Jesus Christ do
not portray any member of the Godhead as possessing a human frailty, a
sinful or fallen nature, an imperfection, or a corruption. Neither is God
confused with other supernatural beings, either angels or evil spirits.
Rather, the Book of Mormon clearly defines the roles of all three members of
the Godhead-the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Every single reference
to God, whether it be pronoun, name, title, or symbolic reference, is
consistent and harmonious with every other reference. If confusion or
contradiction appears to exist in the Book of Mormon, it is because of the
limitations of the finite reader, who is attempting to understand things
pertaining to the infinite.

As noted, by far the most significant personality identified in the book is
Jesus Christ, and the weightiest topics pertain to his character, divine
mission, and eternal goals. References to Christ serve as an adhesive,
binding every verse of the work into a single, integral unit. All other
parts of the book serve as appendages to this focus. The topic of Jesus and
his mission fits squarely with the stated purpose of the book as listed on
the title page and elsewhere in the book. The purpose of the record is, in
part, "to show unto the remnant of the House of Israel what great things the
Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of
the Lord, that they are not cast off forever-And also to the convincing of
the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting
himself unto all nations" (title page).

>From the opening phrase, "I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents," to
the concluding expression, "the great Jehovah, the Eternal Judge of both
quick and dead. Amen," the Book of Mormon is textually consistent,
internally concordant, and written with integrity. If the reader follows the
proper prescriptions, the Holy Ghost will bear witness of the book's
truthfulness, and the reader will draw closer to God through reading it and
applying its principles.

My testimony of the divinity and Sonship of Jesus Christ, the calling of the
seer Joseph Smith, and the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon is based upon
the Spirit-to-spirit relaying of truth that comes through the operations of
the Holy Ghost. This testimony, however, is coupled with a number of
internal evidences that convince me of the book's historicity and divinity.
The record's textually consistent testimony is but one internal evidence of
its truthfulness.

20. Susan Easton Black, Finding Christ through the Book of Mormon (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1987); Susan Ward Easton [Black], "Names of Christ in the Book of Mormon," Ensign, July 1978, 60-61.