This week’s “Come, Follow Me” study guide covers 3 Nephi 27-4 Nephi 1, which includes Jesus Christ’s commandment to call the Church in His name.
Following are a few quotes from past and present Church leaders about these chapters in the Book of Mormon.
3 Nephi 27
“Some weeks ago, I released a statement regarding a course correction for the name of the Church. I did this because the Lord impressed upon my mind the importance of the name He decreed for His Church, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ...
“It was the Savior Himself who said, ‘For thus shall my church be called in the last days, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ (Doctrine and Covenants 115:4).
“Even earlier, in A.D. 34, our resurrected Lord gave similar instruction to members of His Church when He visited them in the Americas. At that time He said:
“‘Ye shall call the church in my name. …
“‘And how be it my church save it be called in my name? For if a church be called in Moses’ name then it be Moses’ church; or if it be called in the name of a man then it be the church of a man; but if it be called in my name then it is my church’ (3 Nephi 27:7-8).
“Thus, the name of the Church is not negotiable. When the Savior clearly states what the name of His Church should be and even precedes His declaration with, ‘Thus shall my church be called,’ He is serious. And if we allow nicknames to be used or adopt or even sponsor those nicknames ourselves, He is offended. ...
“I promise you that if we will do our best to restore the correct name of the Lord’s Church, He whose Church this is will pour down His power and blessings upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints, the likes of which we have never seen. We will have the knowledge and power of God to help us take the blessings of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people and to prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord.
“So, what’s in a name? When it comes to the name of the Lord’s Church, the answer is ‘Everything!’ Jesus Christ directed us to call the Church by His name because it is His Church, filled with His power.”
— President Russell M. Nelson, President of the Church, October 2018 general conference, “The Correct Name of the Church”
“In His mortal life, Jesus Christ was a loving judge, uncommonly wise and patient. …
“This counsel to the Nephite Twelve will help us judge as the Lord does: ‘Ye shall be judges of this people, according to the judgment which I shall give unto you, which shall be just. Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am’ (3 Nephi 27:27). We sometimes forget that when He gave the counsel to be as He is, it was in the context of how to judge righteously.”
— Elder Lynn G. Robbins, then a General Authority Seventy, October 2016 general conference, “The Righteous Judge”
“When we study the life of our Savior and His teachings, we see Him amongst the people teaching, praying, lifting and healing. When we emulate Him and do the things we see Him do, we begin to see a vision of who we can become. You will be blessed with insight through the help of the Holy Ghost to do more good. Changes will begin to come, and you will bring a different order to your life that will bless you and your family. During His ministry among the Nephites, the Savior asked, ‘What manner of men ought ye to be?’ He replied, ‘Even as I am’ (3 Nephi 27:27). We need His help to become like Him, and He has shown us the way: ‘Therefore, ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; for he that asketh, receiveth; and unto him that knocketh, it shall be opened’ (3 Nephi 27:29).”
— Elder O. Vincent Halek, then a General Authority Seventy, April 2012 general conference, “Having the Vision to Do”
“I have thought a lot about why the Savior gave the nine-word name to His restored Church. It may seem long, but if we think of it as a descriptive overview of what the Church is, it suddenly becomes wonderfully brief, candid and straightforward. How could any description be more direct and clear and yet expressed in such few words?
“Every word is clarifying and indispensable. The word ‘The’ indicates the unique position of the restored Church among the religions of the world.
“The words ‘Church of Jesus Christ’ declare that it is His Church. In the Book of Mormon, Jesus taught: ‘And how be it my church save it be called in my name? For if a church be called in Moses’ name then it be Moses’ church; or if it be called in the name of a man [like Mormon] then it be the church of a man; but if it be called in my name then it is my church, if it so be that they are built upon my gospel’ (3 Nephi 27:8).
“’Of Latter-day’ explains that it is the same Church as the Church that Jesus Christ established during His mortal ministry but restored in these latter days. …
“’Saints’ means that its members follow Him and strive to do His will, keep His commandments, and prepare once again to live with Him and our Heavenly Father in the future. …
“The name the Savior has given to His Church tells us exactly who we are and what we believe.”
— The late President M. Russell Ballard, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2011 general conference, “The Importance of a Name”
“’To be, or not to be’ is actually a very good question. The Savior posed the question in a far more profound way, making it a vital doctrinal question for each of us: ‘What manner of men [and women] ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am’ (3 Nephi 27:27). The first-person present tense of the verb ‘be’ is ‘I Am.’ He invites us to take upon us His name and His nature.
“To become as He is, we must also do the things He did: ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my gospel; and ye know the things that ye must do in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do’ (3 Nephi 27:21).
“To be and to do are inseparable. As interdependent doctrines they reinforce and promote each other. Faith inspires one to pray, for example, and prayer in turn strengthens one’s faith.”
— Elder Lynn G. Robbins, then a General Authority Seventy, April 2011 general conference, “What Manner of Men and Women Ought Ye to Be?”
“As the Savior demonstrated, the consecrated life is a pure life. While Jesus is the only one to have led a sinless life, those who come unto Him and take His yoke upon them have claim on His grace, which will make them as He is, guiltless and spotless. With deep love the Lord encourages us in these words: ‘Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day’ (3 Nephi 27:20).
