All About Christ

In this post, I'm combining a number of passages. I love this chapter, where Nephi prophesies with "plainness" about Christ.  There is a bunch of prophesy about when Christ was born and came to earth, and how he was treated then.  Remember that this was prior to Christ's mortal life. Nephi testified all about the crucifiction, burial, and resurrection.  He testifies some more about the atonement and how it is the only way to get back to heaven.

The first passage I want to quote really reminds me of my mission.  When we would stop and talk to people, there were some who would say something like "I've been saved", or they would say that we were wrong to say that we have to try hard to live the commandments and live good lives, because that takes away from being saved or that it says that Christ's grace is insufficient.  This was this scripture that I would reference or at least paraphrase.

"For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do." (2 Nephi 25:23)

I love this because I think it points out one key thing.  We will never make it on our own. We need to teach and testify of Christ and his atonement because we are imperfect and can't get to heaven on our own (no matter what we do), but at the same time, I don't think it makes much sense to think he will say "I gave you all these commandments, but who cares if you follow them, as long as you accept me as your personal savior". How would we fulfill the purpose of this life, to gain experience, and knowledge, and ultimately the opportunity to grow and progress?  I think this would be difficult.  However, knowing that if we try hard, we STILL can't make it, we are provided with the grace of Christ to close the gap. That makes way more sense to me.

"And, notwithstanding we believe in Christ, we keep the law of Moses, and look forward with steadfastness unto Christ, until the law shall be fulfilled.

For, for this end was the law given; wherefore the law hath become dead unto us, and we are made alive in Christ because of our faith; yet we keep the law because of the commandments." (2 Nephi 25:24-25)

The entire purpose of the law of Moses was to point to and teach people about Christ coming, and his sacrifice for man. There is a stark contrast between Nephi's people following the law of Moses compared with the Jews that "kept" the law of Moses at the time of Christ. Nephi and his people knew that the law of Moses was just that: a primer.  It's whole intent was to teach people about Christ and His mortal mission.  Nephi taught his people to look to and believe in Christ. Yet Christ was often accused and criticized for not keeping the law of Moses (as defined by the Jews of His time). I think this is a good lesson for today regarding the letter of the law and the spirit of the law.  If we are really in tune with the spirit, we can understand the right way to go, and it can teach us the right principles about that situation.

"And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins." (2 Nephi 25:26)

Even though they followed the law of Moses, so they perfomed animal sacrifice and all of that, they knew that remission of their sins came only through the atonement of Christ.  They made sure that they knew where to go for that help.  I think it's important as a parent, husband, neighbor, coworker, etc, that I follow this example. Not that I'm going to go around cramming this down everyone's throats, but this is the MOST important information anyone could possibly have, to know that Christ made an atonement for each of us. So all of our talk, action, and joy can and should be centered around that central theme.

"And now behold, my people, ye are a stiffnecked people; wherefore, I have spoken plainly unto you, that ye cannot misunderstand. And the words which I have spoken shall stand as a testimony against you; for they are sufficient to teach any man the right way; for the right way is to believe in Christ and deny him not;..." (2 Nephi 25:28)

I think we are all stiffnecked to some degree, or in other words, we are all sinners, and so we need this message.  The plainer the words, the more to our condemnation if we don't follow. We can't really just say "I didn't understand", because it has been explained very clearly to us. The right way is to believe in Christ and deny him not. The ONLY way is to believe in Christ and deny him not.

I am far from perfect. I am working on it. I do know that Christ lives. I know that He is our Savior, and that He loves us enough to go through something as unimaginable as the atonement for us. Without him, we are lost, both physically AND spiritually, and we would never make it back to our Heavenly Father. I love the Savior for all He has done for me, and I want to be a better example, so that people, especially my kids, can see Him through me.  I've got a long ways to go for this, but I can try to get closer every day.

Satan's Future

"They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and shall consider thee, and shall say: Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms?" (2 Nephi 24:16)

I think I really love this reference.  In my previous post, I wrote about the Second Coming and when the righteous will gain rest from the Lord.  In this reference (and some surrounding verses), it talks about Lucifer and a little bit of what he can expect. Basically, in modern terms, we will ask ourselves "What was so scary about satan", and "How did he gain such power over some people, including ourselves at times"? We will realize that he is one individual, and shouldn't have had that much influence.

The fact that we give him such power in this world is kind of crappy. I know that there must be opposition in all things, but we give him so much power to tempt us and to scare us. Is it really that difficult, at the end of the day, to know what we should and shouldn't do?

