2 Nephi 26

2 Nephi 26

The following post is my own personal interpretation of this chapter of scripture and how it pertains to me in my life. Not yours. Not the Church’s. Mine. Scripture can become our own if we choose it to be.

This passage of scripture was introduced to me by a dear friend of mine. He has a few trials in his life and has left the church. Not because he doesn’t believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ anymore, it is because he does not believe in the institution and people of the church. But I reminded him that the “gospel is true; people are jerks”.

2 Nephi 26 begins with Nephi prophesying to his descendants of the coming of Jesus Christ to the New World. He tells them that He will heal them, if they allow it. He then goes on to answer the whys and the hows of this healing. Let’s examine some verses.

Verse 24: He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation.

This verse tells us that Christ, our Master, allows all men to come unto Him, regardless of their circumstances. He actually commands all men to come unto Him to partake of salvation. This is good.

Verse 25: Behold, doth he cry unto any, saying: Depart from me? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; but he saith: Come unto me all ye ends of the earth, buy milk and honey, without money and without price.

Once again in the next verse we are told and taught by scriptural revelation that Jesus does not tell anyone to depart from Him.

Verse 28: Behold, hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of his goodness? I say unto you, Nay; but all men are privileged the one like unto the other, and none are forbidden.

This verse intrigues me. Here we learn that all men are equal, and treated with equality is the eyes of the Savior. All men are privileged, therefore equal, and none are forbidden, therefore denied the right to His love.

Verse 32: …the Lord God hath commanded that men should not murder; that they should not lie; that they should not steal; that they should not take the name of the Lord their God in vain; that they should not envy; that they should not have malice; that they should not contend one with another; that they should not commit whoredoms; and that they should do none of these things; for whoso doeth shall perish.

Here, Nephi gives us basically all the Ten Commandments in a nutshell. So, all in all, we are supposed to be pretty awesome and good people. We are supposed to treat our brothers and sisters on this earth with respect. We are to do what is right.

Verse 33: …he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female, and he remebereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God...

Basically, I want others to know what I learned from this chapter. I learned that all of Gods children are loved by Him. They are loved by Christ. It does not matter who it is. They can be Black, White, Mexican, Thai, Jewish, Catholic, Woman, Man, Child, Grandparent, Gambler, Smoker, Drinker, Drug Abuser, Democrat, Republican, Mormon, Atheist, Buddhist, Straight, Gay…and the list goes on and on. It does not matter what type of life you live, or were destined to live, or given to live. God loves you…no matter what.

This message is just a message of hope. A message to all those who feel as if God has forgotten them, or doesn’t love them anymore. That is not true, and that is false. He loves you, no matter who you are. Don’t let yourself think that you are less than you truly are, for you are a child of God.

I have learned that whatever path I choose, whether that is the road less traveled or another one, God will appreciate me and love me for who I am and what kind of person I am. For those who disagree…I tell you, read the chapter again. Christ denies no one. He loves all.

I think that our own personal salvation is just that: it’s personal. It differs from person to person. God will not say in the last day, “Come unto me, all those who are straight and do not suffer from same-sex-attraction, even though you gossiped, back-bit, hurt, stole, lied, murdered, and I will heal you. Depart from me, those who are gay and suffer from same sex attraction, even though you did not gossip, you were a righteous person, you did not steal, you did not lie, you did not murder, and I will not heal you”.

God, in His own time, will reveal to us the reasons why gay people exist. God will let us know why. It is a part of life. It is a part of our earthly experience. God cannot break the laws of mortality; one of those is free-agency. Our lives are our lives to live. Why would God give something to someone if that something did not allow us to be happy? Isn’t that why Adam and Eve partook of the fruit? So that “men might have joy”? Isn’t that the reason why we are here? I can’t see God, our Heavenly Father, who wants us to be happy, and who wants us to have all the joy that we can on this earth, give something to someone that will curse them. That will make them want to die. That will make them hurt every time they look at someone. That will make them suffer for the rest of their mortal life? That is not the God that I believe in. That is not the God that exists.

I choose happiness over sadness. I choose to love God and serve my fellow men. I choose to partake of the goodness of Christ and be His servant.

I choose for God to love me for me.