This week’s “Come, Follow Me” study guide covers 3 Nephi 1-7, which includes the birth of Jesus Christ and the fulfillment of Samuel the Lamanite’s prophecies.
Following are a few quotes from past and present Church leaders about these chapters in the Book of Mormon.
3 Nephi 1
“Life can be difficult, and hard times can threaten our faith. When we confront trial and tragedy, we may wonder if our faith in God’s Son is a vain hope. But trials are designed to draw us toward the Savior so that He can make us better able to lift others to Him. As we share the ‘good cheer’ (3 Nephi 1:13) of His coming, we lift heads and soften hearts. I promise that the day will come, if it has not already, when your faith in His coming will be confirmed. That will be a happy day.”
— President Henry B. Eyring, second counselor in the First Presidency, in the December 2022 Liahona article “The Promised Messiah”
“As general conference approaches, I am grateful for the opportunity I will have once again to be in the Conference Center with prophets and apostles. But as I sit close to them, I will remember my faithful friends far away who know just as surely as I do, by the power of the Holy Ghost, that what we hear is the word of the Lord as ‘spoken by the mouth of [His] holy prophets’ (3 Nephi 1:13).”
— Elder Randy D. Funk, then a General Authority Seventy, in the October 2019 Ensign article, “They Know, Just as I Know”
“How fitting that the Savior’s birth in Bethlehem was accompanied by miraculous displays of light in the Western Hemisphere. At the time of His birth, ‘at the going down of the sun there was no darkness; and the people began to be astonished because … there was no darkness in all that night’ (3 Nephi 1:15, 19). … The light of Jesus Christ is stronger than any darkness we face in this life, if we have faith in Him, seek after Him and obey Him.”
— Sister Virginia U. Jensen, then the first counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, October 2000 general conference, “Lead, Kindly Light”
“Within what is allotted to us, we can have spiritual contentment. …
“Yet there are other fixed limitations in life. For instance, some have allotments including physical, mental or geographic constraints. There are those who are unmarried, through no fault of their own, or yearning but childless couples. Still others face persistent and unreconciled relationships within their circles of loved ones, including offspring who have ‘[become] for themselves,’ resistant to parental counsel (3 Nephi 1:29). In such and similar situations, there are so many prickly and daily reminders.
“Being content means acceptance without self-pity. Meekly borne, however, deprivations such as these can end up being like excavations that make room for greatly enlarged souls.”
— Elder Neal A. Maxwell, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2000 general conference, “Content With the Things Allotted Unto Us”
“When we understand the great plan of happiness, we are gaining an eternal perspective, and the commandments, ordinances, covenants and the experiences, trials and tribulations can be seen in their true and eternal light.
“Remember, however, that Satan will dim the brightness of hope and eternal perspective by the dark, compelling urgency of now. Such is the case with those mentioned in the Book of Mormon who ‘turned out of the way’ (Helaman 6:31) and ‘became for themselves’ (3 Nephi 1:29).”
— Elder Jay E. Jensen, then a General Authority Seventy, April 2000 general conference, “Keep an Eternal Perspective”
3 Nephi 2
“One kind of deception seeks to mislead us about whom we should follow. In speaking of the last days, the Savior taught: ‘Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many’ (Matthew 24:4–5). In other words, many will seek to deceive us by saying that they or their teachings will save us, so there is no need for a Savior or His gospel. The Book of Mormon describes this as ‘the power of the devil, to lead away and deceive the hearts of the people … to believe that the doctrine of Christ was a foolish and a vain thing’ (3 Nephi 2:2).”
— President Dallin H. Oaks, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2004 general conference, “Be Not Deceived”
3 Nephi 4
“Here in mortality, we already know moments when, ‘because of the great goodness of God,’ there is a ‘gushing out of many tears’ (3 Nephi 4:33). Our joy is brim. Yet this is but a foretaste of the ultimate homecoming, when our cups will not only be brim, but will run over without ceasing.”
— Elder Neal A. Maxwell, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 1988 general conference, “‘For I Will Lead You Along’”
3 Nephi 5
“In the so-called New World, the history of the Nephites and Lamanites as set forth in the Book of Mormon ends in approximately A.D. 400. Descendants of father Lehi are spread throughout the Americas.
“This is clearly described by Mormon in 3 Nephi 5:20, which reads: ‘I am Mormon, and a pure descendant of Lehi. I have reason to bless my God and my Savior Jesus Christ, that he brought our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem.’
“Clearly the high point in Israel’s chronological history is the birth, message, ministry and mission of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
— Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2023 general conference, “Safely Gathered Home”
“Only through Him can we and all our brothers and sisters inherit the greatest gift we can receive — eternal life and eternal happiness. To help them, to be an example for them, is not for the weak. It is for the strong. It is for you and me, Latter-day Saints who pay the price of discipleship by answering our accusers with Christian courage.
