Helaman. . 3 (2013): 82–83. Provo, UT 84602 The voices of both the Father and the Son are quoted in the second variation pointing out to the young Nephi the elements of Christ’s example that are expected of all individuals; repentance and baptism are required for all who would receive the Holy Ghost (vv. . And the essence of baptism is also an action of the convert and not something done to him. Christ’s new followers have only made it “thus far by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save” (v. 19). Unlike the two later passages in which Mormon presents Christ teaching his gospel as quotations without editorial commentary, Nephi provides us in 2 Nephi 31 with a highly developed presentation of his own understanding of the gospel as derived from what he was taught by the Father and the Son, quoting them repeatedly to make and substantiate his points. [Barry Robert Bickmore, Restoring the Ancient Church: Joseph Smith & Early Christianity. 2 Nephi 32. The third variation (v. 13) features Nephi’s testimony that if his brethren will follow the Son by sincerely repenting of their sins and witnessing to the Father by baptism that they are willing to take upon them the name of Christ, that they, too, may receive “the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost.”, The fourth variation invokes the voices of the Father and the Son again as they repeat and further explain each of the basic elements of the doctrine of Christ (vv. 1, pp. 185 Heber J. 2 (Spring 1999): 6. 1, p. 191) 2 Ne 2:26 that he may redeem the children of men from the fall The chapter began with an explicit reminder of the prophecy given to both Lehi and Nephi in their separate visions received at the first camp in the wilderness that a prophet would baptize Jesus Christ. Thou has not lied unto men, but unto God." Nephi has told us that his “soul delighteth in the scriptures” and that he “pondereth continually upon the things which [he has] seen and heard” ( 2 Nephi … “Whosoever should (1) believe in this gospel . Since 2005 the Church has officially recognized this warning and promise as an articulation of a fifth basic gospel principle.[15]. But then Nephi was also shown that apostate Christianity had “taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious” (v. 26). For example, "But behold I have obtained a land of promise" (spoken by Lehi while in the wilderness Valley of Lemuel before they left on their journey, 1 Nephi 5:5); "After [Christ] was baptized with water, the Holy Ghost descended upon him in the form of a dove" (spoken by Nephi approximately 550 years before Christ's birth, 2 Nephi 31:8); "These are they whose sins [Christ] has borne; these are they for whom he has died, to redeem them from their transgressions" (spoken by Abinadi approximately 150 years before Christ's birth, Mosiah 15:12). at that time, the day will come that it must needs be expedient that they should believe these things” (v.16). 11–12). (3) Third, there is a person called the Son in the New Testament, namely Jesus Christ, who is called God. See Reynolds, “The Gospel of Jesus Christ as Taught by the Nephite Prophets,” 43–6, for a more developed explanation of merismus. Jarom. In the ancient temple or tabernacle, after passing into the sacred space, the first thing you would encounter would be the altar of sacrifice. 2 Nephi 31:18 The phrases “strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life” is similar, to Matthew 7:14 and, “have received the Holy Ghost” is also in Acts 10:47. These explanations will be expanded considerably in the SBL paper listed as In Process. . 153-155] [See the commentary on 2 Nephi 9:23-24], According to Cleon Skousen, the Hastings Bible Dictionary describes the Jewish baptism as part of their initiatory ordinance. Nephi’s penchant for elaborate rhetorical structures in his writing has been recognized for a long time and may be what he has in mind at the very beginning of the small plates when he points out to us explicitly that he “was taught somewhat in all the learning of [his] father.” See Noel B. Reynolds, “Nephi’s Outline,” BYU Studies 20, no. See Reynolds, “Understanding Christian Baptism through the Book of Mormon,” 9–10. 31:45 Teaching Tip on the Doctrine of Christ. 2 Nephi 31: 21: "And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. [26] Later, Alma also appears to take his instruction on this point directly from Nephi as he uses faith, hope, and charity to characterize the lives of the faithful (Alma 7:24). Another advantage of the essay approach is that it frees me from the scholarly requirement of documenting the connections between my assertions and the writings of others. This chapter contains many intertextual references, which Nephi used to signal this chapter’s preeminent importance. Baptism is the act of the convert as he witnesses to the Father that he has repented and taken the name of Christ upon him. . 22:16 2 Nephi 31: 2–3, and 5. The 1830 edition has straightness (2 Ne. 2 Nephi 27. The Meaning of Strait- President Spencer W. Kimball ; The Church under Condemnation- Treated Lightly the BOM- President Ezra Taft Benson ... 2 Nephi. 