Continuing his address to his people, King Benjamin told them that an angel had spoken to him about the ministry of Jesus Christ. King Benjamin testified that through faith in Jesus Christ and repentance, those who have sinned can receive salvation. He also taught that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ an individual can overcome the natural man by yielding to the enticings of the Holy Spirit.
King Benjamin delivers the words of an angel regarding the Atonement
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drinking glass
As you study Mosiah 3, look for the source of “glad tidings of great joy” (Mosiah 3:3).
Read Mosiah 3:1–5, and look for what the angel told King Benjamin. The angel declared that King Benjamin’s people had reason to rejoice and be filled with joy.
What was it in the angel’s message that could fill the Nephites with joy?
Read Mosiah 3:5–10, and mark words or phrases about the Savior and His ministry that help you better appreciate the Savior’s mortal ministry.
Select two phrases you marked, and write an explanation in your scripture study journal about what they teach you to help you better understand and appreciate the Savior’s ministry.
There are many doctrines and principles taught in Mosiah 3:5–10. One of the most important is this: Jesus Christ suffered so we can be saved from our sins. Consider writing this doctrine in your scriptures next to Mosiah 3:7–9.
Read the following statement from Elder James E. Talmage of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles about the Savior’s suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane:
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Elder James E. Talmage
“Christ’s agony in the garden is unfathomable by the finite mind, both as to intensity and cause. … He struggled and groaned under a burden such as no other being who has lived on earth might even conceive as possible. It was not physical pain, nor mental anguish alone, that caused him to suffer such torture as to produce an extrusion of blood from every pore; but a spiritual agony of soul such as only God was capable of experiencing. … In that hour of anguish Christ met and overcame all the horrors that Satan, ‘the prince of this world’ [John 14:30] could inflict. …
“In some manner, actual and terribly real though to man incomprehensible, the Savior took upon Himself the burden of the sins of mankind from Adam to the end of the world” (Jesus the Christ, 3rd ed. [1916], 613).
In your scripture study journal, write about an experience that has helped you know that Jesus Christ is the Savior. How does remembering this experience add joy to your life?
King Benjamin describes how to overcome the natural man
As King Benjamin continued to teach his people, he taught them how the Atonement blesses God’s children. He also taught how we can overcome the natural man and become Saints through the Savior’s Atonement.
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Jesus Blessing Jairus’s Daughter
To better understand how the Atonement blesses God’s children, read the following scripture passages and write a description of the group of people that verse testifies will be blessed through the Atonement of Jesus Christ:
It is important to know that although Jesus Christ atoned for the sins of those who do not know the gospel—those who die in ignorance—they must still repent and exercise faith in Jesus Christ in the spirit world in order to be saved (see D&C 131:6; 138:31–34). Also, the Lord has revealed that children are born innocent in the sight of God and that Satan has no power to tempt them. Until they begin to become accountable at eight years old, little children are saved through the Atonement of Jesus Christ without needing to repent or be baptized (see Moroni 8:8–15; D&C 29:46–47; 137:10).
We must act on the knowledge we have of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Read Mosiah 3:12–13, and underline words and phrases that teach that we can be saved from our sins and rejoice as we exercise faith in Jesus Christ and repent.
Recall the image of the cup that was filled with “happiness.” Remember the angel’s words declaring that joy comes from understanding the Savior’s mission and Atonement (see Mosiah 3:4–5). To understand the opposite of this image, read Mosiah 3:24–27. Underline what those who choose not to repent will drink at the judgment day.
What will happen to those who choose not to exercise faith in Jesus Christ and repent?
After teaching his people about the Savior’s Atonement and the need to repent and have faith in the Savior, King Benjamin taught his people how to put off the sinful part of their nature and become Saints through the Atonement.
Read Mosiah 3:19, and identify any words or phrases you do not understand. It may be helpful to write three definitions in your scriptures near this verse. A “natural man” is a person who chooses to be influenced by the passions, desires, and appetites of the flesh rather than the promptings of the Holy Spirit. To “yield” means to submit to someone or something. “Enticings” are persuasive or pleasant invitations. Mosiah 3:19 is a scripture mastery passage. You may want to mark it in a distinctive way so you can locate it in the future.
Write the heading “To Put Off the Natural Man” in your scripture study journal. Under this heading, make a list of what Mosiah 3:19 teaches we must do to overcome the “natural man.” Circle one action that you feel would be most important for you to work on at this time. Make a plan to apply this action.
One of the principles Mosiah 3:19 teaches is that if we yield to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, we can overcome the natural man through the Atonement of Christ.
In your own words, what does it mean to yield “to the enticings of the Holy Spirit”?
Read the following statement from Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles about putting off the natural man: “Personal righteousness, worship, prayer, and scripture study are so crucial in order to ‘[put] off the natural man’ (Mosiah 3:19)” (“The Tugs and Pulls of the World,” Ensign, Nov. 2000, 36).
Answer the following question in your scripture study journal: In what ways are you seeking to yield to the enticings of the Holy Spirit in your life?
What can you do to more fully yield “to the enticings of the Holy Spirit” in your own life? Write a goal in your scripture study journal to help you improve in this area this week. You might consider working on one of the attributes that help us become like a child, listed in Mosiah 3:19—for example, becoming more submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, or willing to submit to all things that the Lord sees “fit to inflict upon” you.
Write in your scripture study journal some of the obstacles in your life that keep you from yielding to the enticings of the Spirit.
To help you remember or memorize Mosiah 3:19, you may want to read it through three times. The repetition will help you become familiar with the content of the verse. After doing this, try to write as much of the verse, or the ideas in the verse, as you can in your scripture study journal without referring to your scriptures. Try repeating the verse aloud at various times, such as while you are walking, exercising, or preparing for bed. Doing this for several days in a row can help you memorize and remember the important principles in this verse.
Write the following at the bottom of today’s assignments in your scripture study journal:
I have studied Mosiah 3 and completed this lesson on (date).
Additional questions, thoughts, and insights I would like to share with my teacher: