What is the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
Book of Mormon Notes - Wednesday, March 13, 2024, 3 Nephi 27, continued
In the meantime, we have a lot to learn from the portion that we have already been given, especially the portion in Third Nephi that contains the Lord’s instructions to His Zion people:
Behold I have given unto you my agospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you—that I came into the world to do the bwill of my Father, because my Father sent me.
And my Father sent me that I might be alifted up upon the bcross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the ccross, that I might ddraw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father, to stand before me, to be ejudged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil—
And for this cause have I been alifted up; therefore, according to the power of the Father I will draw all men unto me, that they may be judged according to their bworks. (3 Nephi 27:13-15)
What is the Gospel of Jesus Christ? It is a simple question, the answer to which many of us presume to know without pausing to think about it more deeply. The definitions of “Gospel” in the LDS Bible Dictionary and Guide to the Scriptures are helpful. We know that the word “Gospel” derives from the old English translation of the Greek word “Evangelion,” meaning “Good News”, which word has been translated into Latin as “bona annuntiatio.” The old English word from which we derive the modern English word “Gospel” is gōdspel (gōd, "good" + spel, "news"). What is this good news?
The word gospel means “good news.” The good news is that Jesus Christ has made a perfect atonement for mankind that will redeem all mankind from the grave and reward each individual according to his or her works. This atonement was begun by His appointment in the premortal world but was worked out by Jesus during His mortal sojourn. Therefore, the records of His mortal life and the events pertaining to His ministry are called the Gospels; the four that are contained in our Bible are presented under the names of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
The LDS Guide to the Scriptures contains this definition of “Gospel”:
God’s plan of salvation, made possible through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The gospel includes the eternal truths or laws, covenants, and ordinances needed for mankind to enter back into the presence of God. God restored the fulness of the gospel to the earth in the 19th century through the Prophet Joseph Smith.
These are great definitions, but the Book of Mormon contains the definitions of the Gospel and the Doctrine of Christ that Jesus Christ Himself revealed. The Doctrine of Christ means the principles and teachings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Where does the Lord Himself define His Gospel and His Doctrine?
The simple answer is that the Lord Himself defines His Gospel and His Doctrine in the Book of Mormon. More specifically, the Lord teaches His Gospel and His doctrine especially in 2 Nephi 31, 3 Nephi 11, and 3 Nephi 27. To date, and to the best of my knowledge, the best study and analysis of Jesus Christ’s teachings regarding His Gospel and His Doctrine has been executed by Noel B. Reynolds in his article “The Gospel According to Mormon.” (see also here, and here). In this scintillating article, Reynolds helps us to understand the Book of Mormon and the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a new light:
While on first impression the book reads like a history of this Nephite civilization, closer analysis reveals that this gospel or doctrine of Christ provides both the animating purpose and the connective thread through the entire text. For most purposes, it is accurate to describe Mormon as the self-proclaimed redactor of the whole text — inasmuch as it was his choice to insert the early Nephi material, and his son’s appendices contain mostly sermons given at some point by Mormon himself — with some closing comments by Moroni. On that basis, it may be fair to refer to the Book of Mormon as “the gospel according to Mormon.”
In my early studies of the Book of Mormon, I was particularly impressed by the repeated invitations to “come unto Christ,” and the repeated instructions about how to come unto Christ. Reynolds demonstrates how this core invitation and instruction “provides the animating purpose and the connective thread through the entire text,” especially in “three passages in the Book of Mormon that explicitly promise definitions of the doctrine or gospel of Jesus Christ”:
Nephi’s Farewell Address (2 Nephi 31)
Jesus’s First Instruction to His Nephite Disciples (3 Nephi 11:31–39)
Jesus Reaffirms His Gospel (3 Nephi 27:13–21)
When we study these three passages together and connect them with the Book of Mormon as a whole, it becomes clear, as Reynolds demonstrates in his article, that the Book of Mormon contains the fullness of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, and that the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ transcends traditional Christian theology:
This study begins with three passages in the Book of Mormon that explicitly promise definitions of the doctrine or gospel of Jesus Christ. But none of the three definitions is presented in the way modern readers might expect. Rather, each offers a series of statements focusing on different actions or events related to each other as parts of the way that leads to eternal life. On first reading, these could easily seem disconnected or even contradictory — especially if read from the perspective of traditional Christian theologies. But when all these statements and their main elements are examined cumulatively, a well-defined account of this gospel emerges. The process by which men and women can come unto Christ and be saved is clear and multi-stepped. While the terminology sounds familiar to readers of the New Testament, the assemblage, definitions, and connections do not match up readily with traditional Christian interpretations of the Bible. The picture of the whole is almost never fully articulated in one place. Instead, we find a series of partial statements of this gospel — each of which is designed to add detail and complexity.
