At the beginning of Jacob's second sermon, he expresses sorrow that many innocent people in the congregation will be subjected to a strict call to repentance. He acknowledges the people present, "many of whose feelings are exceedingly tender and chaste and delicate before God. He says that he imagines that they have come to the... Continue Reading →
“From the Dust” – 2 Nephi 33:13
Nephi tells us that he "did liken all scriptures" to himself and to his family. Here's an example of a passage from Isaiah which he identified with personally: And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall... Continue Reading →
Overcoming Resistance to Change – 2 Nephi 28 & 29
When you are confident that your worldview is complete, it can be easy to ignore or reject inconvenient facts which fail to conform to your theories. That's human nature. We prefer for the data to fit neatly into our preconceived notions rather than to have to question those notions. But this resistance to change can... Continue Reading →
Internalizing Isaiah
Nephi loved the words of Isaiah. He read them to his family to "persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer" (1 Nephi 19:23). He assigned his brother Jacob to preach a sermon about a passage from Isaiah (2 Nephi 6:4). He quoted 16 chapters from the book of Isaiah in his writings. And... Continue Reading →
Like unto Moses – 1 Nephi 4:2
After Nephi and his family arrived in the promised land, he shared many scriptures with his brothers, including passages from the books of Moses and from the writings of Isaiah. He tells us that he "likened" the scriptures to them, helping them apply scriptural lessons to their current circumstances (1 Nephi 19:23). He actually began "likening"... Continue Reading →
“Of Great Worth” – 1 Nephi 5:21
After Lehi's sons obtained the brass plates and brought them to their father in the wilderness, Lehi searched them to understand their contents. As a result, "he was filled with the Spirit, and began to prophesy" (1 Nephi 5:17). Lehi concluded that the scriptures "were desirable; yea, even of great worth" (1 Nephi 5:21). As... Continue Reading →
Abiding by Its Precepts
precept — A general rule intended to regulate behavior or thought (Oxford English Dictionary) On Sunday, November 28, 1841, Joseph Smith spent the day with the apostles and with Joseph Fielding, who had recently returned from a four-year mission in England, at the home of Brigham Young in Nauvoo, Illinois. He made the following declaration to... Continue Reading →
What Does the Book of Mormon Fulfill?
This is the fourth of six posts answering a series of questions suggested by President Russell M. Nelson. So far I have written about what the Book of Mormon is, what it affirms, and what it refutes. Today, I am writing about what it fulfills. "The eyes of the blind" The prophet Isaiah wrote about... Continue Reading →
What Does the Book of Mormon Refute?
This is the third of six posts answering a series of questions raised by President Russell M. Nelson in the October 2017 general conference. So far, I have discussed what the Book of Mormon is and what it affirms. Today, I am listing some of the fallacies it refutes. It refutes the concept of original sin,... Continue Reading →
What Is the Book of Mormon?
In 2017, President Thomas S. Monson challenged us to reinvigorate our study of the Book of Mormon: I implore each of us to prayerfully study and ponder the Book of Mormon each day. As we do so, we will be in a position to hear the voice of the Spirit, to resist temptation, to overcome... Continue Reading →