2 Nephi Chapter 9

9:6-7 - "...resurrection must needs come unto man by reason of the fall..."
We fell, so we need a way to overcome our fallen state.  The atonement brought the resurrection, and because the atonement was infinite, it satisfied all the requirements necessary for resurrection (and exaltation).



9:8-9 - If there were no Atonement, we would be like Satan - angels to a devil.
When we follow Satan's plan, the best we can possibly do is to become angels to a devil.  When we follow God's plan, the best we can possibly do is to become a god, like Him.
We become like those that we follow.
This is also seen in that the Lord took on himself the "seed of Abraham" and not the "nature of angels" (Hebrews 2:16).



9:13-14 - "...we shall have a perfect knowledge..."
For the righteous, it will be a great day.  For the wicked, they will remember all their sins.  Ouch.
We need to keep the commandments so it will be a good day.



9:21 - He will save all men if they hearken to His voice.
If we want to be saved, we need to do what He says.
The Lord is the only reason we can be saved, and I'm grateful!



9:23 - "...and he commandeth all men that they must repent and be baptized in his name, having perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel, or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God..."
We all want to be saved...we want to be happy.  It takes work, effort, and giving up things that don't lead us to God.  It takes acting in faith.  If we have faith, we shall not fear.




9:28-29 - "...to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God..."
That's the trick - hearkening to the counsel of God.  Often, we just want to do things our own way...and only God's way will work.  It's when we trust our own wisdom that the problems come.  Like it says in the verse, though, being learned is good...if we hearken to the counsel of God.  It's tough sometimes because we're told to make a decision and then pray for confirmation...sometimes I wonder if I'm receiving confirmation or convincing myself that I have.  Reading the scriptures diligently and earnest prayer will help us know the difference.



9:31-32 - "...wo unto the deaf that will not hear...wo unto the blind that will not see..."
It's not that they can't hear or see...it's that they won't.  How many times do we plug our ears and shut our eyes and do not take advantage of the gospel? We hurt ourselves and all the people we could have helped.



9:39-40 - "...words of truth are hard against all uncleanness..."
That reminds me of 1 Nephi 16:1-3 where Nephi says the same thing to Laman and Lemuel.
They take truth to be hard because of inertia - it's easy to stay on your current path, and change is tough.  When you stay carnally-minded, it leads to death.  However, if you can keep the inertia in staying spiritually-minded, you will follow the path that leads to eternal life.



9:41,45,51 - "...come unto the Lord..."
We are exhorted so many times to "Come unto Him"...this implies action.  We must keep the commandments, thus becoming like Him, while we're coming unto Him.



9:48 - "...if ye were holy I would speak of holiness...but as ye are not holy...I must teach you the consequences of sin."
Interesting.  I just wonder what General Conference would be like if everybody were holy.  I do know that our own personal preparation will help us learn and be taught through the Holy Ghost, so at least we can prepare ourselves to receive the revelation we need.