Doctrinal Mastery Review 20

Understand and Explain

One purpose of doctrinal mastery is to help you better understand the Savior’s teachings and be able to explain them in your own words. This lesson will give you an opportunity to deepen your understanding and practice explaining truths from various New Testament doctrinal mastery passages.

Student preparation: Invite students to review the New Testament doctrinal mastery passages and choose one that they would like to better understand.

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 the area or region director or coordinator to ensure that each doctrinal mastery passage lesson will be taught while seminary is in session.

What do you know about Jesus Christ?

Consider displaying the following image and inviting students to discuss with a partner what the portrayed event teaches about Jesus Christ.

Describe what you know about Jesus Christ using only the part of His life represented by the following image:

Christ hanging on a cross at Calvary. Two thieves, also hanging on crosses are at the left and right of Christ. Numerous observers, including Mary, the mother of Christ, Mary Magdalene, other mourners and Roman soldiers are gathered around the crosses. Thunder clouds are gathering in the sky.

Next, display the following three images (or different images of the Savior), and invite students to discuss the following questions.

Now look at these images and answer the following questions:

Actor portrayal. Mary is holding the baby Jesus and looking at him.

Jesus Christ standing and placing His hands on the eyes of a blind man who kneels before him. A group of men, women and children are gathered around Christ. The people are witnessing Christ heal the man of blindness. Stone arches are in the background.

The First Vision, by Del Parson (62470); GAK 403; Primary manual 1-04; Primary manual 2-38; Primary manual 3-10; Primary manual 5-06; Primary manual 6-40; Primary manual 7-40; Joseph Smith—History 1:14–20

What events are portrayed in each of these three images?
What does each of these events add to your understanding of Jesus Christ and His mission?

To really learn who the Savior is and why He is important to you, it helps to study multiple accounts of His life and the writings of more than one prophet.

Similarly, studying and comparing truths found in multiple doctrinal mastery passages can help you understand the Savior’s doctrine more completely than relying on any single passage.

Consider inviting students to do the following activity with a partner. They could have a different partner for each comparison.

Read and consider what Hebrews 12:9, James 1:5–6, and James 2:17–18 teach us about our Heavenly Father and our relationship to Him.

How does studying these three doctrinal mastery passages together help you better understand our relationship to God?

Read and consider what 1 Peter 4:6 and Revelation 20:12 teach us about the Final Judgment in Heavenly Father’s plan.

How does studying these two doctrinal mastery passages together help you better understand the Final Judgment?

Consider cross-referencing or linking any passages that you may want to study together again in the future.

Linking doctrinal mastery passages

If it would be better for students to complete the following activity as a class, invite the class to choose which New Testament doctrinal mastery passage they want to learn more about. Write the reference and key scripture phrase on the board.

Then invite students to work in small groups to find as many related doctrinal mastery passages as they can in a given amount of time. If it would feel overwhelming for students to search all 96 passages, consider narrowing their search to only Book of Mormon passages (or use a different method of narrowing their search options). Students could list the passages they find on the board under the reference.

Finally, invite students to explain how the additional passages they found increase their understanding of the chosen New Testament passage.

Choose one of the New Testament doctrinal mastery passages that you would like to learn more about, and write the reference and key scripture phrase in your study journal.
Find and read the entire doctrinal mastery passage, and record what you understand about the doctrine it teaches.
Locate the complete list of doctrinal mastery passages and key scripture phrases found at the end of the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document (2022).
Find and read at least two doctrinal mastery passages from other scripture courses that relate to the New Testament passage you selected.
Record in your study journal how these additional passages increase your understanding of the New Testament passage.

If students completed the preceding activity individually, invite them to share with the students around them the New Testament passage they chose and to explain what they learned from the additional passages.

If time permits, consider repeating the activity with a second doctrinal mastery passage. Or complete a similar activity by having students write a question or a concern in their study journal and find specific doctrinal mastery passages that can help answer their question or concern.

Invite students to discuss how they could apply the activity to their scripture study at home and how doing so could bless them as they study the gospel.