By accumulating the repeated elements, the reader could ascertain that they were six in number and could grasp the rich fabric of meanings embedded in these definitional passages. This has changed the way I Study I recently purchased a journal edition of the Book of Mormon and I have throughly enjoyed reading each chapter myself and then listening to the same chapter as Jason discusses it. How have the stories and teachings accomplished Nephi’s purposes for you? In 2 Nephi 33, as Nephi concluded his writings, he explained reasons why he was writing in the first place. [10] It is introduced quite deliberately in two different ways by Nephi in his presentation of the doctrine of Christ in 2 Nephi 31. In 2005, I wrote a very enthusiastic review of Royal Skousen’s Analysis of Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon, Part One: 1 Nephi 1–2 Nephi 10, the first part of volume 4 of his Book of Mormon Critical Text Project. However, as will be shown below, the ministry and atonement of Christ are consistently presented in Book of Mormon accounts as parts of the “plan of salvation,” which provides the context for understanding the necessity of the gospel. 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. Baptism of water                                       22, 4. At five pages, you may have time to … Nephi’s younger brother Jacob is described in his own record as going about, preaching what he calls “the gospel, or the doctrine of Christ” (Jacob 7:6). Perhaps they could share why they decided to get baptized. 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. This chapter can also be overlooked when we fail to note the authorities that Nephi offers for his presentation of the gospel. The Book of Mormon is the earliest of the unique writings of the Latter Day Saint movement, the denominations However, rather than giving a straightforward statement of the principal meaning such as a modern dictionary might offer, each passage outlines the gospel or doctrine of Christ several times in different ways: each statement including two or more of the basic elements of the gospel message is related in a variety of ways. For more ideas for teaching children, see this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Primary. 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. Nephi’s original account of the gospel or the doctrine of Christ deserves special attention because it provided the basic pattern followed by all the Nephite prophets in their teaching and writing down to the time of Mormon and Moroni. 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. Items in the BMC Archive are made publicly available for non-commercial, private use. Enduring to the end                                  12, 6. Two more of these passages were provided by Jesus Christ in person when he first appeared to the Nephite people (3 Nephi 11:31–39) and when he returned later in response to the prayers of his disciples, who wanted his guidance in naming the church he had established among them (3 Nephi 27:13–21). . What answers do you find for yourself? 2 (2001): 30–33, for an explanation of why we believe the original 1830 spelling “straight” should have been retained in later editions. For the purposes of this paper, I have not seen a need to make the distinction between “everlasting gospel” and “everlasting covenant” that is frequently made by Latter-day Saint writers. If the Book of Mormon is what Joseph Smith claims to be, and this passage was written by the prophet Nephi in 559 B.C., it would seem that Nephi is a prophet greater than the Old Testament prophets. . Copyright 2021 Book of Mormon Central: A Non-Profit Organization. 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