I mention these things in connection with our study of 3 Nephi 27 because they can help us to better appreciate the depths of the riches of the Book of Mormon, and encourage us on the path of discipleship.
Of course, we come to truly understand the Gospel and Doctrine of Jesus Christ to the extent that we live it:
Jesus answered them, and said, My adoctrine is not mine, but his that bsent me.
If any man will ado his bwill, he shall cknow of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. (John 7:16-17)
None of us is perfect, but because of Jesus Christ, we can repent and strive to do better and be better. Notice how the Lord’s Doctrine and His Gospel is not just the interrelated steps and the process by which we come unto Christ, but it is to do the will of the Father:
Behold I have given unto you my agospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you—that I came into the world to do the bwill of my Father, because my Father sent me. (3 Nephi 27:13)
Or as Jesus taught in His Sermon on the Mount:
Not every one that asaith unto me, bLord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that cdoeth the dwill of my Father which is in eheaven.
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not aprophesied in thy name? and in thy bname have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
aAnd then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: bdepart from me, ye that work ciniquity. (Matthew 7:21-23)
JST Matt. 7:33 And then will I say, Ye never knew me … Ps. 101:4; Matt. 25:12; Mosiah 26:27 (23–27); 3 Ne. 14:23.
Thus the Gospel (the evangelion, bono annuntiatio, gōdspel), the Good News, is that Jesus Christ made a perfect atonement, and that Heavenly Father’s Plan of Salvation is made possible through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The Good News is that we can have faith in Christ unto repentance, be baptized by water and by the Holy Ghost, endure to the end and be saved. But even more simply, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Good News, is that Jesus Christ came into the world to do the will of His Father, because His Father sent Him, and that Jesus Christ did the will of His Father. What was His Father’s will?
And my Father sent me that I might be alifted up upon the bcross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the ccross, that I might ddraw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father, to stand before me, to be ejudged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil—
And for this cause have I been alifted up; therefore, according to the power of the Father I will draw all men unto me, that they may be judged according to their bworks. (3 Nephi 27:14-15)
Jesus Christ fulfilled His part in the Plan of Salvation, and His Gospel invites us to fulfill our part:
And it shall come to pass, that whoso arepenteth and is baptized in my bname shall be filled; and if he cendureth to the end, behold, him will I hold guiltless before my Father at that day when I shall stand to judge the world. (3 Nephi 27:16)
Throughout the rest of the chapter, Jesus Christ reiterates His Gospel:
Now this is the commandment: aRepent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be bbaptized in my name, that ye may be csanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand dspotless before me at the last day. (3 Nephi 27:20)
As Reynolds points out in his article “The Gospel According to Mormon,” the Lord prefaces and concludes (in this chapter as well as in 3 Nephi 11 and 2 Nephi 31) His teaching of His Gospel with the very clear statement: “This is my gospel”:
Preface:
Behold I have given unto you my agospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you—that I came into the world to do the bwill of my Father, because my Father sent me. (3 Nephi 27:13)
Conclusion:
Verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my agospel; and ye know the things that ye must bdo in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do; for that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do; (3 Nephi 27:21)
As I understand it, all of the previous principles and elements of Christ’s Doctrine culminate in this simple definition of the Gospel: Jesus Christ came to do the will of His Father, and He invites us to follow Him, to do the same, and to become as He is:
And know ye that aye shall be bjudges of this people, according to the judgment which I shall give unto you, which shall be just. Therefore, what cmanner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even das I am. (3 Nephi 27:27)
Our Savior concludes this portion of His teachings by inviting His disciples to ask, seek, and knock, and He rejoices in the faith and the faithfulness of the Nephites who were present with Him in Bountiful. His joy was full because of that generation, but He also sorrowed because of the fourth generation from that generation, prophesying their destruction because of wickedness. Then Jesus issued one last invitation:
And it came to pass that when Jesus had ended these sayings he said unto his disciples: Enter ye in at the astrait gate; for strait is the gate, and narrow is the way that leads to life, and few there be that find it; but wide is the gate, and broad the way which leads to death, and many there be that travel therein, until the night cometh, wherein no man can work. (3 Nephi 27:33)
What is the strait gate? (see also here and here) Why is the gate strait and the way narrow? Why do few find it? These are questions to ponder.