“3 Nephi 13–14: The Teachings of Christ,” Book of Mormon Teacher Manual (2024)
“3 Nephi 13–14,” Book of Mormon Teacher Manual
3 Nephi 13–14
The Teachings of Christ
Imagine what it must have been like for the people in the land of Bountiful to listen to the resurrected Savior teach. We are blessed to have part of His message recorded in 3 Nephi 13–14. These chapters are filled with principles that are as meaningful today as they were to the people who were there when He declared them. The purpose of this lesson is to help you identify principles from the Savior’s teachings and see their relevance in your life today.
Help students identify doctrine and principles. Students can benefit from continuing practice as they learn to identify gospel doctrine and principles. Look for scripture passages that teach multiple principles, and allow students time to search for these truths. Help students clearly express the truths they find.
Student preparation: Consider inviting students to look for and come to class prepared to share cause-and-effect statements they find in their personal scripture study. These may be stated using the words if and then, or the passage may simply describe which choices lead to which outcomes.
Possible Learning Activities
What counsel would you give?
Consider inviting a student to briefly explain or describe to the class a skill they have developed. Or you could invite all students to spend one minute describing to a partner a skill they have.
Think of a skill that you have developed through experience. It could be a sport, hobby, or school subject or a skill such as driving, cooking a specific dish, or taking care of a pet.
Imagine that after briefly explaining your skill to someone, they show interest in trying it.
Think of one piece of advice you could give them from your experience. It could be a tip that otherwise might have taken them a while to figure out, or it could help them avoid a common mistake people make in learning your skill.
Summarize your advice in a simple cause-and-effect statement. (For example, if the skill was distance running, you might say, “If you stay hydrated, then your muscles will recover more quickly.”)
Consider inviting some students to share their cause-and-effect statements with the class.
Just as your knowledge and counsel could help someone who is learning your skill to succeed and to avoid unnecessary mistakes, Jesus Christ’s counsel can bless and protect you from mistakes.
Today you will have the blessing of studying 3 Nephi 13–14, which is a continuation of the Savior’s incomparable sermon that is also found in Matthew 5–7. Jesus continued teaching the higher law that helps us prepare to live in the presence of God (see Doctrine and Covenants 88:21–22). As you study His counsel, look for how His teachings are relevant to situations that you face. Pause often to ponder the principles you discover and record how following the truths He taught will prepare you to return to His presence.
Cause-and-effect statements in the scriptures
One effective way to study the teachings of the Lord is to look for cause-and-effect relationships. Many times, these statements begin with the word if. These statements can help you see clearly which choices lead to which results. In speaking of cause-and-effect (or conditional) statements, Elder Kevin S. Hamilton of the Seventy declared:
The Lord also operates through conditions: conditions of faith, conditions of righteousness, conditions of repentance. There are many examples of conditional statements from God such as: …
“If ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, [then] he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost” (Moroni 10:4). …
“If ye keep my commandments, [then] ye shall abide in my love” (John 15:10). (Kevin S. Hamilton, “Then Will I Make Weak Things Become Strong,” Liahona, May 2022, 50, brackets and emphasis in the original)
Notice in Elder Hamilton’s examples that the word if comes before our required actions. The effects or results of our actions are then described.
As Jesus Christ taught the people in the land Bountiful, some of the important principles He taught were stated as cause-and-effect relationships that included the word if. For example, read 3 Nephi 13:14–15 and consider marking the word if in each verse.
Notice that in Elder Hamilton’s example, he inserted the word then into each statement to emphasize the results of our choices. You might want to record the word then in your scriptures where you think it fits in verses 14–15.
Invite volunteers to write on the board the cause-and-effect statements they found in this passage. This could begin a list of statements of truth that students will add to throughout the lesson.
Rewording the Savior’s teachings as cause-and-effect statements
Some of Jesus’s teachings don’t include the word if. However, with careful thought and help from the Holy Ghost, you can notice cause-and-effect relationships that clarify principles He taught. Read at least three of the following passages and write a simple cause-and-effect statement for each passage that reflects the Savior’s counsel.
You may want to restate what He taught as an “if-then” statement. For example: After studying 3 Nephi 13:1–4, someone might write, “If our motive for helping the poor is Christlike, then our reward will come from Heavenly Father.” We can learn from this passage that our motives for righteous actions are important to our Heavenly Father, who loves to bless those who are becoming more like His Son, Jesus Christ.
Students could complete this activity in small groups with each student studying different passages and sharing the statements they create. You could display all of the following options, or you could limit them to those you feel your students need most.
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3 Nephi 13:24 (One meaning of “mammon” is wealth or property.)
Invite several students to add their cause-and-effect statements to the board, and consider asking questions like the following to help students see how the Savior’s teachings are relevant in today’s world.
A different way to help them see relevance is to invite students to work in small groups to think of situations when specific principles on the board could help a youth in certain settings such as the following: (1) at home, (2) at school, or (3) in their future adult lives. After sufficient time, invite groups to share their ideas with a neighboring group.
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Why do you think the Savior wants people today to know what He taught in these chapters? Which of His teachings do you think are most needed in our day?
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How could a teenager apply one of the cause-and-effect principles you created from these chapters at home? at school? in their future adult lives? How could it help him or her?
You might share a time when you have heeded one of the principles the Savior taught in these chapters and how it blessed your life.
Then consider giving students time to ponder and write their thoughts about the following:
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Which of the Savior’s teachings in these chapters best relates to a situation you are facing in your life? How do you think He would have you use the counsel He gave?