took courage to go forth unto the Lamanites to declare unto them the word of God.”, Alma 31:11: “Alma ​and his brethren went into the land to preach the word unto them.”, Moroni 9:4: “When I speak the word of God with sharpness they tremble and anger against me.”. What reasons do you find in this chapter? See Reynolds, “Understanding Christian Baptism,” especially 8–9. [10] It is introduced quite deliberately in two different ways by Nephi in his presentation of the doctrine of Christ in 2 Nephi 31. For more ideas for teaching children, see this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Primary. This chapter can also be overlooked when we fail to note the authorities that Nephi offers for his presentation of the gospel. The ordinance of the sacrament is a weekly opportunity for you to recommit to following Jesus Christ. The contemporary Essenes also referred to their way of life as “the Way.” See Community Rule, 1QS 8.13–16; 9.16–21. [6] As he relates, when he saw the baptism of Jesus in that earlier vision there was much more going on than he had told us previously in that single verse describing that event (1 Nephi 11:27). Innovation in the Book of Mormon. [8] As Nephi makes clear, faith in Jesus Christ is not one of the steps, but is the foundation that underlies each of these four steps (2 Nephi 31:19–20). Epistemology is “the branch of philosophy that tries to make sense out of knowledge, rationality, and justified or unjustified beliefs.”2 In other words, it’s about what we know and how we know it. How are the reasons He was baptized similar to the reasons you were baptized? ​Reynolds, “The Gospel of Jesus Christ as Taught by the Nephite Prophets,” BYU Studies 31, no. For all who do this sincerely, the Father will send a remission of sins and many spiritual gifts by the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost, which will provide them with the guidance and strength necessary to endure to the end and receive eternal life. And this is the word which he hath given unto the children of men” (emphasis added). 2 Nephi 31–33,” Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: 2020, Christ Teaching His Disciples, by Justin Kunz. Although much remains to be done in the further examination of these passages and their relationship to the rest of the text of the Book of Mormon, this short paper is dedicated to the limited objective of clarifying some of the key terminology used by Book of Mormon writers. Nephi, with his characteristic plainness and simplicity, did it this way: faith in Christ, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. Overview “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) What if the timeline of the Book of Mormon in its entirety, from start to finish, all 1000 years of history, was both precisely orchestrated by a loving Father in Heaven and painstakingly compiledContinue reading “Chapter 1” [18] Proverbs invokes this image relentlessly as in this example from Proverbs 4:18–19: “But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. After almost two millennia of New Testament study and interpretation, the Christian world could not yet agree on what the gospel or central teaching of Jesus Christ was concerning the things men must do to be saved. How can you help your family understand Nephi’s analogy about the “strait and narrow path”? She then takes stories and principles from the Book of Mormon and lets kids use their imagination by drawing images from the prompts given. If baptism and confirmation are “the gate by which [we] enter” the strait and narrow path (2 Nephi 31:17), what do we do once we’re on the path? While the English terms gospel and doctrine have somewhat different ranges of meaning, they are used interchangeably by Book of Mormon writers. Nephi could speak persuasively of the need to “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ,” of following the “strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life” (2 Nephi 31:20, 18), because that is the path he followed. For years I’ve looked for a Book of Mormon study guide to help me read the Book of Mormon every day. . If we look at the history of the Church in the Book of Mormon, we can see a history that is full of change. Faith in Jesus Christ                                 13, 2. How can we make sure the Holy Ghost has “place in [us]”? Copyright 2021 Book of Mormon Central: A Non-Profit Organization. A few days later, the ​“Lord’s preface,” received on November 1, 1831, explained the purpose of the Restoration with the same language: “Thatmine everlasting covenant might be established; That the fulness of my gospel might be proclaimed by the weak and the simple unto the ends of the world” (D&C 1:22–23; emphasis added). Rather, Christians were increasingly divided into a multiplying array of sects, each featuring its own answers to that question. That’s what Nephi’s people wondered (see 2 Nephi 32:1). Jesus himself expands on this description of the two ways in Matthew 7:13–14: “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”. 2 (2012): 4–37, especially 17–26. The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble” (emphasis added). (2 Nephi 31:18). It includes an account of the pre-earth life and the planning for this earth as a probation for God’s spirit children; the Creation; the Fall; the Atonement of Christ, which makes humanity’s redemption possible; the preaching of the gospel in this world and in the spirit world; the final judgment of all God’s children according to their responses to the gospel; and the final state of his children after that judgment, whether they have received eternal life or some lesser reward. You might consider Nephi’s teachings in 2 Nephi 31:18–20 and evaluate your own efforts to “press forward” along the gospel path. The Book Of Mormon has calmed my worries and given me strength to face challenges .It has grown to be mature spiritually ,opened my spiritual eyes and ears .It has become my backbone of my being .I have read the Book Of Mormon countless times and each time it has uplifted me into the next level spiritually , my problems are dissolved and have learnt to endure even during trying times. The New Testament ratio is similar, 51 to 24, but the Book of Mormon ratio is only 6 to 57. Literary scholars also refer to the inclusio as an “envelope structure—in fact a structure popular in many biblical genres—​in which significant terms introduced at the beginning are brought back prominently at the end.” See an account of how these structures are used prominently in the Psalms in Robert Alter, “Psalms,” in The Literary Guide to the Bible, ed. Among Nephi’s last recorded words, we find this declaration: “The Lord commanded me, and I must obey” (2 Nephi 33:15). It is