I want to begin our study of 2 Nephi at the end of the book, because it states the theme of this book, and in fact of the entire Book of Mormon so perfectly:
“And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.” (2 Ne 25:26)
Vivian Harmer, a young LDS student, had a revealing experience while studying at a university in northern England. One day she found herself seated on a bus next to an Evangelical Christian, and the talk turned to religion. When she learned that Vivian was Mormon, her seat mate flatly stated, “Mormons aren’t Christians.” Of course Vivian denied this and explained that LDS people really are Christians, just often misunderstood. The young woman replied that she knew better, because she had once been visited by the missionaries, who claimed that they had a message for her about Jesus Christ. “I let them in to talk about Christ,” she said, “and all we talked about was some man named Joseph Smith. I don’t believe in him, and they didn’t tell me anything about Christ. Your church isn’t Christian.”1
For the first time Vivian realized that there may be some reason that LDS people are often considered to be something other than devout Christians. And at that moment these words of Nephi came to mind, and she began to examine her own patterns of conversation, especially in regard to her missionary efforts. To her surprise, she realized that she had many gospel conversations where she covered a variety of topics - from the Book of Mormon to living prophets to the pioneers - but somehow failed to mention that the point of all of these gospel blessings was to lead us to Christ, whom we worship, adore and by whose grace we are saved, after all we can do. This led to a change in her own life, and in her priorities.
In this verse, Nephi is describing his daily walk with Christ, and his words challenge us to take a close look at ours. Do your children, grandchildren and friends hear you talk about Christ, rejoice in Christ and preach of Christ? Do they see you looking first and foremost to Jesus (rather than to programs or commandments or goal-setting sessions) for a solution to your problems? Are you a person who speaks often and freely about grace? In other words, are you easily identifiable as a born-again Christian as well as a commandment-keeping Mormon? After all, the whole point of the commandments is to guide us to the rebirth of the spirit and the outpouring of grace that comes as we seek Christ. This, the Book of Mormon teaches, "is the whole meaning of the law." (Alma 34:14)
As Latter-day Saints, we have so many facets to our faith that it is easy to get caught up in discussing the tributaries and miss the source of the living water. But when it comes right down to it, we either talk about Christ, rejoice in Christ, and preach of Christ, or we don’t. People who know us well regard us as devout Christians, or they don’t, based on our performance in those three areas. From our daily conversation, our peace and joy, and what we choose to talk about in church, it will be obvious who or what comes first. With all that we have been given, with the grace and mercy He has poured out upon us, our faith in Christ should be so obvious to our neighbors that they will just laugh should anyone describe us as anything other than followers of Jesus! Right?
1 Harmer, Vivian. We Talk of Christ. New Era, April 1987.
