Doctrinal Mastery Review 3

Understand and Explain

Understanding specific scripture passages and being able to explain the truths they teach is central to achieving doctrinal mastery. This lesson is intended to help increase your understanding and allow you to practice explaining the doctrine taught in some of the Book of Mormon doctrinal mastery passages.

Learning more about your students. Look for opportunities to get to know students. Observation and sincere questions can help you learn more about what is important to each student. As you understand more about your students, the Holy Ghost can help you focus your teaching on their needs.

Student preparation: Invite students to select one Book of Mormon doctrinal mastery passage that is meaningful to them and to prepare to share with the class why this passage is meaningful.

Possible Learning Activities

A doctrinal mastery passage lesson may need to be taught in place of this review lesson. Refer to the pacing schedule provided by your area or region director or coordinator to ensure that each doctrinal mastery passage lesson will be taught when seminary is in session.

Understanding doctrinal mastery passages

The lesson could be adapted depending on class needs. For example, it may be helpful to review only the passages that students have studied so far this year.

Consider inviting students to name as many of the first 12 Book of Mormon doctrinal mastery references as they can. List these scripture references on the board as they are named. Display the following chart to help as needed. Then ask the following questions.

First 12 Doctrinal Mastery Passages and Key Phrases

Book of Mormon Teacher Manual (2024)

Scripture Reference	Key Scripture Phrase
Scripture Reference 1 Nephi 3:7	Key Scripture Phrase “I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded.”
Scripture Reference 2 Nephi 2:25	Key Scripture Phrase “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.”
Scripture Reference 2 Nephi 2:27	Key Scripture Phrase “They are free to choose liberty and eternal life … or … captivity and death.”
Scripture Reference 2 Nephi 26:33	Key Scripture Phrase “All are alike unto God.”
Scripture Reference 2 Nephi 28:30	Key Scripture Phrase God “will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept.”
Scripture Reference 2 Nephi 32:3	Key Scripture Phrase “Feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.”
Scripture Reference 2 Nephi 32:8–9	Key Scripture Phrase “Ye must pray always.”
Scripture Reference Mosiah 2:17	Key Scripture Phrase “When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.”
Scripture Reference Mosiah 2:41	Key Scripture Phrase “Those that keep the commandments of God … are blessed in all things.”
Scripture Reference Mosiah 3:19	Key Scripture Phrase “[Put] off the natural man and [become] a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord.”
Scripture Reference Mosiah 4:9	Key Scripture Phrase “Believe in God; … believe that he has all wisdom.”
Scripture Reference Mosiah 18:8–10	Key Scripture Phrase Be “baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness … that ye have entered into a covenant with him.”

Which of these passages do you feel you understand well?
What experiences have helped you understand the truth(s) of that passage?

If students completed the student preparation for this lesson, consider inviting them to share which passages have been meaningful to them and why. Consider using this discussion to help students assess how well they understand the passages and if there are passages they would like to understand better.

Students could then be invited to complete the following activity on their own or with a partner. Be available to provide any needed encouragement or resources as students work.

Choose at least one of the Book of Mormon doctrinal mastery passages that you would like to understand better and complete one of the following activities to help you deepen your understanding of the doctrine it teaches. If you finish quickly, choose another doctrinal mastery passage and complete another activity.

Consider displaying the following options for students as they study. You might also consider bringing objects to class for students to use for the “Making comparisons” option. Students could also be creative and use additional resources in the classroom to make comparisons.

Activity A: Visualizing

Create a drawing, collage, meme, word art, word cloud, or other visual representation that reflects what your passage teaches.

Click these links for some examples:

Activity B: Sharing with others

Create a plan to teach your passage. This could include questions you would ask to help those you are teaching understand the passage better. You could also consider creating a video in which you answer the questions you created or explain the meaning of key words and phrases.

Activity C: Studying independently

Choose one or two key words from the passage to study. Use study helps in your scriptures, the Gospel Library app, or other divinely appointed sources to identify definitions, possible cross-references, or statements by Church leaders that deepen your understanding. Record what you learn, including what these things teach you about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Activity D: Making comparisons

Identify tangible objects or create an analogy that could represent the passage or words and phrases from the passage. For example, for 2 Nephi 2:27 you could place a key in one hand to illustrate that we “are free to choose liberty and eternal life” and a lock in the other hand to represent “captivity and death.”

After students have had sufficient time with this study activity, invite volunteers to share something from the activities they chose. They could share their artwork, the questions they came up with, insights they gained from their study, or the objects they used for comparison.

This sharing could be done in small groups, as a class, or both. As part of the discussion, students could answer the following questions for one or more of the scriptures they chose.

Why do you think it is important for you to understand the passage you chose?
How could understanding this passage help you increase your faith in Jesus Christ or become more like Him?