Wherefore, now after I
have spoken these words, if ye cannot understand them it will be because ye ask
not, neither do ye knock; wherefore, ye are not brought into the light, but
must perish in the dark.
For behold, again I
say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost,
it will show unto you all things what ye should do.
Behold, this is the
doctrine of Christ, and there will be no more doctrine given until after he
shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh.
And when he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh, the things
which he shall say unto you shall ye observe to do.
In 2 Nephi, Nephi’s given us many words. What if we don’t understand his words? Nephi has the answer. “[I]f ye cannot understand them it will be
because ye ask not, neither do ye knock” (2 Nephi 32:4).
If we enter the straight and narrow path, we will receive
the Holy Ghost. He will show all things
to us to ensure we do what is right.
Moroni2 wrote:
“But he that believeth these things which I have spoken, him
will I visit with the manifestations of my Spirit, and he shall know and bear
record. For because of my Spirit he
shall know that these things are true; for it persuadeth men to do good.
“And whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do good is of me;
for good cometh of none save it be of me.
I am the same that leadeth men to all good; he that will not believe my
words will not believe me—that I am; and he that will not believe me will not
believe the Father who sent me. For
behold, I am the Father, I am the light, and the life, and the truth of the
world” (Ether 4:11-12).
“Nephi goes on to say that after we go through the gate
(repentance and baptism), we are in this straight and narrow path, the path
that leads to eternal life. And we have done this according to the commandments
of the Father and of the Son. We have received the Holy Ghost. We have
witnessed unto the Father unto the fulfilling of the promise he had made that ‘if
ye will enter in by the way,’ ye should receive (2 Nephi 32:5).”[1]
He further explains how, making the choice to follow Christ
is a choice to burn all bridges to evil.
“The iron rod represents the words of Christ or the Holy
Ghost which ‘will show unto you all things what ye should do’ (2 Nephi 32:5).
Instead of continuing a life of choosing whatever appeals to one's fancy at the
moment, the repentant convert to Christ commits to a life of obeying Christ's
choices for him at every step of the way. The choice to repent is a choice to
burn bridges in every direction in the decision to follow forever only one way,
the one path that leads to eternal life.”[2]
What Nephi is teaching is the doctrine of Christ. There will be no more than this until Christ
“shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh … the things which he shall say
unto you shall ye observe to do” (2 Nephi 32:6).
“The Gift of the Holy Ghost, in its revelatory function,
seems particularly designed to aid converts with the final requirement, the
fifth element—that they endure to the end, for unless men and women endure to
the end in following Christ's example, they cannot be saved (v. 16). But as
Nephi explains later when he expounds on his presentation, for all those who
enter in by the way and have received ‘the Holy Ghost, it will show unto [them]
all things what [they[ should do’ (2 Nephi 32:5). Having reduced the message of
the gospel to its essentials, Nephi then emphasizes one last time that ‘this is
the doctrine of Christ, and there will be no more doctrine given until after he
shall manifest himself unto you’ (2 Nephi 32:6).[3]
[1]
Nephi's Teachings (Part 2), Noel Reynolds, Maxwell Institute.
[2]
The True Points of My Doctrine, Noel B. Reynolds, Maxwell Institute.
[3]
Nephi's Teachings (Part 2), Noel Reynolds, Maxwell Institute
No comments:
Post a Comment