33 For none of these iniquities come of the Lord; for he doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile.
(2 Nephi 26:33)
Yesterday, I wrote about Nephi’s declaration that all people need to know that Jesus is the Christ, and that He will manifest Himself to everyone who believes in Him. Later in the same chapter, he emphasizes this point by listing several characteristics which do not affect our relationship with God. Nephi tells us that God welcomes all of His children that come to Him, without regard to race (“black or white”) or gender (“male or female”). And he includes a third distinction: “bond or free.” What did he mean by that, and what are the implications for us?
We know that, at least from the time of King Benjamin, slavery was illegal among the Nephites. (See Mosiah 2:13, Alma 27:9.). Also, it seems unlikely that any of Nephi’s people were slaves. Nephi was certainly familiar with slavery. He reminded his brothers at least twice of the bondage of the children of Israel to the Egyptians (1 Nephi 17:24-25, 1 Nephi 19:10), and just two chapters earlier, he quoted a prophecy from Isaiah about the eventual deliverance of his people from bondage in Babylon (2 Nephi 24:3). But considering that his people probably had no direct experience with bondage, it’s worth considering whether this characteristic could have other meanings.
Elder Dallin H. Oaks taught that the word bond “means more than slavery. It means being bound (in bondage) to anything from which it is difficult to escape.” He then suggested a number of different forms of bondage we might experience: physical or emotional afflictions, addictions, harmful customs or traditions, and erroneous ideas (“All Men Everywhere,” General Conference, April 2006). With this more expansive definition in mind, it’s hard to escape the conclusion that we’re all in some form of bondage. What a comfort it is to know that God invites us to come unto Him in spite of these limitations, and that He will not turn us away.
Today, I will be grateful for the knowledge that Heavenly Father loves all of His children. I will pray with confidence, knowing that He will not turn me away in spite of my limitations. I will treat other people with respect, knowing that they are all His children and that He loves them just as He loves me.
“Black and white” here do not refer to race or skin color or any physical identifiers. Black is a Hebrew idiom for wicked/spiritually dark and white is a Hebrew idiom for righteous/spiritually light. The Book of Mormon proves it.
Take 2 Nephi 26:33.
“he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, BLACK AND WHITE, bond and free, male and female;
Now compare this to two other Book of Mormon verses with the same list of words, but which replace black and white with words that connote spiritual darkness vs. spiritual purity/covenant-keeping.
Alma 11:44
“this restoration shall come to all . . . both bond and free, both male and female, BOTH THE WICKED AND THE RIGHTEOUS.”
Alma 1:30
“they were liberal to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, whether OUT OF THE CHURCH OR IN THE CHURCH, having no respect to persons as to those who stood in need.”
What you are proposing, that “black” and “white” are terms referring to race, is a false doctrine which has been taught by our Church out of ignorance which contradicts the messages of our own scriptures. Everyone including the President of the Church needs to repent of this error and stop teaching it. It’s a church of continuing revelation, which means we aren’t going to get everything right all at once, so where we got this wrong in the past, let’s get it right going forward.
Thank you for pointing out some of the other Book of Mormon passages containing the phrase “bond and free.” This phrase actually appears three other times (2 Nephi 10:16, Alma 5:49, and 4 Nephi 1:3), always paired with other distinctions, such as “Jew and Gentile,” “rich and poor,” and even “the aged, the middled aged, and the rising generation.” All of these passages teach a consistent principle: God loves all of His children, and so should we. We must not allow any label to limit the love we feel for other people.
The apostle Paul uses a variation of this phrase in four of his epistles (1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:28, Ephesians 6:8, Colossians 3:11), usually combined with other pairings like Jew/Gentile, male/female, and even circumcision/uncircumcision.
Regardless of Nephi’s intent in using the specific words “black” and “white” in 2 Nephi 26:33, his overall message is clear: No labels that may have been applied to you are more important than your identity as a child of God.
President Russell M. Nelson taught this principle clearly last year:
“Labels can lead to judging and animosity. Any abuse or prejudice toward another because of nationality, race, sexual orientation, gender, educational degrees, culture, or other significant identifiers is offensive to our Maker! Such mistreatment causes us to live beneath our stature as His covenant sons and daughters!” (“Choices for Eternity,” Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults with President Nelson, 15 May 2022)