Jacob 1 - That We Might Persuade Them to Come Unto Christ I'm taking an online economics class right now, which prompted me to think of the definition of economics in the context of the scriptures. Economics is the study of the allocation of scarce resources. In the case of Nephi and his successor Jacob, the plates upon which they engraved their record was a scarce resource. They were costly to make and difficult to engrave, and instilling a tradition of passing them through generations was surely cumbersome. Recognizing the great importance of spiritual things and the challenge of maintaining records, Nephi instructed Jacob to prioritize religious instruction saying, " if there were preaching which was sacred, or revelation which was great, or prophesying, that I should engraven the heads of them upon these plates, and touch upon them as much as it were possible, for Christ’s sake, and for the sake of our people" (Jacob 1:4). This priority was not only reflecte...
The Nephites' Repentance
Following the defeat of the Gadianton Robbers, the Nephites repented fully and enjoyed a new chapter of faith and peace:
"And now behold, there was not a living soul among all the people of the Nephites who did doubt in the least the words of all the holy prophets who had spoken; for they knew that it must needs be that they must be fulfilled. And they knew that it must be expedient that Christ had come, because of the many signs which had been given, according to the words of the prophets; and because of the things which had come to pass already they knew that it must needs be that all things should come to pass according to that which had been spoken. Therefore they did forsake all their sins, and their abominations, and their whoredoms, and did serve God with all diligence day and night" (3 Nephi 5:1-3).
They used their knowledge of past miracles to bolster their faith in future prophesies. They knew "because of the things which had come to pass already they knew that it must needs be that all things should come to pass according to that which had been spoken" (3 Nephi 5:2). The scriptures often remind us to remember what God has done for His children in the past to give us confidence that he will intervene in similarly miraculous ways for us. I have no greater evidence of God's existence and love than my personal experiences. Remembering times when I have felt the spirit, found comfort and strength, and been forgiven of my sins builds my faith, and encourages and motivates me to try harder to do good in the world.
Many do not consciously experience the spiritual dimension of their lives. When I meet those who do not believe in God, are skeptical of religious belief, or question the role of spirituality in day-to-day life I take their experience at face value, and consider it valid. I don't think most people are actively repressing or denying spiritual experiences in their lives, and if they do not believe, they probably have good reasons not to. They probably have not found and felt evidence that is persuasive to them.
Believing and embracing spiritual truth is a skill that requires a special way of seeing. The abridger of the Nephite records, Mormon, alluded it this fact when he said, "there had many things transpired which, in the eyes of some, would be great and marvelous" (3 Nephi 5:8). What is your threshold for an event to be "great and marvelous?"
I believe in a God who is equally loving and invested in all of our lives; the blessing of righteousness is to see and appreciate his hand, not extract more blessings from it. God is already maximally and eternally good to us, "for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust" (Matthew 5:45). In fact, the reason he teaches us to "love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you is so that we may become like him, "that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 5:44-45). God is not a vending machine, and our good behavior cannot make Him love us more, or grant blessings he did not already wish and intend for us. Through our righteousness, however, we can avoid natural consequences of sin, see our eternal purpose clearly, feel the enriching and motivating awareness that the Holy Ghost provides, and appreciate the Lord's hand in our lives as "great and marvelous."
Mormon's Aside
As Mormon abridged the record of the Nephites, he interjected a brief aside to introduce himself and bear testimony. From these few verses, we learn important things about Mormon's sense of identity and purpose. He attached significance to the origin of his name; Mormon was also the name given to the place where the prophet Alma baptized new converts after repenting and fleeing the court of the wicked King Noah. Beyond just his name, Mormon found identify and purpose in the saving work of preaching repentance. He described himself as "a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life" (3 Nephi 5:13). When I meet someone new in a park, at a school event, or even at church I don't exactly introduce myself as a "disciple of Jesus Christ," and yet this is one of the only things that Mormon felt important to record for future readers to know about him.
Mormon also recorded the deep sense of gratitude he felt to the Lord, saying, "I have reason to bless my God and my Savior Jesus Christ, that he brought our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem ... and that he hath given me and my people so much knowledge unto the salvation of our souls" (3 Nephi 5:20). He was most grateful for his knowledge of the gospel.
Lastly, Mormon bore his testimony and prophesied of miracles to come. He attested that God, "hath covenanted with all the house of Jacob, even so shall the covenant wherewith he hath covenanted with the house of Jacob be fulfilled in his own due time, unto the restoring all the house of Jacob unto the knowledge of the covenant that he hath covenanted with them. And then shall they know their Redeemer, who is Jesus Christ, the Son of God; and then shall they be gathered in from the four quarters of the earth unto their own lands, from whence they have been dispersed; yea, as the Lord liveth so shall it be" (3 Nephi 5:25-26). Like so many prophets before and after, he was certain of the destiny of the God's people, and the ultimate victory of Jesus Christ and His saving work. When we are mired in the imperfections of this life and our own failings, we can take courage from the fact that we know how the story ends. Believing that the church of God will grow and last forever, and that the Atonement of Jesus Christ can overcome sin and death for each of us personally motivates hope and action.
Application Questions
What passages of scripture and personal life experience build your confidence in God's future promises? Review them this week and reflect on why they are powerful to you.
What is you identify? How does the gospel and God's work fit in to your sense of self?
How does your sense of gratitude and belief in Christ give you hope and motivation?
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