Reading: 3 Nephi 27-28; 4 Nephi
After the Savior left the disciples to teach His gospel, an issue came up that they decided to fast and pray about. In answer to their pleadings, Jesus Christ appeared to them again:
3 Nephi 27:2-5
There are two points here that are worth discussing before we talk about what the Savior wanted the name of his church to be:
1. There were disputations among the people
2. The Lord asked: why do you need to murmur and dispute about this issue?
3. Have they not read the scriptures (answers come in the scriptures)
These things are significant because the name of a church is an important thing, but Jesus told them they shouldn't be fighting about it, especially because the answer is in the scriptures!
The doctrine of taking on the name of Christ:
3 Nephi 27:6-10
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO TAKE UPON US THE NAME OF CHRIST?
• Take the name of Christ AND endure to the end
• Whatever you do, do it in the name of Christ and the church will be blessed for his sake
• Take on the name of Christ is building yourself upon his gospel
• If ye call upon the Father in his name, he will hear you.
• If we are built upon His gospel, the Father will show forth his own works
The scriptures are replete with declarations that the name of Jesus Christ is “the only name which shall be given under heaven, whereby salvation shall come unto the children of men.” ( Moses 6:52; see also Acts 4:12; 2 Ne. 25:20; 2 Ne. 31:21; Mosiah 3:17.)
o Moses 6:52 And he also said unto him: If thou wilt turn unto me, and hearken unto my voice, and believe, and repent of all thy transgressions, and be baptized, even in water, in the name of mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth, which is Jesus Christ, the only name which shall be given under heaven, whereby salvation shall come unto the children of men, ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, asking all things in his name, and whatsoever ye shall ask, it shall be given you.
o John 6:66-69 - 66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
Elder Oaks talks about the meaning of “taking upon us the name of Christ” in the sacrament prayer. He points out that we witness that we are willing to take upon us the name of Christ which indicates that something else needs to happen in order to actually take upon us the name of Christ:
1. It causes us to renew the covenant we made in the waters of baptism to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ and serve him to the end.
2. We also take upon us his name as we publicly profess our belief in him, as we fulfill our obligations as members of his Church, and as we do the work of his kingdom.
3. But there is something beyond these familiar meanings, because what we witness is not that we take upon us his name but that we are willing to do so. In this sense, our witness relates to some future event or status whose attainment is not self-assumed, but depends on the authority or initiative of the Savior himself.
4. Scriptural references to the name of Jesus Christ often signify the authority of Jesus Christ. In that sense, our willingness to take upon us his name signifies our willingness to take upon us the authority of Jesus Christ in the sacred ordinances of the temple, and to receive the highest blessings available through his authority when he chooses to confer them upon us.
5. Finally, our willingness to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ affirms our commitment to do all that we can to be counted among those whom he will choose to stand at his right hand and be called by his name at the last day. In this sacred sense, our witness that we are willing to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ constitutes our declaration of candidacy for exaltation in the celestial kingdom. Exaltation is eternal life, “the greatest of all the gifts of God.” (D&C 14:7.) “Taking upon us the name of Jesus Christ,” Oaks, April 1985
When I consider the importance of doing things in the name of Christ and the power it invokes, I tend to approach my prayers a little more carefully, because I would not want to offend God by flippantly or thoughtlessly thanking or asking for things in the name of His beloved Son.
His name wouldn't mean anything if it were not for the gospel as He explains it:
3 Nephi 27:13-15
• Submission to the will of the Father (v13)
• The gospel is the atonement (v14)
• Resurrection v(14-15)
• Judgment (v14-15)
As a part of the gospel, what do we do to access the atonement?
3 Nephi 27:16-17
• Repentance
• Baptism
• Endure to the end
• Vs 20 adds “sanctified by the Holy Ghost”
• Vs 22, reward for obedience
In verses 23-26 The Savior confirms that those who read these words will be judged by them.
