Jesus Quoting Abinadi

There were many reasons for Mormon to include the story of Abinadi in the Book of Mormon. One of them was the fact that Jesus referenced the words of Abinadi twice: once just before His birth, and once just after His death.

The night before He was born, Jesus spoke to Nephi, who was praying earnestly for his people. Jesus said, “I come unto my own, to fulfil all things which I have made known unto the children of men from the foundation of the world, and to do the will, both of the Father and of the Son—of the Father because of me, and of the Son because of my flesh” (3 Nephi 1:14). Perhaps Nephi remembered these words, which his great-great-great-grandfather Alma had heard Abinadi preach in the court of King Noah:

Because he dwelleth in flesh he shall be called the Son of God, and having subjected the flesh to the will of the Father, being the Father and the Son—

The Father, because he was conceived by the power of God; and the Son, because of the flesh; thus becoming the Father and Son—

And thus the flesh becoming subject to the Spirit, or the Son to the Father…

Mosiah 15:2-3, 5

Thirty-three years later, after experiencing the destruction which coincided with the Savior’s death, Nephi and his people heard the voice of the Savior saying, “I am the light and the life of the world” (3 Nephi 9:18). He subsequently appeared to them as a resurrected being. On that occasion, He again introduced Himself with those words: “Behold, I am the light and the life of the world” (3 Nephi 11:11). These words echoed the testimony of Abinadi:

He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death.

Mosiah 16:9

Jesus didn’t say Abinadi’s name on those occasions, but for those who were familiar with Abinadi’s words, this was a powerful endorsement and a strong indication that Abinadi was among the prophets whose words Jesus had come to fulfill. (See 3 Nephi 1:13, 3 Nephi 11:10.)

Today, I will be grateful for Abinadi’s testimony of the Savior and for the Savior’s respect for Abinadi. I will remember that the testimonies we bear are recorded in heaven, and that God is mindful of our declarations of faith.