Let's all think about satan this way right now, not just at some future time when we have a little better perspective. We have enough of our own stuff to worry about.  Let's not give him any more power than he should have.

The Lord Will Give Thee Rest

"And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall give thee rest, from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve." (2 Nephi 24:3)

This is addressed to the House of Israel, and I feel like the reason that Nephi included Isaiah's words here is because the House of Israel refers to the saints.  Those who have been brought into the fold of God and accepted His gospel under His conditions.  The meek, humble, and oppressed who try to do what is right.  I feel a part of this group, so I feel like these words apply to me, as I strive to live the way I have covenanted to.

To these people (to me!), the Lord will give rest.  Rest from sorrow, rest from fear, and rest from hard bondage.  I feel like it's significant that it specifically mentions certain things they (I) will get rest from.

Feeling this personal connection as this applies to me, I will address these points as applying to me, recognizing that they apply to all those that are a part of the House of Israel.

First, rest from my sorrow.  We all have sorrow at some point. I have lost loved ones. I have seen loved ones hurt or betrayed or fallen away.  I have been bitterly disappointed in the outcome of certain things.  The Lord knows how I feel.  He felt my sorrows. I think this sorrow is also referring to the sorrow we feel when we know we have done wrong.  God loves us and wants us to return to Him, so He has given us some commandments to live by so we can.  We will always mess up.  We will never be perfect at following these commandments, and He understands that we are weak human beings, and will make these mistakes.  Or even willfully rebel.  But when we think about what we have done, in the right frame of mind, we will feel sorrow.  This is good, because it is the sorrow that leads to (and is necessary for) proper repentance. I have experienced this rest from my sorrow many times through my life, for all different kinds of sorrow.  I can only imagine what it will be like for that rest to permeate through all of my sorrows.

Next, rest from my fear.  What do I fear?  Well, I think some of the things I fear the most is all of life's unknowns. It's losing things that I love.  I have fears that I will not be able to live up to things that are expected of me, or that I will hurt someone.  That I won't be good enough.  That I won't be able to give what I want (or need) to give to my family.  I have fears that when all is said and done, I won't have tried hard enough and done enough to be with my family forever. It would be wonderful to gain rest from my fears.

Finally, rest from the hard bondage wherein I was made to serve. This one seems a little harder to define to me, since I've never been physically held captive or "made" to serve. One application of this, though, might be our limited, weak, physical bodies that our spirits are in during this life.  I think that in a way, that is a type of hard bondage. We came to earth, clothed in a physical body, with all it's frailties and weaknesses. We are subject to physical pain, sickness, and death, not to mention the temptations of the natural man. This is like a bondage. I am blessed in that this is more difficult for many than it is for me. I have a relatively healthy body, and was taught and brought up in such a way that I have not had to deal too much with a lot of what I described. However, I deeply understand the idea of this mortal body being a hard bondage. While I don't wish to be separated from my physical body any time soon, I can see how not being limited by it will be a great rest from that bondage.

The concept of rest is a great one. It's easy to understand and everyone can relate to it. We've all been so tired, either physically or mentally, and finally have the opportunity to rest. It is one of the greatest feelings at that moment. I believe the rest that Isaiah describes will be the best kind of rest, better than anything we could possibly imagine. We do get glimpses every now and again, but imagine what that will feel like for it to be all-encompassing, to receive rest from all our sorrows, fears, and bondage.

I look forward to it.

Destruction of the Wicked

"Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it." (2 Nephi 23:9)

"When the day of the Lord cometh."  What is the day of the Lord? I believe it is the second coming that is being referred to. I think as I have learned about this time, I have heard the description of what wil happen to people at the second coming. One of those things is the destruction of the wicked.

I usually think of this along the lines of "I better shape up so I don't get destroyed". However, the more I think about this, I think I understand a little more about the reason for missionary work. I mean, everyone's a sinner, so yes, we need to repent, but to be facing a consequence like being destroyed out of he land? I sometimes wonder how this is going to work. Will it be like the destruction described in the scriptures? Like in the Americas when Christ was crucified? Or when Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed for their wickedness? Or when the people of the earth were destroyed in the flood during Noah's time?

So what do I need to do? The scriptures say, "it becometh every man who has been warned to warn his neighbor" (D&C 88:81). I have been warned. I have learned about this terrible upcoming destruction. Shouldn't I warn others more than I do? In fact, shouldn't i do a better job at "warning" people just by example? By teaching them love and respect just by how I act? I certainly can do better at that.

Something to think about.

Praise the Lord

In this short but expressive chapter quoting Isaiah, there are many ways of praising the Lord.  I love them all so much that I thought I'd include all the verses and add some commentary.  (All verses from 2 Nephi 22.)