2 Nephi 26:31 — What Does Nephi Mean When He Says We Cannot Labor for Money? Are we done once we’ve entered the path? For the first demonstration of these six elements as definitional in these three presentations, see Noel B. Reynolds, “The Gospel of Jesus Christ as Taught by the Nephite Prophets,” BYU Studies 31, no. The gospel represents the path by which all might find eternal life. 1166-1167]. Once we have learned these six “parts” or “points” of his gospel from these Book of Mormon passages, we can see them all mentioned already in an early revelation to Joseph Smith in which the Lord explained the importance of their inclusion in the final configuration of the Book of Mormon. For an explanation of how the Book of Mormon writers use the terms “gospel” and “doctrine” of Christ interchangeably, see Noel B. Reynolds, “This Is the Way,” Religious Educator 14, no. 2. But here Nephi chooses to speak about the main elements in the all-important doctrine of Christ. 2 Nephi 7. Jacob. There, individuals trod on the grapes so that the juice flowed into a vat, where it was gathered into containers. Normally, Jesus Christ, as the Mediator, talks to the Prophets. 2 The a mighty man, and the man of b war, the judge, and the prophet, and the c prudent, and the ancient; Seeking understanding, to be "brought into the light," through prayer and effort (2 Nephi 32:4, 8-9), 3. . For Latter-day Saints, it is acceptable to say both that there is one God, and that there is a plurality of Gods, depending on the context. Approaching the task "with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent" (2 Nephi 31:13), 2. 2 Nephi 12. 2 Nephi 31-33 Mar. , ye must bow down before him, and worship him with all your might, mind, and strength, and your whole soul” (v.29). Concerning the mode of baptism, the. 2 Nephi 6:12 (focus on the Gentiles, again) Economical Hierarchy. Furthermore, Nephi counseled his people to "do the things which I have told you I have seen that your Lord and your Redeemer should do; for, for this cause have they been shown unto me that ye might know the gate by which ye should enter" (2 Nephi 31:17). . In the revelations of the Restoration the phrase is used to identify our dispensation as the fulness of all past dispensations (see D&C 27:13; D&C 121:31; D&C 124:41; D&C 128:18, 20)." This chapter deals mainly with prophecies of the latter-day restoration or gathering of Israel both in the New World and in the Old World. [5]. The Lamb of God Did Fulfil All Righteousness in Being Baptized by Water: Although Nephi lived over 500 years before the birth of the Savior, yet he knew by the power of revelation that the Savior was going to be baptized. It also seems clear that he now goes beyond those sources to include new prophecies “according to the spirit which is in me” (2 Nephi 25:4). This happens in making promises or threats, and also in the language of contracts.182, [Allen H. Richardson, David E. Richardson, and Anthony E. Bentley, Voice from the Dust-500 Evidences Supporting the Book of Mormon, p. 268], [See the commentary (Andrew Skinner) on Helaman 8:14]. For thus hath the Lord commanded me” (2 Nephi 33:11 and 15). Four times Nephi was told that the removal of these “plain and precious things” from the Bible, will cause “an exceedingly great many” to stumble “insomuch that Satan hath great power over them” (vv. . . But then two chapters later he does include Lehi’s long explanation to his sons of things that he had learned about “a prophet which should come before the Messiah to prepare the way of the Lord” (1 Nephi 10:7). There are numerous other examples of this throughout the New Testament. While space constraints will not allow exploration of all those connections, I will delineate below the basic structural features of this text. At no point in this chapter does Nephi simply list out the six gospel elements that he is presenting—as a modern writer would certainly do. 2 Nephi 31: 13: “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by … Continue reading 2 Nephi 31: 13 → Jared T. Parker, “The Doctrine of Christ in 2 Nephi 31–32 as an Approach to the Vision of the Tree of Life,” in The Things Which My Father Saw: Approaches to Lehi’s Dream and Nephi’s Vision (2011 Sperry Symposium), ed. The second great promise and prophecy the Father has extended to all his children from the beginning[29] was that everyone who repents and chooses to be baptized and then receives “the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost,” and then endures to the end—“the same shall be saved” (vv. Other evidence exists, in the scriptures and elsewhere, that baptism was also performed by other groups before the birth of Christ. The Father endorses these words as “true and faithful” and goes on to state the principle positively: “He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved” (v. 15). . (Isaiah 43:10) This tradition is continued in the New Testament as, for example, when Jesus prayed to the Father he said, "And this is life eternal: that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent." In the ancient temple or tabernacle, after passing into the sacred space, the first thing you would encounter would be the altar of sacrifice. 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