Instead of going verse by verse this time telling you what happens I want to tell you my feelings about it and how it relates to me.
In these chapters of Nephi, he often quotes the prophet Isaiah from the Bible. It's been a little bit difficult for me to understand but I will tell you what I have learned and why I think it's important.
The biggest take away I got from reading this and also studying the Institute manual is: Agency
The Lord values agency so much that even if it should hurt us and him, he would not force us to do anything. He wants us also not to blindly obey. He wants us to know the choices, know the consequences and to choose to follow him because we WANT to. There was a war in heaven we can read about in Revelations 12:7 over the agency of mankind. The devil wanted to force everyone to be good and follow him, God chose instead to send an example and a savior. To quote the institute manual "God's chief way of acting is by persuasion and patience and long-suffering, not by coercion and stark confrontation. He acts by gentle solicitation and by sweet enticement. He always acts with unfailing respect for the freedom and independence we possess.
I have been affected negatively by other people's agency. I still wouldn't take away their freedoms and rights because if I take away theirs, someone might not like my choices and take away mine. We should have freedoms to choose our own path in life but it's always best if we choose the Lord.
I also learned more about Adam and Eve. I think a lot of people would be shocked to read the Book of Mormon and see how much it talks about the events of the Bible. LDS or Mormon people believe in the Bible it is especially important for the life and mission of Jesus Christ. We have the Book of Mormon not to replace the Bible at all but to help understand and learn the lessons that Christ taught. It's a companion to the Bible to help us more fully live it's teachings.
In the chapters on Adam and Eve, I learned about how the world changed as well when they partook of the fruit. That everything was able to die after the fall of Adam. The animals and plants changed, they too will die. With the resurrection of all mankind after the second coming of Christ, everything will be changed back to it's natural and immortal state.
There were so many great subjects in these chapters on Parenting and loving our children to overcoming sin and weakness. Doing these chapter summaries the last few weeks has been a buffet of knowledge, so much so that I can't effectively write it all down. Again, please feel free to read and evaluate the book for yourself.
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