In the days the Lord will reveal His word to us, there will
be those who will reject it. Why? “We
have received the word of God and we need no more the word of God, for we have
enough” (2 Nephi 28:29). This is a
common complaint against the Church and our acceptance of continuing revelation. “We
believe … all that [God] does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal
many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God” (Articles
of Faith 1:9). Verse 29 is almost a
direct quote of those who reject continuing revelation – “we have enough!”
When Moroni2 was sealing the record that
contained the brother of Jared’s vision of the history of the world, he quoted
the word of the Lord. “[H]e that will contend
against the word of the Lord, let him be accursed; and he that shall deny these
things, let him be accursed; for unto them will I show no greater things, saith
Jesus Christ; for I am he who speaketh” (Ether 4:8).
Nephi informs us how the Lord works. He does not give us everything at once. We learn “line
upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little” (2 Nephi
29:30). This is how we learn. This is how I approach a unit when teaching my
students. I begin with the basics. After I’m satisfied my students understand
the basics, then we begin dealing with the higher concepts. The times I don’t do this, my students don’t
understand the unit, and I have to go back and re-teach.
The Lord gives all people His word and principles. Those that accept, learn, and understand His
words will receive more. He says to
those who say “we have enough,” “from
them shall be taken away even that which they have” (2 Nephi 28:30). During His ministry, the Savior made this
point clearly. “Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given;
and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to
have” (Luke 8:18).
Alma2 told Zeezrom, “And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser
portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the
greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries
of God until he know them in full” (Alma 12:10).
Hugh Nibley explains this concept.
Implicit and explicit in the
concept of a gospel taught by degrees instead of all at once—"line upon
line, precept upon precept, here a little, and there a little" (2 Nephi
28:30)—is the idea that the most important, the highest, and the holiest
teachings come last.116 This
is the exact opposite of the reasoning of the Christian world today, that the
most important teachings must have come first, so that everything
essential is known, while anything that may have escaped is not really vital.
Few would dispute that the higher and holier a teaching is, the fewer are
qualified to hear it: One need only recall the Lord's practice of discussing
"the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven" only with his disciples
behind closed doors, and of selecting only a few chosen apostles to share in
the still greater mysteries such as the transfiguration. All Christians, indeed,
agree that the most glorious manifestations are reserved for the end. But the
importance of a teaching is not measured by its depth and wonder but by the
particular need of the person receiving it. God does give people at all times
what are for them the most important teachings that could
possibly be given.[1]
We must choose whom we will trust. There is man.
There is the Lord. The Lord makes
clear what the consequences of that choice are.
Those who put their trust in the arm of flesh are cursed. The Lord said, “The weak things of the world shall come forth and break down the
mighty and strong ones, that man should not counsel his fellow man, neither trust
in the arm of flesh—But that every man might speak in the name of God the Lord,
even the Savior of the world” (D&C 1:19-20).
The Lord revealed to Nephi, “Forasmuch as this people draw near unto me with their mouth, and with
their lips do honor me, but have removed their hearts far from me, and their
fear towards me is taught by the precepts of men—“ (2 Nephi 27:25). Those that choose to hearken unto the Lord
will be given them through the Holy Ghost.
The Lord will always reach out to the Gentiles, but they
will deny Him. Even so, He will show
them mercy. They must repent and come
unto Him.
Jacob told the Nephites, “And
how merciful is our God unto us, for he remembereth the house of Israel, both
roots and branches; and he stretches forth his hands unto them all the day
long; and they are a stiffnecked and a gainsaying people; but as many as will
not harden their hearts shall be saved in the kingdom of God” (Jacob 6:4).
During His ministry to the Nephites, the Savior told them, “But wo, saith the Father, unto the unbelieving
of the Gentiles—for notwithstanding they have come forth upon the face of this
land, and have scattered my people who are of the house of Israel; and my
people who are of the house of Israel have been cast out from among them, and
have been trodden under feet by them” (3 Nephi 16:8).
[1] "…But
Unto Them It Is Not Given" Hugh Nibley, Maxwell Institute, accessed December
10, 2013
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