Reflection~2 Nephi 33:10-11

I cannot remember the first time I read—really read—2 Nephi 33. I do, however, remember how much it affected me once I had put forth the effort of reading it with a purpose. I consider the entire chapter my favorite scripture in the LDS standard works, but for present purposes, I will focus primarily on verses ten and eleven. In these verses, he simultaneously demonstrates a great amount of humility, boldness, and conviction.

First and foremost, Nephi implores “all [the] ends of the earth” to believe in Christ, even “if [they] believe not in these words” (2 Nephi 33:10). I think it is significant that he begins this verse not with the assertion that his writings are true, but with a plea to believe in Christ. This suggests that Nephi’s prime concern is not recognition for himself; his prime concern is recognition for the Lord. If men don’t believe in his words, he refuses to consider it as a blow to his pride and dismiss them as willfully ignorant sinners. Instead, he speaks to them as a friend. He essentially says, “If you refuse to accept my word, that is your choice. But please know that Christ is our Savior.”

Following this appeal, he states that if individuals believe in Christ, they will know of the verity of Nephi’s words, as well. Obviously, when this bold statement is taken only for what is on the surface, this is not always the case; there are many good people in the world who believe in Christ, but not in the Book of Mormon. I would propose slight additions to Nephi’s words for the sake of clarity: “And if ye shall believe in and understand Christ and his teachings, ye will believe in and understand these words, for they are the words of Christ.” With this restatement, we see that to believe in something and to understand something are two different practices.

In the subsequent verse, Nephi acknowledges his readers’ freedom of choice yet again—“if they are not the words of Christ, judge ye” (2 Nephi 33:11). However, Nephi knows that it is his duty as a man of God to share his knowledge and testimony with all men. Hence, he emphasizes that whether or not men choose to believe his words are of Christ now, that truth will be revealed to them in the succeeding life. I would argue that this firm testimony stands as a witness of not only Nephi’s words, but of the entire Book of Mormon.

I suppose the reason I love this chapter—these verses, in particular—so much is that it reaffirms and strengthens my own belief in the Book of Mormon. Each time I read it, I am reminded that the Book of Mormon has Heavenly Father’s personal approval; it was commanded to be written by Him. I also find it interesting that, as mentioned in verses one and eleven, Nephi should consider himself weak in writing; his words seem so bold and powerful to me. Although Nephi may have considered his writing to be weak, I regard it as one of the most potent writings in all of the standard works.

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