More BOM Journals

These are probably not the most readable material, but I did decide earlier this year to post these, so I will stick to it. These are quick musings and thoughts from my study of the Book of Mormon for my religion class at BYU this semester.

1 Nephi 12-15

In chapter 13 verse 40, Nephi prophesies that the Book of Mormon will be a companion scripture to the Bible, and that it will "establish the truth of the (Bible)." The plain and precious truths found in the Book of Mormon were once easy to be understood in the Bible, but due to compound translations and unintentional (and intentional) changes from the original text, the Bible now lacks much of the simplicity and truth it originally contained.
So I was having a hard week, and I turned to the scriptures many times for help. I kept finding my answers in the Bible. I was troubled because I felt I should be able to find my answers in the Book of Mormon. Furthermore, much of what I read was so similar to the Book of Mormon; I wondered for a moment about the necessity of the Book of Mormon. But those thoughts were quickly dispelled as I remembered a few things:

-I interpret the Bible the way I do only because of the understanding I have gained from the Book of Mormon.
-The books are similar of necessity. They teach the same gospel, and were given through God's servant by the direction of the same Spirit. Not to mention that the direct quotes found in the New Testament and Book of Mormon were taken by the Apostles and the Book of Mormon prophets from Old Testament writings. It's not hard to trace the source back to God in every case.
-The Bible contains the word of God, and the Spirit testifies of the truthfulness of that word. Elder Russell M. Nelson said that the Bible contains the fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; Christ came, and He atoned. To gain access to His Atonement, we must have faith, repentance, baptism, receive the Holy Ghost, and to endure to the end. I should be grateful for the Bible, and seek to learn all that God would have me know from its pages.

I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I love that Book. It has changed my life and blessed me in so many ways. I've seen others converted to the truth through the Spirit it carries.


2 Nephi 1-8

2 Nephi 2 is well known as one of the most-used chapters in missionary work. From start to finish, it is filled with powerful doctrine.
There is one phrase that stood out to me on this last reading. In verse 7, it says that Christ answered the ends of the law unto all those that have a broken heart and a contrite spirit, and that no one else qualifies for redemption. So I thought some more about the phrase, "broken heart and contrite spirit," and looked up some other references, namely 3 Nephi 9:20; DC (Doctrine and Covenants) 59:8.
As I've thought on this subject, I've wondered what it takes to have a broken heart and a contrite spirit. I've realized that in following the gospel plan- Faith, repentance, baptism, following the Holy Ghost- we can help get our hearts to the state they must be in order to allow Christ's Atonement to cleanse us.
Having a broken heart is not easy. The "sacrifice" God requires of us today is our wills, our lives, and our all.  Unless we can give it all to Him, His Atonement cannot enter in and heal us.
I still have so much to learn. It's not like life is easy when we know what to do. We still have to go do it. Gotta keep moving forward.

2 Nephi 12-16

Isaiah has always been a roadblock for me, as with so many others, so I'm trying hard this time through to figure it out. (Nephi quotes Isaiah in these chapters; the words are taken from the brass plates, an old testament record.)
One passage that stood out to me as I read was 2 Nephi 15:18-21. They warn against knowledge mixed with pride, against the unrepentant, and against those who put evil for good and good for evil.
This is a silly example, but I have a class where we do a lot of discussion of world texts.  Right now we're reading Medea. In the story, Medea's husband Jason leaves her for someone else. She is, of course, very distraught but in there "cunning" she devises a plan to kill Jason's new wife and father-in-law, and in the end she even kills her children to get back at him. Yes, it's a very intense and extreme story. But I guess what bothers me is that when we discuss it, so many classmates were defending Medea, saying she was justified in what she did.
That bothers me a lot. It is becoming increasingly easy to become misguided and even to see things in a way that is opposite to the truth.
Now of course, we see so many other examples in the world today.
(It's probably not a good practice to call out something specific, especially among so much that is terrible in the media today, but I just wanted to throw out a blip. My roommates have been watching the show Glee on Netflix recently. I don't care how amazing the singers are; what I have seen of that show in bits and pieces as I pass through the room is as much as I ever want to see. If there was ever a show that puts good for evil and evil for good, it's Glee.)

The men I respect the most are the wise leaders in the church. They are so intelligent, but they are so humble. That's the kind of man I want to be someday.

2 Nephi 25-27

We're getting into one of my favorite parts of the Book of Mormon.
With the recent political focus on Mitt Romney bringing attention to the Church, a lot of negativity has ensued. Every day I hear or read about it. The for most attacks center on the belief that we're a cult or we're not Christian. It's nothing I didn't hear a million times on my mission in Montana. But with these things on mind, I smile as I read about how the saints will be persecuted in the last days, and how in ch. 25, Nephi says that his whole purpose is to talk, teach, and testify of Christ. Yeah, not Christian...
On another route of thought, I've always loved 2 Nephi 26. There's a passage that says "The Lord God worketh not in darkness," followed by an invitation for all people to come to Him. These scriptures prick my heart. We must be open with the Lord and work with Him. Then we must come unto Him. He turns none away who come to Him.
This is why He died, after all. It can be hard to comprehend, how He could still want us, given all we've done. But He suffered for us, loves us, and is not, after all He has done, going to turn His back on us.
I know He lives.

2 Nephi 31-33

Where to begin? These are some of the most doctrine-rich chapter in all scripture. We learn more about the gospel of Jesus Christ in chapter 31 than perhaps in any other chapter.
Verse 13 in chapter 31 stood out to me this time around. It says we should follow the Son with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy or deception.
At first, I thought, "This is impossible. There is no way a person can achieve that perfectly-- pure motive, entirely committed--there's always a part of us that has a worldly desire. But when you read further, it says, "with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing...that you are willing."
These are the phrases of hope. This is to me God's acknowledgment that I am just a man. I will fall and fail. But as I strive, honestly, to do my best, I will be forgiven; and I honestly believe that all the weaknesses of this life will be removed someday.
If we do the best we can, we can, with Christ's help, live all the commandments, qualify for the Spirit, and someday inherit eternal life.
I love this chapter.

Jacob 4-7

Jacob 5 has always held a place in my mind right above Isaiah in terms of difficulty to understand and get though. I regret to say it. But on this time around, I was reminded strongly of feelings of my mission as I read verses 70-76. They talk about the last efforts of the Lord, His servant (prophet), and other servants (priesthood, and missionaries) to restore the vineyard. The Lord says He will labor with them, and blesses them for their diligent efforts. I thought what a blessing it was to participate in that grafting and labor on my mission, and the blessing now to continue in that work. Nothing has brought me more joy than watching people as they are adopted into the House of Israel.

Now, the other verse I thought a lot on was Jacob 4:13. "The Spirit speaketh of things as they really are." I've felt the confusion of the world quite a lot since I got home. There are so many idea and so many problems in the world. It's not hard to get caught up and led about by it all. I was comforted to remember that the Spirit does not just provide another viewpoint, but speaks the words of Christ and eternal truth. The older I get, the more I see the necessity of living worthy to hear His voice.