“1 Nephi 13:20–42: Plain and Precious Truths” Book of Mormon Teacher Manual (2024)
“1 Nephi 13:20–42: Plain and Precious Truths” Book of Mormon Teacher Manual
1 Nephi 13:20–42
Plain and Precious Truths
The Restoration of the Savior’s gospel is a blessing in so many ways. One blessing is that it brings to light many of the plain and precious truths that were lost from the Bible. Nephi saw the events of the Restoration long before they happened and understood the important role that his record would play in the Restoration. This lesson can help you understand how the Book of Mormon and other revealed scripture help restore plain and precious truths of the Savior’s gospel.
Preparing yourself to teach. Powerful gospel teaching means not just preparing a lesson but preparing ourselves. Because the Spirit testifies of truth and is the source of conversion, effective gospel teachers focus on filling their hearts with the Holy Ghost before they think about filling class time. Consider asking yourself, “Am I ready to teach by the Spirit?”
Student preparation: Consider inviting students to come prepared to share something they have learned recently from their personal scripture study.
Possible Learning Activities
Safety check
Show students an image of a bicycle or, if possible, consider bringing a bicycle to class. Invite students to think of the essential parts of a bicycle and list them on the board.
A bicycle is a simple and effective form of transportation. Cycling can also be an enjoyable and rewarding experience. What are some of the essential parts that allow a person to operate a bicycle safely and effectively? Imagine you owned a bicycle and someone intentionally removed certain essential parts from it.
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What might those actions indicate about his or her feelings toward you?
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What could happen if you attempted to operate the bicycle with missing parts?
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Who might you contact to repair and restore your bicycle to function properly?
In a similar way, Satan has sought to harm and confuse God’s children by removing and changing important parts of Jesus Christ’s gospel. As you study 1 Nephi 13, look for what the Savior has done to help us overcome Satan’s obstacles.
There are many who stumble
Nephi was shown in vision important events of the latter days, including a book being brought to the promised land by the Gentiles. Read about the book in 1 Nephi 13:20–25 and look for what it contained.
It may be helpful to list what students discover on the board, such as “the covenants of the Lord,” “the prophecies of the holy prophets,” and “the fulness of the gospel” (1 Nephi 13:23–24). Consider asking students if they know what the book in verse 20 is before inviting them to make a note in their scriptures.
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What did you learn from your reading?
Consider making a note in verse 20 that the book Nephi beheld refers to the Holy Bible. Making notes in your scriptures can help you personalize them and increase the effectiveness of your scripture study. For example, making notes in your scriptures may help you remember spiritual insights in the future or be a blessing to you or others in a moment of need.
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What did you notice about the way the Bible was described?
Consider allowing students to study the next verses in pairs or small groups and inviting them to discuss questions like the following. When students have completed the reading, consider inviting them to think about how they have seen Satan’s efforts to remove the plain and precious truths cause people in the world to stumble.
Read 1 Nephi 13:26–29, looking for what happened to the Bible after it went forth from the “apostles of the Lamb.”
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What happened to the Bible?
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How could the removal of plain and precious truths from the Bible cause people to stumble spiritually?
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How are these verses similar to the bicycle analogy?
“The gift and power of the Lamb”
After witnessing that plain and precious truths were altered or removed from the Bible, Nephi learned that the Lord in His mercy would not allow the world to remain confused or blinded (see 1 Nephi 13:30–34). Nephi saw that the gospel would be restored in its fulness through the “gift and power of the Lamb” (1 Nephi 13:35).
To learn how the Savior accomplished this, read 1 Nephi 13:35–39 and consider marking the following phrases and noting their meaning in your scriptures or study journal.
Instead of simply telling the students the following information, you could list the scriptures and phrases in quotation marks on the board in one column. In a second column, you could list the interpretations in a different order than what is listed here. Invite students to study the verses and match the phrase to the correct interpretation. Students could also be given an opportunity to ask questions about these verses.
|
Scripture reference and phrase |
Interpretation |
|---|---|
Scripture reference and phrase 1 Nephi 13:35 “these things” | Interpretation The Book of Mormon |
Scripture reference and phrase 1 Nephi 13:39 “other books” | Interpretation Includes the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price, and the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible |
Scripture reference and phrase 1 Nephi 13:39 “records of the prophets and of the twelve apostles of the Lamb” | Interpretation The Holy Bible |
Read 1 Nephi 13:40–41, looking for a description of what the scriptures of the Restoration will make known unto all people.
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What did you discover?
Consider recording the following truth in your scriptures or study journal: The Book of Mormon and other latter-day scriptures restore plain and precious truths that testify of Jesus Christ and establish the fulness of His everlasting gospel.
Consider inviting students to write their responses to the second and third questions below on a piece of paper. Collect their responses and display them around the room for others to read.
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Why do you think the truths from the Savior’s gospel are described as plain and precious?
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What do you learn about the Lord from His role in restoring plain and precious truths?
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What is a truth or teaching from latter-day scripture that is plain and precious to you?
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How has that truth helped you draw closer to Jesus Christ?
Plain and precious truths restored
Display the following topics and associated scriptures on the board. Students could pick one or multiple options to study in greater detail. Have students study the passage in the Bible first and imagine that this were the only information regarding the topic. Then have them study the other passages, looking for how they clarify what is in the Bible. This could be done in pairs, and students could discuss their observations with each other. Alternatively, students could study individually and discuss their findings later as a class.
The Godhead (Matthew 3:16–17)
The Atonement of Jesus Christ (Luke 22:41–44)
Premortal life (Jeremiah 1:5)
The sacrament (Matthew 26:26–28)
The gospel of Jesus Christ (Mark 1:14–15)
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Invite willing students to share what they learned. You could use questions like the following:
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What did you learn about your chosen topic?
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How can this truth help you rejoice in and better follow Jesus Christ?
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Why are you grateful that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ brought forth additional scripture and restored plain and precious truths?