“2 Nephi 9:1–26: ‘An Infinite Atonement,’” Book of Mormon Teacher Manual (2024)
“2 Nephi 9:1–26,” Book of Mormon Teacher Manual
2 Nephi 9:1–26
“An Infinite Atonement”
Jacob taught the Nephites about the conditions all mankind face because of the Fall of Adam and Eve. He testified that only through Jesus Christ and His redeeming power could mankind overcome spiritual and physical death. This lesson can help you feel greater appreciation for Jesus Christ’s role in helping us overcome sin and death.
Helping students learn to rely on Jesus Christ. Students must come to know and feel the power the Savior can offer because of His Atonement. Therefore, teachers should help learners understand how to personally rely on Jesus Christ. They can do this as they strive to repent, seek forgiveness, and trust that He can help them in their daily lives and challenges.
Student preparation: Consider inviting students to study 2 Nephi 9:1–26. They could mark in one way what would happen to us without the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and in a different way they could mark what can happen to us because of Jesus Christ and His Atonement.
Possible Learning Activities
A difficult situation
The following account is intended to help prepare students to study about the Savior’s role in delivering us from sin and death.
Ponder how you would respond to the following circumstances:
On August 5, 2010, 33 Chilean miners were trapped by a massive cave-in after the rock inside the mine collapsed. They were restricted to a small safe area and to the mine shafts below the collapse, 2,300 feet (700 m) deep inside the earth.
The situation looked bleak. They were separated from home and family by almost a half a mile of unmovable rock overhead, and they had only a small supply of food and water. Although they had tools and knowledge, because of the instability of the mine they could not save themselves. Their only chance was to be found and rescued. (Connie Goulding, “Seeking Rescue,” Ensign, June 2015, 63)
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If you had been in this situation, what thoughts or feelings might you have had?
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What are some things we need to be rescued from that we cannot overcome on our own?
Because of the Fall of Adam and Eve, each of us will experience physical and spiritual death. Spiritual death refers to the separation from God we experience as a result of sin.
Read 2 Nephi 9:10, looking for what Jacob compared physical and spiritual death to.
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Why do you think Jacob described death (death of the body) and hell (death of the spirit which results from unrepented sin), as an “awful monster”?
Think about what life would be like if we were not rescued from physical and spiritual death. Consider how you might communicate to someone our desperate need for a Redeemer to rescue us from physical and spiritual death. As you continue to study, ponder how you feel toward Jesus Christ, who helps us overcome these conditions through His Atonement.
Jacob teaches about the Savior’s role in delivering us from sin and death
Consider whether it would be best for students to study the following verses and complete the chart as a class, in groups, or individually. It might be helpful to use a combination of these methods. It might also be helpful for you to complete your own chart before class so you can be prepared to offer help and insights to students as they study.
Create a chart with the following headings in your study journal. Study the verses listed with each column and record your insights in your chart. Continue to add insights to your chart throughout the lesson.
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If there was no Savior … (2 Nephi 9:7–9) |
Because there is a Savior … (2 Nephi 9:10–13) |
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You may also want to watch “Why We Need a Savior” (2:15), which can be found at ChurchofJesusChrist.org. Consider adding your additional insights to your chart.
Why We Need a Savior
What would life be like without a Savior? There would be no joy, no forgiveness, no hope for the future. This Christmas, learn more about the hope, peace and happiness our Savior Jesus Christ can bring into our lives at christmas.mormon.org.
After students have had sufficient time to study, have a discussion about what they learned. Consider asking questions like the following as part of your discussion:
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What thoughts or feelings did you have about Jesus Christ as you studied these verses?
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What did you learn about what would happen to us if there was no Savior?
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What did you learn about what the Savior makes possible because of His Atonement?
One truth that summarizes Jacob’s teachings in the verses you have studied is that through His Atonement, Jesus Christ helps us overcome sin and death.
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How can understanding this truth impact your life?
Consider sharing a personal example before inviting students to share their answers to the following question.
It may also be beneficial to show one of the videos in “Commentary and Background Information” under the heading “How can the knowledge of Jesus Christ’s victory over sin and death impact our lives?”
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When has the knowledge of Jesus Christ’s victory over sin and death been most meaningful to you?
Choosing to accept the rescue
Recall the account of the Chilean miners from earlier in the lesson. As you learn about the rest of their story, think about similarities between their experience and our rescue from physical and spiritual death.
Consider displaying the following paragraph and inviting a student to read it aloud.
More than two weeks after the miners had been trapped, rescuers found a way to provide them with food, water, and supplies. Nearly two months later, the rescuers were finally able to create an opening large enough to lower a small capsule that could rescue the miners one at a time. Each miner stepped into the capsule and chose to give his will over to the rescue plan and the rescuers to be saved. After being trapped for a total of 69 days, each of the miners was rescued (see Connie Goulding, “Seeking Rescue,” Ensign, June 2015, 63–65).
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What similarities do you see between this story and the Savior saving us from sin and death?
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What would you think if one of the miners that was stuck refused to get in the escape capsule? Why?
While deliverance from physical death is a gift the Savior offers to all mankind, our deliverance from spiritual death depends partly on our desires and actions.
Consider placing students in pairs or small groups to read the following verses and discuss the associated questions.
Read 2 Nephi 9:21–24 and look for choices we must make in order for the Savior to save us from spiritual death. Consider recording additional insights you gain about the Savior in the second column of your chart.
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What did you learn about what we must do for the Savior to save us from spiritual death?
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Why do you think we “cannot be saved in the kingdom of God” if we do not do these things?
Reflect for a few moments on what you learned today about Jesus Christ and what He has done for you. You may want to record any thoughts or impressions you have had or include your appreciation for our loving Savior.
Conclude the lesson by sharing your testimony of Jesus Christ and His Atonement. Encourage students to seek the blessings only Jesus Christ can offer by striving to follow Him throughout their lives.