“This Is the Way” - The Crossover Chapter in the Book of Mormon

Mando - Disney+

My wife and I were in the Celestial Room of the Chicago Temple last night disagreeing with each other. Don’t worry, it wasn’t contentious, that is just how our eternal marriage rolls. Our love language includes a little disagreement. She held that the Doctrine of Christ is super simple, and I held that it was a little more complicated, or at least that you can dig deeper into it to learn more than expected. We were probably both right, but this week in the Come Follow Me Program as we study 2 Nephi 31-33 its a good time to take a look.

The Mandalorian Connection

Let me start by presenting my wife’s side, or her point of view from last night at least. The Doctrine of Christ is as simple as this:

• repent with sincerity and full intent,

• be baptized in the name of Christ,

• receive the Holy Ghost,

• through the Holy Ghost be sanctified or receive the “baptism of fire”,

• feast on the words of Christ,

• and endure to the end.

Nephi summed up the importance of this doctrine that he covered all through 2 Nephi Chapter 31 in one verse, 2 Nephi 31:21:

And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen. (emphasis added)

Was I the only one this year who heard Nephi’s Voice sounding like the Mandalorian this time through these chapters?? Tell me I wasn’t the only one. Anytime you can connect Nephi to the Mandalorian you must do so. Book for Mormon and Star Wars Universe crossovers must be pondered. Right? As Nephi said, “This is the Way.”

Simple Doctrine - But Takes a Lifetime

Now let me present my point of view. I totally agree with my wife that this is simple and easy to understand. As a matter of fact, Nephi opens this sermon on the doctrine by saying, “For my soul delighteth in plainness; for after this manner doth the Lord God work among the children of men.” (Chapter 31, verse 3). But I submit that the work that goes into this takes a lifetime to achieve. It takes work and time to really write this into the “fleshy tables of the heart” (2 Corinthians 3:3).

The Gospel In The Fleshy Tables Of Our Hearts Increases Our Capacity

As we work to become more and more like Jesus, His gospel will be written on the “fleshy tables of our heart.”  Having the Bible, simply being baptized, having the teachings of prophets, having all the knowledge about the Gospel is not enough. We must become like Christ.  We must act, learn, try, practice and work to become more like him for this gospel to become part of us, not just something we know, but something we become.

The more we work at this, the easier overcoming the problems of this life become as well.  It seems to have an exponential effect on us, and our growth can accelerate.  In April of 2022, Elder Bednar said this, “The doctrine of Christ written ‘with the Spirit of the living God … in fleshy tables of [our hearts] increases our capacity to heed not the many distractions, taunts, and diversions in our fallen world. For example, faith focused in and on the Lord Jesus Christ fortifies us with spiritual strength. Faith in the Redeemer is a principle of action and of power. As we act in accordance with the truths of His gospel, we are blessed with the spiritual capacity to press forward through the challenges of mortality while focusing on the joys the Savior offers to us.”

A Graphing Nephi’s Sermon of the “Doctrine of Christ” from Chapter 31:

For those of you who are visual learners, or engineers, or just like graphs, I present my mind-map below.

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A Mind-Map of the Main Concepts from Second Nephi Chapter 31

Enduring to the End Could Be Restated as Staying to the End

The gate to the "straight and narrow" path is baptism (verse 17). We enter that gate by repenting and then actually being baptized. But Nephi shows us the true meaning and depth of the Doctrine of Christ and shows us the act of baptism, or the act of simply believing, is not enough. A baptism is nothing without the Holy Ghost, and neither are worth much if we do not stay on that path we entered through that gate.

The path that leads to eternal life is the path the Christ laid out, or the "Doctrine of Christ." After baptism we must receive the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost not only testifies of Christ and of the Father, and teaches us of all truth, but He is also the means by which the atonement and sacrifice of Christ becomes real in our lives. After "ye have entered in by the way" we must receive the Holy Ghost.

Nephi after teaching that principle asks is "all is done?" The answer is no. All must then "press forward with a steadfastness in Christ." We must have a "perfect brightness of hope", and a "love of God and of all men". We must feast upon the words of Christ. Nephi most importantly teaches that we must endure to the end. Entering the gate, and simply stepping on the path means nothing if we don't follow the path. We take the name of Christ upon ourselves by baptism and become His, but we must stay on the path and push forward to reach eternal life.

The question is not did you find the path, but did you stay on the path. "Enduring to the end" could be restated as "staying to the end."

Enduring to the End Could Also Be Thought of As Actively Repeating the Steps

I will admit that I have thought about enduring to the end as a struggle. Somedays are longer then others. Some years are harder then others. There are days when it feels like all we can do is hang on and get through it. We use the term "endure it" for times like that. Maybe we need another word for the type of enduring we need in the Doctrine of Christ.

Enduring in this context means continuing. It means staying on the covenant path. Repentance and baptism was the "gate to the path," now we need to stay on the path. How do we do that? By repeating and renewing our covenants over and over. We gain more understanding as we do. We learn more of Christ as we do. We are better able to access revelation as we do.

Elder Dale G. Renlund taught this: "Enduring to the end is not a separate step in the doctrine of Christ—as though we complete the first four steps and then hunker down, grit our teeth, and wait to die. No, enduring to the end is actively and intentionally repeating the steps” (“Lifelong Conversion" from a Brigham Young University Devotional, Sept 14, 2021)

On step at a time, over and over again. One sacrament at a time. Repenting over and over again. Praying to the Father and learning to be more like Jesus day after day. Returning to the temple to serve and learn over and over again. Enduring is not waiting, it is growing, learning, and serving.

Doctrine of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost

You may notice one other thing about Chapter 31 as you read it. Nephi must have thought he was ending his writing in verse 21 of 2nd Nephi Chapter 31. He ends it with a beautiful verse. There is only one name under heaven that can save us in the kingdom of God and the is Jesus Christ. Nephi affirms that is the strongest words he can.

I also love that he tells us that "this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end." The doctrine of Christ is the Doctrine of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. That concept is further confirmed and made even more powerful when you remember that the only ordinance we perform in all three names is that of Baptism. We are baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.