Chapter 28
The Savior's 12 disciples are good examples of those who have taken these words and lived by them. In this chapter, we discover the desires of the 12 Nephite disciples; nine desire to live with Christ after their mortal ministry and three don’t want their ministry to end. These three are infamously coined “the three Nephites” within in the church. I realize there are many faith-promoting stories about the 3 Nephites, but 3 Nephi 28:25-28 indicates that we won't know the names of the three and we won't know who they are. So, why is it the account of the three translated Nephites was included in The Book of Mormon?
3 Nephi 28:1-5; 6-10; 11-15
WHAT DOCTRINES OF THE GOSPEL DO WE LEARN FROM THIS PASSAGE?
• Individual attention: He asked them ONE BY ONE: What is it that ye desire of me? How would you answer this question?
• Communication with the Savior: he knows our thoughts and our hearts. Why do we have to ask/pray then? For our learning and growth.
• Connecting the testaments and individualizing the gospel: informed of John the Beloved’s same desire and D&C 7 also notifies us that Peter desired what the nine desired. Both were appropriate because “both joy in that which ye have desired.”
• There is no competition between desires, what you get is appropriate for you, what another gets is appropriate for them.
• This seems to be a good example of “asking not amiss,” “for thou shalt not ask for that which is contrary to my will,” (see Helaman 7). I suspect that their desires were prompted by aligning themselves with the Lord, or a spiritual prompting to ask these particular things.
• The fact that these three were translated illustrates the power that Christ has over life and death, pain and sickness and temptations (v8-9)
a. Translated beings never taste of death or endure the pains of death (3 Nephi 28:7–8, 38).
b. When the Savior comes in His glory, they will be “changed in the twinkling of an eye from mortality to immortality” (3 Nephi 28:8).
c. Except for the sorrow they feel for the sins of the world, they do not experience pain or sorrow (3 Nephi 28:9, 38).
d. They help people become converted to the Lord (3 Nephi 28:9, 18, 23, 29–30). They had the “convincing power of God” to do “great and marvelous works.”
e. They cannot be killed or harmed in any way (3 Nephi 28:19–22).
f. Satan cannot tempt them or have any power over them (3 Nephi 28:39).
g. They remain in a translated state until the Judgment Day, when they will be resurrected and received into the kingdom of God (3 Nephi 28:40).
• Incredible display of charity: to work as long as necessary to “bring the souls of men unto [Christ], while the world shall stand.”
• (v 10) Helping the Lord accomplish his work brings fullness of joy. The Lord gets joy from doing the work his Father gave him and the Father receives joy from his work.
• Because of their desire, they were granted the ability to see unspeakable things. Which things are not recorded for us, to try our faith and desires.
3 Nephi 28:34-35 Mormons summation of the Lord’s visit: Please believe in Christ, if you don't, it would be better that you had not been born. Pretty serious stuff both for those who are learning and those who are preaching.
The Nephites take this messages to heart and people throughout all the land were converted (those who saw the Savior were only a small portion of the Nephites). All were baptized and received the Holy Ghost. In 4 Nephi we learn that the people lived in peace for 200 years after the Savior’s visit. And here is the reason why:
4 Nephi 1:15
15 And it came to pass that there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people.
This begs the question: How much do we love God? When I am frustrated with my children and bring contention, is God my first thought. Honestly, no. But it comes shortly after contention and I'm so glad He forgives me when I ask and try harder.
Speaking of contention, that is the reason the Nephite, after 200 years began to deteriorate from peace. The Sunday School manual gives a good list of the reasons why, from 4 Nephi 1:
a. Division and the creation of classes (4 Nephi 1:20, 26, 35)
b. Pride and greed because of riches (4 Nephi 1:23–25, 41, 43; see also 3 Nephi 27:32)
c. Churches that professed to know Christ but denied most of His gospel (4 Nephi 1:26–29, 34)
d. Churches built up to help people get gain (4 Nephi 1:26–29, 41)
e. Hard-heartedness (4 Nephi 1:31)
f. Persecution of Christ’s followers (4 Nephi 1:29–34)
g. Parents teaching children not to believe in Christ (4 Nephi 1:38)
h. Parents teaching children to hate (4 Nephi 1:39)
i. Secret combinations (4 Nephi 1:42, 46)
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