“Consecration therefore means repentance. Stubbornness, rebellion, and rationalization must be abandoned, and in their place submission, a desire for correction and acceptance of all that the Lord may require.”
— Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2010 general conference, “Reflections on a Consecrated Life”
“During the Lord’s three-day ministry in the New World, He taught His doctrine, authorized His disciples to perform priesthood ordinances, healed the sick, prayed for the people and lovingly blessed the children. As the Savior’s time with the people was drawing to a close, He succinctly summarized the fundamental principles of His gospel.
“Said He, ‘Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day’ (3 Nephi 27:20).
“The basic principles outlined by the Master in this scripture are essential for us to understand and apply in our lives. …
“Repenting and coming unto Christ through the covenants and ordinances of salvation are prerequisite to and a preparation for being sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost and standing spotless before God at the last day.”
— Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2007 general conference, “Clean Hands and a Pure Heart”
3 Nephi 28
“We do not reach our divine destiny alone. As Latter-day Saints, we have a special duty to invite others on our journey to our heavenly home. The world needs Latter-day Saints who are willing to let the light of the Restoration shine through their testimonies, examples and willingness to share the gospel. When we shine, we gather. …
“As we help others along the path to their divine destiny, we help ourselves along that same path, ‘to be received into the kingdom of the Father to go no more out, but to dwell with God eternally in the heavens’ (3 Nephi 28:40).”
— Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, January 2022 Liahona article, “Pursuing the Path of Happiness”
“In our lives we should desire what occurred after the Lord came to the people of the New World and established His Church. The scriptures read, ‘And it came to pass that thus they [meaning His disciples] did go forth among all the people of Nephi, and did preach the gospel of Christ unto all people upon the face of the land; and they were converted unto the Lord, and were united unto the church of Christ, and thus the people of that generation were blessed’ (3 Nephi 28:23).
“The Lord wants the members of His Church to be fully converted to His gospel. This is the only sure way to have spiritual safety now and happiness forever.”
— Elder Donald L. Hallstrom, then a General Authority Seventy, April 2012 general conference, “Converted to His Gospel through His Church”
3 Nephi 29
“The Prophet Joseph Smith declared … that the Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion. It is a treasured testament of truth. It is the prophesied sign that ‘the Lord has commenced to gather Israel and fulfill his covenants’ (3 Nephi 29, chapter heading).
“Solemnly, I add my witness to that of my Brethren. It is true!”
— President Russell M. Nelson, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, in the July 1993 Ensign article, “A Treasured Testament”
“The prophet Mormon counseled us in great power on the subject of prophets when he said, ‘Wo unto him that shall deny the revelations of the Lord, and that shall say the Lord no longer worketh by revelation, or by prophecy, or by gifts, or by tongues, or by healings, or by the power of the Holy Ghost!’ (3 Nephi 29:6).
“Priesthood leaders, do you want to raise the spiritual level of your stewardship? Follow the Brethren.
“Husbands, do you want your wives to have more confidence in you and your leadership? Follow the Brethren.
“Parents, do you want your children to feel your love and more willingly accept your direction? Love the Brethren.”
— The late Elder L. Aldin Porter, then a General Authority Seventy, October 1987 general conference, “Follow the Brethren”
4 Nephi 1
“As you listen to this passage from 4 Nephi, look for parallels in our day: ‘And it came to pass that when two hundred and ten years had passed away there were many churches in the land; yea, there were many churches which professed to know the Christ, and yet they did deny the more parts of his gospel, insomuch that they did receive all manner of wickedness, and did administer that which was sacred unto him to whom it had been forbidden because of unworthiness’ (4 Nephi 1:27).
“Déjà vu in the latter days! Some members don’t realize they are falling into the same snare when they lobby for acceptance of local or ethnic ‘tradition[s] of their fathers’ (Doctrine and Covenants 93:39) that are not in harmony with the gospel culture. Still others, self-deceived and in self-denial, plead or demand that bishops lower the standard on temple recommends, school endorsements or missionary applications. It isn’t easy being a bishop under that kind of pressure. However, like the Savior who cleansed the temple to defend its sanctity (see John 2:15–16), bishops today are called upon to boldly defend the temple standard.”
— Elder Lynn G. Robbins, then a General Authority Seventy, October 2014 general conference, “Which Way Do You Face?”
“Following their own experiences with the Savior, these Nephite parents taught their children about Him. They taught them to love the Lord. They taught them His gospel. They taught them how to live it. They taught them so well that there was righteousness and peace in the land for 200 years (see 4 Nephi 1:1–22). …
“Now, all of this does not come easily. The Nephite account says that those families had 200 years of peace. But surely it took great effort. It takes a lot of hard work and patience and faith, but nothing is more important or rewarding. And the Lord will help us, for He loves these children even more than we do. He loves them, and He will bless them.”
— Sister Cheryl C. Lant, then the recently released Primary general president, April 2010 general conference, “That Our Children Might See the Face of the Savior”
“Guided by His Spirit, you will be confident and happy, and virtue will garnish your thoughts unceasingly. The Book of Mormon describes what happened when a whole society kept their covenants and lived clean and virtuous lives: ‘And surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God’ (4 Nephi 1:16). Guided by the Holy Ghost, you will also be a righteous influence on others.”
— Sister Elaine S. Dalton, then the second counselor in the Young Women general presidency, April 2007 general conference, “Stay on the Path”