1 "And in that day thou shalt say: O Lord, I will praise thee; though thou wast angry with me thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me."

The Lord loves us so much and is very merciful.  Even though we make tons of mistakes, which frustrates Him, and probably angers Him too, he is our loving Father and will comfort us when we need comfort.

2 "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation."

Trust in God.  He will be there for you.  He has provided the Plan of Salvation for us to be able to return to Him someday.  But it requires that we trust in Him, or in other words, have faith in Him.

3 "Therefore, with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation."

I love this imagery.  For a little effort (drawing water out of the well), you can receive great joy in your salvation.  It is refreshing, and also needed to sustain life, just like water.

4 "And in that day shall ye say: Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted."

When we are excited about something, or grateful, or even happy, we want to share it.  We share when exciting news has happened.  We want to spread that around.  Because of this, we want to share the Gospel with others once we really see what it has done for us in our life.

5 "Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things; this is known in all the earth."

I think we have a tendency to downplay what the Lord has done for us sometimes.  It is difficult to measure just what HIs plan provides for us, because we can't really fathom what it means when the Savior says we can have all that His Father has.  And we can never repay Him, or probably even properly show our gratitude and love for that.  But we can do our best to sing praises to show as much as we can (whether in word, action, or actual song).

6 "Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion; for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee."

 Line everyone up in the world, and Christ is the greatest of all of them.  We owe Him so much.  We should be constantly expressing, with as much energy as we can muster, our gratitude and love for God.

I know God loves me, and I love Him.  I know He lives and has a plan for me, and I'm so grateful for it.

The Gathering

"And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth." (2 Nephi 21:12)

I've heard the phrase "Gathering of Israel" throughout my life, and I always thought of this as people being "gathered" into the fold of God.  Brought into His Church.  I've always thought of someone being gathered through testimony-building experiences, and through the efforts of those around them.  I've always tied that phrase to missionary work.

All this is true.

I think the thing that stuck out to me in this verse is the phrase "the outcasts of Israel".  I think that the idea of being an outcast is directly the opposite of being gathered.  And they will be gathered too.  But it made me think of all those people out there who need a friend.  Those who need someone to back them up, or to remind them to make better choices.  I've been thinking a lot about bullying, because it seems to be a current hot topic, and how it feels to be an "outcast".  And, on the flip side of that, what it's like to feel "gathered".  I have felt both, and as strong and independent as I try to be, it is a great comfort and strength when you don't stand alone.  When you are part of a group, even if it's a small group.  There really is strength in numbers, and maybe that's what the "Gathering of Israel" and "assembling the outcasts of Israel" really means.

Do Not Fear Your Enemies

"O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian;" (2 Nephi 20:24)

The people of the Lord at the time had certain enemies that surrounded Jerusalem.  In this case the reference is made to Assyria as the enemy, but this reassurance is applicable universally.  When there is a zion people, they don't need to be afraid of their enemies.

What is a zion people?  The scriptures describe the people of Zion as "the pure in heart", and the people of the city of Enoch (who were good enough that the whole city was lifted up into heaven) were described as being this way.  It goes on to describe the people of the city of Enoch as having all things common among them.  I don't think this is isolated to just temporal things.  Yes, I think they shared and took care of each other and made sure that they all had places to live and food to eat and everything.  I also think it goes a little further than that.  I think they were united, one in purpose.  They all had the same goal to be righteous, and they were.  This is the same as the Godhead.  Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are described as being One.  So much, in fact, that this has caused some confusion with people thinking they are actually one Being.  What it really means is that they are united, being one in purpose, focused on the same things.

When we, like the Godhead, and like the people of the city of Enoch, are united in a righteous cause, we are the people of Zion, and our enemies will not have power over us.  Our enemies might not be a nations's army, either.  Maybe it's a bully, or a mean person we have to deal with regularly.  Maybe it's Satan and his temptations that is the enemy.  When we are a zion people, no enemy will have power over us, so we need not fear that enemy.

The Influence of a Leader

"For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed." (2 Nephi 19:16)

So this chapter talks about the wickedness of the people.  It points out here, however, that the leaders of the people cause them to err.  How does that happen?  Well, leaders could have this effect in more than one way.  First, they lead by showing a bad example.  If the leader does evil, then people who follow him will also do evil.  Another way a leader can show influence on the people is by requiring them to do wicked things.  Leaders tend to carry a very strong influence with the people that follow them.

