Christ Teaching His Disciples, by Justin Kunz

March 2–8

2 Nephi 31–33

“This Is the Way”

This outline suggests principles you may find meaningful in 2 Nephi 31–33. But the most important things you’ll learn in your study will come from the whisperings of the Spirit. Seek this guidance, and record the promptings that come.

Record Your Impressions

Among Nephi’s last recorded words, we find this declaration: “The Lord commanded me, and I must obey” (2 Nephi 33:15). This seems like a fitting summary of Nephi’s life. He sought the will of the Lord and courageously strived to obey it—whether that meant risking his life to get the brass plates from Laban, building a boat and crossing the sea, or faithfully teaching the doctrine of Christ with plainness and power. Nephi could speak persuasively of the need to “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ,” of following the “strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life” (2 Nephi 31:20, 18), because that is the path he followed. He knew by experience that this path, though demanding at times, is also joyful, and that “there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God” (2 Nephi 31:21).

Ideas for Personal Scripture Study

2 Nephi 31–32

Jesus Christ and His doctrine are the only way to eternal life.

If you had to summarize the path to eternal life in just a few words, what would you say? Nephi, with his characteristic plainness and simplicity, did it this way: faith in Christ, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. After you study Nephi’s teachings in 2 Nephi 31–32, consider how you would explain them to someone in your own words. Think about how living these teachings has blessed you. You might consider Nephi’s teachings in 2 Nephi 31:18–20 and evaluate your own efforts to “press forward” along the gospel path.

See also 3 Nephi 11:32–39; 27:13–22; D. Todd Christofferson, “The Doctrine of Christ,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2012, 86–90; Brian K. Ashton, “The Doctrine of Christ,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2016, 106–9.

Following Jesus Christ’s teachings leads us to eternal life.

2 Nephi 31:4–13

Jesus Christ set the perfect example of obedience when He was baptized.

Whether your baptism happened yesterday or 80 years ago, it was a pivotal moment—you entered a lifelong covenant to follow Jesus Christ. Think about your baptism as you read about the Savior’s baptism in 2 Nephi 31:4–13. Why was the Savior baptized? How are the reasons He was baptized similar to the reasons you were baptized? What are you doing today to continue following the Savior’s example of obedience?

The ordinance of the sacrament is a weekly opportunity for you to recommit to following Jesus Christ. The next time you partake of the sacrament, consider reading 2 Nephi 31:13 and pondering your determination to “follow the Son, with full purpose of heart” and your willingness “to take upon you the name of Christ.”

2 Nephi 31:17–20; 32

The Holy Ghost will show me what I should do.

If baptism and confirmation are “the gate by which [we] enter” the strait and narrow path (2 Nephi 31:17), what do we do once we’re on the path? That’s what Nephi’s people wondered (see 2 Nephi 32:1). What answers did Nephi give in 2 Nephi 31:19–20 and chapter 32? What answers do you find for yourself?

See also David A. Bednar, “Receive the Holy Ghost,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2010, 94–97; “Holy Ghost,” Gospel Topics, topics.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

2 Nephi 33

The Book of Mormon persuades all to believe in Christ.

In 2 Nephi 33, as Nephi concluded his writings, he explained reasons why he was writing in the first place. What reasons do you find in this chapter? Reflect on what you’ve read so far in 1 Nephi and 2 Nephi and notes you may have taken. How have the stories and teachings accomplished Nephi’s purposes for you? For example, how have they persuaded you to “believe in [Christ], and to endure to the end”? (verse 4). Consider recording these experiences or sharing them with a family member or friend.

Ideas for Family Scripture Study and Family Home Evening

As you read the scriptures with your family, the Spirit can help you know what principles to emphasize and discuss in order to meet the needs of your family. Here are some ideas.

2 Nephi 31:5–13

Are any family members preparing for baptism, or have any been recently baptized? Perhaps they could share why they decided to get baptized. According to Nephi’s teachings, what are some reasons we should be baptized? What are some blessings we receive when we are baptized?

2 Nephi 31:17–21

How can you help your family understand Nephi’s analogy about the “strait and narrow path”? (2 Nephi 31:18). For instance, you could work together to draw a picture of the path that Nephi described in 2 Nephi 31:17–21, labeling it with the things we must do to enter the path and continue forward on it. How does the Savior help us progress along the path?

2 Nephi 31:20

If you want to help your family better understand how we endure to the end, page 6 of Preach My Gospel has a helpful definition; so does Elder Dale G. Renlund’s message “Latter-day Saints Keep on Trying” (Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 56–58).

2 Nephi 32:8–9

To help family members understand that we can “pray always,” you could make a list of circumstances in which we could pray (or draw pictures to represent them). Then your family could sing a song that teaches about prayer, such as “Did You Think to Pray?” (Hymns, no. 140), replacing some of the words in the song with the words from their lists. How does the Lord bless us when we pray always?

2 Nephi 33:1–2

What might lead people to “harden their hearts against the Holy Spirit”? How can we make sure the Holy Ghost has “place in [us]”?

For more ideas for teaching children, see this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Primary.

Suggested song: “When I Am Baptized,” Children’s Songbook, 103.

Improving Our Teaching

Emulate the Savior. It is helpful to study how the Savior taught—the methods He used and the things He said. But Jesus’s power to teach and lift others ultimately came from who He was and how He lived. The more diligently you strive to live like Jesus Christ and rely on His atoning power, the more naturally you will teach in His way.

To Fulfill All Righteousness, by Liz Lemon Swindle