DOCTRINES AND PRINCIPLES IN THIS LESSON:

•The righteous in the land of promise receive blessings (see 2 Nephi 1:5–12).

•The Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement are essential in Heavenly Father’s plan of redemption (see 2 Nephi 2).

•The Restoration of the gospel fulfilled ancient prophecy (see 2 Nephi 3).

Chapter 7 2 Nephi 1-3

The righteous in the land of promise receive blessings. 2 Nephi 1:5-12

What comes to your mind when you hear the phrase “land of promise”?

The Lord has designated different lands of promise for His people based on their circumstances and needs.

On what continent is the land of promise in this prophecy?

2 Nephi1:5 But, said he, notwithstanding our afflictions, we have obtained a land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands; a land which the Lord God hath covenanted with me should be a land for the inheritance of my seed. Yea, the Lord hath covenanted this land unto me, and to my children forever, and also all those who should be led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord.

Hebrews 118 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:

Where was the land of promise for Abraham?

Lehi told his children of the blessings and cursings that were associated with their land of promise.

ACTIVITYGROUP 1

Read 2 Nephi 1:7-9

Look for blessings and record it on the chart.

GROUP 2

Read 2 Nephi 1:10-12

Look for cursings and record it on the chart.

BLESSINGS CURSINGS

Verse 71.2.Verse 81.Verse 91.2.3.

Verse 101.Verse 111.2.Verse 121.

Chart provided.

BLESSINGS CURSINGSVerse 71. land of liberty2. never brought down into captivity

Verse 81. kept from knowledge of other nations for a while Verse 91. prosper upon the face of the land2. none to take away the land of their inheritance 3. dwell safely forever

Verse 101. judgments of God to rest upon them

Verse 111. bring other nations that will have power to take away lands of their possessions2. scattered and smitten

Verse 121. bloodshed

In the latter days, it was necessary for a nation to be established that would allow for the blessings of the gospel to be restored. Once the gospel had been established there, the kingdom of God could expand throughout the world.

Answer:

What blessings relating to the land of promise can also apply to other countries where Church members live?

How has the gospel blessed you and your country?

The Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement are essential in

Heavenly Father’s plan of redemption. 2 Nephi 2[2 Nephi 1-4 contain] some of Lehi’s final counsel to his children before he died. The principles Lehi taught are vital to us today. He taught of the blessings God promises the obedient. He testified of the Creation, the Fall of Adam and Eve, and the Atonement of Jesus Christ in a way that can help us see how they relate to each other. He also included a prophecy given by Joseph in Egypt, bearing testimony of the calling and ministry of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

Elder Russell M. Nelson:

“The plan required the Creation, and that in turn required both the Fall and the Atonement. These are the three fundamental components of the plan. The creation of a paradisiacal planet came from God. Mortality and death came into the world through the Fall of Adam. Immortality and the possibility of eternal life were provided by the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement were planned long before the actual work of the Creation began” (in Conference Report, Apr. 2000, 105; or Ensign, May 2000, 84).

The Creation

2 Nephi 2:11-16

What are the purposes of the Creation, as expressed in this passage?

Why was the Creation a necessary step before the Fall and the Atonement?

What are some examples of “opposition in all things”? Why do we need opposition?

The Fall

2 Nephi 2:17-25

BEFORE THE FALL AFTER THE FALL

Adam and Eve would not have had children.

Adam and Eve would not have known joy or misery.

They would not have done good or evil.

They would have remained in the Garden of Eden forever.

They had children.

They could experience both joy and misery.

They could do good, and they could also sin.

They were cast out of the Lord’s presence and out of the Garden of Eden. They became fallen and mortal—subject to physical death (see also Moses 6:48).

Many people feel that the Fall of Adam and Eve was a terrible mistake.

Elder Bruce C. Hafen of the Seventy:

“The Fall was not a disaster. It wasn’t a mistake or an accident. It was a deliberate part of the plan of salvation. We are God’s spirit ‘offspring,’ sent to earth ‘innocent’ of Adam’s transgression. Yet our Father’s plan subjects us to temptation and misery in this fallen world as the price to comprehend authentic joy. Without tasting the bitter, we actually cannot understand the sweet. We require mortality’s discipline and refinement as the ‘next step in [our] development’ toward becoming like our Father. But growth means growing pains. It also means learning from our mistakes in a continual process made possible by the Savior’s grace, which He extends both during and ‘after all we can do’” (in Conference Report, Apr. 2004, 100; or Ensign, May 2004, 97; in this statement, Elder Hafen quotes the following sources: Acts 17:28; D&C 93:38; Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant: The Messianic Message of the Book of Mormon [1997], 207; 2 Nephi 25:23 with italics added).