probably inevitable that Latter-day Saint scholars will bring assumptions from their academic studies of the Bible and Christian theology to their study of the Book of Mormon. [2]. Chapter 1. By my count, doctrine only occurs in this context 25 times in the text of the Book of Mormon, and gospel only occurs 42 times. My insights and notes are so much better and it has made studying the Book of Mormon much more fun and applicable! And while Latter-day Saints ate up the reference to the book of scripture, fans completely disagreed with Michaels’s calling for the extra point that cut the game to a 12-point deficit rather than 11 if the Steelers had completed a 2-point conversion in the third quarter. For just as surely as this director did bring our fathers, by following its course, to the promised land, shall the words of Christ, if we follow their course, carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far better land of promise. The Son is quoted in verses 10, 12, and 14. Following Jesus Christ’s teachings leads us to eternal life. The goal of this podcast is to help children and young adults grow closer to the Savior through a daily study of the Book of Mormon. The way is a translation for hodos, and a variety of other terms referring to roads, paths, courses of travel, or manners of thinking or acting. Clearly, different forms of the phrase “the wo​rd(s) (of Christ or God)” are frequently used to signify the doctrine or the gospel of Christ. It’s hard for me to read any book all the way through, let alone a book I’ve read so many times. Lehi reports in 1 Nephi 10:11 after his vision, telling his sons about “the gospel” that would be preached among the Jews. [13] See 3 Nephi 21:22–26; 28:23; 27:13–18. Ancient writers could signal the beginning and end of a dedicated section of their writing by repeating at the end the same word or phrase used at the beginning. Nephi’s explanation of the gospel was given to him in a vision and laid the foundation for the teachings of all later Nephite prophets. The occurrences of these six elements in the three passages can be summarized as follows: [7], Element                                              Occurrences, 1. [9]. Try to only use the Book of Mormon as your source. Even more numerous are the other references that seem to refer to specific prophecies or divine actions that evidence God’s power in this world—without suggesting a focus on this central gospel message. [21] See also D&C 22:1–2; 45:8–9; 49:8–14; 66:2; 76:101. . The more diligently you strive to live like Jesus Christ and rely on His atoning power, the more naturally you will teach in His way. Whether your baptism happened yesterday or 80 years ago, it was a pivotal moment—you entered a lifelong covenant to follow Jesus Christ. For instance, you could work together to draw a picture of the path that Nephi described in 2 Nephi 31:17–21, labeling it with the things we must do to enter the path and continue forward on it. Brilliant! . [20] This terminology for referring to the Christian movement was used widely in the first Christian centuries as its common name or nickname. In a final effort to make his point perfectly clear, he simply states, “If ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do” [14] Nephi seems to understand the iron rod described in Lehi’s version of this vision as serving this same function when he says, “The rod of iron, which my father had seen, was the word of God, which led to the fountain of living waters, or to the tree of life” (1 Nephi 11:25). See Reynolds, “The Gospel of Jesus Christ,” 31–32. [10] Some of the best New Testament examples (Matthew 3:3, 7:13–14, John 14:6, Acts 24:14, 22) are discussed near the end of this article. One clear example of ​this explicit equation of “the word” with the gospel occurs in the last speech of Jesus to his Nephite disciples in 3 Nephi 27:16–18, which is preceded by the prefatory statements  that “I have given unto you my gospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you,” in verse 13: “And it shall come to pass, that whoso repenteth and is baptized in my name shall be filled; and if he endureth to the end, behold, him will I hold guiltless before my Father at that day when I shall stand to judge the world. See also David A. Bednar, “Receive the Holy Ghost,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2010, 94–97; “Holy Ghost,” Gospel Topics, topics.ChurchofJesusChrist.org. All rights reserved. Here are some ideas. Perhaps they could share why they decided to get baptized. It is generally assumed by scholars that it derives from Jesus’s own self-description: “I am the way” (John 14:6). In the article…I gave my personal experience with the Book of Mormon in my college years and also laid out some of the logical reasons why I believe the book to be true. We build enduring faith in Jesus Christ by making the Book of Mormon accessible, comprehensible, and defensible to the entire world. What are you doing today to continue following the Savior’s example of obedience? It is helpful to study how the Savior taught—the methods He used and the things He said. BOOK OF MORMON Lesson 10: March 2-8, 2020 2 Nephi 31-33 “This Is the Way” Discussion Topics (activities below) ⇓ PRIMARY – HOME CLICK HERE FOR LESSON ⇒ • Jesus Christ taught me how to return to Heavenly Father. This seems like a fitting summary of Nephi’s life. . Further, see Royal Skousen’s more detailed exposition of this question in his Analysis of Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon: Part One (1 Nephi 1–2 Nephi 10) (Provo, UT: FARMS, 2004), 174–81, which articulates what I find to be a convincing argument for “straight” in 1 Nephi 8:20. [7] The basic rationale for this count was presented in my first paper on this topic. When we realize the full impact of this divine encounter on Nephi (and presumably on his father, Lehi, before him), we can appreciate that this great vision may have served the kind of role for the Nephite dispensation that Joseph Smith’s First Vision has served in the Restoration. For a different opinion on this issue, see Paul Y. Hoskisson, “Straightening Things Out: The Use of Strait and Straight in the Book of Mormon,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 12, no. The Book of Mormon is the earliest of the unique writings of the Latter Day Saint movement, the denominations 2 Nephi 31–33: “This Is the Way”. Cast in a partially gold cover reminiscent of the plates from which millions believe it was translated, the first secular printing of "The Book of Mormon" will line bookstore shelves beginning next week, marking what many within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will no doubt see as a milestone in the mainstreaming of their faith.