2 Nephi 33:7-9

I have charity for my people, and great faith in Christ that I shall meet many souls spotless at his judgment–seat.

I have charity for the Jew—I say Jew, because I mean them from whence I came.

I also have charity for the Gentiles.  But behold, for none of these can I hope except they shall be reconciled unto Christ, and enter into the narrow gate, and walk in the strait path which leads to life, and continue in the path until the end of the day of probation.

2 Nephi 33:7-9

Nephi tells us he has “charity for my people and great faith in Christ” (2 Nephi 33:7).  Charity is a powerful word.  It comes from mid-12c., "benevolence for the poor," from Old French charité "(Christian) charity, mercy, compassion; alms; charitable foundation" (12c., Old North French carité), from Latin caritatem (nominative caritas) "costliness, esteem, affection.”[1]  Mormon defines charity as “the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever” (Moroni 7:47).

Nephi has charity for the Jew.  That’s from where he came.

Hugh Nibley observes:

Lehi's flight from Jerusalem was more than an escape; it was a conscious and deliberate renunciation of a whole way of life: "I have charity for the Jew," Nephi announces, "I say Jew, because I mean them from whence I came" (2 Nephi 33:8); yet he will not teach his people the ways of the Jews as he knows them…[2]

Robert Millet further observes:

To [Nephi], Jews are those descended from the inhabitants of the kingdom of Judah at the time Lehi left Jerusalem, regardless of whether individuals might have had ancestors not of the tribe of Judah (see 2 Nephi 33:8). In terms of this very generalized definition, even one who happened to be descended from one of the ten tribes but who lived around Jerusalem in 600 B.C. would be called a Jew (see 2 Nephi 25:6, 14-15 and 33:8). So in this framework, the Lehite colony—whether Nephite or "Mulekite"—is a subcategory of the Jews.^[3]

This life is a probationary period.  We face temptations and challenges in our life.  These trials allow us to prove ourselves worth of returning into the presence of God.  Nephi tells us that we must “enter into the narrow gate and walk in the strait path which leads to life, and continue in the path until the end of the day of probation” (2 Nephi 33:9).

Nephi makes the important point that we must follow the path until our probation ends.  It ends with our physical death and our return to our Father in Heaven.  The Lord is there for us every day of our life.  He is encouraging us to follow His commandments; His ultimate goal is for all of us to make the correct choices during our lifetimes.  If we fail, it will be in spite of everything the Lord has done for us.

The Lord revealed His words to Joseph Smith:  “For strait is the gate, and narrow the way that leadeth unto the exaltation and continuation of the lives, and few there be that find it, because ye receive me not in the world neither do ye know me” (D&C 132:22).

Hugh Nibley explains:

To imagine the wicked as already gathered at one pole, and all the righteous at another is to reject the whole plan of probation; it renders the gospel of repentance null and void, the wicked beyond repentance, the righteous not needing it; whereas God keeps the door open to both as long as they are in this time of testing. This life is "a probationary time, a time to repent and serve God" (Alma 42:4). Nay, the life of man is lengthened long beyond his prime to give him the full benefit of the doubt: "And we see that death comes upon mankind; ... nevertheless there was a space granted unto man in which he might repent; therefore this life became a probationary state" (Alma 12:24). The door is left open, says Nephi, "until the end of the day of probation" (2 Nephi 33:9).[4]

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[1] Online Etymology Dictionary, charity, accessed February 11, 2014.

[2] The Flight into the Wilderness, Hugh Nibley, Maxwell Institute, accessed February 11, 2014

[3] The Gathering of Israel in the Book of Mormon: A Consistent Pattern, Robert L. Millet, Maxwell Institute, accesed February 11, 2014.

[4] The Prophetic Book of Mormon, Hugh W. Nibley, Maxwell Institute, accessed February 11, 2014.