“I conclude by making the testimony of Mormon my own: ‘Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life’ (3 Nephi 5:13). I bear my special witness of Him — that our lives can be everlasting because His love is everlasting.”
— Elder Robert D. Hales, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2008 general conference, “Christian Courage: the Price of Discipleship”
“The Lord is calling for worthy, willing workers to labor in His harvest fields.
“My beloved young men, will you consider what it would mean to you if you could join the prophet Mormon in saying: ‘Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life’ (3 Nephi 5:13).
“I am a witness that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world. It is my deep conviction that He has called us to teach and testify in His name before the world. And to you young brethren, my sincere prayer is that you will respond to His call with a willing mind and worthy heart.”
— Elder L. Aldin Porter, then a General Authority Seventy, April 1992 general conference, “‘A Disciple of Jesus Christ’”
“Perhaps we have not seen, in person, the risen Lord. But the testimony of His chosen witnesses is etched into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. We know, and knowing, we too must testify. Is there any question in the mind of any of us that this is one of the chief responsibilities we enjoy by reason of our membership in His Church? I began with Mormon’s declaration, ‘I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life’ (3 Nephi 5:13). Such is the calling of each of us.”
— Elder Robert L. Backman, then a General Authority Seventy, October 1991 general conference, “Jesus the Christ”
3 Nephi 6
“As we are steady and unchanging in doing that which is good, our traditions become firmly rooted in righteousness. But I have a question. How do we determine what is good or, more importantly, what is good enough? Another scripture that gives us a little more information is found in 3 Nephi 6:14. It speaks of people ‘who were converted unto the true faith; and they would not depart from it, for they were firm, and steadfast, and immovable, willing with all diligence to keep the commandments of the Lord.’
“We learn that our conversion to the ‘true faith’ precedes our ability to remain firm, steadfast and immovable in keeping the commandments. This conversion is a firm belief in Jesus Christ as our Redeemer.”
— Sister Cheryl C. Lant, then the Primary general president, April 2008 general conference, “Righteous Traditions”
“In the Book of Mormon we read of the Lamanites ‘who were converted unto the true faith; and they would not depart from it, for they were firm, and steadfast, and immovable, willing with all diligence to keep the commandments of the Lord’ (3 Nephi 6:14).
“Your strong and unwavering faith in and knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ and His plan for you and your family will be a great protection against conflicting viewpoints and evil influences. Your obedience and faithfulness to eternal covenants and commandments can bring peace and, yes, even happiness amid the chaos of this world. Armed with faith, you can stand firm and you can create a home worthy of Heavenly Father’s children.”
— Sister Virginia U. Jensen, then the first counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, October 2001 general conference, “Stand Firm”
“Sometimes we hear of Church members who outwardly do all the things that would indicate full Church involvement, yet who neglect their children or abuse them physically, emotionally or sexually, who are untrue to their covenants and marriage vows, or who are dishonest in other ways. If such a person is listening, could we plead with you this night to repent, to seek help and forgiveness?
“Mormon wrote of other people in another time and place who also were in such a state of wickedness. He said, as it might be said today, ‘Now they did not sin ignorantly, for they knew the will of God concerning them’ (3 Nephi. 6:18).”
— Sister Joy F. Evans, then the first counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, October 1987 general conference, “Overcoming Challenges Along Life’s Way”
3 Nephi 7
“Several years ago, I decided to study reactions to messages from prophets. Sometimes people rejected the prophets because they were jealous of them and their power.
“In the Book of Third Nephi when Nephi was ministering with great power, ‘they were angry with him, even because he had greater power than they’ (3 Nephi 7:18). The people even saw Nephi raise his brother from the dead; ’and the people saw it, and did witness of it, and were angry with him because of his power’ (3 Nephi 7:20). …
“We each have the choice to follow the prophet, no matter the state of the particular society in which we live. We may feel pressure from society to ignore or even reject the prophet’s message, but we still retain the ability to choose. If we keep our covenants and stay close to the Lord, it will be much easier for us to follow the prophet. We will have the Spirit to both guide us and strengthen our resolve to submit our will to that of the Lord. And then we are recipients of the Lord’s blessings.”
— Sunday School President Paul V. Johnson, then a General Authority Seventy, in the October 2023 Liahona article, “To Guide Us in These Latter Days”
“In this momentous season of the earth’s history, you and I as bearers of the priesthood need to be righteous men and effective instruments in the hands of God. We need to rise up as men of God. You and I would do well to learn from and heed the example of Nephi, the grandson of Helaman and the first of the 12 disciples called by the Savior at the beginning of His ministry among the Nephites. ‘And [Nephi] did minister many things unto them. … And Nephi did minister with power and with great authority’ (3 Nephi 7:17).”
— Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2012 general conference, “The Powers of Heaven”
