The Core of the Book of Mormon:

2nd Nephi Chapter 2

2 Nephi 2 summarizes the central message of the Book of Mormon. It is the philosophical core. If an incompliant investigator of the Church were willing to read ONLY one chapter of the Book of Mormon, then I would recommend 2 Nephi 2 – pages 56 to 60. Like potato chips, I am betting you can’t have just one – but maybe you need to be just a little bit hungry.

The chapter is about Lehi’s sage advice to his son Jacob, a son who had been born in the wilderness. The themes, spoken like a patriarchal blessing, are the Messiah, lawfulness, and liberty.

Verses 2 and 3

In Verse 2, Lehi bestows the following blessing:

2... Jacob, my first-born in the wilderness, thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain.

Understanding the true character of God increases the ability to endure afflictions of any kind. This principle applies to all.

Lehi, then says, in verse 3:

3... thy days shall be spent in the service of thy God. Wherefore, I know that thou art redeemed, because of the righteousness of thy Redeemer; for thou hast beheld that in the fulness of time he cometh to bring salvation unto men.

Notice the redemption is based upon the righteousness of the Redeemer, not Jacob. The atonement is a gift. Even so, Jacob’s days will revolve around service to God.

Side note: the term “fulness of time” in the Book of Mormon refers to the mortal ministry of Christ (Book of Mormon Reference Companion (BMRC), D. L. Largey, Ed., p. 280).

Verses 6 and 7

Then, we read the following:

6 Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth.
7 Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered.

Notice the parallelism with this verse from the 51st Psalm:

Psalms 51: 17
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Actually, in this psalm one should read verses 15 through 17. It is clear that the law of sacrifice requires a broken spirit and heart. Full redemption requires our repentance and a change in our desires.

There is a little bit more to the story given in the 50th Psalm, wherein God will do the following:

Psalm 50: 4-5
4 He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people.
5 Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.

Repentance is followed by covenants, which are enacted by ordinances performed by the priesthood. God will call to the heavens and the earth, and will provide a way for ALL.

Verse 8

Verse 8 was described by the BMRC (p. 682) as “the principle revelation of God to man.” It reads:

8 Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise.

In other words, no one returns to God without the gifts of the Messiah. What were those gifts? He died on the cross and he was resurrected, bringing to pass the resurrection of ALL the dead. This verse encapsulates the LDS doctrine of grace (cf. 2 Nephi 10:24, 25:23; Mosiah 13: 28-31; Mosiah ch. 15; Helaman 5:9; Moroni 10:32).

Verse 11

Verse 11 reads: “[I]t must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, … righteousness could not be brought to pass… .” Why might such a statement be at the core of the gospel? A partial answer is given below:

Elder (Apostle) Robert D. Hales, “To Act for Ourselves: The Gift and Blessings of Agency,” Ensign, May 2006
Now we are here on earth, where opportunities to use our agency abound; for here “there is an opposition in all things” (2 Ne. 2:11). This opposition is essential to the purpose of our lives. As Lehi explained, “To bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man, … the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other” (2 Ne. 2:15-16). …
Now, none of us are on the narrow path all of the time. All of us make mistakes. That is why Lehi, who understood the Savior’s role in preserving and reclaiming our agency, taught Jacob—and us: “The Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall [of Adam]. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon” (2 Ne. 2:26). That is the key—“to act for themselves and not to be acted upon.”

Lehi’s advice to Jacob was to act and not be acted upon. He was saying in other words, “Direct your own life and do not allow other persons or events to direct it for you.” FREEDOM is at the CORE of the Book of Mormon. Fundamentally, we are souls who are free to choose.

True freedom of the soul requires that we be exposed to opposition in all things. To fully appreciate peace, we must experience war … and so on. Some men will choose evil over good. Some men will decide to fly airplanes into buildings. Others, by contrast, will build temples.

