Jacob 1-4
Reading--February
February 5--Jacob 5-6
February 12--Enos, Jarom, Omni, Words of Mormon
February 19--Mosiah 1-3
February 26--Mosiah 4-6
I neglected to look at the last slide in class this week. It is a great summary of the doctrine of Christ. Make sure you take a look! Thanks again for coming. It is only through a collective effort we really learn!
Doctrine of Christ
“Although a phrase like “the doctrine of Christ” could appropriately be used to describe any or all of the Master’s teachings, nevertheless those magnificently broad and beautiful expressions spread throughout the Book of Mormon, New Testament, and latter-day scriptures might more properly be called “the doctrines of Christ.” Note that the phrase Nephi used is distinctly singular. The emphasis is on a precise, focused, singular sense of Christ’s doctrine.”
Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant, pg. 49
“One of the purposes of the Book of Mormon is the restoration of “plain and precious” truths that have been lost or obscured. The teachings contained in the Book of Mormon regarding the purpose of baptism are unique and exceptional in all of ancient scripture for their clarity, specificity and consistency. In contrast to biblical descriptions of baptism, the Book of Mormon provides profound insight into the covenantal nature of this ordinance, what the individual is signaling to God when he or she chooses to be baptized, and the way in which God responds to the believer’s commitment.”
“For the most part, the voice of the Father has usually been limited in scripture to introducing his Beloved Son and expressing his pleasure in him, but this verse from the stylus of Nephi is revealing in that it gives broader utterance to the Father than that which the biblical canon usually records. This is one of few declarations so identified in scripture.
The doctrine of repentance is so crucial that the Father himself made a declaration on this point.”
Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant, pg. 51-52
“The Greek word "pistis," which English Bibles typically render as "faith," also means "confidence" or "trust," and these ordinary, everyday terms convey very neatly what scriptural faith entails. The first readers of the New Testament didn't have to ask what "pistis" meant. Paul hadn't invented the word. They knew it already; it had been common in Greek for centuries. And in the standard English lexicon of classical Greek, the first definition of "pistis" is "trust in others."
Our English word "faith" comes from the Latin "fides," but today we tend to think of "faith" as "belief in something without proof," and, often, more as agreement with a set of propositions than as trust in a person. But God is a person, and saving faith -- although it surely entails agreeing with certain propositions -- is trust in him, as a person, to love us and to keep his promises to us.
We show our trust in someone by our willingness to act in a trusting way. When God asks us to do something, though, we show our trust in him by doing it if we can, even if we don't completely understand it.
Moreover, as we trust others -- including God -- and find our trust rewarded and justified, it grows. Our relationship thrives.”
Daniel C. Peterson, professor of Islamic studies and Arabic at BYU, Founder of The Interpreter Journal and Mormon ScholarsTestify.org
“The “tongue of angels” has long been a point of interest to Latter-day Saints, who wonder whether it really is as simple as speaking under the influence of the Spirit or if it might mean something more. Drawing on the structure of Nephi’s record, and the interactions with angels that Nephi recorded, we learn that this notion of speaking with the tongue of angels has connections with ancient Israelite temple worship and the divine council.
Nephi’s record taken as a temple text carries the reader through the progression of creation, fall, atonement, and entering the presence of the Lord through the veil. Nephi only discusses speaking with the tongue of angels in the final portion of the text, which represents passing through the veil (or “gate”) and coming into the Lord’s presence. There, Nephi places the act of speaking with the tongue of angels at the culmination of a literary ascent, where one must pass through a gate (baptism) and by a gatekeeper (the Holy Ghost). This progression makes rich allusions to imagery in the visions of Lehi, Nephi, and Isaiah, where these prophets were brought into the presence of the Lord, stood in the divine council, and were commissioned to declare the words of the Lord.
Here in these final chapters, Nephi makes it clear that he himself has stood in this council, has become one of the heavenly hosts, and now speaks with the tongue of angels. Nephi also makes it clear, however, that this is not merely the prerogative of the prophets. Nephi’s carefully crafted narrative teaches that all are both invited and commanded to follow the path that leads to entrance into the Lord’s presence, and ultimately grants membership into the heavenly assembly.”
“What then is the doctrine of Christ? It is seeking the things of God with full purpose of heart and real intent, honest prayer, genuine repentance, baptism by water, baptism by fire, pressing forward with steadfastness in Christ, having hope and love, feasting on the words of Christ, enduring to the end of the strait and narrow path, and receiving the promise of eternal life.”
Larry E. Dahl, “The Doctrine of Christ: 2 Nephi 31–32,” in Second Nephi, The Doctrinal Structure, ed. Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate Jr. (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1989), 355–75.
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