The Atonement

2 Nephi 2:6-10, 26-29

According to these verses, why was the Atonement necessary?

According to 2 Nephi 2:7, what must we do to fully take advantage of the sacrifice Jesus Christ offered us?

What can we do to “make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth”?

The Third Article of Faith

We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

The Atonement of Christ overcomes the effects of the Fall of Adam for all people. We will all be resurrected—saved from physical death. We will also be saved from the spiritual death brought about by the Fall—we will return to God’s presence to be judged. (See Helaman 14:15–17.) In order to receive all the blessings of the Atonement—in order to receive exaltation—we must be concerned with our individual “fall” due to our personal sins. We must qualify for all the blessings of the Atonement “by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel”

We Have the Freedom to Choose Liberty and Eternal Life or Captivity and Death.

2 Nephi 226 And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given.

27 Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and call things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.

What do you think it means to “act for [our]selves and not to be acted upon”?

Why is agency such a critical element in the plan of salvation?

According to verse 27 , what are we free to choose?

Christ's infinite atonement frees us from the fall of Adam. It allows us to exercise our agency in choosing right and wrong. The term, "free agency" is redundant. It is not found in the scriptures. Rather, the scriptures use the term, "agency of man" (Moses 4:3). People only remain free as long as they exercise this agency wisely. Lehi makes it clear that if they choose the plan of Satan, they are choosing captivity and death. Thus, the wicked voluntarily give up their freedom so that Satan can drag them down to his miserable level.

Joshua tried to help the children of Israel decide how to use their agency righteously, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord (Josh 24:15). It is only through serving the Lord that we remain free, for we are able to avoid the bondage of sin and the captivity of the devil.

gospeldoctrine.com

Brigham Young:

"You are aware that many think that the Devil has rule and power over both body and spirit. Now, I want to tell you that he does not hold any power over man, only so far as the body overcomes the spirit that is in a man, through yielding to the spirit of evil. The spirit that the Lord puts into a tabernacle of flesh, is under the dictation of the Lord Almighty; but the spirit and body are united in order that the spirit may have a tabernacle, and be exalted; and the spirit is influenced by the body, and the body by the spirit.

"In the first place the spirit is pure, and under the special control and influence of the Lord, but the body is of the earth, and is subject to the power of the Devil, and is under the mighty influence of that fallen nature that is of the earth. If the spirit yields to the body, the Devil then has power to overcome the body and spirit of that man, and he loses both.

"Recollect, brethren and sisters, every one of you, that when evil is suggested to you, when it arises in your hearts, it is through the temporal organization. When you are tempted, buffeted, and step out of the way inadvertently; when you are overtaken in a fault, or commit an overt act unthinkingly; when you are full of evil passion, and wish to yield to it, then stop and let the spirit, which God has put into your tabernacles, take the lead. If you do that, I will promise that you will overcome all evil, and obtain eternal lives. But many, very many, let the spirit yield to the body, and are overcome and destroyed." (Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 69-70 as taken from the Book of Mormon Student Manual, 1981 ed., p. 73-4)

The Restoration of the gospel fulfilled ancient prophecy. 2 Nephi 3

Read 2 Nephi 3:6-18

The Restoration of the gospel through the Prophet Joseph Smith fulfilled a prophecy by the Old Testament prophet Joseph, son of Jacob. Turn to pages 56 and 57 of your Student Manual

Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:

“The Lord foreordained … Joseph Smith, Sr., who is spoken of in the holy scriptures, to be one of the earthly parents of the Prophet. Joseph of Egypt prophesied that the latter-day seer whom God would raise up to do his work would be ‘called Joseph’ (Joseph Smith Translation, Genesis 50:33), and his name would ‘be after the name of his father’ (2 Nephi 3:15). The heavenly messenger Moroni admonished young Joseph to go to his father following a glorious night of sacred instruction. In Joseph’s words, this messenger ‘commanded me to go to my father and tell him of the vision and commandments which I had received. I obeyed; I returned to my father in the field, and rehearsed the whole matter to him. He replied to me that it was of God, and told me to go and do as commanded by the messenger’ (Joseph Smith—History 1:49–50)” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1991, 4; or Ensign, Nov. 1991, 5–6).