Continuing with verse 11 from the top … it reads:

11 For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my first-born in the wilderness [that is, Jacob], righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; …

The phrase “compound in one” reminds us that life is a mixture of holiness and misery. “Life” must be such a mixture in order to accomplish its purpose.

Verse 13

Morality must be guided by law. Verse 13 states:

13 And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin. If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness. And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not there is no God. And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things must have vanished away.

One cannot argue that there is no such thing as right or wrong without implying there is no God in this universe. This verse teaches that there is purpose to life, and that the purpose testifies of God. Again, there is opposition in all things, and this opposition is within the purpose of God.

Verses 14 to 16

In the following verses, Lehi taught his sons some of the primary lessons of the temple:

14 And now, my sons, I speak unto you these things for your profit and learning; for there is a God, and he hath created all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are, both things to act and things to be acted upon.
15 And to bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man, after he had created our first parents, and the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and in fine, all things which are created, it must needs be that there was an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter.
16 Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other.

In life we are faced with contrasts, and from those contrasts we must make choices. In life, we learn to choose from the bitter to the sweet. God has created for us this training ground.

Verses 17 and 18

In these verses the devil is described as a fallen angel:

17 And I, Lehi, according to the things which I have read, must needs suppose that an angel of God, according to that which is written, had fallen from heaven; wherefore, he became a devil, having sought that which was evil before God.
18 And because he had fallen from heaven, and had become miserable forever, he sought also the misery of all mankind. Wherefore, he said unto Eve, yea, even that old serpent, who is the devil, who is the father of all lies, wherefore he said: Partake of the forbidden fruit, and ye shall not die, but ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil.

The first sentence in verse 18 reminds me of a favorite phrase of infamous radio disc jockey Don Imus, who often says words to the effect, “I am not happy until you’re unhappy.” Such a phrase would fit well within the mission statement of Satan. Imus is trying to be funny; Satan is not.

The Book of Mormon is primarily a book of first principles, but it also contains many higher principles. Critics of the Church will often accuse the Book of Mormon of being a preliminary theology that evolved into a different Nauvoo theology. Those with eyes to see are unimpressed by that argument.

Verses 22 to 28

These verses nearly end the chapter, which has a total of 30 verses. They provide a kind of punch line or culminating set of points. So many big points have been made already in this chapter that it is hard to imagine that they lead up to something bigger. Again, Lehi taught lessons from the temple:

22 And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end.
23 And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin.
24 But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.
25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.
26 And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given.
27 Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.
28 And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit;

Much of traditional Christian theology implies that this fallen world was a mistake due to the transgression of Adam and Eve. By contrast, LDS theology argues that Adam and Eve were following a larger purpose. Yes, the fall of Adam and Eve involved a transgression, but it also involved adherence to a higher purpose. They intentionally brought about this world so that their descendants could gain a full experience – learning good from evil.

Please note: God did not directly create a world of evil. Our human parents did by virtue of their choice. Further, our own bad choices maintain that evil. Even so, living in such a world allows opportunities to develop a fullness of joy, more than could be experienced in Eden (see verses 23 and 25) and maybe even in the pre-mortal life (alluded to in verses 17 and 18).

Yes, Adam fell that there might be mortal men and women, and we are on this earth to experience kinds of joy that no other experience could ever bring (verse 25) in this stage of our development.

In verse 27, notice the association of the concepts of freedom, liberty, Christ, and eternal life. The truth makes us free, not enslaved. Jesus makes us free, not oppressed. Yes, there are commandments (verse 28), but they open the doors to fresh air and keep us from the stale.

Conclusion

2 Nephi 2 is indeed the philosophical core of the Book of Mormon. Reading it, hopefully, will cause a person to read the remainder. Even so, this chapter in its few short words is a miniature of the Book of Mormon.

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Copyright 2008 S.Faux (Email: foxgoku54 [at] gmail [d0t] c0m; URL: http://mormoninsights.blogspot.com). Readers may distribute this post for noncommercial purposes provided such distributing is of the entire post, including author's copyright and contact information. All other rights reserved.




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