3
Nephi 11
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2 Nephi 31
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32 And this is my doctrine, and it is the doctrine which the
Father hath given unto me; and I bear record of the Father, and the Father beareth
record of me, and the Holy Ghost beareth record of the Father
and me; and I bear record that the Father commandeth all men, everywhere, to repent
and believe in me.
33 And whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved; and they are
they who shall inherit the
kingdom of God.
34 And whoso believeth
not in me, and is not baptized,
shall be damned.
35 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and I
bear record of it from the Father; and whoso believeth in me believeth in the Father also;
and unto him will the
Father bear record of me, for he will visit him with fire and with
the Holy Ghost.
36 And thus will the Father bear record
of me, and the Holy Ghost will
bear record unto him of the Father and me; for the Father, and I, and the Holy Ghost are one.
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2 ...I must speak concerning the doctrine of Christ
18 …the Holy Ghost, which witnesses of the Father and the Son,
11 And the Father said: Repent
ye, repent ye, and be
baptized in the name of my Beloved Son.
15 And I heard a voice
from the Father, saying: Yea, the words of my Beloved are true and faithful. He
that endureth to
the end, the same shall be saved.
16 And now, my beloved
brethren, I know by this that unless
a man shall endure to
the end, in following
the example of
the Son of the living God, he cannot be saved.
21-22 And now, behold, my
beloved brethren, this is
the way…And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ
12 …He that is
baptized in my name, to
him will the Father give the Holy
Ghost
13 …yea, then
cometh the baptism of fire and
of the Holy Ghost;
22 ...and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God
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When the doctrine of Christ is defined, all members of the Godhead take a very active role and there is a complex interplay between them. I don't know why that is the case, it's just an observation. Reading 2 Nephi 31, the Father and the Son take turns speaking and they often mention or testify of each other. An example of this is in verses 11 and 12. I split them in the table above, but together they form a chiasmus
A And the Father said: Repent ye, repent ye,
B and be baptized
C in the name of my Beloved Son.
C' And also, the voice of the Son came unto me, saying:
B' He that is baptized in my name,
A' to him will the Father give the Holy Ghost
In both accounts, The Holy Ghost bears witness of both the Father and the Son and is in addition a key element in the doctrine of Christ. I think it's important that the Holy Ghost is not just another step on the way as one might be inclined to think when reading the 4th article of faith. It is a blessing we receive when we have been showing faith and humility and followed the Savior into the waters of baptism.
Notice in both cases, that it is the Father who visits with or gives the Holy Ghost. In both cases it is also the Father who commands us to repent. Again, I don't know why, and I don't even know if it matters much, because surely the Father doesn't say anything that the Son wouldn't say also. But it is interesting to notice the consistency between the two passages.
After having described the different roles of all members of the Godhead, both accounts about the "doctrine of Christ" end with the statement that the Father, Son and Holy Ghost are one. I find it beautiful. We see the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost working together with different roles, but with one purpose: To save us. That is what I get the impression this is all about. "The same shall be saved"-phrase is repeated word for word in the two accounts. The terms have been laid out, and if we fulfill them, we "shall be saved