While this verse is specifically speaking of the wickedness that can be caused by a wicked leader, I'd like to point oout that not all of the influence is bad.  A leader can have a good influence on their followers.  If a leader is acting morally and/or righteously, it is more likely that their people will be moral and righteous. Obviously, this is not foolproof.  Some people don't want to be that way, but most will.

A leader is probably best defined simply as "someone who has followers".  I think that this oversimplifies it a little, but the gist is that a good leader has good followers, and a bad leader has bad bad followers.

Reading this made me think of my role as a leader.  I mean, anyone who has followers is a leader, whether they volunteered for the leadership role, or just had some people whoe decided to follow them.  The important thing there, I think, is recognizing when it's time to step up and be a leader, and along with that, what kind of leader are you going to be?

Christ as a Stone of Stumbling?

"Sanctify the Lord of Hosts himself, and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.

And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling, and for a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

And many among them shall stumble and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken." (2 Nephi 18:13-17)

"Let [the Lord of Hosts] be your fear, ... and your dread."  I think that there are really two ways to feel about the Lord.  On one side, you dread and fear Him, because of choices you've made or whatever.  In this case, He can be a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.  I think when we don't live His commandments, we know it.  We know in our hearts that we need to repent.  He can be a stumbling block for our wicked ways, blocking that path the best He can.  But, try as He might, He can't make us do anything.  We must choose for ouselves, and sometimes we choose to turn away from Him.  Sometimes we stumble and fall, and become broken, snared, and taken.

"Sanctify the Lord of Hosts himself, ... And he shall be for a sanctuary;"  I think when we choose to turn toward Him instead of away from Him, we find ourselves in HIs protection, He is our sanctuary.  This doesn't mean bad things don't happen to us, but it does mean that we'll have His help to get through whatever it is we are going through.

I know I'd much rather have a sanctuary than a stumbling block.

Wearying the Lord

"is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?" (2 Nephi 17:13)

In this chapter, it is more prophesy by Isaiah.  It talks about how the people asked Ahaz to ask the Lord something that He had already answered.  I love his response, that he doesn't think they should weary the Lord with their questions.

I think this is good advice to live by in general.  I think of times when this has happened and wonder if that's really what happened with the lost 116 pages of the manuscript of the Book of Mormon. The Lord was weary of getting the same question over and over again, knowing what the outcome would be.

As a parent, I can say that this is a frustrating thing, when you've already answered a question, but you get asked again and again by the kids. We've tried to institute a general response to these kinds of requests by just saying "asked and answered".  But I understand why it is frustrating when you get asked questions this way.  I know God has all patience and everything, but it must be disappointing to Him when we have to ask again, either because we weren't paying attention in the first place, or because we are hoping to get a different answer.

Let us not weary God in this way. We can listen to His counsel through His prophets and promptings of the Spirit, and follow Him, the first time.

Being Clean

Isaiah saw a vision. He saw the Lord, sitting on a throne. I'm sure it was a great experience.  However, when he found himself in the presence of the Lord, he was troubled because he felt unclean, or at least he felt he had unclean lips.

"...Wo is unto me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips; and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts." (2 Nephi 16:5)

But the Lord is merciful and forgiving to those whoe repent. Isaiah probably wasn't guilty of too much sin.  He was the prophet, after all. God wouldn't have called him to be the prophet if he wasn't already righteous. But the point was how he felt.  He felt as if he had unclean lips.

"Then flew one of the seraphim unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar;

And he laid it upon my mouth, and said: Lo, this has touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged." (2 Nephi 16:6-7)

He was cleansed of his sin. Heat is an interesting metaphor for how we are cleansed from sin. Heat burns away impurities and kills germs and stuff like that.  However, it is a painful thing too. I think heat is used to show a couple of parts of the repentance process. The first thing is that it is painful.  It isn't easy to admit that you've done wrong, or to confess your sins or make restitution. All of that can be painful. However, when we come out of the other side of the repentance process, we are cleansed.  We are more pure than before, maybe even more pure than we have ever been.  Heat affects change too. It changes solid to to liquid. It changes liquid to gas. It causes chemical reactions. It is a great catalyst in the chemistry world.  This is true as part of this metaphor as well. Repentance affects change in us. It purifies us, and it changes our desires. It orients us closer to God's will.  This is what Isaiah experienced:

"Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I said: Here am I; send me." (2 Nephi 16:8)

What this demonstrates is that once we have been cleansed from sin, we answer the Lord's call to action.  One way to ensure that we are ready to answer the Lord's call of "Whom shall I send?" Is to repent and be cleansed of our sins, regardless of how painful it really is.