“Doctrinal Mastery: 2 Nephi 26:33: ‘All Are Alike unto God,’” Book of Mormon Student Manual (2024)
“Doctrinal Mastery: 2 Nephi 26:33,” Book of Mormon Student Manual
Doctrinal Mastery: 2 Nephi 26:33
“All Are Alike unto God”
In your study of 2 Nephi 26, you learned that “all are alike unto God” (verse 33) and that God invites all His children to come unto Him. This lesson can help you memorize the doctrinal mastery reference and key scripture phrase for 2 Nephi 26:33, explain the doctrine, and apply principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge in real-life situations.
Explain and memorize
Read 2 Nephi 26:33 and review the doctrine you learned in the previous lesson that all are alike unto God.
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What are situations in which the doctrine in this verse could help? Explain how.
Write the scripture reference and key scripture phrase for 2 Nephi 26:33, “All are alike unto God,” in your study journal. Repeat the scripture reference and key scripture phrase a few times (aloud or in writing) until you have committed it to memory.
Practice application
Review the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge taught in paragraphs 5–12 of the “Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge” section in the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document (2023).
The following account is about a man of black African descent who was impacted by the priesthood restriction. To learn about the priesthood restriction, see the heading to Official Declaration 2 at the end of the Doctrine and Covenants.
As you read this account, look for specific evidence of each of the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge in this brother’s journey.
Trust in the Lord
Book of Mormon Teacher Manual (2024)—“Doctrinal Mastery: 2 Nephi 26:33: ‘All Are Alike unto God’”
In 1969, a young adult living in Leicester, England, encountered missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He initially resisted their message, but eventually began meeting with them. After three months of intense investigation, he awoke one morning with a conviction that the Church was true.
He was eager to share his newfound testimony with the elders. Before he could do so, they informed him that he would be ineligible to receive the priesthood as a Church member because of his mixed-race heritage, which included ancestors of black African descent.
One day, he was speaking with a close friend about his experiences with the missionaries and began teaching his friend about the Prophet Joseph Smith. He recalled, “As I told that story, I just came alive and something took over and I just radiated.”
The experience reaffirmed his testimony, but his concerns about the priesthood restriction remained. As he prayed for further understanding, this message came to him: “You don’t have to understand everything about my gospel before you commit yourself to it. Why don’t you show your faith by accepting what you’ve heard and commit the rest into my hands?”
Comforted by the message, he prayerfully responded, “Yes, Lord, I will. I will take it in faith. And thank you, by the way, thank you.” Two months later, he was baptized and became a faithful member of the Church.
In 1975, three years before the revelation on the priesthood, he expressed his belief in a just God, writing that he accepted the restriction “in faith, without any reservation.” He added, “I am just grateful that the Lord’s priesthood is once again upon the earth, with all its attendant blessings, authority, and responsibility. It matters less to me who has it and who hasn’t, but much more how it is utilised.”
In 1978, he learned of the revelation extending the priesthood to all worthy men (see Official Declaration 2).
“Once [he] returned home, he and [his wife] talked all through the night about what the news would mean for their family. The change was monumental. The next morning, [he] was ordained a priest in the Aaronic Priesthood. Two months later, he was ordained a Seventy and was made the senior member of the stake Seventy’s quorum. And two months after that, [he and his spouse] were sealed in the London England Temple, along with their four children” (Elizabeth Maki, “I Will Take It in Faith,” history.ChurchofJesusChrist.org).
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How do you think this man might have felt when he heard he was ineligible to receive the priesthood?
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Answer the following questions:
Act in faith
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In what ways did this man act in faith? How did this help him?
Examine concepts and questions with an eternal perspective
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How did Heavenly Father’s answer to this man’s prayer help him see his situation from an eternal perspective? How did this help him follow the Lord?
Seek further understanding through divinely appointed sources
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In what ways was the Holy Ghost a divinely appointed source helping him?
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What other divinely appointed sources in our day might help someone who has questions about the priesthood restriction? How might Official Declaration 2 and 2 Nephi 26:33 help them?
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For additional information to help with questions about the priesthood restriction, refer to the “Optional: Want to Learn More?” section at the end of this lesson.