1 Hearken, O ye Gentiles, and hear the words of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, which he hath commanded me that I should speak concerning you, for, behold he commandeth me that I should write, saying:
2 Turn, all ye Gentiles, from your wicked ways; and repent of your evil doings, of your lyings and deceivings, and of your whoredoms, and of your secret abominations, and your idolatries, and of your murders, and your priestcrafts, and your envyings, and your strifes, and from all your wickedness and abominations, and come unto me, and be baptized in my name, that ye may receive a remission of your sins, and be filled with the Holy Ghost, that ye may be numbered with my people who are of the house of Israel.
(3 Nephi 30:1-2)
At the end of the book of 3 Nephi, after describing the rapid unraveling of Nephite society, the natural disasters which followed, and the appearance and ministry of Jesus Christ to the inhabitants of the American continent, Mormon reminds his readers that God will fulfill all of His covenants which He has made with the house of Israel. Then, as a final editorial note, he adds a brief, 2-verse chapter with specific instructions for his latter-day readers. After reading and hopefully internalizing the dramatic content that has gone before, we must now do something about it. It’s not good enough for us to be impressed by these amazing events but be unchanged by them. As Boyd K. Packer used to say after a presentation during meetings of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Therefore, what?” (related by Jeffrey R. Holland in “Teaching, Preaching, Healing,” Ensign, January 2003).
According to Mormon, these are the three things the Savior would like us to do:
- Turn from our wicked ways (repent of our sins).
- Come unto Him.
- Be baptized.
- We will receive a remission of our sins.
- We will be filled with the Holy Ghost.
- We will be adopted into the house of Israel (and therefore be recipients of all of the blessings described in the preceding chapters).
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