Press forward with a steadfastness in Christ – 2 Nephi 31:20 – Come, Follow Me Ponderize Scripture
2 Nephi 31:20
Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.
What I love about this scripture is that it really teaches us the gospel or should I say sums up the gospel in a nutshell. Lets break it down.
Ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ
Press is defined as: move or cause to move into a position of contact with something by exerting continuous physical force.
If we exert continuous physical force on moving forward, we will will not be swayed one way or the other but stay the course, and the course we will stay on, is to be steadfast or unwavering in Christ.
Having a perfect brightness of hope
What great choice of words. This is hope that is not soiled by doubt or unbelief, but rather it is founded in perfect faith, and this is nearly and actually could be knowledge of that hope that is only found in Christ, even the hope of eternal life. This type of hope is a living hope, fueled by the power and glory of God. Truly, what glorious hope this is.
Elder Bruce R. McConkie said, “As used in the revelations, hope is the desire of faithful people to gain eternal salvation in the Kingdom of God hereafter. It is not a flimsy, ethereal desire, . . . but a desire coupled with full expectation of receiving the coveted reward” (Mormon Doctrine 365).
And a love of God and of all men (charity)
This love is required by all who desire to obtain such perfect brightness of hope.
Joseph B. Wirthlin said, “Mormon taught that “charity is the pure love of Christ” and exhorted us to “pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that [we] may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ.” (Moro. 7:47–48) Note that charity is given only to those who seek it, only to those who earnestly pray for it, only to those who are disciples of Christ.”
And with that charity we, “may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure (Moro. 7:47–48).
If ye shall press forward
I just want to point out the “IF.” All the blessings are predicated on our obedience to the law associated to that blessing. If we want eternal life, we must obey the law of the celestial kingdom.
For he who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory” (D&C 88:22).
Feasting upon the word of Christ
We must not nibble, or even casually eat, but rather we must feast upon the word of Christ. The word of Christ is categorized into three major buckets, the scriptures, the words of the prophets and apostles, and the word of Christ given directly to us, through the Holy Spirit.
And endure to the end
If you were running a marathon race and you fell down, you would pick yourself up and keep on running; or if someone pulled up in a car and said, hey jump in and let’s go grab some lunch, you would say no, and keep on running. So it is with us in this probation, we must never give up, and keep on running. Another aspect to consider is enduring well, which I will discuss in the next point.
Thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.
This is the glorious reward that we are all seeking after, and although the actual fulfillment of living in eternal glory can’t be had in this life, the promise or guarantee of eternal life can be obtained in this life. let us not only assume this is something to obtain after we pass to the other side, but rather let us pursue this while in the flesh.
Bruce R. McConkie shows the relationship between baptism (starting the marathon race) and having one’s calling and election made sure?
Baptism is the beginning of personal righteousness; it opens the door to celestial exaltation; it puts us on the path leading to eternal life. As Nephi expressed it, when we enter “the gate” of “repentance and baptism” and receive “a remission” of our sins “by fire and by the Holy Ghost,” we are then on the “straight and narrow path which leads to eternal life.”
Nephi then asks if we have thereby done all that is necessary to gain that glorious reward, and answers with an emphatic, No! “Ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ,” he says, “having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.” (2 Ne. 31:17-21.)
That is to say, after baptism, after being called out of darkness into the light of the gospel; after having been numbered with the elect of God, we must receive the guarantees to which we have been called, and the assurances that appertain to our election, and which are given on a conditional basis only in baptism. We must have our calling and election made sure, and this high achievement grows out of and is the crowning reward of baptism.
Joseph Smith taught:
After a person has faith in Christ, repents of his sins, and is baptized for the remission of his sins and receives the Holy Ghost, (by the laying on of hands), which is the first Comforter, then let him continue to humble himself before God, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and living by every word of God, and the Lord will soon say unto him, Son, thou shalt be exalted. When the Lord has thoroughly proved him, and finds that the man is determined to serve him at all hazards, then the man will find his calling and election made sure, then it will be his privilege to receive the other Comforter, which the Lord hath promised the Saints, as is recorded in the testimony of St. John, in the 14th chapter, from the 12th to the 27th verses. (TPJS 150; emphasis added)
After quoting this quote, Larry E. Dahl, in his commentary on 2 Nephi 31 said the following:
Did you notice parallels in Joseph Smith’s and Nephi’s explanations concerning the necessary elements in getting onto and proceeding along the path to eternal life? Both speak of repentance, baptism and receiving the Holy Ghost as initial requirements. Nephi says (2 Nephi 31:20) one must then “press forward with steadfastness”; Joseph Smith says, “living by every word of God.” Nephi speaks of “hope”; Joseph renders it, “hungering and thirsting after righteousness.” Nephi refers to “enduring to the end”; Joseph says one must be “thoroughly proved . . . at all hazards.” They also agree on the reward: Nephi says, “behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life”; Joseph explains, “then the man will find his calling and his election made sure.” https://rsc.byu.edu/book-mormon-second-nephi-doctrinal-structure/doctrine-christ-2-nephi-31-32
What a great scripture to ponderize this week and to apply in our lives!!
Craig
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